Cat II · Managed by Stride Ventures
Powering startups with smart venture debt
Private equity, private credit and real-estate funds that don't employ leverage except for operating needs. The largest AIF category.
Stride Ventures India Focus Fund is managed by Stride Ventures Investment Advisors LLP, a leading venture debt firm in India focused on providing structured debt financing to high-growth startups and emerging businesses. Founded with the vision of bridging the gap between equity and traditional debt, Stride Ventures enables companies to extend their runway without diluting ownership. The firm primarily invests in venture-backed startups across sectors such as fintech, consumer internet, SaaS, logistics, and healthcare. With a strong understanding of startup dynamics and risk-adjusted lending, Stride Ventures has built a reputation for speed, flexibility, and founder-friendly capital solutions. The fund works closely with entrepreneurs and institutional investors, offering tailored financing structures and strategic support to help companies scale sustainably while optimizing capital efficiency.
Sarthak Sood
Partner
Sarthak Sood is a Partner at Stride Ventures, focusing on deal sourcing, evaluation, and portfolio management across venture debt investments.
Vivek Sharma
Partner
Vivek Sharma is a Partner at Stride Ventures with expertise in venture debt, credit structuring, and startup financing across sectors.
Ishpreet Singh Gandhi
Founder & Managing Partner
Ishpreet Singh Gandhi, the visionary behind Stride Ventures, demonstrates a profound passion for the vibrant startup ecosystem. His dedication to connecting with ambitious entrepreneurs and empowering their transformative ideas is evident in his daily interactions. With a focus on driving inclusive and exponential growth in India's startup landscape, Ishpreet founded Stride Ventures in 2018 to pioneer Venture Debt as a founder-friendly alternative to equity. Under his leadership, Stride Ventures has achieved industry-leading returns while maintaining best-in-class asset quality, supporting market leaders. Recognizing the need for tailored short-term solutions for growth-stage businesses and MSMEs, Ishpreet launched StrideOne to democratize credit access across sectors.
Fariha Ansari
Partner, GCC & Global Capital Formation
BA (Mount Holyoke College), Harvard Business School alumnus
Fariha currently serves as the Partner, GCC & Global Capital Formation at Stride Ventures, leveraging 21 years of experience across finance, insurance, and government in the US, Europe, and APAC regions. In this role, she oversees fundraising and global investor relations for INR and USD funds, while also serving on the Alumni Board of Harvard Business School and the HBS Club of India Board. Previously, Fariha held the position of Chief Strategy Officer at Toffee Insurance, driving strategic partnerships to enhance company revenue and long-term value. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Quantitative Economics from Mount Holyoke College and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School.
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Manikandan Sanjive
Director, Risk
FRM
With nearly fifteen years of experience, Manikandan has built deep expertise in credit risk management, deal origination and structuring, negotiations, and portfolio monitoring. Over the course of his career, he has worked across both investments and risk functions, managing diverse portfolios spanning startups, SMEs, supply chain, mid-markets, large corporates, and project finance. He is a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and has also completed certifications in blockchain and machine learning, further strengthening his technical and analytical skill set.
Neelashi Shukla
Head of Responsible Investment & Impact
Neelashi has extensive experience in trade and investment strategy across business and government domains. She was previously leading investment facilitation in the consumer goods sector and outreach for Europe under the Government of India's flagship Make in India initiative at Invest India. Prior to that, she was responsible for executing India's strategic economic partnerships globally and was also the founding member of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform at NITI Aayog. She also co-founded Whiter Slates, a startup enabling talent mapping and discovery in the creator economy landscape. Neelashi is an alumnus of St. Stephen's College, Delhi and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Pushpesh Dindorkar
Vice President, Compliance
Company Secretary, LLB, PGD (Business and Corporate Laws)
Pushpesh Dindorkar is a senior compliance professional with over 11 years of experience in financial services, specializing in regulatory compliance and fund governance across alternative investment platforms. At Stride Ventures, he leads the firm's compliance function across multiple jurisdictions, overseeing regulatory obligations and licensing frameworks for the firm's fund structures in India, the UK, and the GCC. Pushpesh has extensive experience in regulatory compliance relating to Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), portfolio management services, and cross-border fund structures. Pushpesh is a qualified Company Secretary and holds a degree in Law (LLB), along with a Post Graduate Diploma in Business and Corporate Laws from Symbiosis University.
Amaira Singh Balyan
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Amay Ganguly
Analyst, Capital Formation
Anshika Puri
Manager, Human Resources
Devansh Methi
Associate, Risk
Devin Gupta
Analyst, Investments
Divya Sharma
AVP, Marketing & Communications
Ganeev Chadha
Analyst, Investments
Gurpreet Singh Virk
Manager, Marketing - Video Production
Hrushikesh Brahma
Principal Associate, Risk
Jhanvi Punia
Analyst, Investments
Jyoti Golia
Analyst, Investments
Kholoud Almohammadi
Director, Investments
Kriti Sachdeva
AVP, Human Resources
Kunal Manocha
Analyst, Investments
Kushvardhan Soni
Analyst, Investments
Mitesh Pawar
Associate, Investments
Mohit Kumar Bagra
Assistant Manager, Finance
Nandita Chauhan
Director, Investments
Navneet Sachar
Principal Associate, Investments
Nikhil Agarwal
Associate, Investments
Niranjan Rathi
Principal, Investments
Purvasha Mansharamani
Legal Head, Stride Ventures
Radhika Rajkotia
Principal
Raghav Khanna
Associate, Investments
Rajat Mohan
Manager, Administration
Rajit Uboweja
Partner
Rakhi Jain
Principal Associate, Investments
Raunak Jain
Associate, Investments
Ravneet Mann
Partner, United Kingdom
Rutvik Shukla
Assistant Manager, Finance
Samiran Santra
Senior Manager, Transactions
Sanatha Kumar
Associate, Investments
Sanjeev Singh
Senior Manager, Credit Administration
Siddharth Manohar
Manager, Technology
Sumit Hans
Assistant Vice President, Finance
Tarun Garg
Manager, Finance
Twinkle Narang
Manager, Transaction Fulfilment
Utkarsh Singh
Principal Associate
Varun Agarwal
Partner, GCC
Vedant Bhasin
Associate, Investments
Vikram Raghavan
Director, United Kingdom
Vinod Puniyani
Manager, Operations
Vishakha Gupta
Principal, Investments
Yojit Grover
Director, Investments
Zubin Siddarth Pal
Manager, Marketing & Communications
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