Aeravti Ventures, having raised a below-target ₹100 crore fund, emphasizes selective investing in deep-tech, climate-tech, and agri-tech sectors, signalling a strategic shift towards high-conviction portfolios and longer-term value creation among India’s early-stage startups.
Aeravti Ventures has closed its maiden fund below the original target of ₹100 crore, but the firm says the smaller size was deliberate. In an interview with The Hindu BusinessLine, Rishabh Singh, managing partner and co-founder of the SEBI-registered venture capital fund, said the goal was to build a tightly selected portfolio rather than maximise assets under management. He added that a substantial portion of investor commitments has been rolled into the firm’s second fund.
The fund has backed seven companies so far, and Singh said three of them , ONO, Origin and East Ocyon Bio , have already secured follow-on capital. Aeravti says that is an early sign its emphasis on high-conviction bets is working. The firm’s website describes it as an alternative investment fund focused on early-stage founders in sectors where technology can reshape traditional industries, including deep-tech, climate-tech and agri-tech.
That sector focus has also shown up in its portfolio activity. In May 2026, Aeravti led a $1.2m pre-Series A round in ONO, an agri-finance startup, marking a second investment in the company. According to CXO Digital Pulse, the deal was meant to help ONO expand its data- and AI-led post-harvest infrastructure for agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises. Aeravti has also signalled interest in healthcare, manufacturing, energy, waste management and food infrastructure, including warehousing, grading, market linkage and agri-finance.
Singh told BusinessLine that the firm remains committed to early-stage investing, where it can work closely with founders from the beginning. Aeravti typically leads rounds, takes meaningful ownership and reserves capital for follow-on support as companies scale. Its initial cheques are usually in the ₹4 crore to ₹6 crore range, while later rounds can rise to ₹10 crore to ₹15 crore, according to Singh.
On exits, Aeravti has not yet sold any holding, but expects the first realisations from its maiden fund within the next 18 months. Singh said the best companies could stay in the portfolio for eight to 10 years, though the firm would consider a sale sooner if market conditions or strategic factors made that the better option. Earlier reporting by The Economic Times said Aeravti had originally targeted a ₹100 crore fund in 2023 and was positioning itself as a backer of Bharat-focused, pre-seed to pre-Series A ventures.
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