Golden Sparrow | Indian Venture Capital Firm Investing in startups

We invest in rare birds

We spot, seed and support founders across India who leverage Deep Tech to solve complex problems and help billions.

Origins

Ancient Roman traders referred to India’s glowing economy as Golden Sparrow.

We are convinced that the next 20 years will see talent stay back in India, build for the world and contribute to India’s greater resurgence.

Inclusion and Sustainability

Our purpose for launching an emerging venture capital fund is to build a better tomorrow. Diversity is a core component of our team, venture partners and LPs. 1/3 of our fund is held by women investors.
By investing in India, we believe the impact we will have on employment, income equality and digital adoption will be transformative.
The time to invest in sustainability has come. We are committing to at least 2 investments towards carbon – reducing startups.

Philosophy

Obsessive Scouting

Obsessiveness, creativity and intentionality in finding talent is part of our basic instinct.

Boundless Agility

Agility allows us to make fast investment decisions and adapt to the changing world of deep tech.

Endless Curiosity

Listening and always questioning are part of our DNA. Curiosity is key to our selection process.

Inclusive Growth

We commit to founders first. We commit to financial AND societal benefits over the long run.

Rishaad Currimjee
General Partner

Who we are

Entrepreneur at Heart, Operator by Experience and Investor by Design

Rishaad started his professional career managing a High Yield portfolio on Wall Street.

He spent 10 years in operating and founding roles across several start-ups in Delhi, which included a failure and an exit.

He has proven turnaround experience where he led some of his Mauritius family businesses to profitability. The Currimjee Group, one the largest conglomerates in Mauritius, was also a seed investor in Bharti Airtel.

Prior to Golden Sparrow, Rishaad actively invested in AI and SaaS startups, with several breakouts.

He graduated from Williams College (BA) and INSEAD (eMBA, Honors).

Our Team

Supporting founders from 0 to 1

Rishaad Currimjee

General Partner

Rishaad Currimjee

Rishaad started his career managing a High Yield portfolio on Wall Street. He spent 20 years in operating and founding roles across several start-ups in Delhi, Airtel and his family business in Mauritius Prior to Golden Sparrow, Rishaad actively invested in AI and SaaS with several breakouts. He graduated from Williams College (BA) and INSEAD (eMBA, Honors)

Rahul Harikumar

Investment Analyst

Rahul Harikumar

Rahul loves Deep Tech. After studying Mechnical Engineering at NITK Surathkal, he worked at Knuru Capital, a later stage fund in Dubai.

Shrey Sharma

Investment Analyst

Shrey Sharma

Shrey grew up in Dehradun. After studying Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kharagpur, he led complex data engineering projects at Amex. He actively sought to join Venture Capital and also loves to code.

Our Team

Venture Partners

JB Michel

Biotech

JB Michel

JB studied Math and Systems Biology at Harvard. After his Ph,D., he worked in AI and Biotechnology before starting his own company, which was funded by a16z. JB’s venture focused on AI and gene therapy before it was acquired by Gingko in 2024, where he currently works.

Venkat Raju

Deep Tech

Venkat Raju

Venkat’s mission is to make founders the best version of themselves. He was a serial entrepreneur - with 2 exits in Silicon Valley and 1 in Bangalore. He worked for Fortune 500 companies across Financial Services, High Tech and Telecom. He has been an active angel investor, advisor and board member to over 70+ startups - especially in DeepTech tech.

Michael Marmor

SaaS and DevTools

Michael Marmor

Michael has an extensive track record in guiding early-stage SaaS firms towards accelerated growth. He brings 30 years of global tech leadership and product expertise. While in India, he focused on strategic software development and building product development teams. He is an LP in the fund.

Dr. Anand Rao

Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Anand Rao

Dr Rao previously led PwC's global AI practice. He is currently a professor of AI at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Rao has spent almost 40 years supporting enterprises and founders. A global influencer in the AI community, he serves on advisory boards of esteemed AI organizations in the US. He has over 130 academic and business applications to his credit. Dr. Rao is an LP in the fund.

Quentin Staes-Polet

Gaming

Quentin Staes-Polet

Quentin was a gaming programmer before eventually selling his company. He has worked in gaming ever since - including being the CEO of Unreal Engine as well as Epic Games’ international operations head. He is currently the CEO of FRVR, a gaming company in its growth phase.

Our 5 expert Venture Partners unlock unparalleled opportunities for our Founders. The fund is otherwise composed of 62 robust and engaged global LPs which help nurture the unconventional talent which we back.

Fund Thesis

Golden Sparrow is a US-based, $8M fund focused on AI, Deep Tech, SaaS, Gaming and DevTools

We write $300,000 initial checks to exceptional founders in pre-seed to seed rounds in India

As India’s talent chooses to stay back and build for the world, the country will give rise to global, category-defining companies in AI, SaaS, Gaming and DevTools.

We have already supported Deep Tech founders building for the long term in Biotech, Robotics, Quantum, Semiconductors and Spacetech.

Golden Sparrow’s thesis is that being early will give investors superior returns.

We are one of the few funds committed to India’s Deep Tech talent and that of its Diaspora.

Testimonials

Golden Sparrow’s guidance on product development and team design, along with key industrial introductions, has been a game-changer. Michael Marmor, an expert Venture Partner, brings operating experience and has been crucial in helping us assemble a top-tier product team.

Harsh Choudhry – Co-Founder and CEO, sentra.world

Rishaad’s experience on both sides of the table – as an investor and as a veteran businessman, is essential to first-time founders. He has been a calming influence in the most turbulent of times and always encouraged us to play the long-game.

Arvind Nair – Co-Founder, Neuropixel.AI

Partnering with Golden Sparrow was a pivotal decision for PyjamaHR. Their mentorship and hands-on review of our product launch not only fuelled our growth but also strategically positioned us in the US market.

Harpreet Singh – Founder and CEO, PyjamaHr