Venture Catalysts, a Mumbai-based multi-stage venture investing platform, has raised 150 crore rupees (about US$18 million) through an equal mix of primary and secondary share sales.

The primary investment valued the company at about US$200 million post-money.

New investors include public market veteran Ashish Kacholia and group, the Shah Rukh Khan family office, Aishwarya Rai, Authum Investments, Karthik Sundar Iyer of investment firm Twentyfirst Century Management Services, Hardik Patel of financial services firm Finquest, and business conglomerate LNB Group.

Existing investors such as Radhakishan Damani (DMart), Kamal Agarwal (Haldiram), Enam Securities, Capri Global, Aman Gupta (Boat), Ritesh Agarwal (Oyo), Nirmit Parikh (Apna), and Srinath Ramakkrushnan (Zetwerk) also joined.

Founded in 2016, Venture Catalysts manages over US$500 million across funds, with about US$200 million deployed via syndication over nine years from UHNIs, HNIs, and family offices.

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🔗 Source: The Economic Times

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Venture Catalysts demonstrates successful execution of ambitious early-stage ecosystem vision

The firm’s current $200 million valuation and management of over $500 million across funds represents significant growth from its 2015 plans to raise ₹100 crore and create a network of 800-1,000 active angels. By 2019, Venture Catalysts had built a network of over 5,000 angel investors and was recognized as the most active angel and seed-stage investor globally, investing ₹500 crore across 63 deals in a single year. The firm achieved 30 successful exits within four years of operation, demonstrating effective portfolio management and value creation for early-stage investments. This trajectory shows how focused execution on ecosystem building can transform ambitious plans into substantial market presence in India’s venture capital landscape.

Celebrity and family office participation signals mainstream acceptance of startup investing

The inclusion of high-profile investors like Shah Rukh Khan’s family office and Aishwarya Rai alongside traditional market veterans like Ashish Kacholia represents a broader shift in India’s investment culture. This diversification from the firm’s original focus on high net-worth individuals from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities shows the expanding appeal of startup investments across different investor segments. The mix of entertainment industry figures, public market veterans, and existing successful entrepreneurs like Aman Gupta (Boat) and Ritesh Agarwal (Oyo) demonstrates the cross-pollination between different sectors in India’s investment ecosystem. ……