Theia Ventures

Wishing you a very Happy Diwali 🪔 As we celebrate this festival of lights, let’s do so safely, sustainably, and consciously 🌿 Here’s to a green, joyful Diwali and to new ideas, breakthroughs, and innovations that light up a brighter future for all 🌟

We’re delighted to see Theia Ventures featured in Felix (Imperial College London Newspaper), in an article titled “So You Want to Work in Clean Tech Venture Capital?” Our AVP, Himanshu Sharma, shared insights on India’s growing clean tech venture ecosystem, highlighting the confluence of strong policy support, deep scientific talent, and entrepreneurial ambition driving innovation across the country! At Theia, we’re committed to backing science led founders building technologies that enable global decarbonization, and it’s exciting to see this momentum reflected on a global stage. A big thank you to Sophie Demaré for penning this thoughtful piece and for spotlighting the evolution of clean tech venture capital in India. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gN-2N37q

As capital flows into climate tech, carbon removal is emerging as one of the boldest frontiers. But can it be both investable and inevitable? Glad to have our Founder & GP, Priya Shah, share the stage with Shailesh Lakhani (Peak XV Partners) and Vishnu Rajeev (Speciale Invest) in a conversation moderated by Ashis Nayak (Shastra VC) at the Alt Futures event! The panel explored the evolving landscape of carbon removal from early-stage science to scalable infrastructure and the bold bets investors are making to turn it into a trillion-dollar opportunity. Discussions touched on: i. The most promising areas within carbon removal ii. Signals investors track to deploy capital effectively iii. How long-term climate returns are valued iv. The enablers beyond capital that can make carbon removal truly investable At Theia Ventures, we believe science led innovation and patient capital will define the next era of climate investing and carbon removal sits firmly at that frontier. A big thank you to the Alt Carbon team for having us and curating such a thoughtful conversation!

Theia Ventures is proud to announce the first close of our $30M Fund I, anchored by British International Investment (BII) with participation from leading global institutions such as Cisco Foundation, Allocator One, Vitality Capital Partners and an incredible group of domestic investors. What sets Theia apart is our thesis first and founder first approach. We bring deep industry expertise and conviction in emerging technologies to partner with entrepreneurs from the earliest stages. For us, it is not just about capital, but also about building lasting partnerships with pioneering companies to address the energy status quo. Through Fund I, we have already invested in Sarla Aviation, an electric aircraft company, and Climitra, a biocoal startup for the steel industry. We believe that disruptive technology will drive solutions from climate resilience to industrial transformation, and we are committed to being the first partner for founders bold enough to build that future. Thank you to our wonderful investors and team for all your support in bringing us to this milestone! If you are a founder or researcher building in these areas, we would love to hear from you at info@theia-ventures.com or connect with any of our team members. [Read more: https://lnkd.in/g_U5ebRP] Priya Shah | Himanshu Sharma | Anun Sood | HARSH BIHANI | Konain Mizba | Piyush Mathur | Sanjay Shah | Paarul Dudeja | Manish Sinha | Pavan Krishnamurthy

Innovation in deeptech is compounding at an unprecedented pace. The ability to sandbox and test ideas in real-world conditions is becoming the critical bridge between research and scalable solutions. Organizations like The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and #Entice are creating the frameworks where this transition can happen faster and with greater impact! As investors, we see the importance of supporting not just capital formation but also the ecosystems that de-risk experimentation and accelerate pathways to market. These are the environments where the next wave of transformative companies will be built. Thanks again to the The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and Entice team (Saurabh Kumar, Vaishali (Vish) Mishra, Woochong Um) for driving this momentum forward. To all founders working on the future of energy infrastructure, we’d love to hear from you. Write to us at info@theia-ventures.com [Video Credits: NDTV]

🌍 Our weekly climate and tech round up. This week AI is everywhere and shaping very different fields. 1) At the UN General Assembly (UNGA 80) in New York, leaders are spotlighting climate and AI governance as systemic priorities alongside peace and development. The global policy focus is shifting toward how technology and finance can accelerate real climate impact. (link - https://lnkd.in/gjTyRkcU) 2) #ClimateWeekNYC2025 is hosting 1,000+ events, with private sector and civil society stepping up where government ambition lags. The message is clear: markets and innovators are moving faster than policy, and aligning capital with credible action is the unlock. (link - https://lnkd.in/eEQvTcQF) 3) Scientists at Stanford University created an AI virus that can hunt down harmful bacteria. A breakthrough that could change how we fight infections and speed up discovery in biology. (link - https://lnkd.in/gpdNc76M) 4) Equinix opened its first AI ready data center in Chennai. New infrastructure built for the rising demand of AI and high performance computing. (link - https://lnkd.in/g7qpyBfq) 5) Lastly, L&T Technology Services has joined the MIT Media Lab to explore AI led innovations in mobility sustainability and tech. This brings together global engineering expertise with cutting edge academic research to push the boundaries of what AI can deliver in real world applications. (link - https://lnkd.in/gg84V7nj) From batteries to biology to data centers and now to cross continental research labs the story is the same. AI is no longer one sector it is a layer running across them all. For climate tech this is a big unlock. Better tools more data smarter systems. All helping speed up the shift to a low carbon future. 🎧 What we’re listening to: Climate Rising by Harvard Business School featuring Sarah Russell of X on how geospatial data and AI can strengthen climate resilience. (link - https://lnkd.in/gEmn58WD) 

🌍 World Ozone Day was first marked in 1987, the year the Montreal Protocol was signed. It proved that when the world comes together, even the biggest environmental challenges can be solved. Back then the crisis was CFCs damaging the ozone layer. Today the bigger challenge is emissions from industry, from energy, from agriculture. This is why technologies like Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) matter. They not only reduce emissions but also transform them into fuels, materials and chemicals. They turn a global risk into a global opportunity. World Ozone Day is a reminder that collective action works and that the solutions of tomorrow will come from science, innovation and the entrepreneurs building at the frontier. [image credits: UN Environment programme]

Last week, our GP Priya Shah gave a guest lecture to the students of Imperial College London’s MSc in Climate Change, Management and Finance program. She shared insights on the urgency of scaling solutions in energy tech, the capital demand in emerging markets, and why Theia Ventures is focused on early stage decarbonisation. Priya also spoke about how students can explore careers in energy and venture capital and the need for more talent to move into these critical sectors. We are excited to see the next generation of leaders stepping up to shape a more sustainable future! Thanks to Mirabelle Muûls, Alyssa Gilbert and the entire team of Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment for organising such an engaging session and inspiring the next wave of innovators.

India’s EV story is accelerating and the entire ecosystem is pushing it forward⚡ Adoption is rising fast. In June 2025, EV sales grew by 28% YoY! For consumers, the benefits are stacking up. 5 % GST on EVs and charging, lower running costs, and tax incentives are all making the switch easier. On the capital side, conviction is stronger than ever. Investors have injected $2.1Bn of capital into Indian startups in FY25, more than double the previous year. Just in the past few months we saw GreenLine raise $275Mn to electrify logistics, Ultraviolette Automotive secure $21Mn from TDK Ventures to expand globally, Volt14 Solutions raise $1.8Mn to push advanced battery tech, and HeyEV! close a pre seed round of $1.2 Mn to make EV financing accessible. Corporate VCs are stepping up too with strategic bets on River, Ultraviolette Automotive and others. And public markets have rewarded long term believers, with Ola Electric and Ather Energy making their mark. At Theia Ventures, we see EVs as more than vehicles. They are about energy, storage, and infrastructure. That is why we are proud to back Exponent Energy which is building rapid charging, Metastable Materials which is pioneering chemical free battery recycling to recover lithium, nickel and cobalt, and Sarla Aviation which is electrifying flight. These are capex heavy, patient capital industries. But they are also the backbone of India’s clean energy and mobility future. And we are proud to be part of that journey. 🌍 Happy World EV Day!