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Top 10 India Angel Investors in 2025: Complete Founder Guide to Getting Funded

Deqian Jia
Deqian Jia
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India Angel InvestorsIndian VCFundraisingVenture CapitalStartups

If you're trying to raise in India in 2025, getting the right angels on your cap table can matter as much as getting the money itself. Below is a founder-oriented guide plus a curated list of 10 highly regarded, actually active Indian angel investors right now.

When preparing your pitch, having a professional data room is essential. Peony helps Indian startups organize investor materials with AI-powered document organization, track investor engagement with page-level analytics, and securely share sensitive financial and operational data. With transparent pricing at $40/user/month, Peony delivers enterprise-grade secure data rooms without the $5,000-20,000 per-deal costs of legacy platforms.

1. How to pick the right India angel investors

1.1 Understand the 2025 India angel landscape

A few things have changed recently:

  • Angel investing crossed the $1B mark in India, but the number of active angels has dipped because of regulations and accreditation rules. (Business Standard)
  • The infamous "angel tax" was abolished in 2024, which removed a big psychological barrier for early-stage capital. (Business Standard)
  • In 2025, SEBI rolled out new frameworks for angel funds and accreditation, standardising who qualifies as an angel and how some pooled vehicles operate. (Business Standard)
  • Even with some cooling at later stages, India still had 1,900+ active investors and $3.1B of funding in Q1 2025, with seed funding up ~18% YoY. (Kotak Securities)

So: there is capital, but it's concentrated in a smaller set of serious, repeat angels — exactly the group this list focuses on.

1.2 Decide what "type" of angel you actually need

In India, most top angels fall into 3 buckets:

  1. Operator-angels (founders & CXOs)

    • Built scaled companies (CRED, Flipkart, Zomato, Paytm, Livspace, Snapdeal, etc.).
    • Bring distribution, hiring, and follow-on investor access.
    • Often back founders they'd personally like to work with, not just spreadsheets.

  2. Professional / super angels

    • Full-time investors with 100+ deals and structured processes (e.g. Sanjay Mehta). (100x.vc)
    • Great if you want someone who knows rounds, terms, and signalling risks cold and can help you syndicate.

  3. Micro-fund / platform angels

    • Founders who now also run small funds (Titan Capital, Mehta Ventures, etc.). (Fortune India)
    • Cheque sizes are often larger and more repeatable; they can lead your round, not just sprinkle capital.

Decide which matters more for this company and this stage: brand + signalling vs. hands-on help vs. quick, friendly capital.

1.3 Matching by stage, cheque size & geography

Most Indian angels:

  • Write cheques in the $25k–$100k range at pre-seed/seed, sometimes much more when co-leading a round. (Business Standard)
  • Cluster around Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR — but are comfortable backing founders anywhere in India and often globally. (ETBFSI.com)

So when you shortlist angels:

  • Make sure your stage matches their sweet spot (almost everyone below is seed-friendly; some will also do Series A+ as individuals or via their funds).
  • Check if they've recently written new cheques (2023–2025) rather than relying on a decade-old reputation.

1.4 Where to find & qualify Indian angels

Tactically:

  • Look at cap tables of startups like yours on news articles, funding databases and LinkedIn. You'll keep seeing the same names (many below).
  • Use curated lists like Eqvista's 2025 Top 100 Active Angel Investors, where Kunal Shah, Binny Bansal, Kunal Bahl and Rajan Anandan all appear with high scores. (Eqvista)
  • Read ecosystem breakdowns like Business Standard's July 2025 piece profiling top Indian angels and their most recent bets; their list heavily validates several names below. (Business Standard)

Then build a shortlist of 20–40 angels that are:

  • Sector-aligned
  • Stage-aligned
  • Recently active (new deals in the last 1–2 years)
  • Ideally co-investing with the funds you want on your Series A

2. Top 10 India Angel Investors in 2025 (with details)

Note: This is not an official ranking; it's a curated set of angels who repeatedly show up across 2023–2025 data, media, and founder conversations as high-reputation, active Indian angels.

1. Kunal Shah (Founder, CRED)

Why he matters: Regularly described in 2024–2025 coverage as India's most prolific angel investor, with 287+ startups backed across fintech, SaaS, consumer internet and enterprise software. (Business Standard)

Notable portfolio: Zetwerk, Shiprocket, Bigbasket, Razorpay, Unacademy and dozens of emerging category leaders. (Business Standard)

Recent deals include Spense (Seed, $1.85M) and Presentations.AI (Seed, $3M) in 2025, both early-stage SaaS products. (Business Standard)

What he likes:

  • Fintech, payments, credit, consumer apps, B2B SaaS, infra for the Indian middle class.
  • Strong bias toward founder-market fit, second-time founders, and "non-obvious insight about human behaviour" (e.g. CRED's wedge using aspiration & rewards).

Cheque size / stage:

  • Typically pre-seed and seed; cheques often in the $25k–$150k personal range, occasionally more when coming in early alongside major funds.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're building fintech, consumer internet or workflow SaaS with a crisp wedge in India or other emerging markets.
  • You want an angel who can open doors to almost every top Indian VC and other operators.

How to get on his radar:

  • Warm intros via founders in his portfolio (there are many).
  • You must be able to articulate your insight about users or behaviour in 1–2 sharp sentences — this is what he's famous for probing.

2. Anupam Mittal (Founder, Shaadi.com; Shark Tank India)

Why he matters: Founder of Shaadi.com / People Group, and one of India's most visible startup investors via Shark Tank India. (Wikipedia)

Has backed 250+ startups across consumer, D2C, fintech and SaaS; traditional media and startup press consistently cite him as a top Indian angel. (Business Standard)

Business Standard notes 245+ startups backed, including Ola and MobiKwik, with recent cheques into Kalakaram, Dorabi, Solnce Energy and HireForCare at seed. (Business Standard)

What he likes:

  • Consumer brands, marketplaces, media/entertainment, D2C products, and increasingly impactful mass-market brands.
  • Strong emphasis on brand story, distribution, and unit economics from day one.

Cheque size / stage:

  • Pre-seed and seed, typically $25k–$100k personal, sometimes larger deals co-led with other Sharks or VCs.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're building a consumer or SMB-facing brand with clear storytelling and distribution game.
  • You value a high-visibility angel whose backing can materially help your first PR cycle and D2C retail relationships.

How to reach him:

  • Shark Tank India is one route, but not the only one — many deals are off-TV.
  • Warm intros via founders he's backed, or via consumer VCs who syndicate with him frequently.

3. Ramakant Sharma (Co-founder, Livspace)

Why he matters: Co-founded Livspace, one of India's largest home-interiors platforms.

As of 2025, has invested in ~119 startups, with a focus on consumer and enterprise applications. (Business Standard)

Notable bets: Purplle (beauty), Dezerv (wealth management) and a $5M Series A cheque into Rabitat, a baby-care brand, in 2025. (Business Standard)

What he likes:

  • Consumer brands, marketplaces, proptech, B2B SaaS, and infra that helps India's emerging middle class upgrade their lifestyle.
  • Founders who are deeply execution-oriented; he has a reputation for backing gritty operators.

Cheque size / stage:

  • Seed and early Series A, sometimes writing larger cheques ($250k–$1M) in later seed/Series A rounds as a prominent angel alongside funds.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're building consumer, commerce, or infra plays with complex operations (logistics, on-ground execution, multi-city scaling).
  • You need help with ops, supply chain and GTM for physical + digital businesses.

How to reach him:

  • Warm intros via Livspace, Purplle, Dezerv or other portfolio founders.
  • Co-investor intros from funds like Stellaris, Elevation, India Quotient etc., who often appear in the same cap tables. (techinasia.com)

4. Binny Bansal (Co-founder, Flipkart; Founder, 3State Ventures)

Why he matters: Flipkart co-founder and one of the defining figures of Indian tech.

Has backed ~75 startups across enterprise, retail and fintech, with portfolio names like PhonePe, Slice, Curefoods, Acko, Hike. (Business Standard)

His firm 3State Ventures led a $20M round into ShopOS (AI commerce OS) in 2025, underlining his continued activity and appetite for bold bets. (Tracxn)

Features in Eqvista's global top-100 active angels, with strong score and marquee portfolio. (Eqvista)

What he likes:

  • Commerce, fintech, logistics, applied AI in commerce, B2B infra, and companies building category-defining moats.
  • Founder teams with deep product & data chops.

Cheque size / stage:

  • As an individual + via 3State Ventures, he can participate from seed up to growth, often writing six- to seven-figure USD cheques.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're building e-commerce, logistics, AI-for-commerce, or Indian consumer infra.
  • You want a backer whose name massively boosts your credibility with global VCs and later-stage funds.

How to reach him:

  • Introductions via portfolio founders (PhonePe, Slice, etc.) or co-investors.
  • Many 3State deals originate from Bengaluru & Mumbai founder networks — warm intros matter a lot.

5. Rajan Anandan (Managing Director, Peak XV Partners; ex-Google India head)

Why he matters: Former Google India & SEA head, now MD at Peak XV Partners (ex-Sequoia India), and a long-time angel. (The Startup Board)

Has invested in 123+ startups; Business Standard lists Rapido and Capillary Technologies among his top bets. (Business Standard)

Eqvista's 2025 top-100 global angels list scores him highly, citing deals like Smytten, Freshtohome and others. (Eqvista)

What he likes:

  • B2B SaaS, deeptech, frontier tech, marketplaces, cross-border plays.
  • Founders solving large, "India-and-beyond" problems with strong data and GTM thinking.

Cheque size / stage:

  • Personal angel cheques at seed/pre-seed; often also opens doors to Peak XV's Surge program or main fund for later rounds.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're building SaaS or tech-heavy businesses that can scale beyond India.
  • You want someone who can critique strategy at global scale and help position you for tier-1 VC processes.

How to reach him:

  • Surge alumni, Google India alumni, and Peak XV portfolio founders are common bridges.
  • Strong, concise data-driven pitch is key; he's known to value metrics and clarity.

6. Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Founder, Paytm)

Why he matters: Founder of Paytm, one of India's most recognised fintech brands.

As of late 2025, Tracxn data shows he has invested in ~76 companies, with notable bets including MediBuddy, NoBroker, Unacademy, Treebo and others. (Business Standard)

Business Standard highlights that he continues to invest at seed, with Presentations.AI being a recent seed round he joined. (Business Standard)

What he likes:

  • Fintech, financial inclusion, marketplaces, internet services, infra that expands the Indian digital economy.
  • Often drawn to ambitious, "big India" narratives.

Cheque size / stage:

  • Mostly seed and early-stage, in the $25k–$150k range as angel.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're building fintech, credit, payments, commerce or infra for Tier-2+ India.
  • You would benefit from a founder who built at massive regulatory & scale complexity.

How to reach him:

  • Via fintech VCs and Paytm / One97 alumni networks; many of his angel deals are co-investments with known fintech funds.

7. Kunal Bahl (Co-founder, Snapdeal; Co-founder, Titan Capital)

Why he matters: Co-founded Snapdeal and later Titan Capital with Rohit Bansal.

Tracxn lists him with a portfolio of ~245 angel-backed companies, focused on consumer and enterprise applications. (Tracxn)

Titan Capital has been an early backer of Ola, Razorpay, Mamaearth and many more; a 2025 Fortune India piece notes they invest in only 0.3–0.4% of proposals reviewed, underscoring their selectivity. (Fortune India)

Also appears in Eqvista's global top-100 active angels. (Eqvista)

What he likes:

  • Consumer tech, marketplaces, D2C, fintech, SaaS.
  • Clear path to big TAM + solid unit economics, plus founders who can handle complex execution.

Cheque size / stage:

  • Angel + Titan Capital: pre-seed to Series A, cheques from $50k to $500k+ when co-leading.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're building something in consumer, commerce or SaaS that can scale fast and defensibly.
  • You want a partner who has seen the full India-scale rollercoaster from early Flipkart-era e-com days to now.

How to reach him:

  • Titan Capital has a relatively visible application funnel and portfolio; warm intros via portfolio founders are strongest signals. (titancapital.vc)

8. Sanjay Mehta (Founder, 100X.VC & Mehta Ventures)

Why he matters: One of India's best-known "super angels", with 130+ startup investments across India and the US. (100x.vc)

Founder & Partner at 100X.VC, a CAT-I AIF that writes first cheques into early-stage startups using iSAFE notes, and head of Mehta Ventures, his family office. (100x.vc)

Has been featured in Forbes India investor lists, and named Investor of the Year 2017 by LetsVenture, among other recognitions. (100x.vc)

What he likes:

  • Wide remit: SaaS, fintech, deeptech, consumer, Web3, B2B — but with discipline around valuation and cap-table construction.
  • He's famously process-driven and selective, with strong focus on founder clarity + large markets.

Cheque size / stage:

  • Very early-stage specialist: pre-seed and seed, often via 100X.VC cohorts or direct angel cheques.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're pre-seed/seed, want a structured early investor who can help clean up your docs, and who has deep relationships with early-stage VCs.
  • You are comfortable being part of a portfolio model with heavy emphasis on standardised instruments (iSAFE).

How to reach him:

  • Apply to 100X.VC cohorts; or use warm intros via founders in his 130+ portfolio.

9. Deepinder Goyal (Founder & CEO, Zomato; Founder, LAT Aerospace)

Why he matters: Founder of Zomato, now also building LAT Aerospace, an aviation startup designing lightweight gas-turbine engines and regional aircraft in India. (The Times of India)

Tracxn data shows he has a portfolio of ~29 angel investments, primarily in consumer and retail and adjacent sectors. (Tracxn)

Known for backing consumer brands and tech companies that reflect strong product and brand instincts.

What he likes:

  • Consumer internet, food & commerce, logistics, and now frontier hardware/aviation talent.
  • Founders with sharp product taste, willingness to iterate fast, and an eye for delight.

Cheque size / stage:

  • Mostly seed-stage cheques, often alongside top VCs or prominent angels.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're in consumer, logistics, food, mobility, or aviation-adjacent tech, and are building something either delightful or technically bold.
  • You'd benefit from advice on product experience, marketplace dynamics and brand.

How to reach him:

  • Zomato alumni, co-investors, or frontier-tech VCs who know his new LAT Aerospace work are your best bridges.

10. Ashish Gupta (Co-founder, Junglee; early angel in Flipkart, MakeMyTrip, Mu Sigma)

Why he matters: Often described as one of India's legendary angel investors — his ₹10 lakh 2009 cheque into Flipkart has become part of Indian startup lore. (thearcweb.com)

Also an early backer of MakeMyTrip and Mu Sigma, among others, making him one of the earliest believers in Indian consumer internet and analytics. (thearcweb.com)

Built and sold Junglee to Amazon, co-founded Helion Venture Partners, and has been closely involved in India's startup ecosystem for decades. (FactorDaily Podcast)

What he likes:

  • Historically: consumer internet, marketplaces, analytics, SaaS.
  • Today: more selective and thesis-driven, often backing founders through deep relationships.

Cheque size / stage:

  • Early-stage, highly selective; cheques are meaningful but access matters more than size — the signalling of having him on your cap table is powerful.

When he's a great fit:

  • You're an exceptional, technically deep founder, ideally with some relationship or shared network.
  • You're building something with potential to be a generational company, especially around data, marketplaces or infra.

How to reach him:

  • Almost exclusively via deep, long-standing networks: IIT/IIM alumni, Helion/portfolio founders, or respected VCs who know him well.

3. Five quick tips for pitching India's top angels

1. Lead with the insight, not the feature list

Every investor above has seen thousands of decks. The quickest way to stand out:

"Most people think X. But in this market, the truth is Y — and here's our data / experience that proves it."

Be crystal clear on why this market is mispriced or misunderstood, and why you are the right team to exploit that gap.

2. Show traction vs. stage, not vanity metrics

At angel stage, you don't need crazy revenue, but you do need proof of life:

  • Screenshots of actual usage
  • Growth in weekly actives, waitlists, pilots, LOIs
  • Early revenue with strong retention or repeat purchase metrics

Investors like Kunal Shah or Rajan Anandan are known to be metrics-sensitive even at seed. (Kotak Securities)

3. Make it easy for them to syndicate you

These are nodes in a wider graph of funds and angels:

  • Include a simple round construction slide: how much, what's already soft-circled, target close date.
  • Offer clear co-investment opportunities with funds they like to work with (e.g. if you already have a term sheet from a reputable early-stage VC, mention it).

The easier you make it for them to pull in their network, the likelier they move fast.

4. Be honest about risk & regulation (especially in India)

Whether it's fintech, gaming, healthtech or aviation, India is regulation-heavy. Top angels are allergic to founders who hand-wave it away.

  • Explicitly call out regulatory risks, and what you're doing to mitigate them.
  • Reference recent policy changes (e.g., angel tax repeal, SEBI's new angel frameworks) to show you're plugged in. (Business Standard)

This signals maturity and reduces perceived downside.

5. Optimise for the right 3–5 angels, not a random cap table

A messy early cap table with 40 small cheques can spook later VCs.

Instead:

  • Target 3–5 highly strategic angels (like those above) and maybe one structured early fund.
  • Prioritise people who can help with your next round, key hires, and first big customers, not just those who'll give you a cheque.

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Conclusion

Raising from Indian angels in 2025 requires matching your stage, sector, and value-add needs to the right investors. The angels on this list are actively deploying capital, but they're selective. Bring clear insights, traction data, and a strategic cap table plan—not just vision.

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Q&A Section

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