Our approach keeps founders at the heart of everything we do.
We are
- Conviction-led: We value independent decision-making and lead all our investments.
- Long-term partners: We stay fully committed to founders' vision, no matter how long it takes.
- Sector specialists: We each focus on specific sectors to build a deep, informed point of view that fuels our investment strategy and portfolio support.
- Transparent: We keep founders in the loop and prioritize honest communication, making us partners they never have to second-guess.
- Engaged: We believe in staying actively involved through meaningful board participation and functional support.
Our journey started like many other startups – in a Bengaluru basement
2016
When we set out to raise our first fund, the Indian VC landscape was shaky at best. Investors were cautious, several foreign VC majors had left the ecosystem, and successful exits were hard to come by.
Amidst skepticism about the Indian market, we defiantly believed that the "golden decade" of Indian technology was upon us. We saw an opportunity for VC 2.0 in India – one that was stage-focused, expertise-driven, and committed to prioritizing real growth alongside valuations.
Undeterred by a tough fundraising climate, we knocked on 1,200 doors to raise Stellaris’ first fund. These early struggles shaped Stellaris’ culture, allowing us to fully resonate with the fundraising challenges faced by early-stage entrepreneurs.
2017
We launched our first fund of $90 million. From the outset, we established a principle of having specialists on our team, enabling us to tap into deep sector knowledge, spot promising opportunities, and provide tailored support to the companies we backed. Out of our 19 investments in our first fund, 9 surpassed a valuation of $100 million, with several others on track to achieve this milestone.
2021
We closed our second fund of $225M and backed 25 companies, many of which are poised to become the leaders of tomorrow.
We also had our first significant exit in the portfolio when 6Sense, a US SaaS company, acquired Slintel, in which Stellaris was the first institutional investor.
2023
Our portfolio company, Mamaearth, which we backed at the Series A stage in 2018, successfully completed its IPO.
2024
We launched our third fund of $300M and are now managing over $600M in assets. We're ready to support the next wave of innovative businesses with the same grit and determination that brought us here.