Seafund: Empowering Founders with Capital, Networks, and Dedication Seafund's investment thesis is built on five pillars, emphasising people, technology, deeptech, conviction, and contrarian plays.
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Starting the initial journey by working with friends who were founders in the early 2010s and then starting a fund, coming under the regulatory umbrella, and accessing institutional money was a seamless journey for Mayuresh Raut.
"We have been active tech investors since 2012; Seafund began deploying capital from their first fund in 2018, continuing with their current fund," says Mayuresh Raut, Managing Partner, Seafund.
The General Partners (GPs) at Seafund have a rich history, with one being the earliest lot of founders that raised venture capital in the late 90s and another involved in corporate venture capital in 2000.
Together, they bring over 23 years of diverse experience spanning large corporations, family businesses, and startups.
Seafund's investment thesis is built on five pillars, emphasising people, technology, deeptech, conviction, and contrarian plays.
Raut focuses on passionate, adaptable founders and invests in sectors where their expertise can significantly aid business growth.
The Bengaluru-based firm's belief in technology's transformative power drives investments in AI, semiconductors, space, energy, climate, and materials.
With a horizontal play in deeptech, Seafund claims to remain agnostic about sectors, allowing them to back diverse, groundbreaking ideas.
"We proudly embrace agnosticism, fearlessly venturing where others hesitate. In a rapidly evolving world, this mindset is our compass to capture the elusive next big breakthrough, whatever extraordinary vision may be brewing in the minds of daring entrepreneurs," adds Raut.
According to the firm, their commitment goes beyond financial support, providing startups with extensive networks and unwavering dedication, especially during challenging times.
Raut emphasises that they pledge their unwavering network and unyielding dedication to empower founders in their quest for building a sustainable and profitable business.
The platform claims to focus on intersectional innovations, combining diverse talents and disciplines to revolutionise industries.
"When diverse talents, cultures, disciplines, and industries collide, they propel us into uncharted realms, revolutionising the world with breathtaking leaps," states Raut.
Seafund has invested in 18 startups so far, including notable names like Wigzo, Genrobotics, Inc42, Advarisk, Clootrack, Finsall, Zippee, BestDoc, AnaStrat, ForeignAdmits, Pupilfirst, and Red Wing.
According to Raut, early-stage startups thrive with strong seed funding in Q1 2024, despite layoffs and challenges. Optimism grows as diverse investors and government support bolster India's startup ecosystem.
"Given the election results, most experts believe that the public markets are probably somewhere close to their short-term highs. The smarter, savvier investors will start taking money off the table as they are getting over indexed and will start allocating this to different asset classes, startups and venture capital being one of them. However, uncertainty is a factor, and long-term trends need to be monitored," highlights Raut.
Facts:
- Portfolio Size: Fund I: 14, Fund II: 4
- Total Exits: 1
- Average Ticket Size: USD 300K–USD 500K for First checks, USD 1 Mn–USD 2 Mn for Follow-ons
- Assets Under Management: USD 15 Mn
