Analysis · Professional & Local Services
Unicorn India Ventures founder discusses early-stage investing and India's startup evolution
By Startup Enthusiast ·
- Date
- Company
- Unicorn India Ventures
- What it does
- venture capital firm
- Kind
- Analysis
- Founded
- 2015
What they do
Unicorn India Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investing in India's startup ecosystem
What happened
Founder Anil Joshi discusses the evolution of India's startup ecosystem and his approach to investing in deep tech, climate tech, and strategic sectors
Why it matters
The firm has one confirmed unicorn, OpenBank, and has invested in climate tech company Aurassure, which has scaled from sub-crore to multi-crore revenue
The details
- Unicorn India Ventures is a venture capital firm founded by Anil Joshi between 2015 and 2016.
- The firm focuses on early-stage investing in India's startup ecosystem, with a particular emphasis on deep tech, climate tech, and strategic sectors like space and semiconductors.
- Anil Joshi has been involved in India's startup ecosystem since the mid-2000s, transitioning from angel investing to institutional venture capital.
- Unicorn India Ventures has one confirmed unicorn, OpenBank, which succeeded through a digital-first banking model targeting underserved MSME customers.
- The firm has invested in climate tech company Aurassure, which builds proprietary nanoparticle-based sensors for hyperlocal air and water quality monitoring.
The bigger picture
- India's startup ecosystem has evolved from a few angel investors to a mature venture capital landscape.
- Unicorn India Ventures has played a role in shaping this evolution by focusing on early-stage investing and founder capability.
- The firm emphasizes realistic financial planning, regulatory alignment, and the ability to build scalable teams.
- Aurassure's growth from sub-crore to multi-crore revenue demonstrates the potential of climate tech in India.
The deal
- Type
- other
Founders
- Anil Joshi, Founder and Managing Partner
More on Unicorn India Ventures
- Unicorn India Ventures and IIT Madras announce fund26 September 2026 · New fund · ₹450 Cr
- IIT Madras and Unicorn India launch deeptech fund6 February 2026 · New fund · ₹600 Cr
- Unicorn India Ventures closes Fund III at ₹1,200 crore24 October 2025 · New fund · ₹1,200 Cr
- Unicorn India Ventures partly exits Sascan Meditech17 July 2024 · Stake sale
- Unicorn India Ventures opens Fund III with ₹225 crore5 September 2023 · New fund · ₹225 Cr
- Unicorn India Ventures closes first tranche of Fund II30 March 2020 · New fund · ₹90 Cr
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