Pre-seed capital for the daring. We back ambitious AI and Deep Tech founders who aim to shape the future.
100% focus on Pre-Seed funding – we write those first checks to turn napkin sketches into global revolutions.
True to our name, we treat founders like friends. We mentor and support you beyond just writing checks.
We care more about your vision than your vanity metrics. If you're solving a hard, important problem, we want to talk.
Championing audacious innovation
Friends Fund is on a mission to champion audacious innovation. We started this fund to back founders who think big and swing for the fences – those working on ideas that can fundamentally change industries or society.
We believe technological progress comes from mavericks and misfits daring to do the impossible. As one famous manifesto put it, "We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters." – we share that frustration. The future we were promised won't build itself, so we invest in those determined to build it.
"Ambition over vanity" isn't just a tagline – it's how we evaluate opportunities. In recent years, too much venture capital chased apps and vanity metrics instead of deep innovation. Friends Fund was born as an antidote.
We value substance over hype: a breakthrough AI model for drug discovery excites us more than another social media widget with millions of fleeting users. We encourage big, hairy, audacious goals because incremental thinking won't solve the world's biggest challenges.
Pre-Seed Focus
Initial Investment
India & USA
Founding Partners & Advisors
General Partner (Silicon Valley)
2x founder-turned-investor with 10+ years in AI startups. Previously co-founded an autoML startup (acquired by a Fortune 500) and has been angel investing in developer tools and frontier tech.
General Partner (India)
Ex-CTO and early crypto entrepreneur who scaled a fintech startup to millions of users. He has been a prolific angel in India's deep tech scene, with a knack for spotting technical talent.
Former FAANG engineering leader and serial angel investor who has guided companies from garage to IPO.
PhD and renowned expert in biotech and AI, founder of two biotech startups and board member in health-tech space.
Gen-Z startup founder who achieved unicorn valuation by 25, bringing young visionary's perspective on growth and community.
Former partner at a top-tier VC fund who has seen hundreds of startups succeed and fail, helping maintain discipline in due diligence.
Pre-seed and seed-stage startups building innovative solutions
Core AI technology, applied AI in industries, AI infrastructure and tools. We're especially keen on founders pushing the boundaries of what AI can do.
Robotics, hardware, IoT, semiconductor innovation, quantum computing, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, biotech, cleantech.
Selective investments in groundbreaking Web3 infrastructure or novel computational platforms that meet our audacity criteria.
Pre-seed is our sweet spot – typically teams of 1-3 founders, prototype or MVP stage, raising <$1M. We usually invest $100k–$300k as initial check.
Global lens with a soft spot for India and the US. Whether you're in San Francisco or a Tier-2 city in India, if you're building something incredible, we can be your launch partner.
Ready to turn your crazy idea into reality?
If you're working on the kind of audacious idea we love – we'd love to hear from you. Drop us a line about what you're building and why it can change the world.