Successful businessmen throughout history have one common trend- to search out new, ingenious innovations that are on the cusp of creating a global revolution. These innovations can be found anywhere, be it aeronautics, automobiles, education, retail, or any field you can think of.
We can observe this in Mr Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group. While everyone recognizes his contributions to establishing the Mahindra Group as one of the largest Indian business conglomerates, what is less-spoken is, how he has invested in startups across various industries as part of his personal contribution to fulfilling his own quest of finding the next-biggest innovation which has the potential to improve the conditions of the Indian populace and thus, to make India a better country to live for the upcoming generations.
Here in this article, we would discuss the 8 startups in which Mr Anand Mahindra has invested, in what industries they mainly specialise, what are their flagship products and so on.
Founders: Sachin Taparia, K Yatish Rajawat, Abhishek Gupta, Mukesh Gupta
Founded: 2012
LocalCircles Logo
Founded in the year 2012 by Sachin Taparia, K Yatish Rajawat, Abhishek Gupta, and Mukesh Gupta, LocalCircles is a Delhi-based startup that specializes in the “social entrepreneurship” sector. It is an online space where citizens can voice their respective concerns, be it on the local level or the national level, share a multitude of ideas and thus, help people.
LocalCircles also enable elected representatives to connect with their constituencies, which makes for better governance at the grassroots level. LocalCircles have taken up 50+ key issues in the last decade and driven policy interventions or amendments which have improved the quality of people living in India. They have been widely featured in noted publications like The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg for example.
In December 2015, Mr Anand Mahindra invested an undisclosed amount in LocalCircles and his appointed on the advisory board of the startup. He became the second corporate heavyweight to invest in the startup after Nadir Godrej.
DishCo
Founders: Jamshed Pesi Shaw, Fida Jamshed Shaw
Founded: 2014
DishCo Logo
Founded in 2014 by Jamshed Pesi Shaw and Fida Jamshed Shaw under the aegis of Food Marshal Tech Services Pvt Ltd, this Mumbai-based food-tech startup helps restaurants connect with their customers. In this mobile-only platform, customers can rank their food preferences, make table bookings and chat with restaurants regarding feedback issues.
Unlike other food-tech startups that charge a commission from the restaurants or from the orders that come through their platform, DishCo offers listing and ranking for free of cost and instead has a fixed subscription fee for restaurants who opt for booking tables, coupons, and other services.
In September 2015, DishCo raised an undisclosed amount of angel funding from Mr Anand Mahindra. He was joined by other noted businessmen like BookMyShow’s Ashish Hemrajani and Punj Lloyd’s Uday Punj.
SheThePeople.TV
Founder: Shaili Chopra
Founded: 2015
SheThePeople.TV Logo
Launched in 2015 by journalist Shaili Chopra, SheThePeople.TV is a digital media initiative dedicated to showing the success stories of women achievers. They have profiled stories of 10,000 women who have excelled in their respective fields so they can be a role model to all women and show their indomitable spirit. These stories are written in English and Hindi.
In 2016, SheThePeople.TV received an undisclosed investment from Mr Anand Mahindra. The firm said they would use the capital to launch their initiatives in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada so they can further expand their market.
Thinkerbell Labs
Founders: Dilip Ramesh, Sanskriti Dawle, Aman Srivastava, Saif Shaikh
Founded: 2016
Thinkerbell Labs Logo
The journey of Thinkerbell Labs began in 2016 when four undergraduate students of BITS Pilani Goa campus in Dilip Ramesh, Sanskriti Dawle, Aman Srivastava, and Saif Shaikh were part of an Arduino-based project by the name of Project Mudra.
As part of their project, they had to build a Braille-based alphabet song box. When they saw the praise they got from their respective professors and visually impaired students, they decided to take one step further and created a startup by the name of Thinkerbell Labs.
The motto of Thinkerball Labs is to eliminate the problem of illiteracy faced by visually impaired persons across the world. Their flagship product is “Annie”, a device in the form of a pad with multiple buttons on it, with the objective to self-teach visually impaired students Braille using audio-guided lessons, quizzes, and so on. It provides these lessons in multiple Indian languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, etc also.
In July 2017, Tinkerbell Labs managed to get a total investment worth 1.3 crore Indian rupees from Mr Anand Mahindra and Indian Angel Network, headed by Rajesh Navaneethan and Manjunath Nayak. Mr Anand Mahindra also invested an undisclosed amount in Thinkerball Lab’s seed round in November 2019.
NEST Education
Founders: Rahul Ranjan
Founded: 2017
Naandi Education Support and Training Pvt. Ltd (also known as NEST education) is an organization that builds technology platforms to cater to the knowledge demand of low and middle-class income sections of urban India.
For this purpose, they have two learning centers under the name Alphabyte-The Learning Terminal, with a unique Tech-N-Brick Education model where technology is seamlessly integrated to help students with their own customized learning modules.
In August 2017, Mr Anand Mahindra along with the Dell Foundation invested around 4 crore Indian rupees in NEST Education. Mr Anand Mahindra said he was really impressed by their endeavours.
Founded in 2018 by Indian Institute of Information Technology – Vadodara students Ankit Kumar, Mofid Ansari, Pratyush Singh, Rajat Dangi and Shubhendra Vikram, this Gurugram-based startup aim is to build a social network based on Web 3.0.
Their flagship platform is the social networking solution GoSocial, which allows users to take creative challenges by professional artists, photographers, and designers and get rewarded for how well they performed.
Hapramp Studio also has other tools like Flips which help writers and poets make their work more aesthetic and 1Ramp.Io where any social media creators earn a respective amount of cryptocurrency on one as they get for their work on any social media platform.
In June 2020, Mr Anand Mahindra announced via his Twitter account that he found an opportunity worth funding in Hapramp Studio with the help of an ex-Mahindra executive Jaspreet Bindra to find an “indigenous” Indian startup on the rise. As per various reports, he invested around 7.5 crore Indian rupees in the startup.
GenRobotic
Founders: Nikhil NP, Vimal Govind MK
Founded: 2015
Founded in 2015 by Nikhil NP and Vimal Govind MK, this Thiruvananthapuram-based startup specialises in the design and development of robotic-powered exoskeletons and robotic systems that can be controlled by humans.
In 2018, they released their flagship product named “Bandicoots”. These are fully automated robots for cleaning manholes across the country. This would eliminate the need for human intervention and would be a huge step forward in ending the social issue that still affects Indian society by the name of manual scavenging. They soon launched an updated version in Bandicoot 2.0 which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Shree Narendra Modi.
In October 2020, Mr Anand Mahindra, along with existing investor Unicorn India Ventures and SEA fund, managed to raise 2.5 crore Indian rupees in its Pre-series A round of funding.
Founded in 2017, this Chennai-based space-tech startup designs, manufactures, tests and launches orbital-class rockets for micro and nano satellites. Their flagship product is the rocket named Agniban which is capable of carrying up to 100 kg load across various orbits.
They currently work out of the National Center for Combustion R&D at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and they became the first startup to sign a pact with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to take help of the space agency’s expertise as well as facilities to build rockets.
In May 2021, AgniKul Cosmos raised around 80 crore Indian rupees from Mr Anand Mahindra, along with various other Silicon Valley investors, like Naval Ravikant and Balaji Srinivasan. It is one of the largest funding rounds for a private Indian space technology company.
Conclusion
As it can be seen, Mr Anand Mahindra has invested in startups in varying industries, be it space-tech like AgniKul cosmos, blockchain technology-based startups like Hapramp Studio, and so on.
One observation to be made is most of these startups actually want to change the world socially and to make the world, a better place. They want to go beyond pleasing their shareholders, or the venture capitalists and do something socially, such as wanting to end manual scavenging, showcasing the various achievements of women, and helping underprivileged children get better access to education.
While billionaires investing in social causes isn’t something new(the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation comes to mind), the fact that Mr Anand Mahindra has invested a lot of money in these startups is not a fact that most of us know and we should take cognizance of it.
FAQs
Does Mahindra invest in startups?
Yes, Anand Mahindra is an active investor and has invested in startups like LocalCircles, DishCo, and Thinkerbell Labs.
Is Anand Mahindra a billionaire?
Yes, Anand Mahindra is a billionaire and has a net worth of $2 Billion.
Mahindra Group is one of the most well-known Indian conglomerate company that has its headquarters based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company originally called as Muhammad and Mahindra and was established in 1945 by the brothers J.C Mahindra, K.C Mahindra and Malik Ghulam Muhammad. The conglomerate is considered to be one of the well-known reputable Indian industrial company and is also a leader in manufacturing utility vehicles including tractors in India.
The company enjoys a strong presence in sectors of real estate, agribusiness, aerospace, commercial vehicles, logistics, real estate, renewable energy, etc. Mahindra employees more than 2,40,000 people across 100 different countries.
Mahindra group started its operation in the steel business, but has now expanded to 22 industries such as aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket, automotive, construction equipment, defence, energy, farm equipment, finance, insurance, industrial equipment, information technology, leisure, logistics, retail, education, hospitality, etc in 2020.
The CEO of Mahindra group is Anand Mahindra. The Mahindra Group has a $20.7 billion dollar federation of companies that aims in enabling people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving rural prosperity, enhancing urban living, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities around the world.
The vision of the company is to empower enterprise everywhere and help in the growth of mobility, rural prosperity, IT, financial services, clean energy and business productivity.
In India, the company is very popular for their innovative IT solutions and reliable yet affordable automobiles. The company is so far successful because of its subsidiaries such as Club Mahindra Holidays, Mahindra Aerospace, Mahindra, Logistics Limited, Mahindra Lifespace Developers, Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited, Tech Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited and Mahindra & Mahindra Limited among others.
Mahindra Group started out as steel trading company more than seven decades ago, now it is a global brand spanning in various industries in more than 100 countries. Earlier known as Muhammad and Mahindra, the company was established in 1945 as a steel trading company by the brothers J.C Mahindra and Kailash Chandra Mahindra and Malik Ghulam Muhammad.
Post the partition of India in 1947, Malik Ghulam left the company and the country to immigrate to Pakistan where he became the first finance minister. This is why K.C Mahindra changed the name of the company to Mahindra & Mahindra in 1948. The company became a leader in the steel industry as also began trading steel with UK suppliers. It also was the company that began manufacturing Willys Jeeps in India in 1947.
It wasn’t until 1956, that the company got listed on Bombay stock exchange, by 1969 the company had entered international markets as an exporter of utility vehicles. Mahindra started its tractor division in 1982 and a tech division (now known as Tech Mahindra) in 1986. When Mahindra group became really big and got into many sectors in 1994, the company had to reorganize, dividing it into six business units like automotive , farm equipment, infrastructure, trade and financial services, IT and Automotive components.
Mahindra & Mahindra is currently one of the largest companies in India, as it was also ranked the top 200 most reputable companies in the world by Forbes in 2009. The Mahindra group then went on launch Mahindra rise a new corporate brand in 2011, in order to unite the company’s image across all industries and countries. Mahindra group entered the two wheeler market by taking over Kinetic motors in India.
In 2011, Mahindra brought a huge stake in the REVA Electric Car Company, the same year the company also acquired SsangYong Motors which is a South Korean company. From then onwards, the company started acquiring international companies like Peugeot Motorcycles and even Pininfarina Spa (an Italian car designer), Hisarlar (a farm equipment company), Erkunt tractors Sanayi (Turkish tractor maker), among others. This is how the Indian conglomerate paved its way to become a global powerhouse.
The history of Mahindra group
List of Mahindra Group Subsidiaries
Here are listed all the Mahindra Group Companies.
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited
Founded: 1945
Mahindra Group Limited
It is the flagship company of Mahindra group which is also a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation. Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra and has more than 17,577 employees from over 100 countries across the globe. It is also one of the largest manufacturers of vehicles in India and the largest manufactures of tractors in the world.
Mahindra & Mahindra popular cars
Mahindra is known for its commercial vehicles, tractors, two wheelers and even construction equipment. In 2018, the company was ranked 17th in the top companies list in India by Fortune India 500. This company was started by K.C Mahindra after he was inspired by a jeep invented by Barney Roos, which he saw during a trip to America as Chairman of the India Supple Mission. The main competitors of Mahindra and Mahindra in India are:
The company has been so successful because of its subsidiaries which manufacture and market a wide range of utility vehicles. Mahindra & Mahindra also provides farm equipment services, steel trading, processing services, financial services, infrastructure development, hospitality services, information technology services, systech among numerous others.
Mahindra Finance is one the top tractor financers in the country as it provides various different financial products to its customers. The company so far has over 4.7 million customers and more than 1200 offices which is spread all across the country.
Mahindra Finance started its first branch in Jaipur in 1995 and began financing non Mahindra vehicles in 2002 and then went on to finance commercial vehicles and construction equipment in 2009.
The vision of Mahindra finance is to provide financial services in semi urban and rural India, as well as transform rural lives and drive positive change in the communities. This is why the company has one branch within the reach of every two villages in India.
The product portfolio of Mahindra finance includes vehicle finance for passenger vehicles, utility vehicles, tractors, commercial vehicles, construction equipment’s, etc.
It also provides SME finance which includes project finance, equipment finance, working capital finance. Mahindra finance is also known for its mutual fund distribution, fixed deposits and personal loans that are tailored as per the customer’s needs. So far the company has over 33,000 employees and is present in all the states of India, with a footprint in 85% of its districts.
Mahindra Finance has brought about a positive change by using its subsidiaries like Mahindra Insurance Brokers Limited and Mahindra Rural Housing Finance to cater to the financial needs of millions of its customers in both rural and semi urban regions of the country. The company has a connection with its customers as, it provides them with evolving needs.
Tech Mahindra is an Indian tech company which is also one of the main subsidiary of Mahindra group, headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra. The company provides services like Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). The annual revenue of Tech Mahindra in 2020 was $5.2 billion, it has more than 125, 236 employees spanning across 90 countries.
Tech Mahindra has more than 988 global customers and was also listed under the Fortune 500 companies list in 2019. Currently, the company has over 973 active clients. The company provides innovative and customer centric experiences enabling enterprise, associates and the society to grow. Tech Mahindra was created after Mahindra & Mahindra started its joint venture with the British Telecom in 1986 as technological outsourcing firm.
Tech Mahindra is also known to be the fastest growing brands and amongst the top 15 IT service providers globally. It aims to provide its global customers with next generation technologies including 5G, Blockchain, cyber security, AI and much more in order to help in digital transformation. In 2020, Tech Mahindra also got in the list of India’s 50 best companies to work according to the Great Place to Work.
Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited
Founded: 1994
Mahindra Electric – Mahindra & Mahindra Subsidiaries
Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited was initially called as the Reva Electric Car Company before it was acquired by Mahindra & Mahindra in 2010.
The company has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka and is known to be a pioneer for designing and manufacturing electric vehicles in India. MEML’s first electric car REVAi was one of the most popular and affordable electric car available 26 countries in over 4000 different variations.
The company is also the first Indian car manufacturer that has travelled more than 170 million ekilometres on its fleet. The Reva electric car company (REVA an acronym for revolutionary electric vehicle alternative) was founded by Chetan Maini in 1994 as a joint venture between the Maini Group and Amerigon Electric Vehicle technologies.
The company has a wide variety of electric vehicles such as the electric sedan eVerito, the electric commercial vehicle, eSupro a van for passenger & cargo and lastly the Treo range of three-wheelers powered by lithium and ion battery. The aim of the company is to develop and produce more affordable electric vehicles for personal and commercial segments.
Mahindra Logistics Limited is another subsidiary of Mahindra group that is a leader in the sector of integrated third party logistics service, supply chain management and enterprise mobility solutions. The company was founded more than a decade ago and aims to continue providing customized, innovative and technology enabled solutions to its clients across different industries.
So far, the company has over 500 customers across sectors like automotive, engineering, consumer’s goods, pharmaceuticals, telecom, ecommerce, bulk, banking, IT, financial services, insurance, etc. It has provided transportation services for 1,00,000 plus kilometers per month and has an experienced team with strong domain knowledge.
Mahindra Logistics offers customization and end to end logistics services and solutions, right from distribution, warehousing, in factory logistics and value added services to their customers. The aim of the company is to make the logistic process from origin to end customer easier, affordable, efficient and reliable, with shortened delivery times and better provide customer satisfaction.
Mahindra Lifespaces is a leading real estate development company in India, which is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company was founded in 1994 and has so far created innovative projects and designed living spaces throughout the country. The company is also a pioneer in sustainable urbanization, as it aims to provide responsible, green design and development options to its clients.
Mahindra Lifespace has developed well known projects in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru. The company has so far completed residential projects of about 17.81 million sq. ft. and is working on upcoming residential projects of 7.9 million sq. ft.
It also has over 5000 acres of ongoing and upcoming projects under development at its integrated industrial clusters in 4 different locations. In 2019, Mahindra Lifespaces was ranked 17th among India’s Great Mid-Size Workplaces, by the Great Place To Work Institute.
Another subsidiary that is a leader in its sector is the Mahindra Aerospace. This Indian aerospace company is the first ever private firm that manufactures civil aircrafts for Indian Aviation market. The company is an AS9100 Rev D certified design organization and has also developed a NAL NM5 light aircraft along with National aerospace laboratories.
The company has manufacturing plants in Latrobe regional airport in Victoria, Australia and Narsapura Industrial Area in Karnataka, India. The Aeros-structure business of Mahindra aerospace is known for providing sheet metal parts and assemblies for major global aerospace and defence companies. It provides more than 350 plus programs in over 9 countries.
Mahindra aerospace has acquired stake in international aircraft manufacturers like GippsAero, Aerostaff Australia in 2009 and Australian Boeing unit in 2010. The company has also used its planes as an air ambulance, rescuing animals and putting out wildfires in the times of need.
Mahindra Holiday and Resorts India limited
Founded: 1996
Mahindra holiday and resorts – Mahindra & Mahindra Subsidiaries
MHRIL is a part of the leisure and hospitality sector of the Mahindra group that was founded in 1996. Mahindra holiday and resorts offers family holiday packages mainly through vacation ownership memberships for over a period of 10 to 25 years. The main offering of the company is the Club Mahindra holidays which is its most popular flagship brand.
The Club Mahindra has more than 260,000 members, with a 100 plus resorts in India and 4,500 affiliated RCI resorts all over the world. The company is also known to be the world largest vacation ownership brand outside America.
The company aims in enabling people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving rural prosperity, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities around the world. Mahindra is so successful and will continue to grow because of its numerous subsidiaries. Mahindra is also a leader in as many as 22 sectors with an annual revenue $13 billion dollar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Mahindra group do?
Mahindra Group is a billion-dollar global enterprise that has business in sectors such as aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket, automotive, construction equipment, defence, and more.
What are the subsidiaries of Mahindra Group?
The list of Mahindra group subsidiaries are:
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited
Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited
Mahindra Financial Services Limited
Mahindra Holiday and Resorts India Limited
Mahindra Aerospace
Mahindra Logistics Limited
Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited
Tech Mahindra
Who is the CEO of Mahindra group?
Dr. Anish Shah is the CEO of Mahindra Group.
Where is the headquarters of Mahindra Group?
The headquarters of Mahindra Group is in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
What is the net worth of Anand Mahindra?
The net worth of Anand Mahindra is $170 Crores.
Who is the CEO of Tech Mahindra?
CP Gurnani is the CEO of Tech Mahindra.
How many companies are there under Mahindra Group?
There are 150 companies having global presence in 23 industries under Mahindra Group.
How many employees are there in Mahindra Group?
There are over 250,000 employees in Mahindra Group.
“City of Dreams”, as many people express Mumbai, is a place that helps bring dreams to reality. Angel Investors are one of the means for you, to help achieve your dreams. Thereby, find the list of Angel Investors in Mumbai and get an insight on their specific Market Interests, Contact details and Major Investments. It is also essential for you to clear certain Myths about Angel Investors. We are here to help you out on all of it.
Mumbai isn’t just the well-off city, but the Economic Hub of India, that has various Industrialists, CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Well-known companies, Directors, Producers, Artists, and what not! The place ‘Mumbai‘ has its own culture and architecture that makes it the spot of tourist attraction. Well, a place that is full of life and energetic minds, requires a guide and a financial supporter to enthusiastic people, for building up the initial base of their dreams. Thus, here comes the Role of Angel Investors who act as wizards for breeding minds to help them act upon their dreams.
Before, moving ahead to get insights on Angel Investors, Lets’ understand the Pre-built Myths about Angel Investors and the Reality Strike.
Myths vs Reality of Angel Investors
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Arihant is the MD at Ideaspring Capital (an early-stage VC) and Hive Technologies (platform for launching startups in big data space). He acts as the MD at Patni Financial Advisor and as a Director of Nirvana Venture Advisors. An Entrepreneur, Financial Advisor, and Venture Capitalist, Arihant completed his B.Sc in Chemical Engineering from the reputable University of Pennsylvania and MBA from Babson College, with concentration in Entrepreneurship. He also did a Masters in Statistics from Columbia University.
Anupam Mittal is the Founder & CEO of People Group, which has created ventures like Shaadi.com, Mauj Mobile, and People pictures. He is one of the prominent angel investors in Mumbai with over 20 investments. He completed his studies in Commerce field from the esteemed Boston College. Before People Group, he served as the Product Manager at MicroStrategy in Washington.
Ratan Tata, one of the most influential business tycoons of India, is an investor & philanthropist. He is the recipient of India’s esteemed awards Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan for his immense contribution to the country. He was associated with advisory boards for various companies like Mitsubishi, Temasek, JP Morgan Chase, and Rolls Royce. He serves as the former Chairman of the Tata Group. He completed his Bachelor of Arts from the esteemed St. Xaviers College, Mumbai.
Markets Interested
Digital Media, Education, Healthcare, Ecommerce, Technology
Anirudh, the MD at Artha India Ventures (an early-stage investment firm) is an energetic investor in startups and also a prominent member of the Indian Angel Network. He has a vast understanding and experience of the Indian Startup Ecosystem. He is always on a hunt to find new ideas and accept new challenges. Before Artha Ventures, he acted as the Investor director at FindUrClass and Klip.in. he obtained his Bachelor Degree in Economics & Business Administration from the esteemed Austin college
Zishaan is a successful entrepreneur and a prominent angel investor. He is the Founder and CEO of Toppr, an online education platform. Before getting associated with Toppr, he also co-founded a Phone commerce marketplace Chaupaati Bazaar, which was later acquired by the Future Group. He has also worked with Opera Solutions on various strategies and consulting projects. Being a graduate from IIT Delhi, in 2015, he was awarded the Young Alumni Achiever Award.
Anand Mahindra, the Chairman of Mahindra group, is a reputable businessman and also an active investor in emerging startups. He founded Project Nanhi Kali, an NGO that provides financial and academic support to underprivileged girls across India. He was included in the Fortune Magazine’s List of ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’. He did his MBA from the reputable, Harvard Business School.
Anand Mahindra’s Investments
Thinkerbell Labs, Local circles, among many others.
Kunal, the Co-founder of FreeCharge (Online mobile recharge platform), is a successful entrepreneur, mentor, and among the top angel investors in Mumbai. He acts as an active advisor at AngelList. He is also the Founder of CRED, Advisor to the board at Times group, and had been an advisor at Sequoia Capital.
Sandeep Tandon, the Co-founder of FreeCharge (Online mobile recharge platform), is an active angel investor in Mumbai. He has invested in and mentored various early-stage startups. Being the Member Board of Directors at CRED, partner at Whiteboard Capital, Non-executive chairman of Aavas Financiers, and the Member of Board of Advisors of Iron Pillar, Sandeep got exposure to various domains. He completed his studies in Engineering from the esteemed University of Southern California.
Markets Interested
Digital Media, Ecommerce, B2B, Online Marketplaces, Matrimonial, Healthcare
Sandeep Tandon’s Investments
Pocket Aces, Bharat Bazaar, ShaadiSaga, Flyrobe, Spinny among many.
Sanjay, the Director of CORE (Centre of Recognition and Excellence), is a prominent angel investor of Mumbai. He was the recipient of the “Angel Investor of the Year” award by LetsVenture in 2017. He is an active member of Indian Angel Network, Mumbai Angels, B2B 1K Ventures & CIO Angel Network, Venture Nursery. He has angel invested in more than 100 startups in diverse sectors. He did his Executive education in Venture Capital from the esteemed The Wharton School.
Ronnie, the Co-founder & Chairman of upGrad and also the Founder of Unilazer Ventures, is an entrepreneur and an experienced angel investor. He is also famous for the creation of UTV, leading Mass media aggregate. He did his Bachelor’s degree from the Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics.
Jitendra, the Founder of Citrus Pay, Jupiter, Lazy pay & MD of PayU India, is a well-experienced angel investor. He has got expertise in the field of Banking & Financial Services industry. Before Citrus, he was associated with ICICi Bank and as the Chief Manager of Global Investment Banking Group.
Vishal, the Founder & CEO of GOQii (platform from health and wellness solution), Vishal Gondal, is an entrepreneur cum angel investor. He has acted as a major contributory in modifying the journey of many startups. Believing in leading and motivating startups to get extraordinary results, Vishal expresses the importance of extra effort & commitment Before, he was associated with the Walt Disney Co. and India Games Ltd.
Haresh, Partner at True North (Private equity firm), is one of the active investors in the Indian startup ecosystem. He is an alumnus of the reputable IIT Bombay & IIM Calcutta. Earlier, he had been associated as a Group CEO at Viacom18 & Network18. He also acted as the General Manager of Times Group & the Amitabh Bachchan Corporation.
Ajeet Khurana, the Former CEO of Zebpay (Mobile wallet for cryptocurrencies), is an entrepreneur and angel investor. He is skilled in building teams, ensuring performance, scaling, digital strategy, planning, and negotiation. He was also associated as an Advisor at Kalaari Capital, a Consultant at ii5 Ventures ltd and as the CEO of IIT Bombay’s business incubator: SINE. He completed his MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
Markets Interested
Cryptocurrency, E-stores, Fashion, Technology, Digital Media, Healthcare
Ajeet Khurana’s Investments
Medd, WittyFeed, Leaf Wearables, Stitchwood among others
Sanjay, an Operating Partner at GSF India (Venture capital firm & accelerator), is a wise mentor and an active angel investor. His portfolio is majorly composed of tech startups. He also acts as an Independent Director at Easy Home Finance Ltd. Earlier, he served as the President & CMO at Reliance Capital and also as the Marketing Head at Allianz Life Insurance. He excels at negotiations & alliances.
Anuj, the Co-Founder of Venture Catalysts (Start-up Incubator) & Samyakth Capital (Hybrid growth fund), is among the prominent angel investors in Mumbai. He has over 15 years of experience across various fields which includes real estate, financial services, manufacturing, and internet companies. By profession, he is a chartered accountant.
Markets Interested
Digital media, Cryptocurrency, Fintech, Ecommerce, Education, Real Estate
Anuj Golecha’s Investments
LenDenClub, Inc42, Koinex, Fynd, Supr Daily, Bharatpe among many.
Japan, the Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Sixth Sense Ventures, is a well-experienced angel investor. He has mentored and invested in various Indian startups and helped them in their journey of growth & development. He is also the Chartered Member of TiE Mumbai. Earlier, he served as the Director at IDFC Investment Advisors Ltd.
Anand, the CEO at Everest Flavours ltd., is an active member of the Indian angel network and Mumbai angels. He has got immense experience in International Trade.
He is also member of National Executive Committee of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), Managing Committee of FIEO (Federation of Indian Export Organisations). He has his footprints set on various social and charitable organisations.
Amit, the Co-Founder & Director of Raay Global and also the Chairman of Nirvana Venture Advisors, is a prominent angel investor in the Indian startup ecosystem. Additionally, he is also a promoter shareholder of Patni Computers and former Director of PCS Technology Ltd., Partner at The Hive-India & Ideaspring Capital. He holds a Bachelor in Commerce and an MBA from Babson College, Boston.
Vaibhav, he is a partner at Karnavat & Co and a prominent angel investor. In addition to that, he is a partner at Itreat Grocers LLP and also acted as CEO of Jewelex International Pvt Ltd. He did his Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting & Finance from the H R College of Commerce & Economics and is Chartered Accountant by qualification.
Dr. Apoorv, the Co-founder & President of Venture Catalysts, is one of the prominent angel investors in Mumbai. He also acts as the Board member at TiE Mumbai. Earlier, he served as the Vice President of Indian Angel Network and as the General Manager at Amity Innovation Incubator. He did his Ph.D. in Incubation from Amity University, Graduated in Engineering from HBTI, Kanpur, and Diploma in Mentor Studies of Berkley Institute of Management, University of California, USA.
Rajeev, the Founder of Magnetic Partners, is a well-experienced angel investor in the Indian start-up ecosystem. Earlier, he acted as the CEO & MD of JM Financial Services.
Pravin, He is the General Partner at Seedfund (Early-stage venture capital fund) and the owner of the Infinity Technology Venture Fund. In addition to that, he acts as the Board Member of TiE Mumbai and as an Advisor at Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund.
The Founder & Director of Malpani Ventures, Dr. Aniruddha, is a doctor-turned angel investor. He also acts as the Director at Solidarity Investment Advisors and the Board member of Invention Labs.
Aakrit, the Co-founder & CEO of Haptik (Conversational AI Platform), is an entrepreneur and an active angel investor. He is also the co-founder of Flat.io, a real estate platform and the Director of Winmark Enterprises Earlier, he served as the director at Flurry Inc., Business Technology Analyst at Deloitte Consulting LLP and as a Financial analyst at Chicago Transit Authority.
Markets Interested
Education, Technology, AI, eCommerce, Healthcare
Aakrit Vaish’s Investments
Unacademy, ION Energy, Dataweave, Haikujam, Tookitaki, Talent Litmus among others
Bharat, the CEO & Senior President of Aditya Birla Group, is an active member of the Indian Angel Network, CIO Angel Network, Venture Nursery, and The Indus Entrepreneurs. He is an experienced person in varied fields like Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions, business development, and investing. He is the recipient of the “Professional Achiever – Finance Sector” Award from the ICAI.
Bharat Banka’s Investments
OYO, Perpetuiiti Tech, Invenzone, TalView, Vegayan, AdStringo, InstaSafe among others
Devesh Chawla, Founder & CEO of Chatur Ideas, a Startup enabling platform. He is an active investor, TEDx speaker, and mentor to budding entrepreneurs. He is a recipient of various awards which includes “Youth Leadership Award” by Trade Commissioner of Canada, “Mahatma Gandhi Samman Award”, “Entrepreneur of the Year 2018″ and “CEO of the Year 2019”
He did his MBA in Finance and Insurance from the Mumbai Education Trust-Institute of Management and his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology.
Devesh Chawla’s Investments
NUOS, Cloudrino, Hublio, Koonk Technologies, and others.
Vikram, the Founding partner at 8i Ventures, is a prominent angel investor. He also acts as the Board Advisor to Blue Tokai and Signzy, and the co-founder & Board Member of Eight Capital. He did his MBA in Accounting & Finance from the New York University, MBA in Personnel Management & Industrial relations from the XLRI Jamshedpur and Bcom in Finance from the Shri Ram College of Commerce.
Farooq, the Co-founder of Fynd (Online Shopping Platform), is an entrepreneur and an active angel investor. He is a graduate from the IIT Bombay and also was associated with Opera Solutions before founding Fynd. He is an alumnus of the esteemed IIT Bombay.
Abhishek Shah, the Founder & CEO of Wellthy Therapeutics is a prominent angel investor in the Indian startup ecosystem. He did his MBA in Finance, strategy & Leadership from the Esteemed Indian School of Business.
Markets Interested
Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, E-commerce, IT, Food & Beverage, AI, Healthtech, Big Data
Abhishek’s Investments
Bizly, ZipDial (Acquired by Twitter), Innerchef, Haptik, Greatist, Silverpush, Meddo Health, myUpchar.com, Doxper, among many
Sohil is an Early stage investor and a prominent entrepreneur. With experiences in firms like Bank of America, Fortune Financial Services & Intellecap Impact Investments, he has explored his field of interest with enthusiasm and curiosity. He completed his MS in Finance from The University of Michigan.
Bhavik, the Founder & Chairman of Vamaship (India’s largest e-commerce logistics marketplace), is a focused investor & entrepreneur. He also serves as a Director at BVC ventures. Being a part of various angel networks, he has gained exposure in several tech enabled startups. With regards to academic exposure, he was part of Harvard, London School of Economics, Indian School of Business, Singularity University & Narsee Monjee.
Markets Interested
Mobile Advertising, Social Media, Digital Media, Transportation, Logistics, E-commerce, Travel & Tourism, Software Technology
Siddharth is the Founder & CEO of Noesis.tech. He was also the founding partner at 369 Solutions. With a keen passion for technology, Siddharth constantly attempts to create a platform to monetize knowledge.
Being associated with Protiviti India & StyleCracker as Consultant and Advisor at Umoja & FoxyMoron Media Solutions, he gained immense experience and exposure in his field of domain.
This was our list of Angel Investors in Mumbai. Hope the contact details of these Angel Investors helped you! If you are an investor or know any Angel Investor in Mumbai, connect with us at shubham@startuptalky.com to get featured in the list.
Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, has come on board as a key investor at Hapramp. Hapramp is an Indian start-up working on the biggest social media challenges: user privacy, data security, and fair content monetization. It was founded in 2018 by five students in the final year of their computer science graduate degree.
Anand Mahindra is investing USD 1 million in the Gurgaon based startup. He had, in 2018, announced via Twitter a funding opportunity for an Indian social media start-up that met certain criteria. Hapramp, which had just come into existence, grabbed the opportunity to apply. Mahindra tweeted that Team Hapramp had won the seed funding today.
“Took 2 Years but I finally found the startup I was looking for”, Anand Mahindra said in his tweet. He called out Hapramp’s flagship offering GoSocial, saying “Look out for their social networking platform”. GoSocial is a social media platform that rewards artists and creators as they post and engage with the community. 50 thousand users have already downloaded the GoSocial app from the Google Play Store, before it has been formally launched. The app will soon be available on Apple App Store; and the company has plans to expand marketing to South East Asia in the coming year.
Took 2 yrs, but I finally found the start-up I was looking for! @Hapramp is indigenous, built by 5 young founders & brings together a best-in-class combination of creativity, technology & data protection. Look out for @gosocial_app their social networking platform. @j_bindrahttps://t.co/9mFwzjQXjF
Anand Mahindra had asked digital transformation expert and ex-Mahindra executive, Jaspreet Bindra, to work with him to find a next-gen Indian social network start-up, which would reward creators, protect personal data and be built on next generation technologies like Blockchain.
Commenting on the investment, Bindra said, “The Hapramp team is building a Web 3.0 social network. It is built on emerging digital technologies, has a solid business model which rewards
content creators, protects personal data, and best of all, is built here locally in India. Jaspreet has signed on as Executive Advisor and Mentor to the Hapramp founding team.
Hapramp has been incubated through its early days by Huddle, a leading sector-agnostic incubator, based in Gurugram, India, on a mission to discover and support entrepreneurs. Huddle has also invested in Hapramp.
“Since inception, the Hapramp team has worked with speed, frugality and a larger vision of enhancing lives, through the simplicity of an app that holds a true value of rewards on the go, with a large notion of educating and entertaining their users. Working with them, as an incubator, and investing in their growth, was one of the easiest decisions for us,” said Sanil Sachar, founding partner, Huddle.
Hapramp sees itself as an idea lab working on the ideas that emerge from the confluence of the creative industry and information economy. In addition to its flagship social networking solution GoSocial, 1Ramp.io, a rewarding social media platform powered by Steem Blockchain; and Asteria Protocol, which is being worked on and will be a new standard for platforms to privately and securely treat public data. These two are work in progress, and Hapramp expects to take them to market in the coming year.
Speaking about the investment on behalf of Hapramp, Shubhendra Vikram, CEO and one of the founders of the start-up said, “We are honored. And so, so excited! This is a massive approval of our mission to give creators the right to their content. The fact that this comes from Mr. Anand Mahindra, someone who we admire and who has always supported creators, gives us confidence. We have big plans, and we intend to stick to our belief of empowering creators and building an ecosystem where they can learn, compete, and win rewards.”
About Hapramp
Hapramp is an idea lab. It works on ideas that emerge from the confluence of the Creative Industry and Information Economy. The strong ideology behind HapRamp is to give back monetary benefits to the community of creators who contribute to the community and help the platform grow. Founded in 2018 by a team of five Computer Science graduates, Hapramp believes in building solutions that enable people to take control of their data and earn a fair fraction from its monetary value.
At present, Hapramp is working on three ideas: GoSocial, a platform for budding creators to showcase their talent and build a community, 1Ramp.io that rewards social media platform powered by Steem Blockchain and Asteria Protocol, a new standard for platforms to privately and securely treat public data.
