With India’s thriving startup ecosystem evolving, millions of new-age investors are exploring ways to actively invest and participate in it. Grip, India’s leading alternative investment platform, announced the launch of a startup equity investment product in collaboration with SEBI registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). The company aims to provide its growing investor community with access to opportunities in the thriving startup ecosystem with an investment as low as INR 2 Lacs.
Grip will be enabling access to curated deals for individual investors, which will allow them to invest alongside reputed venture capital funds and strategic investors in disruptive startups. The platform will provide the detailed necessary information (such as company profile and performance, timelines, key investment highlights and risks, etc.), based on which its users can make an informed decision. However, the platform does not provide any advice in relation to the listed opportunities.
On the launch of the product, Nikhil Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Grip said, “With more than a 250,000-strong investor community and partnerships with more than 80 companies, we find ourselves in a unique position. We can successfully play the role of a discovery and technology platform for such opportunities for individual investors that could generate attractive returns. At the same time, we can closely monitor the listed opportunities on a month-on-month basis and evaluate their performance and help them connect with AIFs to raise their required capital.”
The opportunities on the Grip platform will meet the following criteria:
- Funding round is led by a reputed venture capital fund or strategic investor, who carries out diligence and agrees on a valuation; Grip’s users participate along with such an investor
- The fund-raise is executed through a SEBI registered AIF
Vivek Gulati, Co-Founder, and COO, Grip said, “We are happy to partner with SEBI registered AIFs which help high performing companies in raising capital and provide our users access to unique opportunities to participate in such companies’ growth plans. Continuing to ride on last year’s momentum, the startup ecosystem mopped up record-breaking funding deals in the first quarter. We hope to provide our retail investor community to be a part of this growing ecosystem with our new product.”
The first opportunity made available through the platform was Mukunda Foods, the food robotics company, which recently raised funds from Zomato.
Speaking at a webinar organized by Grip to launch this new offering, Anupam Mittal, Founder, People Group and Angel Investor said, “My suggestion would be that everybody should allocate some part of their investment portfolio to alternative investments whatever they are comfortable with, whatever their risk appetite is but before you can run you must walk.” He further added “There is an incredible future in Indian entrepreneurship, and I think angel investing is one way to participate in that. And that’s what I do, I do no public investing, I do 100% of my investing in early stage companies, yes I know its high risk but I am not recommending that for everyone.”
Eshwar Vikas, Co-Founder and CEO, Mukunda Foods, said, “ In our journey, we wanted to invite our community to be a part of our vision and we are delighted to have partnered Grip for the same. We opened for retail investment for our community on Grip’s platform to invest INR 2 Crores. Within 10 days, we witnessed a 150% subscription.”
According to recent data from Venture Intelligence, funding by Indian startups achieved new heights with companies raising over $10 Billion, almost double the last year. With India minting unicorns at a record pace, the investment product available on Grip’s platform will provide a unique opportunity to retail investors to turn to indirect equity shareholders in promising companies.
