Ironclad Ventures Fund: A ₹200 Cr SEBI-approved fund for Employee Secondaries

Excited to see the launch of Ironclad Ventures Fund by my brother, Krishna Killa — a ₹200 Cr SEBI-approved fund dedicated to employee secondaries. 🚀 I find this space very interesting right now: • ESOPs have long been seen as “paper money” in India. • By building a structured, repeatable program, Ironclad Ventures is directly addressing a critical gap — enabling employees to realize some of the value they’re creating, while still participating in long-term upside. • At the same time, it helps founders preserve alignment and companies strengthen retention, which I think is a very unique and valuable approach. Proud of what Krishna and his team are putting together at Ironclad Asset Management, especially following the strong performance of their first product, Ironclad Flexicap PMS (~20% returns since Jan 2025). If this space interests you, do reach out to him directly! #ESOPs #VentureCapital #EmployeeWealth #InnovationEconomy #ProudSister

Fund management platform Aavishkaar Group has partnered with VC firm Jamwant Ventures to launch its second fund, Jamwant Ventures Fund 2, targeting INR 500 crore (around $60 million). The early-stage-focused fund will also include a greenshoe option of INR 250 crore. Jamwant Ventures Fund 2 aims to invest in 20–25 defence and deeptech startups at early to growth stages, with average investments of $1–5 million. Around 15–20% of the fund will be reserved for follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies. 🔗 Read full article link in comment Cdr Navneet Kaushik | Cdr Kartik Gopal | Tarun Mehta #aavishkaargroup #jamwantventure #funds #venturecapital #deeptech #defencetech #vc #investment #startupnews

Goldman Sachs to acquire Industry Ventures in a $665M Deal. Goldman Sachs has announced plans to acquire Industry Ventures, a San Francisco-based investment firm managing $7 billion in assets, in a deal valued at $665 million (plus up to $300M in performance incentives through 2030). 📉With IPO markets still sluggish, secondary transactions and continuation funds have become critical liquidity channels for investors. Industry Ventures, a pioneer in U.S. venture secondaries and fund restructurings, gives Goldman instant scale and expertise in this fast-growing segment. 🔗Founded 25 years ago, Industry Ventures has backed over 1,000 investments, holds stakes in 700+ venture firms, and has delivered an 18% IRR, with exposure to names like Databricks, Discord, Uber, DoorDash, and Robinhood. This acquisition represents more than just growth, it’s a strategic bridge between Wall Street and Silicon Valley, bringing together Goldman’s institutional scale with Industry Ventures’ deep venture relationships. 🛫By betting on venture secondaries, Goldman is positioning itself at the center of the next wave of private market liquidity innovation, where flexibility, timing, and access matter as much as capital itself.

🚀 Jar secures new funding Investors: Tiger Global, Tribe Capital, Rocketship VC, Arkam Ventures, WEH Ventures 📍 Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Focus: Fintech, Savings, Investment, Digital Gold #startup #funding #fintech #savings

So many VCs are chasing Alpha, while leaving (much easier to obtain) Beta sitting on the ground. The massive power law of startup performance means that most investors looking for outperformance should be investing in many companies rather than focusing their bets. But VCs usually like to pretend they have some secret formula, or Alpha, that will make them a winner. At Accelerating Asia Ventures, our two venture funds are both in the top 5% on the ROI metric Multiple On Invested Capital (MOIC) globally because we focus on Beta as much as we focus on Alpha. Who else uses this strategy? Ycombinator, Sequoia, a16z to name a few. It's not as sexy, but it's much more likely to generate above stock market returns than hoping your Alpha bet is correct.

🚀 Big news for India’s startup & ESOP ecosystem Ironclad Asset Management has officially launched Ironclad Ventures — a ₹200 crore SEBI-approved fund focused on ESOP secondaries. Why this matters: Many startup employees hold ESOPs but lack liquidity. This fund enables them to monetize a portion of their stock options in a structured way. For startups, it reduces the pressure to constantly raise salaries and allows them to lean more into equity as a retention / alignment tool. The fund will back 30–40 startups across fintech, SaaS, AI, consumer & digital sectors, typically investing ₹1–4 crore per deal. It is structured with a ₹100 crore base corpus plus a ₹100 crore green-shoe option. Ironclad is partnering with operators & investors (e.g. Arpit Maheshwari, Shrey Badhani) to bring advisory value beyond capital. Read full story here- https://lnkd.in/gam2DBFj The Economic Times Krishna Killa Mandrake Mydia

Y Combinator-backed Gullak : Gold Savings Simplified raises $7.5M funding led by Chiratae Ventures The digital-gold FinTech based in Bengaluru, has secured $7.5 million in a Series A round led by Chiratae Ventures, with participation from White Venture Capital, SamVed VC, and existing investors including Y Combinator. Gullak is building as a pure-play platform for gold enthusiasts, targeting families who see gold not only as jewelry but as a store of value. The startup plans to deploy the capital toward brand building, expanding into Tier II and Tier III cities, and deepening partnerships with major jewelers across India. Since its launch in 2021, Gullak has facilitated sales of more than 1,000 kg of gold, serves ~300,000 active customers with strong retention, and reports an ARR of $2.5 million. Source: https://lnkd.in/g6F-7A4U This and more FinTech news in the newsletter— sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gNimrjeR Find this helpful? [ 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 ] Anything to add about this subject? [𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁] Nice story. Next! [ 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 ]

🚨 Goldman Sachs Acquires Industry Ventures 🚨 Goldman Sachs has inked an agreement to acquire Industry Ventures, a venture capital platform that manages roughly $7 billion in assets The purchase price at closing is $665 million in cash and equity, with up to $300 million more contingent on performance through 2030 All 45 employees of Industry Ventures will join Goldman Sachs. Hans Swildens (founder & CEO), Justin Burden, and Roland Reynolds will become partners in Goldman Sachs Asset Management Industry Ventures is celebrated for its role in venture secondary investing and in crafting “hybrid” early-stage fund strategies Since its founding in 2000, it has made well over 1,000 primary and secondary investments. It also maintains exposure to more than 800 venture and tech-focused funds and partners with over 325 VC firms in co-investments and liquidity work Among its strategic moves, Industry Ventures has pioneered liquidity programs for VC managers, enabling firms to monetize stakes in harder exit environments (without forced liquidations) #startups #venturecapital #investing

Goldman Sachs just announced its agreement to acquire Industry Ventures, a $7B AUM platform and a pioneer in venture secondaries and early-stage hybrid funds. “Industry Ventures pioneered venture secondary investing and early-stage hybrid funds, areas that are rapidly expanding as companies stay private longer and investors seek new forms of liquidity,” said David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs. Since its founding in 2000, Industry Ventures has made 1,000+ investments and achieved a net IRR of 18% and MOIC of 2.2x — a standout performance across venture markets. Hans Swildens, Founder & CEO of Industry Ventures, added: "By combining the global resources of Goldman Sachs with the venture capital expertise of Industry Ventures, we are uniquely positioned to serve the increasingly complex needs of entrepreneurs, private tech companies, LPs, and VCs." With this acquisition, Industry Ventures will become part of Goldman Sachs’ $540B alternatives platform, bringing deeper tech and venture capital access to its global client base. Deal terms: ▪️ $665M cash & equity at close ▪️ Up to $300M additional contingent payout through 2030 ▪️ All 45 employees joining Goldman Sachs ▪️ Hans Swildens, Justin Burden, and Roland Reynolds to become partners in Goldman Sachs Asset Management This isn’t just another acquisition. It’s a strong signal of Goldman Sachs doubling down on private tech, secondaries, and next-gen liquidity solutions. Links in comments. #venturecapital Mary Athridge Jehan Ilahi Meredith Hayes