Sharrp Ventures: the Mariwala family's patient capital for India's consumer brands

Sharrp Ventures is the investment office of the Harsh Mariwala family — the founding family of Marico (about $8.5 billion market cap, per the firm's site). Founded in 2014 by Rishabh Mariwala (the investing journey began in 2015), its name is derived from the first letters of family members' names across three generations. It manages the family's proprietary capital across listed equities, unlisted companies and private equity funds — and, unusually for a family office, it has become one of India's most founder-friendly early-stage investors in consumer brands.

Investment thesis

Sharrp Ventures offers what it calls patient, long-term, founder-friendly capital — "backing companies that are shaping new age consumerism in India" — not limited by fund-life or deal-structure restrictions. The value beyond the cheque comes from the Mariwala ecosystem: strategic guidance from Harsh Mariwala himself, plus leverage through Marico, Kaya and Ascent Foundation. Rishabh Mariwala says the firm was sector-agnostic at first, but in 2020 it decided to invest in what it understands: consumer businesses. Its current regional-snacks thesis asks: "How can bhakarwadi become as ubiquitous as bhujia?"

Funds, stages and cheque sizes

As a family office, Sharrp Ventures runs no fund with a fixed life — it deploys flexible balance-sheet capital. Harsh Mariwala said its assets under management exceed $300 million (February 2024). Moneycontrol reported (October 2026) roughly Rs 750 crore deployed across about 40 direct investments, at a pace of Rs 125–150 crore a year — and 5X returns. Typical early-stage cheques are $1–3 million. It is stage-flexible: leading or co-leading Series A/B rounds, happy to co-invest from Series C+ to pre-IPO — and its seed programme writes first institutional cheques for founders with product traction. Recent deals: about Rs 43 crore into Jagdish Farshan (Series A, first institutional round, September 2026) and leading a ₹100 crore round in Naturis Cosmetics (July 2026).

Notable portfolio

The firm's early bets defined it: Nykaa and Mamaearth (Honasa) — "early investments in industry defining companies," delivering top-decile returns with partial exits via their IPOs. Its private portfolio spans HealthKart, Purplle, Bira 91, The Ayurveda Experience, mCaffeine, Zouk, Nat Habit, Kapiva, Neemans, Slurrp Farm, Cureskin, Smytten, Sleepy Cat, The Good Bug, Jagdish Farshan and Wellopia, plus acquisitions (LEAP, Securens, Vyome). Separately, it is an LP in 16 VC/PE funds including Blume Ventures, Fireside Ventures, Kae Capital, A91 Partners, Sauce VC and Creaegis.

People

Rishabh Mariwala — founder and managing partner; runs the firm. Harsh Mariwala — chairman. Divya Gupta — principal (quoted on the Naturis deal).

Credits and perks

No startup credits or perks are publicly disclosed by the firm.

How to engage

Sharrp Ventures runs an official PITCH TO US page (sharrpventures.com/pitch) with a pitch link/form for its seed programme — the firm advises reading its FAQ first. Contact: [email protected], +91 22 66480500, Kalina, Santa Cruz (East), Mumbai. It also hosted the first Sharrp Summit in Mumbai in 2023. Note: Sharrp Ventures is distinct from the Marico Innovation Foundation (founded 2003, a not-for-profit that mentors and recognises innovation rather than investing).