Investor Profile: North East Venture Fund - Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

The North East Venture Fund (NEVF) is the first and only dedicated venture fund for India's North Eastern Region. Set up jointly by the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), with SIDBI as a contributor, it was formally launched on 9 September 2017 to back early-stage and growth-stage companies with new products, technologies or innovative business models.

What the fund backs

NEVF is sector agnostic, with a stated focus on food processing, healthcare, medtech, tourism, education, agri-allied businesses, aggregation of services, and IT and IT-enabled services. Its purpose is to fill the equity gap faced by entrepreneurs in the region, especially first-generation founders, by providing high-risk, long-term capital to enterprises with scalable and viable business models. Decisions are taken by an independent investment committee made up of experts from venture capital financing, banking and technology, along with representatives of the investors.

Fund size and cheque size

The fund has a target corpus of Rs 100 crore, contributed as Rs 45 crore from MDoNER, Rs 30 crore from NEDFi and Rs 25 crore from SIDBI. Investment per venture ranges from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 10 crore, and the capital is long-term in nature. NEDFi reported in its 2025-26 results that the North East Venture Fund had backed 70 start-ups, alongside two other regional funds that committed more than Rs 33 crore to ventures in the region.

Notable portfolio companies

Early commitments published by the government include ERC Eye Care, which provides affordable eye-care services across Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh; Terra Blue Exploration Technologies, which works on an epilepsy diagnostic and monitoring device; Pratyaksha Agrotech, a tissue-culture laboratory working on medicinal plants; ParkingRhino Online Services, a smart parking solutions provider; Automovill Technologies, an aggregator of automobile servicing centres; and Northeast Flavors India, known for its Bhut Jolokia-based sauces. The fund has also reached founders in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya, with a pipeline from Nagaland and Mizoram, and many of its start-ups are led by women co-founders.

Partners and support beyond capital

Beyond the cheque, NEDFi reaches founders through its branch network across all the states of the North Eastern Region and through business meets where the venture funds are explained. No cloud-credit or perks programme for start-ups was found in the fund's published material, so founders should treat mentoring and the regional network, rather than credits, as the added support on offer.

How to apply for funding

Founders should prepare a proposal for NEDFi covering the location and structure of the company, shareholder details, the amount of funding required and how it will be used, and the revenue model. The fund looks for entrepreneurial talent with an innovative idea and the capability to implement it, a strong and committed management team, a business model with steady and sustainable growth, large scaling opportunities, and a realistic exit potential. Only ventures connected with the North Eastern Region qualify, so a clear regional link should be stated up front.