As the Indian startup ecosystem is growing, aspiring entrepreneurs are getting familiar with jargon like acquisition, bootstrapped startups, pitch, burn rate, business valuation, run rate, financial modeling, etc. Though a few understand their meaning, very few understand the importance of each. But people familiar with the startup ecosystem know the significance of an angel investor.

An angel investor, often referred to as a private investor, seed investor, or angel funder, is a rich individual who makes early investments in startups or small businesses in exchange for a stake in the venture. 

Frequently found among an entrepreneur’s friends and family, angel investors may provide a one-time investment to kickstart a business or ongoing investments to support it as it develops and succeeds in its early stages.

In this article, we will be looking at the 5 Most Active angel Investors In the Indian Startups Ecosystem.

5 Most Active Angel Investors In the Indian Startup Ecosystem

1. Sanjay Mehta

Sanjay Mehta, a venture capitalist and investor in technology, has become well-known in the investment community because of some of the significant victories he has witnessed over the course of his ten-year career. 

Founder & Partner at 100X.VC, Sanjay Mehta, in Jan 2020, was inducted into the “Hall of Fame” as an Outstanding Angel Investor by TIE. Let’sVenture awarded him Angel Investor Of The Year 2017. 

Sanjay Mehta is the only angel investor to have invested in over 150 companies as a private investment. His biggest success was the 280x return after leaving Ritesh Agarwal’s OYO following an early investment in the hotel aggregator in advance of an IPO.

2. Anand Chandrasekaran

80 startups, which has earned him credit and distinction as one of India’s most active angel investors.

Over 25 seed investments of his have a valuation of more than $250 million, and 7 of whom, including NoBroker, Dealshare, OneCard, Carta, and PIPE, are unicorns.

Anand was Director of Messenger for Business Platform at Facebook and CPO at Snapdeal and has worked in well-known companies, including Wynk, Bharti Airtel, and Yahoo! 

A few of the startups where Anand has been an investor/advisor include NoBroker, Rupeek, On Deck, MoEngage, SAFE Security, Pratilipi, Two Chairs, Khatabook, LocoNav, Dealshare, OneCard, MindHouse, Yulu, InVideo, AltoIRA, Mudrex, AccelData, OssoVR, Prodigal etc.

3. Sandeep Tandon

Sandeep Tandon is a technology entrepreneur, mentor, and investor who co-founded & served as the Chief Business Officer at Freecharge Payment Technologies, India’s first mobile payment system. 

Having been part of the technology industry for 20+ years, Sandeep serves as Chairperson and Independent Director at Aavas Financiers and Managing Director of Infinx Services and the Tandon Group.

He frequently invests in angel deals and mentors several digital companies. As per PitchBook, Sandeep has made 31 investments to date, with investment in Raise Financial being the latest.

4. Vijay Shekhar Sharma

Paytm’s founder and CEO, Vijay Shekar Sharma, has made 71 investments with 19 exits till now, as per PitchBook. 

He is a top-level advisor and investor in the industry and has helped companies like Unacademy, SourceEasy, InnerChef, The Ken, and Milaap using his experience and resources. Vijay founded the financial technology business Paytm and presently serves as its CEO. His $1.3 billion net worth earned him the title of India’s youngest billionaire in 2017, as per Forbes.

In 2017, he was ranked among the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. He received the Yash Bharati award, the highest civilian honour in Uttar Pradesh. With a net worth of $2.35 billion, he was the 62nd wealthiest person in India in 2020, according to Forbes. 

In 2022, Vijay Shekar Sharma has made 7 investments, with investment in Josh Talks being the latest.

5. Rajan Anandan

Rajan Anandan is the Managing Director at Sequoia Capital, where he is focusing on developing its early-stage program- Surge. He has previously held the position of Vice President of Google India and managed executive roles at reputable businesses like Dell and Microsoft.

Rajan Anandan has made 74 investments, with 16 exits till now. His portfolio of companies includes Omnify, Styledotme, Signzy, Buttercups, Druva, Capillary Technologies, Unacademy, Gaming Monk, and others. 

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