Kavit Sutariya

Kavit Sutariya is based in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. He founded Hiraco Ventures, which a public profile describes as the investment arm of the Sutariya family, set up in July 2013 to back product-based technology startups that address significant pain points. AVCJ describes Hiraco as the Sutariya family office focused on startups.

He has been an active member of several angel networks. AVCJ reports that he joined Venture Catalysts as a member in 2016 and remains with the group, and that he is also active with Indian Angel Network, LetsVenture, Anicut Capital and Hyderabad Angels. At Venture Catalysts he headed the investment evaluation team, according to the CapFort launch coverage.

In 2023 he became a general partner at CapFort Ventures, a micro VC fund he co-leads with Abhimanyu Bisht, the former CEO of Venture Catalysts.

Press coverage of the July 2023 CapFort launch credits Sutariya with more than 72 investments across sectors and stages. Business Standard reported that he and Bisht have cumulatively invested in more than 200 startups in India, and that Tracxn ranked him the third most active angel investor in India. On LinkedIn he describes himself as investing in tech startups since 2014, with roughly 75 startups over the last decade. Tracxn lists 66 portfolio companies, so counts differ by source.

Investments named in the CapFort coverage include Wellness Forever, Reshamandi, Chqbook, Melorra, Karkinos, Ketto, FarEye, Pidge, Posist, Zingbus and Truemeds.

Tracxn records an angel round in Tusker AI on Oct 12, 2022, with Sutariya listed as lead investor and the amount undisclosed. CapFort Ventures is also listed as an investor in the company.

He also publicly backs deeptech. In a LinkedIn post he named BigEndian Semiconductors, e-TRNL Energy, Peptris Technologies, GalaxEye and Manastu Space as portfolio companies supported under the RDI-TDB initiative. These are deeptech companies, not AI companies, and the investment dates are not stated.

CapFort Ventures is a Category II AIF with a Rs 200 crore India-focused tech fund. It plans to invest in 40-plus startups over two years, according to the launch coverage. Siasat Daily reported that the fund will invest in startups with a valuation of up to Rs 100 crore. AVCJ describes Sutariya and Bisht as prolific angel and seed-stage investors.

Sutariya's public check size is not stated in the sources reviewed. On LinkedIn he has posted about what investors look for in a founding team, including why the team is the best one to solve the problem and its relevant industry experience.

• Tusker AI: AI company; angel round led by Sutariya, October 2022 (amount undisclosed).
• FarEye: logistics software provider; early investor alongside Indian Angel Network.
• Zingbus: intercity bus travel service in India; investor listed from 2021.
• Truemeds: telehealth platform focused on affordable healthcare; investor listed from 2021.
• Snapmint: payment solution for consumer products; named by Tracxn as a notable investment.
• Dukaan: investor listed from 2021.
• GalaxEye: deeptech company in his portfolio, named in his LinkedIn post.

• linkedin.com/in/kavitsutariya
• business-standard.com/companies/start-ups/capfort-ventures-launches-rs
• entrackr.com/2023/07/capfort-launches-rs-200-cr-early-stage-fund-to-ba
• archive.siasat.com/news/capfort-ventures-launches-rs-200-cr-india-tech
• avcj.com/avcj/news/3029639/indias-capfort-ventures-seeks-usd24m-for-de
• theorg.com/org/ian-group/org-chart/kavit-sutariya
• tracxn.com/d/companies/tusker-ai/__8xqvPXqzvMh6ROh6k07HQEqlNLRe_fX-pX-
• tracxn.com/d/people/kavit-sutariya/__WC6L46ySayqnWRBw1fH3km6s744BITYIK