Volt VC, an Ahmedabad-based micro-venture capital firm, has announced the launch of its inaugural fund, Volt VC Fund-I, with a target corpus of Rs 45 crore ($5.4 million). The fund aims to invest in consumer-centric startups at the pre-seed stage and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as a Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF).
The firm plans to close the fund within the next three to four months. Volt VC’s primary focus will be on bridging the gap in pre-seed funding across India. The fund will target investments in consumer-focused businesses spanning various sectors, including direct-to-consumer (D2C), business-to-consumer (B2C), and business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) models. It intends to invest between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2 crore in approximately 20 to 25 pre-seed startups.
Param Patel, Managing Partner at Volt VC, highlighted the burgeoning landscape of consumer-centric startups in India. He emphasized the need for micro-VC funds to support early-stage ventures. “There is a critical need for support and funding at the pre-seed stage to ensure these promising ideas can grow and thrive,” Patel remarked.
Patel, who has extensive experience in startup investments, previously led efforts at Gujarat Venture Finance Ltd (GVFL) and worked at an investment bank in New York City. At GVFL, he was involved in notable investments in companies like Petpooja and Qarmatek. He later became the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and a founding team member at Terazo, where he successfully raised a $7 million fund. This fund was recognized as India’s first regulated tokenized fund on blockchain in Gujarat’s GIFT City.
