StrongHer Ventures

Choosing the right route

• Arise is for tech-enabled founders at the pre-seed stage.
• The climate cohort is for startups working on climate problems. It is listed as a 2025 cohort.
• Founders who want investment rather than a programme should follow the partner invitation on the About page.

How applying works

• Use the Apply Now button on the Arise page. It opens the Arise application form.
• The form asks for founder names, what the product does, how it differs from competitors, revenue status, a pitch deck or demo link, and whether capital has been raised.
• The form also asks whether the applicant is applying for a grant run with Products by Women.

What the firm looks for

The About page describes the firm's focus: consumer brands and consumer tech, climate solutions, and B2B SaaS, deep tech and enterprise companies across fintech, health tech and cybersecurity.

StrongHer Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in women-led or women-focused early-stage tech companies. Its work covers three areas: Consumer, Climate and Enterprise. Its accelerator, Arise, runs under the Arise Ventures name. Its fund, StrongHer Arise II, is registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India as a venture capital fund, and its sponsor is StrongHer Ventures LLP.

How the programmes work

Arise is an early-stage accelerator for tech-enabled entrepreneurs. Founders get funding, master classes, expert-led deep dives, investor round tables, networking and client connects. The programme is run with Tholons, which co-ran the 2024 edition. The Arise Ventures website also lists a Climate Change Innovators Cohort for climate-focused startups. That cohort is marked as 2025.

The firm itself invests in companies. Founders who want to be considered are invited to partner with the firm, and the site does not describe a formal application route for investment.

Who can apply

Arise describes itself as a pre-seed accelerator for tech-enabled entrepreneurs. The application form also asks whether an applicant is an underrepresented founder based in the USA, and whether they are applying for a grant run with Products by Women. The site does not state a general geographic rule for applicants, and it does not state whether the programme is open now.

Scale

The firm's website reports cohort sizes for earlier Arise editions. The 2025 Climate Change Innovators Cohort selected 15 startups from 150+ applicants, and half of them were women-led. These figures are self-reported.

Who runs it

Ankita Vashistha is the Managing Partner. Avinash Vashistha is a fund manager and partner. The firm's advisory board and venture partners are named on its About page.