Shastra VC

What Shastra VC does

Shastra VC is a Bengaluru-headquartered early-stage micro-VC firm, founded in 2020 (originally as Veda VC) and rebranded to Shastra VC in 2026, that invests in Indian frontier-technology, climate-technology, and AI-driven software startups from seed through Series A. The firm manages three funds through VVC Management LLP, an India-registered LLP: Fund I registered as a SEBI AIF Category I (2022-23), Fund II as a SEBI AIF Category II (2024-25), and Fund III launched in May 2026 at a $100 million corpus. Investment tickets range from $500,000 to $3,000,000 per company, with approximately $55 million deployed across the first two funds into 30+ portfolio companies and portfolio follow-on capital exceeding $80 million.

The firm's core platform centers on the SDEX (Shastra Deep-tech Excellence) Fellowship — described as India's first VC-led deeptech fellowship — a 16–24 week program offering up to $100,000 in equity-free funding per fellow to researchers at IITs, IISc, IISERs, NITs, and IIITs, functioning as a proprietary deal-flow engine. The portfolio spans semiconductors (AGNIT Semiconductors, India's first GaN manufacturer), space-tech (Sisir Radar, privately-built SAR satellite), aerospace (Axirium Aerospace), AI infrastructure and billing (Flexprice, CREST), quick-commerce enablement (Inamo), biotech (Avammune Therapeutics), and battery recycling (Mini Mines). Shastra VC does not maintain a proprietary technology stack; it operates as a fund manager with a 10-person team led by Managing Partner Vasant Rao, Founding Partner Ashis Nayak, and Partner Avijeet Alagathi, supported by investment fellows from IIT Delhi and IIT Madras.

Revenue is generated through standard venture fund economics — management fees on committed and invested AUM across three SEBI-registered AIF vehicles, plus carried interest on exits (not yet disclosed). Go-to-market is community-driven: direct founder pitches via an online form on shastra.vc, ecosystem sourcing through the SDEX Fellowship, and warm introductions from the existing portfolio network. Marketing relies heavily on earned media coverage in Indian business press (Economic Times, Fortune India, Hindu BusinessLine, Outlook Business, Inc42, YourStory) around fund launches and portfolio milestones. The firm is a private LLP with no public ticker, headquartered in Bengaluru, India, with no disclosed international offices.

Name

Shastra VC

Legal name

VVC Management LLP

Website

https://shastra.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shastra VC is a Bengaluru-based early-stage micro-VC firm investing $500K–$3M tickets in Indian frontier-tech, climate-tech, and AI startups, with ~$100M AUM across three SEBI-registered AIF vehicles and a proprietary SDEX Fellowship sourcing deeptech founders from top Indian research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

Keywords

• Early stage venture capital
• Frontier tech investing
• Deeptech venture capital
• Climate tech investing
• AI startup funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurugram

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fund Management (Fund III): Launched a $100 million Fund III in May 2026 to invest $500,000–$3 million per deeptech/AI company at seed through Series A and beyond; vehicle is operated via VVC Management LLP.
2. Prior fund capital deployment: First two funds have deployed nearly $55 million across more than 30 companies, with follow-on capital raised by portfolio exceeding $80M+. Standard VC economics imply management fees on committed/invested AUM plus carried interest on exits, though these are not publicly itemized.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shastra VC is an early-stage micro venture capital firm that deploys equity capital of $500,000–$3,000,000 per company into Indian startups in frontier tech, climate tech, and AI/ML from pre-seed through Series A, via three SEBI-registered AIF vehicles managed by VVC Management LLP. It also runs the SDEX Fellowship program, which channels equity-free funding of up to $100,000 to deeptech researchers at IITs, IISc, IISERs, NITs and IIITs, generating proprietary deal flow for the funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SDEX Fellowship (Shastra Deep-Tech Excellence Fellowship): A 16-24 week research-to-venture fellowship program offering equity-free funding of up to $100,000 per fellow to Indian researchers from IITs, IISc, IISERs, NITs, and IIITs to translate deep-tech breakthroughs into venture-ready startups.

Products and services

• Shastra VC Fund III A $100 million venture capital fund that invests $500,000–$3,000,000 in early-stage Indian startups in deeptech, AI, climate tech, spacetech, defence, and renewable sciences from seed through Series A and beyond. For founders of IP-led, science-based startups that need patient capital at the 'belief stage' before metrics exist.
• SDEX Fellowship (Shastra Deep-Tech Excellence Fellowship) A 16–24 week research-to-venture fellowship program offering up to $100,000 in equity-free funding per fellow, plus venture pathway, to deep-tech researchers and student teams at IITs, IISc, IISERs, NITs, and IIITs. For Indian frontier-tech researchers translating breakthrough research into venture-ready startups.

Quantifiable outcome

• $60MM+ in assets under management
• +6 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core portfolio; participant in pre-seed, flagship portfolio; lead seed investor, flagship portfolio; shastra's first semiconductor investment, core portfolio; follow-on participation in series a, core portfolio; co-led seed, flagship deeptech portfolio; sar satellite, ecosystem partner powering sdex fellowship and core fund-management entity.

• CREST (Crest Capital Management)core portfolio; participant in pre-seedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Shastra VC participated in CREST's $3.1M pre-seed round led by BEENEXT alongside Sparrow, DeVC, Warmup Ventures, Atrium Ventures, 91ventures and 40+ angels. CREST is an AI-native fractional family office and asset management firm for founders/HNWIs; plans India and UAE expansion.
• Flexpriceflagship portfolio; lead seed investorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Shastra VC led Flexprice's $1.5M seed round with participation from Anupam Mittal and TDV Partners. Flexprice is an open-source, usage-based billing infrastructure platform for AI-native and API-first companies (processes 20B+ events/month, 6x revenue growth). Shastra supports Flexprice's expansion into the US and Europe and development of AI-native finance products.
• AGNIT Semiconductorsflagship portfolio; shastra's first semiconductor investmentStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Shastra VC led a $2.6M seed extension round in AGNIT Semiconductors (Bengaluru) with participation from 3one4 Capital and Zephyr Peacock. AGNIT is India's first vertically integrated Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor manufacturer, incubated at IISc, with applications in defence, space, telecom and power electronics. Shastra is supporting AGNIT's transition from pilot to volume manufacturing targeting 100,000 GaN components over two years.
• Inamocore portfolio; follow-on participation in series aStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026Shastra VC participated in Inamo's $8M Series A (led by Prime Venture Partners, with Antler India and Gemba Capital). Inamo is a Mumbai-based full-stack quick commerce enablement platform; existing investor of Shastra VC prior to the Series A. Funds support expansion to 200+ dark stores across 10 new cities by end-2026.
• Axirium Aerospacecore portfolio; co-led seedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2026Shastra VC co-led Axirium Aerospace's $3.5M seed round with BEENEXT and angel investors (Ashish Gupta, PVS Raju). Hyderabad-based advanced aerospace manufacturing company founded by ex-Tata Advanced Systems executives; precision machining and structural assemblies for global OEMs.
• SISIR Radarflagship deeptech portfolio; sar satelliteStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2025Shastra VC participated in Sisir Radar's $7M Series A led by 360 ONE Asset to develop India's first privately-built L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, targeted for launch by 2026. Also 'powers' the SDEX Fellowship.
• Sanlayan Technologiesecosystem partner powering sdex fellowshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025Aerospace & defence portfolio company (Series A backed by Jungle Ventures, Ashish Kacholia) listed as a 'Powered By' partner of the SDEX Fellowship, supporting Shastra's deeptech researcher pipeline.
• Mini Minesecosystem partner powering sdex fellowshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025Li-ion battery recycling portfolio company (Pre-Seed; co-invested by BEENEXT and Axilor) listed as a 'Powered By' partner of the SDEX Fellowship.
• Avammune Therapeuticsecosystem partner powering sdex fellowshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025Biotech portfolio company (Series A; co-invested by Capital 2B and Kotak Lifesciences) listed as a 'Powered By' partner of the SDEX Fellowship.
• VVC Management LLPcore fund-management entityOthersVVC Management LLP is the Fund Manager for Shastra VC's AIF vehicles (Fund I — IN/AIF1/22-23/1155; Fund II — IN/AIF/24-25/1498). Shastra operates as the investment management brand for vehicles managed by VVC Management LLP.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 3one4 Capital: Bengaluru-based early-stage venture capital firm that co-invested with Shastra VC in AGNIT Semiconductors and Xindus. Both firms share a focus on early-stage Indian tech startups with comparable ticket sizes and founder-first approaches.
• BEENEXT: Global early-stage VC with significant India presence that has co-led multiple deals alongside Shastra VC, including Axirium Aerospace ($3.5M seed) and Sisir Radar ($7M Series A). Both firms emphasize founder-led, conviction-driven investing in deeptech and emerging sectors.
• Speciale Invest: Bengaluru-based seed and early-stage VC specializing in deeptech and enterprise startups in India. Shares Shastra's deeptech thesis across semiconductors, space, and advanced manufacturing with comparable ticket sizes and stage focus.
• Prime Venture Partners: Bengaluru-based early-stage VC that led Inamo's $8M Series A with Shastra VC participating. Operates in similar early-stage Indian tech market with comparable check sizes and founder-first ethos.
• Antler India: Global early-stage VC with strong India presence that co-invested alongside Shastra VC in Inamo's Series A. Operates a founder-incubation model similar to Shastra's SDEX Fellowship through its global residency programs.
• Zephyr Peacock: India-focused early-to-growth-stage VC that participated in AGNIT Semiconductors' seed extension alongside Shastra VC. Comparable in stage focus and Indian deeptech orientation, though slightly later-stage on average.
• Axilor Ventures: Indian seed and early-stage VC that co-invested with Shastra VC in Mini Mines. Shares an early-stage, founder-first approach with sectoral overlap in climate tech and emerging technology.
• Gemba Capital: Bengaluru-based micro-VC focused on early-stage Indian startups that co-invested with Shastra VC in Inamo's Series A. Operates at comparable fund size and stage, making it a closely matched peer for performance benchmarking.

Broad incumbents

• Blume Ventures: One of India's largest early-stage VC firms with broader sector coverage but overlapping theses in deeptech, AI, and frontier technology. Provides a benchmark for Shastra's potential scale trajectory as the firm matures.
• Peak XV (formerly Sequoia Capital India): Largest India-focused VC firm with broad sector mandate including deeptech, AI, and consumer. Represents the upper bound of competitive intensity Shastra faces in winning and syndicating early-stage deeptech deals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shastra-vc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments75 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shastra VC