Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding allows entrepreneurs to raise (usually) small amounts of capital from a large group of individuals via the Internet to finance their business venture. In India, the following crowdfunding opportunities exist:

• Ketto is an India based fundraising website to raise funds for social(NGOs/Non-Profits/Charities), creative(Movies/Music/Theatre/Fashion/Technology) and personal(Health/Education/Travel).
• Start51.com offer new creative fund platform to transform unique ideas into reality. The crowd-funding platform runs with an aim of offering direct financial support from contributors.
• Wishberry is a crowd-funding platform in India.
• The Hot Start is a crowd-funding platform in India.
• Indiegogo is a platform of crowd funding in Africa and Asia for projects of all kinds with no criteria.
• Catapoolt is the world's only platform bringing together Crowd Funding, Crowd Sourcing and access to seasoned investors across various domains
• Bitgiving is a crowd-funding platform, which helps individuals & organizations raise funds online!
• Pik A Venture Empowers Entrepreneurship and Creativity
• Fund My Dream crowd funding is an innovative way to fund creative projects and help people to live their dream.
• Milaap is a mission driven company changing the way people fund and impact communities in need.
• IGNITE INTENT is India's first originally conceptualized CrowdFunding Website. It is also India's 1st CrowdFunding Website to initiate College and Entrepreneurial Projects.
• Angel Prime,a seed-stage fund, focused on startups that not only need seed capital but also require mentoring to catapult them to the phase where they are ready for a large venture investment.

A global list of crowd funding websites is available here.

Angel investments

Angel investments are typically the earliest equity investment in startup companies. Angel investors are almost always wealth individuals and commonly band together in investor networks. Usually, those networks are based on regionally, industry, or academic affiliation.

• 10,000 Start Ups (a NASSCOM initiative) is an accelerator and mentor company also offering Angel Investments.
• The SME Join Up Platform is an online platform for all funding related services for SMEs and Startups in India.
• Your Nest is an early stage venture capital fund, investing in businesses built on new ideas enabled by path-breaking use of technology.
• Indian Angel Network This is the country’s oldest network of angel investors, which started in 2006.
• Mumbai Angels dates back to 2006. Mumbai Angels made 14 investments last year.
• The Harvard Angels (India-based Harvard alumni) formed this network in Bangalore in 2011. They have been mostly focused on tech startups in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi.
• Chennai Angels is another angel network with a proven track record. It has become more active recently, with seven startup investments last year, from bus ticketing platform to bioinformatics.
• Hyderabad Angels is an angel network growing fast is in Hyderabad, the capital of the recently formed state of Telangana. The Telangana government is committed to promoting a startup hub in a part of Hyderabad that is known as Cyberabad.
• India Quotient is an institutional investor but its focus on pre-revenue early stage startups makes it more like an angel. India Quotient has made recent investments in consumer-oriented companies.
• Seedfund is a venture capital firm that is focused on early stage investments, and it had some big ticket ones like RedBus
• India Angel Investors is a platform where entrepreneurs and investors find another.
• Kyron has a mission of helping entrepreneurs realizing the full potential of a business idea and developing it to a compelling fundable proposition – all within four months.
• Srijan Capital provides seed stage investment to technology startups, more specifically start-ups that are based out of India, or have India as a target market.
• UnLtd India provide seed funding and incubation services to social enterprises

Venture capital

Venture capital is money invested in a project in which there is a substantial element at risk, typically a new or expanding business.

• ICICI Venture Capital is one of the largest alternative asset manager in India with funds under management of over 2 bn. USD.
• IFCI Venture Capital Funds Ltd was set up by IFCI Ltd in 1975 as Risk Capital Foundation with a view to widen the entrepreneurial base by providing start up capital for setting up Green Field projects. Since its inception IFCI Venture has provided the start-up capital and venture funding to over 400 entrepreneurs.
• SIDBI Venture Capital Limited (SVCL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of SIDBI, incorporated in July 1999.
• Gujarat Venture Finance Limited is widely regarded as pioneer of Venture capital in India.
• Kerala Venture Capital Fund (KVCF) is a Rs 20 crore, 10 year, close-ended venture capital fund conceptualized by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (KSIDC), Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
• Punjab Infotech venture fund
• Canbank Venture Capital Fund Ltd (CVCFL) is a wholly owned Subsidiary of Canara Bank.
• SBI Capital Market Limited is India’s leading investment bank, and project advisor, assisting domestic companies in fund-mobilization efforts.
• ITCL - IL&FS Trust Company Limited is part of the IL&FS Group (www.ilfsindia.com). ITCL was set up in the year 1995 and holds Debenture Trustee license from the Indian Capital Markets Regulator, SEBI
• Infinity is an investment group specializing in investments that leverage India’s growing economy and its competitive advantages. The group currently runs two funds, one of which is focused on investments in Indian technology businesses and the other on investments in cross-border technology companies.
• Walden International is unique among US venture firms through its focus on cross-border investments that leverage global markets and talent to grow industry-leading companies.
• The India Growth Fund has invested in a diversified range of Indian companies with high-growth potential and sustainable competitive advantages. Investing primarily in dynamic and fast growing sectors like life sciences, media and entertainment, specialized manufacturing, information technology and infrastructure related services such as healthcare, logistics and distribution, the fund helped address the missing middle of financing with capital investments.
• Venture Giant is the premier UK business angel investment network and small to mid sized business networking portal that matches serious and active business angel investors with entrepreneurs' seeking investment capital and business funding to start-up their new venture or expand their existing business.

Grants and funds

• The National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC), has been established with the objective of promoting, aiding and fostering the growth of small scale industries in the country.
• The following public sector banks provide tailored financial services for startups and SMEs; they extend credit support to the firms in the form of loans, advances, discounting bills, project financing, term loans, export finance, etc:
  • KFC Keral Financial Corporation,
  • Andhra Bank,
  • Bank of Baroda,
• UnLtd India and the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations have created a philanthropic fund specialized in early stage social enterprises

Other

• Shujog ACTS provides a combination of subsidies and reimbursable advances to help women-focused social enterprises access specialist support to prepare for investment. The SE should be working in one or more of the following sectors: agriculture, education, energy, health water and sanitation or the environment.