Ankur Capital Deep Tech Fund (multi-fund strategy) Grant

About this grant

Ankur Capital is a deep tech venture capital firm that invests in breakthrough technologies across life sciences, clean energy, advanced materials, machine learning, and related sectors. The fund backs founders solving hard problems at the edge of innovation, with a focus on companies that can build large markets and achieve global scale. Ankur Capital manages three funds with a twelve-year track record of over forty portfolio companies. The firm provides capital alongside operational support, technical expertise, and access to a network of entrepreneurs, scientists, researchers, corporates, and global investors. Beyond funding, the team works directly with founders through every stage of development, from product strategy and key hires to customer connections and subsequent fundraising. The firm has built structural early access to innovation through ecosystem initiatives including ThinkAg, a platform for food and agriculture innovation, and the Deep Science Forum, which connects portfolio companies to broader innovation ecosystems throughout their journey.

Eligibility

Ankur Capital invests in deep tech founders and entrepreneurs building companies in life sciences, clean energy, advanced materials, machine learning, and related breakthrough technology sectors. The firm seeks founders with deep domain expertise, operational resilience, and honesty about what they do not yet know. While the fund operates primarily in India with offices in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi, it has global investment reach. Applicants should have identified a large pain point addressable through technology, a credible technical and commercial roadmap to category leadership, and demonstrated team capabilities. The strongest applicants come with introductions from existing founders, researchers, or operators in Ankur Capital's network, though direct outreach is welcome.

How it's scored

Ankur Capital evaluates companies on three core criteria: the market opportunity (whether the pain point is large enough and can support a big business), the founders (assessing deep domain expertise, hustle, resilience, and self-awareness about knowledge gaps), and the path to category leadership (seeking credible technical and commercial roadmaps rather than hockey-stick projections). The fund does not apply a standardized scoring rubric but instead applies these consistent questions to every company regardless of sector.

Key requirements

• ✓Founders must have deep domain expertise in their sector
• ✓Company must address large market pain points with credible technical and commercial roadmaps
• ✓Focus on deep science and technology companies in India
• ✓Early-stage companies eligible for initial cheques of $500K–$2M

Recent past awardees

Knowing who's won the last rounds tells you whether you're in the strike zone.

• Captain Fresh
• CraftifAI
• Offgrid Energy Labs
• Pranos
• StringBio
• Turiyam
• Vegrow
• Vimano

Funder contact

The notice names a programme contact you can speak to before applying.

Frequently asked questions

How much funding does Ankur Capital offer?

Ankur Capital Deep Tech Fund (multi-fund strategy) offers up to $2M.

Who can apply for Ankur Capital Deep Tech Fund (multi-fund strategy)?

Eligibility covers organisations in IN; startup, sme. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Food systems funding covers sustainable production, supply-chain resilience, food loss, nutrition and smallholder livelihoods. It is offered by agriculture and development agencies, multilateral programmes and foundations, often with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. Applicants are generally asked to show local partnerships and how benefits reach farmers or consumers.