Most funds talk about backing founders early. Huddle Ventures is built for nothing else: an early-stage venture capital firm in India, hyper-focused on pre-seed and seed investments. Founded in 2017 by Ishan Khosla and Sanil Sachar, and based in Gurugram, the firm calls itself a high-conviction, hands-on investor backing founders in their 0-to-1 journey — the fragile phase when there is more ambition than traction.
The cheque and the follow-through
Huddle likes to be the first institutional investor in a company, with an average cheque of $500k and the ability to go up to $1M. Importantly, it does not stop there: the firm has the capability to follow on until Series B, which gives founders a rare continuity of support from idea stage through growth. That matters, because the firm's promise is to partner with founders at the earliest stages and back them until the world sees what they see.
Sector-agnostic, thesis-driven
The firm is officially sector-agnostic — it believes outliers are found across the board — while building core investment theses in select sectors. Its portfolio spans consumer brands, fintech, agritech and healthcare, including Asaya, LiteStore, The Stack, Cumin Co. and RACE Energy. If you are a founder wondering whether you fit, the honest answer is: they will look at almost anything early, and decide fast.
A decision in three weeks
Huddle publishes what most funds hide: a real process timeline. If the team is intrigued, it sets aside two to three weeks for intensive brainstorming and debates, leaning on its network of experts to build conviction — and founders get access to a pipeline of relevant customers and experts as part of the diligence itself. After the first conversation, the firm usually takes about three weeks to make a decision, and promises to say no within the first two conversations if the fit is not there.
The network behind the money
What makes the 0-to-1 pitch credible is the bench of key advisors the firm draws on: Deepinder Goyal (founder of Zomato), Kishore Biyani (Future Group), Vishesh Khurana (founder of Shiprocket), plus operators and finance veterans from KPMG, EY, Grant Thornton, OYO, MakeMyTrip, Tata Capital and Investcorp. Founder testimonials on the firm's site echo the same theme — Huddle shows up before there is much to show, brainstorms months before a first round, and connects founders with brands and partners that change the trajectory. The firm's current fund size is not publicly disclosed.
Why it matters for founders
If you are an Indian founder at pre-seed or seed stage — especially pre-revenue — Huddle Ventures is one of the few firms designed exactly for you: a $500k first cheque, follow-on capacity to Series B, a published three-week decision timeline, and a genuinely hands-on approach. The application process starts on their site, and the honest advice is to come early: it is never too early to start the conversation, but you should arrive ready for two to three weeks of rigorous debate about your assumptions.