100Unicorns

Before you apply

• This is an investor, not an incubator. Applying means asking for money for equity. If you want desk space, lab access or a grant, this is the wrong door.
• There is no deadline. Applications are open all year and there is no published cohort. Apply when your answers are strong, not when a window opens.
• Expect a reply in about one to two weeks. The confirmation message promises a response within seven to fourteen days after review.

What the application asks for

Set aside an hour. The questions are long-form and several are capped at 750 characters, so you need to be concise.

• Your startup in fifty characters. Write this last, after the rest is clear.
• The problem, sized. Not just what is broken, but how many people or companies hit it.
• The product. What you are making and what it does, or will do.
• The team. Every founder's name, email and background, plus how long you have known each other and why you are the right team for this.
• The idea. Why you picked it, whether you have domain expertise, what is genuinely new, what people fall back on today, and who your competitors in India are. It also asks for unicorn or soonicorn precedents in other markets, so look up comparable companies abroad before you start.
• The business model and go-to-market. How you make money, how big it could get, and how you will get users, including any chicken-and-egg problem.
• Progress. Whether people are using the product, how many customers you have and who the valuable ones are, and revenue for the last full calendar year in rupees, not cumulative and not GMV.
• Your deck. A shareable link on Drive or Dropbox. Do not password-protect it or leave it private, or the team cannot open it.
• Support beyond capital. A short, specific answer here is worth more than a generic one. Name the introductions, the hire or the market you actually need.

What reviewers look for

• A team that has been together a while. The question about how long the founders have known each other is asked on its own.
• Insight, not just a product. One question asks what you understand about the business that other companies in it do not get.
• Evidence people want it. Users and customers are asked about directly, and revenue questions follow if you have any. Pre-revenue applicants are accepted, but the earlier you are, the more the idea and team answers carry.
• For the demo day stage, a track record. 100Unicorns says startups picked for D Day are chosen for their track record and a focus on profitability and growth.

Other ways to reach them

• Startup questions go to apply@100unicorns.in.
• Fundraising enquiries go to ideas@100unicorns.in.
• Investors looking at the funds write to invest@100unicorns.in.
• The office is in Andheri East, Mumbai, and the contact page carries a phone number.

100Unicorns is an accelerator and venture capital fund manager based in Andheri East, Mumbai. It was previously called 9Unicorns, and it sits within the Venture Catalysts group: the copyright line on every page of its site names Venture Catalyst Accelerator LLP, and its Corporate Day event was run with Venture Catalysts and their group company Incubate Hub. It backs startups from idea stage to angel stage, and describes itself as an accelerator programme backed by founders and CXOs rather than as an incubator with a campus.

It is a fund first. Support comes with investment, so joining means taking money for equity. 100Unicorns runs two funds registered with SEBI as Alternative Investment Funds. Fund I is registered as the 9Unicorns Accelerator Fund, a Category I venture capital fund, managed by Venture Catalysts Accelerator LLP. Fund II is registered as 100Unicorns, a Category II fund, managed by 9Unicorns Accelerator Private Limited. Both registration numbers are published on the site's regulatory page.

How to apply to 100Unicorns

There is one way in. The Apply Now button on the home page and the portfolio page opens an online application titled "100Unicorns - Startup Application". It is open all year. No cohort number, intake window or closing date appears anywhere on the site, so there is nothing to wait for. After you submit, the confirmation says the team will come back to you in seven to fourteen days.

The application asks for the startup's name and website, what it does in fifty characters, the problem and who faces it, and what you are building. It then asks about the founding team: how many founders there are, their names and email addresses, their backgrounds, and how long they have known each other. The idea section asks why you picked this problem, what is new about your approach, what people use instead today, who your competitors in India are, how you will make money, and how you will get users. The progress section asks whether people are already using the product, how many customers you have, and your revenue for the last full calendar year. You also submit a link to your deck on Drive or Dropbox, say what support you need beyond capital, and note any incubator or accelerator you have already joined.

Who can apply

Early-stage startups, from idea stage through angel stage. The site says the investment focus is broad and spans many sectors, with preferences shifting with market trends. Its portfolio pages group companies under SaaS and deep tech, fintech, edtech, B2B tech, consumer and D2C, healthtech, mobility, media and entertainment, agritech, sportstech, defence and advanced manufacturing. The application form asks for your location as city and country rather than restricting applicants to India.

What you get beyond capital

100Unicorns lists six things it adds to its cheque: mentorship from experienced startup founders, sector scouts and industry veterans; strategic guidance and network access through people it calls Sector Anchors; a place at its D Day global demo day; growth capital connections through an event it calls Prostar; a network of global investors, founders and CXOs; and corporate governance coaching.

D Day is its demo day for portfolio companies, run online for an investor network the site describes as more than 1,500 global venture capital funds and family offices. Four editions have been held. The most recent one named on the site, DDay 4, ran on 18 October 2023 with 15 startups across agritech, consumer brands, deeptech, e-commerce, edtech, financial services, fintech, HR tech and media. Selection is described as deliberate, favouring startups with a track record and a focus on profitability and growth.

C Day, or Corporate Day, is a sector-themed event that introduces portfolio startups to corporate buyers. The site calls it quarterly. Its first edition covered consumer packaged goods and retail, drew more than 70 corporates and over 35 senior corporate representatives, and showcased nine startups.

The governance work is a workshop run with the law firm Nishith Desai & Associates at the firm's LP Day in 2025, where founders signed a Statement of Commitment to Good Governance.

None of these three is something you apply to. They are run for companies already in the portfolio, so the open application is the only door.

Scale

The numbers on the site do not all agree, so treat them as its own claims. The home page counters say more than 14,000 startups reviewed and 157 investments, with 45 soonicorns and three unicorns among them. The portfolio page says Fund I backed more than 150 startups between 2020 and 2025, while the founders page says more than 500 founders have been backed globally. The portfolio grid itself lists about 150 Fund I companies and three featured Fund II companies: 1BUY.AI, Rotoris and HiFy. On its own impact numbers, portfolio companies have created more than 25,000 direct jobs, 21 percent of the portfolio is led by women founders, and companies from more than 27 tier II and tier III cities have been backed.

Who runs it

The team page names four co-founders: Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, who is also Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Anil Jain, Anuj Golecha and Gaurav Jain. Rishabh Golchha is a Partner and Vinod Keni is CFO, with principals, associates and an analyst alongside them, plus a compliance and legal team. A separate investment committee and a set of global partners covering MENA, South East Asia and Africa are also listed. There is no careers page; hiring enquiries go to a team inbox.

Where it is

100Unicorns works from B 901, Times Square, near Marol Metro Station, Andheri East, Mumbai 400059. No other office is listed, and the site does not mention any co-working space, lab or incubation centre of its own.