HNI / super-angel · Curated list
Zishaan Hayath (Powai Lake Ventures)
Mumbai, Maharashtra
At a glance
- HQ / office
- Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Corpus (as reported)
- Not public; Toppr was acquired by BYJU'S in a reported ~Rs 1,350 crore cash-and-stock deal (Jul 2021)
- Profile ↗
About
Zishaan Hayath (IIT Bombay) co-founded Chaupaati Bazaar (sold to Kishore Biyani's Future Group) and edtech Toppr (2013), which BYJU'S acquired in July 2021 for a reported ~Rs 1,350 crore; he exited Toppr after the acquisition and BYJU'S itself later collapsed into insolvency. Through Powai Lake Ventures, his informal angel syndicate with fellow IIT-B alumni, he wrote early cheques into Ola, Housing.com, Fynd, Chaayos and ~20 other startups, and he currently serves as Venture Partner at Bharat Founders Fund and TDV Partners.
Investment focus
Angel / first-cheque pre-seed and seed · Consumer internet, B2B SaaS, edtech, QSR/foodtech, hardware/wearables
Cheque size
Not disclosed; small first cheques (PLV's ~20 portfolio startups went on to raise ~USD 0.5B in follow-ons)
As compiled from public sources — verify with the investor.
SEBI registration
Not a SEBI AIF / offshore
Notable portfolio
Ola; Housing.com; Fynd (Shopsense); Chaayos; SquadStack (SquadRun); Holachef; DoorMint; EVEARA (pre-seed, Jan 2025)
Team & organisation
Zishaan Hayath (co-founder Toppr, ex-Chaupaati Bazaar)
Moderate: seasoned first-cheque angel and edtech operator relevant to UP's large education/consumer market, but PLV's deal pace has slowed markedly since its 2014-16 peak (latest traceable deal: EVEARA pre-seed, Jan 2025); best engaged as an individual angel/mentor, not an institutional LP.
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Frequently asked
- What does Zishaan Hayath (Powai Lake Ventures) invest in?
- Angel / first-cheque pre-seed and seed · Consumer internet, B2B SaaS, edtech, QSR/foodtech, hardware/wearables
- What cheque size does Zishaan Hayath (Powai Lake Ventures) write?
- As compiled from public sources: Not disclosed; small first cheques (PLV's ~20 portfolio startups went on to raise ~USD 0.5B in follow-ons)
- How do I pitch Zishaan Hayath (Powai Lake Ventures) 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.
About this record
- ⚑ Caution — acquirer of his company (BYJU'S) went into insolvency and the Toppr brand is effectively defunct (no personal wrongdoing alleged); Powai Lake Ventures is an unregistered informal syndicate with no website and sparse recent activity; stale third-party profiles (Crunchbase/Owler) still list him as 'CEO, Toppr' — treat as outdated.
Compiled from 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.business-standard.com/article/companies/zishaan-hayath-the-start-up-evangelist-115052701100_1.html; https://inc42.com/startups/zishaan-hayath-toppr-exit-investments-ola-housing/; https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/106199-65