Mela Ventures
| Private | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Venture Capital |
| Founded 📆 | 2020 |
| Founder 👔 | Krishnakumar N, Parthasarathy NS |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | Bengaluru |
Area served 🗺️ | |
| 💎 AUM | $40 Million |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | melaventures.in |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Mela Ventures is an Indian venture capital firm headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Founded in 2020 by Krishnakumar Natarajan and Parthasarathy N.S., the firm invests in early-stage business-to-business (B2B) technology startups..[1] It operates as a SEBI-registered Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) Category II.
Background
Krishnakumar Natarajan and Parthasarathy N.S. are co-founders of Mindtree, one of India's major IT services companies. After stepping away from Mindtree in 2019 following approximately two decades of leadership there[2], they established Mela Ventures with the goal of backing the next generation of technology entrepreneurs in India.[3]
The name "Mela" is a reference to a traditional Indian gathering or fair; a setting associated with relationship-building rather than mere transactions and reflecting the firm's stated emphasis on long-term partnerships with founders over purely financial engagement.
Investment Strategy
Mela Ventures focuses exclusively on early-stage B2B technology companies, typically investing at the seed, Series A, and Series B stages. The firm makes approximately three to five investments per year. Its sectoral focus spans deep technology[4], artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), semiconductor design, space technology, cloud infrastructure, agritech, and enterprise software.[5]
The firm describes its investment philosophy around three principles it calls the "3Es" — Empathy, Experience, and Expertise; emphasising hands-on mentorship and operational guidance alongside capital. It is backed by institutional investors including SIDBI's Fund of Funds for Startups and Nippon India Digital Innovation AIF[6]
The firm's first fund was $40 million, and Mela invested in 15 companies. Notable investments include satellite imaging startup Galaxeye[7][8], SoC-design startup Mindgrove[9], amog others.
References
- ↑ Rakheja, Harshit (2020-08-25). "Mindtree Founders' Mela Ventures To Invest In B2B Early-Stage Tech Startups". Inc42 Media. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Mindtree chairman, vice chairman, CEO exit days after L&T takes control". mint. 2019-07-05. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ Mittal, Aarzoo. "Mindtree's founders' Mela Ventures closes its Fund-I at Rs 200 Cr". entrackr.com. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Over 100 Indian VCs apply for RDI as deeptech goes mainstream". The Economic Times. 2026-03-18. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ Kaur, Jaspreet (2022-03-02). "Mela Ventures Closes Its Maiden Fund At INR 320 Cr". Inc42 Media. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ Shinde, Shivani (2, March, 2022). "Mela Ventures closes its first fund at Rs 320 cr". Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Magazine, Analytics India. "Analytics India Magazine". analyticsindiamag.com. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ Kandavel, Sangeetha (August 2024). "IIT-Madras incubated startup GalaxEye Space raises $6.5 million in a Series A funding". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Chip startup Mindgrove raises series-A funding of $8 million, to focus on product development & distribution - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 2024-12-23. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
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