Pontaq: the UK-India corridor's deeptech bridge for ambitious founders

Pontaq calls itself the first venture capital fund focused on the UK-India corridor — and it has been operating that corridor since 2015. The firm backs early-stage deeptech and emerging-technology startups in both countries, claiming more than 150 portfolio companies on its own site (press reports put the count at over 190 startups, including 140+ deeptech ventures). Its Indian vehicle, managed by Pontaq Ventures India LLP, runs the SEBI-registered Indian Tech for the World Fund (Category II, registration IN/AIF2/20-21/0807).

Investment thesis

Pontaq's edge is cross-border pollination: transferring technology between the UK and India — and helping portfolio companies operate across both markets. Investments span AI, IoT, edge computing, robotics, enterprise automation, plus fintech, healthtech, clean tech and smart-city technologies across energy, waste, water and transport. It targets B2B and B2B2C ventures across the UK, India, the US and Canada. Investments span 2 UK regions and 23 Indian states, with 14 startups operating in more than one country, over 1,500 jobs created by the portfolio and 30% of backing going to female founders.

Funds, stages and cheque sizes

Pontaq invests from seed through pre-Series A and Series A, providing seed funding and growth capital. Typical cheque sizes are not publicly disclosed.

Notable portfolio

In November 2025 Pontaq invested Rs 5.5 crore in two Indian deeptech startups — Dweepi, which builds robotic track-inspection systems for railway safety and predictive AI-driven maintenance, and Edgehax, which develops edge AI computing platforms combining compute, connectivity and storage — marking its second round in both companies. Its portfolio spans agritech (Black Eye Technologies, Ram Setu Agrotech, Agrosonic), and edtech (Study Comrade, Learning Matters).

People

Prem Barthasarathy, Founder and Managing Partner, holds a BE in Electronics and Communications from the University of Madras and previously worked at TCS, Deloitte and Infosys Lodestone. He has partnered with the governments of Haryana, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, set up a Fintech Centre of Excellence in Chennai, and established the first UK-India Tech Hub, and Pontaq has been identified by the British High Commission as one of six key companies operating in the UK-India corridor. The team includes General Partners Mahesh Ramachandran, Lopa Mishra Jana and Dr. Laura Bond, Principal Rachit Sharma, and offices in London (71–75 Shelton Street), Chennai (Shakti Tower 1, Anna Salai) and Bengaluru (Koramangala).

Programmes / credits and perks

Pontaq runs a proprietary value-creation platform it says delivers value from day one of investment — accelerating growth, reducing cost and increasing revenue while preserving founder equity — alongside market access, mentorship and operational guidance across its corridors. In 2022 it signed an MoU with T-Hub, becoming the exclusive investment partner for the UK-India corridor and helping T-Hub-incubated startups expand into UK markets. No monetary credits programme is publicly advertised.

How to engage

Deeptech founders seeking cross-border expansion — particularly into the UK — can connect with the firm through its website. The T-Hub partnership route is worth exploring for Hyderabad-incubated startups, and the firm's government relationships offer unusual policy-level access for infrastructure-adjacent technologies.