16 angels and networks back Pune startups in 2026. Persistent and Druva founders now write cheques. Pune leads India's emerging hubs, and the angel tax is gone.
Pune is India's top emerging startup hub. It built Druva, Persistent, and Mindtickle.
Those SaaS founders now angel invest. Anand Deshpande backs early teams here.
The angel tax died in the 2024 Union Budget. It is gone for all investors from FY2025-26.
Most first cheques stay small here. They fund you before any VC will look.
Warm intros still open most doors. Networks and demo days help too.
Angels move fast and skip the slow fund process. Ellty keeps your data room ready when they ask.
| Type | Check size | Sector focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pune Angels Network | Angel network | US$12K-$180K | EV, deeptech, SaaS, fintech | puneangels.network |
| TiE Pune Angels | Angel network | US$25K-$300K | Sector-agnostic, tech | tiepune.org |
| Anand Deshpande | Individual angel | US$25K-$250K | Enterprise SaaS, deep tech | |
| Mohit Dubey | Individual angel | US$25K-$200K | Consumer, mobility, marketplaces | |
| Jaspreet Singh | Individual angel | US$25K-$250K | SaaS, cloud, data infra | |
| Krishna Depura | Individual angel | US$25K-$150K | SaaS, sales tech, AI | |
| Vaibhav Domkundwar | Angel + micro-VC | US$50K-$500K | Sector-agnostic, AI/SaaS | bettercapital.vc |
| Indian Angel Network | Angel network + fund | US$100K-$1M | Sector-agnostic | iangroup.vc |
| Mumbai Angels Network | Angel network | US$50K-$800K | Enterprise, consumer | mumbaiangels.com |
| LetsVenture | Syndicate platform | US$100K-$500K | Sector-agnostic | letsventure.com |
| Inflection Point Ventures | Angel network | US$250K-$1M | SaaS, consumer, enterprise | ipventures.in |
| 100X.VC | Angel + micro-VC | Around US$150K | Sector-agnostic | 100x.vc |
| Venture Catalysts / 9Unicorns | Angel network + incubator | US$100K-$1.5M | Sector-agnostic | venturecatalysts.in |
| We Founder Circle | Syndicate platform | US$250K-$1M | Sector-agnostic | wefoundercircle.com |
| All In Capital | Angel + micro-VC | US$60K-$90K | Sector-agnostic, pre-seed | allincapital.vc |
| AngelList India | Syndicate platform | US$50K-$1M | Sector-agnostic | angellistindia.com |
Keep your data room ready for fast angels
Angels decide in days, not months. Ellty logs every view so you know who is serious.
Start free 14-day trialWhat an angel investor backs
An angel backs you with personal money early on. Most write the first outside cheque you raise.
Pune angels skew to SaaS and deep tech. Karnataka investors back broader rounds.
They decide in weeks, not the months funds take. They still want a clean venture capital story.
They bet on you as much as the idea. Many want to mentor, not just fund.
Ellty gives each angel one trackable link to your room. You see who opened your deck before they reply.
Pune-based startups raised over US$5.1 billion across 421 deals from 2014 to 2025, the highest among India's emerging startup hubs.
16 Pune angel investors
1. Pune Angels Network
Pune Angels Network is the city's flagship angel platform.
Recent Activity: Runs a monthly pitch day for Pune founders
LinkedIn: Pune Angels Network LinkedIn
Sector Focus: EV, deeptech, SaaS, fintech
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
Check Size: US$12K-$180K
Location: Pune
Website: puneangels.network
2. TiE Pune Angels
TiE Pune Angels is the angel arm of TiE Pune.
Recent Activity: Charter members co-invest and mentor early founders
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic, tech
Stage Focus: Seed, early
Check Size: US$25K-$300K
Location: Pune
Website: tiepune.org
3. Anand Deshpande
Anand Deshpande is the Persistent Systems founder.
Recent Activity: A Pune founder-angel backing enterprise and deep tech
LinkedIn: Anand Deshpande LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Enterprise SaaS, deep tech
Stage Focus: Seed, early
Check Size: US$25K-$250K
Location: Pune
Website: linkedin.com/in/ananddeshpande
4. Mohit Dubey
Mohit Dubey is the CarWale founder, built in Pune.
Recent Activity: A serial founder who angel-backs consumer startups
LinkedIn: Mohit Dubey LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer, mobility, marketplaces
Stage Focus: Seed, early
Check Size: US$25K-$200K
Location: Mumbai / Pune (CarWale roots)
Website: linkedin.com/in/mohitdubey
5. Jaspreet Singh
Jaspreet Singh is the founder and CEO of Pune's Druva.
Recent Activity: A SaaS founder-angel, now US-based with a Pune engineering base
LinkedIn: Jaspreet Singh LinkedIn
Sector Focus: SaaS, cloud, data infra
Stage Focus: Seed
Check Size: US$25K-$250K
Location: US (Druva, Pune base)
Website: linkedin.com/in/jaspreets
6. Krishna Depura
Krishna Depura is a co-founder of Pune's Mindtickle.
Recent Activity: A SaaS founder-angel, now US-based with a Pune base
LinkedIn: Krishna Depura LinkedIn
Sector Focus: SaaS, sales tech, AI
Stage Focus: Seed
Check Size: US$25K-$150K
Location: US (Mindtickle, Pune base)
Website: linkedin.com/in/krishna-gopal-depura
7. Vaibhav Domkundwar
Vaibhav runs Better Capital, India's largest pre-seed fund.
Recent Activity: A Pune-origin operator writing 150+ pre-seed cheques a year
LinkedIn: Vaibhav Domkundwar LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic, AI/SaaS
Stage Focus: Pre-seed
Check Size: US$50K-$500K
Location: US / India (Pune-origin)
Website: bettercapital.vc
Share one link with every angel and network
Ellty shows when Pune Angels or Anand Deshpande opens your deck. Follow up with each angel at the right time.
Start free 14-day trial8. Indian Angel Network
IAN is Asia's largest angel network, founded in Delhi.
Recent Activity: 470+ investors backing startups across India
LinkedIn: Indian Angel Network LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic
Stage Focus: Seed, pre-Series A
Check Size: US$100K-$1M
Location: New Delhi (active in Pune)
Website: iangroup.vc
9. Mumbai Angels Network
Mumbai Angels is a 2006 network active across Maharashtra.
Recent Activity: 750+ investors and 200+ investments to date
LinkedIn: Mumbai Angels LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Enterprise, consumer
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: US$50K-$800K
Location: Mumbai (active in Pune)
Website: mumbaiangels.com
10. LetsVenture
LetsVenture is a syndicate platform Pune founders use.
Recent Activity: One of India's largest angel investing platforms
LinkedIn: LetsVenture LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic
Stage Focus: Seed, pre-Series A
Check Size: US$100K-$500K
Location: Bengaluru (active in Pune)
Website: letsventure.com
11. Inflection Point Ventures
IPV is a large angel network active across Pune.
Recent Activity: 24,000+ members backing 170+ startups
LinkedIn: Inflection Point Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: SaaS, consumer, enterprise
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: US$250K-$1M
Location: New Delhi (active in Pune)
Website: ipventures.in
12. 100X.VC
100X.VC is India's first fund to back via iSAFE notes.
Recent Activity: Writes Rs 1.25 Cr first cheques across India
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
Check Size: Around US$150K
Location: Mumbai (active in Pune)
Website: 100x.vc
13. Venture Catalysts / 9Unicorns
Venture Catalysts and 9Unicorns back early Pune teams.
Recent Activity: India's largest integrated incubator and angel platform
LinkedIn: Venture Catalysts LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
Check Size: US$100K-$1.5M
Location: Mumbai (active in Pune)
Website: venturecatalysts.in
14. We Founder Circle
WFC is a founder-led angel community active in Pune.
Recent Activity: Backed 150+ startups through India and US syndicates
LinkedIn: We Founder Circle LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic
Stage Focus: Pre-seed to Series A
Check Size: US$250K-$1M
Location: New Delhi (active in Pune)
Website: wefoundercircle.com
15. All In Capital
All In Capital is a founder-angel-led pre-seed fund.
Recent Activity: Backed 100+ startups with founder-angel cheques
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic, pre-seed
Stage Focus: Pre-seed
Check Size: US$60K-$90K
Location: Mumbai (active in Pune)
Website: allincapital.vc
16. AngelList India
AngelList India runs syndicates for early-stage rounds.
Recent Activity: Underpins many Pune syndicate deals
LinkedIn: AngelList India LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
Check Size: US$50K-$1M
Location: Bengaluru (active in Pune)
Website: angellistindia.com
Pune's SaaS founder-angel flywheel
Persistent, Druva, and Mindtickle built SaaS wins. Those founders now back the next wave.
Anand Deshpande and Vaibhav invest from here. Some founders now invest from the US too.
SaaS angels know how to scale you. Their advice often beats the cheque.
Their networks open later rounds too. One yes can pull in more.
A clean data room for startups speeds it up. Angels still want real proof before they wire.
Read our due diligence for investors guide. Ellty logs every file each angel opens.
The angel tax is gone
The old angel tax taxed share premiums as income. The 2024 Union Budget abolished it in full.
It is gone for every investor from FY2025-26. Angels can back you without the old tax notice.
More first-time angels now write cheques. The old tax notice held many back.
Foreign angels can now join cleanly too. That widens your pool of first backers.
This pulls more first-time angels into rounds. Your cap table must still stay clean though.
Store every signed doc in one secure virtual data room. Ellty controls who opens each file.
From angel to seed round
An angel cheque should bridge you to a seed round. Each stage wants a bigger proof point from you.
Networks like Pune Angels syndicate more. Solo angels move faster on small cheques.
Stack angel cheques into one round. Each yes pulls the next one in.
A lead angel can anchor the whole round. Their name draws the rest in fast.
Keep angels warm with strong investor relations. Update them before each new round.
Know the due diligence timeline before you start. Ellty tracks who opened what file and when.
How to pitch a Pune angel investor
Lead with traction and a clear, simple ask.
- 1.Lead with real traction and a clear, simple ask.Angels back the founder and early proof, so open with what works and the amount you want.
- 2.Show exactly why now and why you.Angels bet on timing and the team, so explain the window and your edge in it.
- 3.Keep a clean, simple cap table.Messy ownership scares angels off, so tidy your equity before the first meeting.
- 4.Share one Ellty link to your whole data room.Skip scattered email attachments and track who opens which files in real time.
- 5.Follow up the same day an angel digs in.Ellty flags the moment they open your deck, so you reach out while interest is high.
How Ellty helps you land an angel investor in Pune
You've shortlisted your Pune angels already. Set up a data room before the first call.
- 1.Upload your metrics, cap table, and deck.Set access per angel or per network.
- 2.Share one trackable link with each angel.Each angel gets its own tracked link.
- 3.Watch opens and follow up at the right time.Use Ellty analytics to time each nudge.
Pune angel investor questions
- Anand Deshpande backs teams locally. Pune Angels Network leads the networks.
- Cheques run US$25K to US$1M in 2026 here. Networks pool larger rounds than solo angels.
- Yes, the 2024 Union Budget abolished it. It is gone from FY2025-26 for all investors.
- It is India's top emerging startup hub. It still trails the big three though.
- Real traction and a clean cap table. A clear path from angel to seed round.
- Before your very first angel meeting. Track who opens your deck and files.
