Shark Ventures

• Apply through the Apply for Funding form on the Shark Ventures website, or write to info@sharkventures.in.
• Lead with your team: the firm says founders and team execution matter most.
• Show the business is asset-light and scalable, and that you are open to feedback.
• If you are raising a seed round, mention who else is investing, since it also looks at co-investing.
• The firm aims to decide in less than 30 days; ask early whether it is currently investing, as the site looks dated.

Shark Ventures is a seed and early-stage investor based in Gurugram, Haryana, run as a limited liability partnership. It backs startups and entrepreneurs with committed teams that have unproven but scalable solutions, and it also works with them as a coach, advisor and business mentor.

The firm says it is sector agnostic and names artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, fintech, agritech, biotech, edutech, robotics, energy conservation, wellness and pharma as examples. It prefers asset-light, scalable, geography agnostic businesses built around core technology that address a large problem, and it puts very high importance on the founders and the team. It also says it is glad to mentor and support women-driven startups.

For a founder, the pitch is simple: if you have a distinctive idea, a team that can execute, and you are coachable and open to feedback, Shark Ventures wants to meet you. It says it tries to decide and proceed with a plan in less than 30 days. It is also open to co-investing when a startup is raising a seed round, or when an angel investor is driving one. Beyond capital, its mentoring covers business and financial modelling, intellectual property, building business connections, finding resources, legal compliance and investment pitching, and it hosts networking events for investors and startups.

To reach the firm, use the Apply for Funding form on its website, or write to info@sharkventures.in. The office is at Spazedge, Sector 47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon. The site does not publish cheque sizes, equity terms or a list of open cohorts, and its footer carries a 2020-21 copyright, so confirm that it is still actively investing before you invest time in a long application. Its team says it has dealt with more than 1000 startups on various aspects of business.