gradCapital

Overview

gradCapital is an India-based venture capital firm founded by Abhishek Sethi and Prateek Behera. The firm is built around a simple idea: give young people capital early enough to explore an idea before conventional startup investing becomes relevant. Its approach is sector agnostic, with a strong emphasis on students and young builders working on ambitious technology and science projects.

Investment Focus and Stage

gradCapital invests at the pre-seed stage and provides up to $300,000 to students who are ready to work on their idea full-time. Students who are still one or two years away from graduating can receive up to $60,000 while continuing their studies part-time.

The firm looks for founders who are deeply curious, willing to explore difficult problems and capable of turning an early experiment into something much larger. Its philosophy extends beyond conventional startup categories, with investments spanning AI, robotics, aerospace, mobility, energy, biotechnology, quantum technology, enterprise software and other emerging fields.

gradCapital also operates two programs for ideas that are earlier than a conventional startup. The Atomic Grant provides $1,000–$5,000 for science and engineering projects, while the Feather Grant provides $1,000 to experiment with almost any idea.

Fund Size and Portfolio

gradCapital has backed more than 30 companies and projects through its investment and grant programs. Its company portfolio includes Airbound, Armatrix Automations, Arctus Aerospace, Pluto Mobility, Fuzzy Dynamics, Finstocks AI, Stimuler, StoneForge Research, Abhiyantr Robotics, Exothermic Machines, Rhygen, Lucid ML, Anvil Dynamics, Exantro, Dognosis, Pactle, Invaro AI, Aphrodite, Tohands, Principia Research, Crator, RayCAD, Riverline, Yap, Jhana AI, Pipeshift AI, Nudge etc.

The portfolio includes companies developing reusable launch technology, autonomous systems, AI research tools, quantum sensors, robotics, energy storage, financial AI, legal AI and other emerging technologies. Several companies have gone on to attract follow-on investment from firms including Lightspeed, Greenoaks, Accel, Pi Ventures, YC, a16z, 1517 Fund and Antler.

Leadership

Abhishek Sethi and Prateek Behera are Co-Founders of gradCapital. Debamita Banerjee is also part of the core team. The firm is supported by Visiting Partners Kshitij Khandelwal and Sambhav Jain.

The team has built gradCapital around the belief that important breakthroughs often begin with small experiments. Its investment programs are designed to give young builders enough freedom and capital to explore those ideas before deciding how far they can take them.