TDV Partners

Check you fit first

• TDV is a consumer-focused fund. The three categories it names are Consumer AI, Consumer Tech and Consumer Upgrade. If you are building enterprise software, deep tech or anything outside consumer, this is probably not your fund.
• It backs the first round. If you already have institutional investors, it describes itself as the first institutional investor, so expect the conversation to centre on founders at the very beginning.
• You do not need a product or revenue. Its homepage says an idea with a relevant background is enough, so lead with why you are the right team for this problem.

How to reach them

• Use the Pitch to Us form linked from every page of the site, or write to the general inquiries inbox listed on the contact page.
• Expect three stages: an initial meeting, a longer getting-to-know-you phase, then a term sheet. The site says the whole process can take from 24 hours to 2 weeks.
• There is a single general partner making the decision, so you are pitching a person's conviction rather than an investment committee.

Prepare for the first six months

• The firm says its help is concentrated in the first six months: product and go-to-market wedge, first customers, early hires and setting up the next round. Come with a view on which of those you most need.
• It co-invests often with other early funds and offers to help build the rest of a round, so know who else you would want on the cap table.
• Cheque size and valuation expectations are stated inconsistently on the site, so confirm them with the team early rather than assuming.

TDV Partners is an early-stage venture firm investing in pre-seed and seed-stage founders building from India for the world. It describes itself as a consumer focused pre-seed to seed stage venture capital firm in India, and says it is typically the first institutional investor on the cap table. The name stands for Trillion Dollar Venture Partners. Its office is at RMZ Ecoworld in Bellandur, Bengaluru.

Who they back

TDV invests at the very start. On its homepage it says it invests at day zero, and that no product and no revenue are required: an idea with a relevant background is enough. On its about page it says it writes the first cheque, often before product-market fit and sometimes before product. It says it is happy to lead or co-lead a round and to help founders put together the rest of it through its investor network, and it co-invests frequently with other early-stage funds.

The focus is the consumer sector, in three categories: Consumer AI, Consumer Tech and Consumer Upgrade. Its portfolio page lists companies across areas such as AI photography software, hiring, K-beauty, home and lifestyle, access control for workplaces and a healthy food chain. The firm says it has made over 40 investments.

How the firm works

Investment decisions sit with a single general partner. The firm says this is intentional, because it removes layered approval cycles and lets it move at the speed founders need at this stage. The team page lists Ujwal Sutaria as Founder and General Partner and Kunal Juneja as Investor, with a list of backers and venture partners from the wider startup community.

Most of what the firm contributes beyond the cheque shows up in the first six months. It names four areas: shaping the wedge, meaning the initial product strategy and go-to-market approach; the first customers and early traction; early hires and building the founding team; and getting the next round set up and connecting founders with follow-on investors. Its FAQ adds access to a network of operators, experts and investors, and hands-on mentorship from its team and advisors.

How the process runs

The site sets out three steps. An initial meeting, a call or a meeting about your vision, the problem and why you are the right team. Then a getting-to-know-you phase of follow-up conversations, coffees and deeper dives. Then a term sheet once conviction is built. It says the full process can take anywhere from 24 hours to 2 weeks.

Every page carries a Pitch to Us button that opens an external form, and the contact page lists a general inquiries inbox. The firm also publishes a newsletter. We found no fixed intake window, deadline or cohort, so treat it as a rolling conversation with a fund rather than a programme with a calendar. The site states cheque sizes and a valuation ceiling, but gives them differently in two places, so we do not repeat them here. Ask the team directly what applies to your round.