Venture CapitalBharat Innovation Fund
StagesSeed, Pre-Series A, Series B
SectorsAI / ML, Fintech, Healthcare / Medtech · Early-stage builders, Founder-led / operator capital
Ticket$1M – $3M
Venture CapitalPartner with global teams on a mission to solve the world's most important problems; founder-first, impact-oriented investing with gender-lens principles, prioritising defensible IP and scalable models.
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Partner with global teams on a mission to solve the world's most important problems; founder-first, impact-oriented investing with gender-lens principles, prioritising defensible IP and scalable models.
7 companies mapped to this fund.
Background and context for founders evaluating this investor.
Aureolis Ventures is a Mumbai-based early-stage venture firm founded in 2017 by Paula Mariwala, one of the pioneering women venture capitalists in India. A Stanford-educated physicist and technologist, Mariwala has been shaping the country's startup ecosystem since 2006 — she is the founder and President Emeritus of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India, the former Managing Director of Seedfund (one of India's first venture funds), and a promoter director of the Hinditron Group. Aureolis partners with global teams on a mission to solve significant problems, focusing on climate change, health, deep tech, education and consumer, and invests across pre-seed, seed and Series A. The firm takes a founder-first, impact-oriented approach and is an active participant in gender-lens investing, looking beyond female founders to companies whose products and workplaces benefit women. Its portfolio spans 49 companies, including the unicorn Unacademy, alongside agritech firm Fasal, warehouse-robotics company Unbox Robotics and digital-health platform Zyla Health. Mariwala's broader 25-year investing career includes notable exits such as RedBus, Carwale and TapChief, giving her deep experience across the full venture lifecycle from sourcing to exit. Backed by a small, hands-on team of around twelve including co-founders Jo Pattabiraman and Ruchi Jain Hanasoge, Aureolis offers portfolio founders close mentorship and access to global networks to help them scale with impact.
A Stanford-educated physicist and technologist, Mariwala has been shaping the country's startup ecosystem since 2006 — she is the founder and President Emeritus of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India, the former Managing Director of Seedfund (one of India's first venture funds), and a promoter director of the Hinditron Group.
Mumbai. Founded 2017 by Paula Mariwala — one of India's first women VCs, founder of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India, ex-MD Seedfund. Co-founders incl. Jo Pattabiraman, Ruchi Jain Hanasoge. Team ~12. Portfolio 49 cos, 1 unicorn (Unacademy); notable: Fasal, Unbox Robotics, Zyla Health. Active in gender-lens investing; Paula's broader exits incl. RedBus, Carwale, TapChief. Ticket sweep Jul 2026: no published fixed startup cheque/grant found (credits-only, advisory, LP-minima, deal-by-deal, or undisclosed).
Data confidence: Verified (web sources, 2024–26)
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