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First Cheque

Asia, Maharashtra, India, Mumbai

Description

First Cheque is a prominent early-stage venture capital firm established in 2019, headquartered in Mumbai, India. The firm has rapidly positioned itself as a key player in the Indian startup ecosystem, primarily focusing on pre-seed and seed-stage investments. With a strong commitment to nurturing nascent ventures, First Cheque adopts a sector-agnostic approach, demonstrating a willingness to back innovative companies across diverse industries that are building solutions for both the Indian market and global audiences.

The firm's investment strategy is characterized by its founder-first philosophy, emphasizing hands-on support and mentorship to help early-stage companies navigate the challenges of growth. First Cheque typically deploys initial cheques ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, providing crucial capital for startups to achieve their initial milestones and secure subsequent funding rounds. This strategic investment size allows them to be agile and support a broad array of promising ideas at their earliest stages.

Since its inception, First Cheque has built an impressive portfolio, having invested in over 120 companies. This extensive reach underscores their active role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across India. The firm successfully raised approximately $10 million for its first fund and is currently in the process of raising a second fund with a target of $30 million, signaling strong investor confidence and an expanded capacity to support a new wave of startups. Their consistent activity and growing fund size highlight their commitment to long-term engagement with the Indian startup landscape.

Investor Profile

First Cheque has backed more than 29 startups, with 1 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 4 rounds, about 14% of its total and boasts 6 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Pre Seed, Series A rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in India, United States.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, E-Commerce, Information Technology.
  • Typical check size: $100K – $300K.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (59%)
  • Pre Seed (38%)
  • Series A (3%)

Country Focus

  • India (93%)
  • United States (7%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • E-commerce
  • Information Technology
  • Health Care
  • E-learning
  • Internet
  • Fitness
  • Wellness
  • Edtech
  • Saas
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does First Cheque frequently co-invest with?

Titan Capital
Asia, Haryana, India, Gurgaon
Co-Investments: 6
Upsparks
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bangalore
Co-Investments: 4
Whiteboard Capital
Asia, Maharashtra, India, Mumbai
Co-Investments: 4
India Quotient
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bangalore
Co-Investments: 3
AngelList India
Asia, Delhi, India, Delhi
Co-Investments: 2
Better Capital
North America, California, United States, Santa Clara
Co-Investments: 7
Y Combinator
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Co-Investments: 3
Chiratae Ventures
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bangalore
Co-Investments: 2
Anicut Capital
Asia, Tamil Nadu, India, Chennai
Co-Investments: 2
3one4 Capital
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bangalore
Co-Investments: 2

Which angels does First Cheque often collaborate with?

Ramakant Sharma
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bengaluru
Shared Deals: 2
Harsh Shah
Asia, Maharashtra, India, Mumbai
Shared Deals: 2
Aprameya Radhakrishna
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bengaluru
Shared Deals: 2
Kunal Shah
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bengaluru
Shared Deals: 4
NA
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Shared Deals: 2
Gaurav Kumar
Asia, India
Shared Deals: 2
Harsh Pokharna
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bangalore
Shared Deals: 3
Archana Priyadarshini
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bengaluru
Shared Deals: 2
NS
North America, Washington, United States, Seattle
Shared Deals: 2
RK
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by First Cheque?

30 Sundays

Gurgaon, Haryana, India

30 Sundays is a travel company uses generative AI and technology to scale a traditionally people-heavy business.

TravelTravel Agency
Pre SeedNov 5, 2024
Amount Raised: $770,000
Crux

Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Crux is an AI assistant that lets you query complex databases using commands in simple English.

AnalyticsArtificial Intelligence (AI)
SeedFeb 8, 2024
Amount Raised: $2,651,153
ofScale

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

ofScale operates as a distribution-as-a-service platform.

Retail
Pre SeedDec 13, 2023
Amount Raised: $372,222
Blitz

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Blitz is a delivery platform.

Delivery ServiceE-CommerceLogisticsShippingTransportation
SeedJul 19, 2023
Amount Raised: $3,000,000
wealth42

Bangalore, Karnataka, India

wealth42 helps you plan and invest your money with pioneering algorithmic asset allocation.

Financial ServicesSoftware
Pre SeedJun 15, 2022
HuddleUp

Bangalore, Karnataka, India

HuddleUp is an AI-driven continuous feedback platform.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Human ResourcesSaaS
SeedMay 4, 2022
Amount Raised: $550,000
Zipy

San Francisco, California, United States

Zipy is a software debugging and observability platform.

Software
SeedApr 13, 2022
Amount Raised: $2,800,000
Looppanel

Delhi, Delhi, India

Looppanel allows product & design teams to analyze and share insights from Zoom-based user interviews in minutes.

Customer ServiceSoftware
Pre SeedMar 17, 2022
Amount Raised: $998,923
RecordBook

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

RecordBook helps small and medium businesses create databases, workflows and collaborate with their team in their local languages.

AppsInformation TechnologySaaSSoftware
Pre SeedMar 15, 2022
Amount Raised: $1,600,000
BiteSpeed

Gurgaon, Haryana, India

BiteSpeed is a chat-based startup that focuses on helping e-commerce brands.

E-CommerceInformation Technology
SeedFeb 14, 2022
Amount Raised: $1,849,756