Colossa Womenfirst Fund — Colossa Ventures | Wisefolio

Colossa Womenfirst Fund

Women First. Business First.

Private equity, private credit and real-estate funds that don't employ leverage except for operating needs. The largest AIF category.

Overview

About

Colossa Womenfirst Fund is a SEBI-registered Category II Alternative Investment Fund (reg. IN/AIF2/22-23/1245), managed by Colossa Ventures LLP, an independent venture capital management company headquartered in Lower Parel, Mumbai. The fund was co-founded by Ashu Suyash (former MD & CEO of CRISIL, former India Country Head at Fidelity International) and Vandana Rajadhyaksha (ex-Partner at ICICI Ventures and Aditya Birla Private Equity). With a target corpus of ₹500 crore, the fund achieved its first close at ₹100 crore in March 2024, backed by investors including SIDBI, the family office of Ranjan Pai, and Shriram Ownership Trust. The fund invests in disruptive, category-defining startups that are founded or co-founded by women, or where women are the primary beneficiaries — sectors include SaaS & deep tech, fintech, healthcare, climate & cleantech, and consumer. Portfolio companies include FS Life (FableStreet), FinReach, CENTA, Exposome, Ahammune Biosciences, Serigen Mediproducts, Meolaa, and Vioma Motors. Capability partners include IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, Manipal Academy, and Bombay Law Chambers.

Investment philosophy

Colossa believes that investing in 'WomenFirst businesses' makes immense business sense — data shows that women comprise half the world, make over 75% of household decisions, and that women-founded companies' success rates are on par with male counterparts, yet they remain chronically underfunded. The fund goes beyond the cheque through its proprietary 3C Framework: Capital (early-stage funding and access to follow-on capital), Capability (resources, networks, mentorship, and market linkages for founders), and Confidence (mindful mentoring to overcome challenges and biases). Colossa seeks to create a new asset class of enduring, high-quality WomenFirst businesses and generate strong alpha for investors — combining financial returns with a knock-on positive social impact through wider economic agency for women in India.

Team17

Ashu Suyash

Founder & CEO

Ashu is a successful leader with over 3 decades of experience in Indian financial services and the global information services sector. She is currently the Founder & CEO of Colossa Ventures, a unique investments ecosystem that powers women-focused businesses with capital, capability, and confidence building. Colossa's first fund, Colossa WomenFirst Fund, aims to invest in disruptive, category-defining, scalable businesses founded/co-founded by women entrepreneurs. Ashu is an independent director on the Boards of Hindustan Unilever Limited, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited, Tata Elxsi, and the National Institute of Securities Market. Prior to setting up Colossa, Ashu was the Managing Director & CEO of CRISIL Limited (2015-2021), and a member of the Global Operating Committee of S&P Global Inc.

Vandana Rajadhyaksha

Founder & Co-Head

She has a career of over two decades across manufacturing, consulting and investment management. Having spent over 21 years in Venture Capital and Private Equity industry, Vandana has established herself as a distinguished investment professional. She has adeptly overseen portfolios surpassing USD 300 mn Cr across various sectors, significantly enhancing their value and delivering top quartile returns to her investors. Vandana has been successful in identifying opportunities ahead of the curve and led transformative investment strategies as Investment Director, ICICI Ventures and Director (Investments) at Aditya Birla Private Equity. She laid the foundation for Aditya Birla Ventures and has been working with startups as an independent consultant assisting them in strategic initiatives and raising funds. Her investment expertise spans the financial services, consumer, healthcare and technology sectors.

Anuj Kokate

AVP

Six years of experience in financial services including incubation of tech focused startups

Khush Trivedi

Research Associate

Khush Trivedi has three years of experience in research, fundraising, and M&A for startups.

Registration

SEBI registration

SEBI-registered

SEBI registration no.IN/AIF2/22-23/1245

RegisteredMar 2023 (3 years ago)

Valid untilPerpetual

Contact personVandana Rajadhyaksha

Address1402, 14TH FLOOR, LODHA SUPREMUS, SENAPATI BAPAT MARG, OPP. KAMALA MILLS COMPOUND, LOWER PAREL, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400013

Investment manager

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Disclaimer

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