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Home›Funds›Thesis themes›Pre-seed / day-zero
Stage thesis

Pre-seed / day-zero

Investors who write the earliest cheques — before metrics are clean and the round is crowded.

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01 — Context

What this thesis means

Pre-seed and day-zero investors specialise in conviction before proof. They back teams with a sharp insight, early product or prototype, and enough signal to justify the first institutional or angel cheque. Speed, founder quality, and problem obsession matter more than polished dashboards.

In India this capital often comes from micro-VCs, angels, and seed funds that reserve for the next round. Ask how fast they decide, what a strong first cheque looks like, and whether they lead or prefer to follow a lead.

Pitch tightly: why this team, why this wedge, why now. Overbuilding the data room at day-zero can signal you are optimizing the wrong thing.

02 — Fit

Who it fits

  • +Founders raising a first cheque or pre-seed round
  • +Teams with prototypes, pilots, or early users — not full PMF
  • +Companies that need believers before a large seed process

What to prepare

  • →A crisp founder-market fit story
  • →One clear wedge and 12-month plan
  • →Honest view of what is still unknown
03 — Capital map

Funds with this thesis

Accelerator

100Unicorns

Be the 'Y Combinator of India' — provide initial capital plus committed follow-on to idea-stage startups, supporting them across their first three funding rounds before connecting them to large VCs for growth capital.

$250K – $3M
Venture Capital

100X VC

Invest in 100 companies per year at pre-product stage and help them reach their next milestone

$25K – $250K
Venture Capital

12 Flags

Invest in founders from emerging countries building global businesses

$100K – $500K
Venture Capital

1818 Venture Capital

1818 Venture Capital backs exceptional early-stage founders building in India across SaaS, Consumer, FinTech, AI, and B2B, writing pre-seed and seed cheques in the $100k–$500k range as a micro VC with a strong India-first mandate.

$100K – $500K
Venture Capital

2048 Ventures

2048 Ventures backs early-stage founders building transformative companies across AI, DeepTech, Climate, SaaS, and Consumer, with a long-horizon view on where the world is headed by 2048.

$500K – $2M
Venture Capital

247VC

Always-on support for founders building ambitious companies

$100K – $500K
Venture Capital

2am VC

A sector-agnostic, Gen Z-centric, 'India Only' early-stage fund backing young and first-time Indian founders building uniquely Indian companies for the 'New India' opportunity; acts as a hyperlocal bridge connecting global investors with Indian founders, prioritising speed, transparency and founder-friendliness, and leads over half of its deals.

$100K – $500K
Venture Capital

3 Peaks Ventures

Back resilient founders scaling toward high summits

$100K – $500K
Venture Capital

3one4 Capital

Back founders who solve large problems for India and the world with technology and systems

$250K – $5M
Venture Capital

500 Global

500 Global focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across Sector Agnostic, operating as a VC relevant to Indian founders.

$50K – $500K
Syndicate / Network

77 Capital

77 Capital backs early-stage Indian startups at Pre-Seed and Seed stages, focusing on SaaS, B2B marketplaces, FinTech, and HealthTech through a syndicate model that brings together aligned capital and operator networks.

$75K – $100K
Accelerator

888 VC

888 VC focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across technology and adjacent sectors, operating as a Accelerator relevant to Indian founders.

$25K – $460K
Venture Capital

888vc

888vc backs early-stage technology companies at Pre-Seed and Seed, with a focus on SaaS, Consumer, FinTech, and AI, writing cheques in the $100k–$500k range.

$100K – $500K
Venture Capital

8i Ventures

Back India's most ambitious founders with capital and community

$100K – $1M
Accelerator

9Unicorns

9Unicorns focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across Sector Agnostic, operating as a Accelerator relevant to Indian founders.

$25K – $250K
Accelerator

a-IDEA NAARM

a-IDEA NAARM focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across Agritech / Food, operating as a Accelerator relevant to Indian founders.

$120K
Venture Capital

A100x Ventures

Back founders aiming to build 100x companies

$100K – $500K
Venture Capital

a99 VC

Back founders building scalable businesses from day one

$50K – $300K
Angel / Individual

Aakrit Vaish

Aakrit Vaish focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across AI / ML, Sector Agnostic, operating as a Angel / Individual relevant to Indian founders.

Pre-Seed
Venture Capital

Aarii Ventures

Back ambitious founders building technology-driven businesses

$100K – $500K
Angel / Individual

Abhay Hanjura

Abhay Hanjura focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across Consumer / D2C, operating as a Angel / Individual relevant to Indian founders.

Pre-Seed
Angel / Individual

Abheek Anand

Abheek Anand focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across Sector Agnostic, operating as a Angel / Individual relevant to Indian founders.

Pre-Seed
Angel / Individual

Abhijit Kane

Abhijit Kane focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across SaaS / Enterprise, operating as a Angel / Individual relevant to Indian founders.

Pre-Seed
Angel / Individual

Abhinav Asthana

Abhinav Asthana focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed opportunities across SaaS / Enterprise, operating as a Angel / Individual relevant to Indian founders.

Pre-Seed
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Other thesis themes

1016 funds

Founder-led / operator capital

Operator angels, founder syndicates, and funds that invest like builders who have been in the seat.

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1005 funds

India-first / Bharat

Capital that underwrites India as the primary market — including Tier 2/3, vernacular, and mass adoption stories.

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975 funds

Tech-first / product companies

Investors who back software, platforms, and product-led companies where technology is the core moat.

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936 funds

Early-stage builders

Investors who write the first institutional cheque and partner before the story is obvious.

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