Equentis launches Rs 500 crore angel fund to invest in early-stage, high-growth startups

Equentis Wealth Advisory Services, an established player in India’s investment advisory sector, has launched its inaugural Category I Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) – the Equentis Angel Fund with a target corpus of Rs 500 crore ($60 million).

With this fund, the firm aims to back early-stage, high-growth Indian startups. 

Investing in the range of Rs 4-10 crore

The fund will invest between Rs 4 and 10 crore ($500K and $1.2 million) in pre–Series A and bridge–to–Series A funding rounds.

Equentis will focus on startups operating with a Total Addressable Market (TAM) of Rs 8,000 crore or around $1 billion. 

Over the next 18-24 months, Equentis’ Angel fund plans to invest in 40-50 startups, focusing on themes from defence, consumer tech, deeptech, logitech, fintech, and artificial intelligence (AI), seeking growth capital to scale their businesses. 

To amplify the fund’s impact, Equentis is also seeking to partner with similar funds, boutique/mid-market i-banks, startup accelerators and incubators.

Leadership comments

Manish Goel, Founder & Managing Director of Equentis Wealth Advisory Services Limited, said, “Furthering our mission to democratize wealth creation, we have added Equentis Angel Fund, offering a broader financial ecosystem that fosters sustainable growth for both investors and entrepreneurs. This fund embodies our commitment to empower startups and driving meaningful contributions to India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem while creating lasting value for all stakeholders.” 

India’s startup ecosystem is currently one of the most vibrant and expansive in the world. As of 2024, there were over 128,000 startups, making it the third largest globally.

In 2024, startups already raised over $10 billion, and projections are that they will exceed $15 billion by year-end. Early-stage investments (Seed to Series A) secured significant funding with $3.28 billion across 1,546 rounds till November. Angel Funds (Cat-I AIF, VCF) alone have raised around $1 billion in investor commitments.

“With the launch of the Equentis Angel Fund, we are offering alternative investment avenues for investors that complement their existing portfolios. In response to the evolving needs of our investors and the wealth management landscape, we have taken a significant step by expanding from Investment Advisory to a full-spectrum Wealth Management Services, diversifying our business for a more robust future” said Rakesh Gupta, Chief Operation & Compliance Officer at Equentis Wealth Advisory Services Limited.