3i Partners Research
Investment Thesis
3i Partners is an early-stage deep tech venture fund for Indian founders, started by Indian-origin technology entrepreneurs and executives based in Silicon Valley. The firm's stated belief is that India's next development chapter will be driven by technology companies solving complex problems in health, safety and efficiency, and that transformational companies from India can have global reach. Its tagline is "Fueling Disruptive Innovations from India to the world." The firm was founded in 2020 and says its team brings more than 150 years of combined experience, 25+ startups founded, 13+ founders, $1B+ raised and $5B+ in exits.
The firm looks for three things: a visionary founding team with deep technical expertise, companies building for large markets with a global perspective and scalable business models, and distinctive intellectual property that creates a durable moat. It invests "at the edge of what many think is feasible or viable today."
Sector Focus
The firm names three focus areas.
- Tech Bio: screening and diagnostic tools, AI-based drug development, synthetic biology and bio-engineering platforms, precision therapeutics and cell and gene therapy, RNA and protein technologies, CRISPR and gene editing, digital health and EHRs, biomaterials and regenerative medicine, neurotechnology and brain-computer interfaces.
- Frontier Tech: AI and machine learning, robotics and automation, advanced materials and nanotechnology, semiconductors, next-generation and quantum compute, aerospace and space.
- Climate Tech: renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, energy storage and grid technologies, sustainable materials, water and waste management, sustainable agriculture and precision agriculture.
The portfolio shows the mix: underwater inspection robots (Planys), multi-e-beam lithography, PCB-based axial flux motors, cell-free biomanufacturing, non-viral gene delivery, NK-cell immunotherapy, PFAS-free membranes, molecular filtration, diagnostics, dialysis and emergency medical services, plus several circular-economy and social-impact companies.
Stage Focus
Pre-seed and seed. The firm states it supports follow-on fundraising, technology development, talent acquisition and global expansion after the first check.
Check Size
$150K to $1M per startup (about ₹1 to ₹8 crore), targeting a 5% to 15% ownership stake.
Lead Tendency
Not stated on the site. Its portfolio news shows 3i Partners as an early backer in rounds later led by others (for example Planys, whose April 2024 and December 2025 rounds were led by Ashish Kacholia), so lead tendency is recorded as unknown.
Recent Activity
The firm's news page lists portfolio milestones rather than its own new investments: Planys Technologies raised ₹43 crore in April 2024 and ₹100 crore in December 2025 and launched a joint venture in Qatar; Medulance closed a ₹24.57 crore Series A in April 2024; ReCircle launched its textile waste vertical in June 2024; Tan90 raised ₹11.3 crore; Exposome raised funding for water and air purification; Aikium was covered for its AI-driven mRNA engine. Third-party trackers show about 21 portfolio companies and only one new investment in the last twelve months, which suggests the pace of new deployment is slow. Fund size and fund status are not disclosed on the site.
Portfolio Highlights
- Planys Technologies (underwater inspection robotics, Forbes 30 Under 30 feature)
- Medulance (emergency ambulance services)
- Padcare (sanitary waste recycling, appeared on Shark Tank India)
- ReCircle (plastic and EPR credits platform)
- Tan90 (phase-change-material cooling)
- Hemex Health (malaria and sickle cell diagnostics)
- Zumutor Biologics (NK-cell-targeted immunotherapy, lead candidate in Phase 1)
- Aikium (GPCR therapeutic design platform)
- Haqdarshak, Hasiru Dala, Centa (social-impact companies)
Team
- Kumar Ganapathy, General Partner (founder and Managing Director per podcast bio)
- Ravikrishna Cherukuri, General Partner
- Subodh Toprani, General Partner
- AGK Karunakaran, General Partner
- Shalini Chhabra, Ravi Mistry, Subha Rajana, Patrick Cyril, Venture Partners
- Kavya Agarwal, Vice President
- Arvind Kannan, CTO; Sukesh Khandelwal, CFO
- Shivank Tripathi, Associate; Harsh Tiwari and Aditi Shimpi, Analysts
Decision Process
Not disclosed. The firm has four general partners, so it is presumably a partnership. Inbound pitches are accepted through a Pitch to Us form on the site.
Founder Preferences
Deep technical founders with proprietary IP, ambition for global markets, and a willingness to use hands-on strategic help from founders who have scaled companies in the US. Portfolio founders describe the firm as engaged on strategy and a useful sounding board.
Geographic Focus
India-based startups building for the world. The firm is headquartered in Los Altos, California, with offices in Bangalore (Whitefield) and Mumbai. Contact: [email protected].
Gaps
Fund size, AUM, vintage of current fund and lead tendency are not published. Portfolio stages and investment dates are not given on the site, so none are recorded.