9Unicorns Research
9Unicorns rebranded to 100Unicorns in May 2024. The legal fund vehicles are managed by 9Unicorns Accelerator Private Limited, and the firm's website at 9unicorns.in now serves the 100Unicorns site. It is part of the Venture Catalysts Group and is based in Mumbai.
Investment Thesis
100Unicorns runs as an accelerator and venture fund in one. It backs very early-stage Indian startups with capital and a structured support program. The site describes six support pillars:
- Mentorship from successful startup founders, sector scouts and industry veterans.
- Strategic guidance and network access through "Sector Anchors" who create business opportunities.
- D Day, billed as the world's largest global demo day, for exposure and fundraising.
- Prostar, a growth-stage event with marquee fund houses, to enable follow-on capital.
- Backing from global investors, founders, CXOs and large institutions.
- Corporate governance coaching and workshops to build trust with investors.
The stated goal is to turn "outlier ideas" into category leaders. The firm says it has reviewed more than 14,000 startups.
Stage Focus
Pre-seed and seed, with follow-on checks in selected winners. Fund II press coverage (YourStory, Entrackr, May 2024) describes it as an early-stage accelerator fund.
Check Size
Press reports at the Fund II launch give first checks of $300,000 to $1 million, with follow-ons of $500,000 to $2 million. The firm's own site gives no check range.
Lead Tendency
Mixed, leaning to lead or co-lead the first round. Seed rounds are often described as "led by Venture Catalysts", the sister platform, so the firm frequently invests alongside it. The tracked TruNativ Series B was a participation.
Recent Activity
- Fund I: $100M. Fund II: launched May 2024 with a $200M target and a $100M green-shoe, aiming to back about 200 startups over roughly 5.5 years. The homepage lists Fund II at USD 150M.
- The homepage counts 157 investments, 3 unicorns and more than 30 companies valued above $50M.
- Tracxn reports a $25.4M Series B in TruNativ on 16 June 2026 as the latest tracked investment.
Portfolio Highlights
The portfolio page shows about 115 distinct companies. Well-known names include Zetwerk, Shiprocket, Vedantu, Rupeek, Dukaan, NiYO, GOQii, Unstop, Zypp Electric, Snapmint, Renee, Rage Coffee, ImpactGuru, Wiom, Vested and VideoVerse. The portfolio spans fintech and lending, D2C and consumer brands, edtech, AI applications, EV and mobility, B2B commerce and healthcare.
Team
- Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner (also Managing Director of Venture Catalysts).
- Anil Jain, Co-Founder.
- Anuj Golecha, Co-Founder.
- Gaurav Jain, Co-Founder.
- Rishabh Golchha, Partner.
- Lumani Shah and Poonam Khandelwal, Principals.
- Anish Pai and Vishakha Purohit, Associates; Rishank Kala, Analyst.
- Vinod Keni (CFO), Saurav Sharma (Finance and Compliance), Prinson Renjal (IR, Legal and Compliance).
- Manoj Ahire and Hanumantha Kumar cover the MENA region.
Decision Process
Not disclosed. A partnership of four co-founders plus partners suggests an investment committee. Startups apply through a Google form ([email protected]). The firm does not state whether a warm introduction is required.
Founder Preferences
Founder testimonials come from Zypp Electric, IGP (Join Ventures), Power Gummies, Progcap and BrightChamps. These point to first-generation Indian founders in consumer, fintech and education who value the network of banking partners, brands and later-stage investors.
Geographic Focus
India. Two team members cover MENA, which suggests investor and market access in the Gulf rather than investing outside India.