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VC fund (Cat II) · Curated list

Speciale Invest

Pre-seed / Idea · Deep Tech (AI/ML/Robotics) · Bengaluru

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Contact on file — shared on accepted request

At a glance

Stage focus: Pre-seed / Idea
Primary sector: Deep Tech (AI/ML/Robotics)
City: Bengaluru
HQ / office: Chennai, India (HQ); also Bengaluru office. Reported address: The Grid, 8/14, Central Ave, Kesavaperumalpuram, Chennai 600028. The official contact page lists "Chennai" and "Bengaluru" only as Google Maps links without a printed street address.
Fund registered: 2017
Investments on record: 20
Corpus (as reported): Fund III closed ~Rs 600 Cr in Aug 2025 (exceeded its initial Rs 500 Cr target); firm has separately floated a larger Rs ~1,400 Cr Growth Fund II. Total firm-wide AUM not officially disclosed.
Website: specialeinvest.com
LinkedIn: Profile ↗

About

Speciale Invest is a Chennai-based early-stage (pre-seed/seed) venture capital firm focused on deeptech, founded in 2017 by Founding Partners Vishesh Rajaram and Arjun Rao. It backs frontier hardware and software startups across spacetech, advanced manufacturing, energy/climate, health/biotech, AI, quantum and semiconductors; other partners include General Partner Vijay Jacob and GP/CFO Krishnaswamy Srinivasan. The firm closed its third fund (~Rs 600 Cr) in August 2025 and has floated a separate Rs ~1,400 Cr Growth Fund II.

Investment focus

Early-stage / pre-seed & seed deeptech VC. Focus: spacetech, advanced manufacturing, energy/climate, health/biotech, AI infrastructure, quantum, semiconductors, dual-use defence (deeptech hardware + software). Initial tickets ~Rs 7–10 Cr per Fund III.

Cheque size

Sweet spot ~USD 1M; pre-seed/seed initial cheques ~USD 100K-500K, with ~half of fund reserved for follow-ons

As compiled from public sources — verify with the investor.

SEBI registration

SEBI AIF Category II — reported as “VC — DeepTech / early-stage (seed) venture capital / Cat II”

IN/AIF2/17-18/0342
IN/AIF2/20-21/0833
IN/AIF2/25-26/2086

SIDBI Fund of Funds

None found

Notable portfolio

Agnikul Cosmos (orbital-class launch vehicles); The ePlane Company (electric urban air mobility); GalaxEye (multi-sensor satellite imaging); QNu Labs (quantum cryptography); InspeCity (in-orbit/space infrastructure); Morphing Machines (semiconductors); Nucleovir Therapeutics (biotech); Fermbox Bio (synthetic biology)

Team & organisation

Small partner team led by Vishesh Rajaram (Managing Partner) and Arjun Rao (Partner); ~2 partners

SEBI-registered Category II AIF, multi-fund (Fund I 2017 ~INR 60 Cr, Fund II, Fund III INR 600 Cr); pure-play deeptech VC

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Frequently asked

What does Speciale Invest invest in?: Early-stage / pre-seed & seed deeptech VC. Focus: spacetech, advanced manufacturing, energy/climate, health/biotech, AI infrastructure, quantum, semiconductors, dual-use defence (deeptech hardware + software). Initial tickets ~Rs 7–10 Cr per Fund III.
What cheque size does Speciale Invest write?: As compiled from public sources: Sweet spot ~USD 1M; pre-seed/seed initial cheques ~USD 100K-500K, with ~half of fund reserved for follow-ons
How do I pitch Speciale Invest through iHub India?: Create a free startup account, open a funding round, and send a structured pitch from this profile. If the investor accepts, contact details are shared and the conversation moves into a tracked deal room.

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About this record

⚑ none — confirmed private VC, HQ in India. Note: HQ street address is from a third-party aggregator (Craft.co), not printed on the firm's own site; confirm exact address with the firm.

Compiled from SEBI registrations and public sources as of 2026-07. iHub India lists investors neutrally and does not endorse, rank, or verify investment terms — confirm all details directly with the investor before transacting.

Sources: https://www.specialeinvest.com/; https://yourstory.com/2025/08/deeptech-chennai-vc-speciale-invest-fund-3-agnikul-cosmos