‘India Doesn’t Lack Ideas, It Lacks Early Believers’ – Inside Funding Moguls’ Mission to Back Founders Before It’s Too Late
‘India Doesn’t Lack Ideas, It Lacks Early Believers’ – Inside Funding Moguls’ Mission to Back Founders Before It’s Too Late
Rahul Jha and Priyal Parikh launch Funding Moguls, a venture platform built to plug India’s seed capital gap and give first-time founders a fighting chance.
When Rahul Jha left a comfortable career in marketing to advise early-stage founders, he expected sleepless nights and risky bets. What he didn’t expect was how many brilliant ideas would die quietly within a year—not from lack of innovation, but from lack of oxygen.
“Oxygen, in the startup world, is belief,” Rahul says. “The kind of belief that comes in the form of a small cheque, a mentor who has been there before, or even just an introduction to the right person. Too often, founders here don’t get that until it’s already too late.”
On the other side of the table, Priyal Parikh saw the same problem. As an investor, he was frustrated that most deals reaching his desk were already late-stage, polished, and expensive. “By then, the most transformative companies had either given up or left India. The system was broken,” he recalls.
The two decided to build something different. Their answer is Funding Moguls, a venture platform that isn’t just another investment fund but a first responder for founders: the team that shows up before traction, before big valuations, and often before a product even launches.
Backing the Fragile Stage
India produces over 80,000 startups a year, but fewer than 2% secure institutional seed capital. For Rahul and Priyal, that number isn’t just a statistic—it’s a challenge.
Funding Moguls is designed to plug that gap by combining early-stage cheques with mentorship, market access, and introductions to global investors. The team says it has already supported more than 100 young companies in some form since 2010, but this is the first time they’ve formalized the model into a dedicated platform.
Unlike traditional venture firms that wait for metrics, Funding Moguls is willing to back conviction. Its new “Pitch for Pre-Seed” program allows founders—even at idea stage—to pitch directly to investors across India, Singapore, and Dubai.
“Our goal isn’t to chase unicorns,” Priyal says. “It’s to make sure more founders survive long enough to even have that chance.”
What Sets It Apart
With $20M+ in committed capital, Funding Moguls already counts 67+ portfolio startups across SaaS, Fintech, Healthtech, and Consumer Platforms.
Its strength also lies in its network: active angels such as Siddharth Ladsariya, Rohit Bansal, Varun Alagh, and Sandeep Tandon, alongside institutions like Aditya Birla Skill Development, Reliance Foundation, Tata Trusts, CIIECO (IIM Ahmedabad), NASSCOM 10,000 Startups, T-Hub Hyderabad, and SIDBI’s Fund of Funds program.
Rahul calls it an antidote to the so-called “accelerator mafia” that often restricts access to elite networks. “The next global fintech giant could just as easily come from a college dropout in Ranchi as from IIT. We want to make sure both have a shot.”
The Road Ahead
Funding Moguls aims to support 1,000 Indian founders by 2030, with a focus on AI, SaaS, climate-tech, and fintech—sectors they believe will define India’s economy and society in the coming decade.
For Rahul and Priyal, the mission is less about headlines and more about changing the math of entrepreneurship. “If even 10% more founders survive the first two years because of what we’re building, we’ll have done our job,” Rahul says.
As India’s startup ecosystem matures, early believers like Funding Moguls may prove to be the difference between ideas that fade too soon and companies that go on to shape global markets. For thousands of first-time founders waiting on their first break, that difference could be everything.
Last Updated on: Friday, September 19, 2025 3:02 pm by News Centre24 Team | Published by: News Centre24 Team on September 19, 2025 3:02 pm | News Categories: BRAND POST
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