Backing ambitious founders right from the ideation stage

We invest in teams across the Paper-Plan / Pre-Product / MVP stage

120+

Companies

250+

Founders

First Cheques Provided To

How we work

Investing across
all sectors
Investment of
up to $500k
1st call to Term Sheet
in 10 days
Download our standard documents

Co-investors

This is an indicative list of funds with which we have maximum overlap
and many more...

How we help

We make it our priority to be there for our founders whenever they need us!

Demo Day

Pitch your business idea to a pool of leading investors

Demo Day

Pitch ideas to leading investors

120+

Investors

10+

Sectors

500+

1-on-1 investor calls scheduled

Community

Engage with 250+ founders across all stages and sectors

Community

250+ founders across stages

Mentorship

Personalised guidance with industry veterans (VCs & Founders)

Mentorship

Guidance from VCs & Founders
The sessions are open-ended and one can be honest about their queries here. We got a lot of help on thinking through about user growth, founding team hiring and fundraising.
Rohit
Founder, Seekho
The sessions helped us understand how a VC views our business and also the rationale behind what metrics matter and why. They also helped us with storytelling and pitch deck creation
Mayank
Founder, Grow Simplee
"
The sessions helped us understand how a VC views our business and also the rationale behind what metrics matter and why. They also helped us with storytelling and pitch deck creation.
"
Mayank Varshney
Founder, GrowSimplee

Expert Connects

Talk to operators who have been there done that 
see all experts

Expert Connects

Who've been there done that 

Beyond Investments

Assisting & helping founders with all things apart from monetary support

Beyond Investments

Assistance beyond finances
The sessions are open-ended and one can be honest about their queries here. We got a lot of help on thinking through about user growth, founding team hiring and fundraising.
Rohit
Founder, Seekho
The sessions helped us understand how a VC views our business and also the rationale behind what metrics matter and why. They also helped us with storytelling and pitch deck creation
Mayank
Founder, Grow Simplee
Prateek is a friend first and investor later. He has supported us in various areas both tactical as well as strategic. Crystal ball gazing, friendly banter and general life philosophy are the most common areas we spend time on.
"
"
Ananya Singhal
Founder, Rigi

Dealbook

We strive to extract the most value for every penny you spend by collaborating with leading service providers
AWS
$25,000 AWS credits
$25k credit
Google
Upto $100k credits
$100k credit
Meta
Preferential Partnerships
Partnerships
Webflow
Free for 3 months
90 days free
Notion
$1000 in free credits
$1k credit
Razorpay
INR 5L credits
INR 5L credit
Hubspot
Upto 90% off
Upto 90% off
MongoDB
$5,000 credits
$5k credit
Freshworks
$10,000 credits
$10k credit
Moengage
Upto 50% off
Upto 50% off
and many more...

Continuous Learning

Honest conversations between portfolio founders, operators and VCs with the aim to foster community learning and mutual growth
Monetisation
Metrics to
monitor
Fundraising
SEO &
ASO
Growth
Community
Building
US GTM
Digital
Advertising
Hiring
Customer
Retention
ICP 
Identification
Design &
UI/UX
Customer
Success
TAM
Expansion

What our founders say

First Cheque is our earliest believer. Their process is focused on building conviction in the team and the support post investments is unwavering. Their whatsapp community has the solution to mostly everything under the sun and for anything else the team is always open to going above and beyond.
Ishendra
Founder, Giva
Our process from 1st discussion to TermSheet was closed within 10 days with the money in the bank within 30 days from our 1st call. There was no multiple back and forth on the SHA and the TermSheet is best-in-class. Their dealbook has really helped us to use our money judiciously and the team always fights on your behalf to get better credits.
Shivanshi
Founder, Yobushu
First Cheque is one of the easiest investors to get on call with. They act as friends before investors. They have acted as logical guides on our strategic approaches and have been our consistent cheerleaders. There is a sense of comfort in having them as our earliest backers.
Ajinkya
Founder, Wint Wealth
The FC team is very rigorous and detail-oriented over our monthly update calls. They are ready to get their hands dirty whenever needed. Their support during the demo day is unforgettable - right from the pitch deck to investor connects. The FC team works as founders and never shies away from anything that will help their portfolio companies.
Rohit
Founder, Seekho
As a 1st-time founder, one has many questions and the team has been always available for support. Their program helps us interact with operators, experienced founders and VCs, this not only helps us understand how to approach areas like GTM, Product, Growth, etc. but also helps us get first-hand feedback from them.
Amritanshu
Founder, SimpliSmart

In the News

Frequently asked Questions

FAQs

What are your investment terms?
How many companies do you plan to invest in?
We plan to invest in 15-20 exceptional companies over the next 18 months. Our process is straightforward: we typically take 2-3 calls with founders and and 10 days later you would have a term sheet if all goes well.
What do you look for in companies?
We keep the founding team and need for the product at the centre of our evaluation process. Think of us as treasure hunters, we’re all about visionary founders, new category creators, category leaders, or those turning chaos into order (unorganised to organised). Whether you’re replacing everyday items or building something the world hasn’t seen yet – if you’re bold, you’re in the right place. The best time to pitch is when you haven’t got a single customer, and the best form of pitching is a link to your product.
What is the process post application?
Post your application, our team will evaluate the details and get back to you with a request for a call if we would like to proceed. Ideally, 2-3 calls and 10 days later you would have a term sheet if all goes well.
How long is the evaluation process?
We typically take 2-3 calls with the founders and come back with our decision within 10 days of the application.
How do I apply?
You can apply by filling out the application form on the website (link here) or getting introduced to us through a Friend of FC.
Do companies with warm connects (Friends of FC, etc)  get preference?
A good founder is a good founder, no matter where they come from! You enjoy the same priority irrespective of the way you reach us. We strongly adhere to our standard TAT of 10 days to a decision.
Is your cheque size and valuation fixed?
Are you fine with co-investors in the same round?
Yes! We are open to having co-investors in the same round.
Can you help bring other co-investors for the round?
We would be happy to introduce you to other investors who can participate in the same round.
'Between an idea and a successful business lies your first benefactor'
We want to be your earliest supporter
Talk to us
Talk to us