Ventana Ventures Trust — Ventana Ventures | wisefolio

Ventana Ventures Trust

Catalyzing India's Gaming Revolution

IN/AIF2/22-23/1208Cat II

Private equity, private credit and real-estate funds that don't employ leverage except for operating needs. The largest AIF category.

Overview

About

Ventana Ventures Trust (SEBI Reg. IN/AIF2/22-23/1208) is a Category II AIF registered in February 2023 and managed by Ventana Ventures Advisors Private Limited. Ventana Ventures is India's leading early-stage gaming and interactive media VC, dedicated to transforming the gaming landscape by supporting passionate founders from inception to global success. The firm operates as a micro VC, investing up to USD 130,000 per company in pre-seed and seed-stage gaming startups advancing from prototype to beta testing or launch stage. Headquartered in Udupi, Karnataka, Ventana partners with founders across gaming (mobile, PC, console, sports simulation), interactive media, and esports. The firm combines capital with template-based coaching, mentorship, and community-building to help founders avoid early-stage mistakes and scale into world-class gaming studios. Ventana then assists high-performing portfolio companies in securing pre-Series A and Series A capital. Portfolio companies include Brewed Games (indie game studio, Bangalore) and MetaShot (first console-like cricket game for mass market, using smart bat hardware). Shylaja Rao, Founding General Partner, represented Ventana at IGDC 2024 (India Game Developer Conference).

Investment Philosophy

Ventana Ventures is dedicated to catalysing India's gaming revolution. As a sector-specialist micro VC, it scouts versatile teams across gaming, coding, engineering, and art, supporting them through a structured pathway from pre-seed to global scale. The approach is built on five 'levels': scouting ambitious teams, assessing and targeting the most innovative creators, accelerating with capital and coaching, preparing teams for institutional follow-on, and building a collaborative ecosystem for India's gaming industry. Ventana promotes a collaborative space that nurtures learning, growth, and new thought processes among founding teams.

Team— 4

Shylaja Rao

Founding General Partner

Shylaja Rao is the Founding General Partner of Ventana Ventures and the SEBI-registered contact person for Ventana Ventures Trust. She represented Ventana at IGDC 2024 (India Game Developer Conference) and the Women in Gaming (WIG) 2024 panel. She has also spoken at Mangaluru Technovanza 2024 and the BTS 2024 panel on driving startup growth.

Sudhir Anni

Vice President – Operations

Sudhir Anni is Vice President – Operations at Ventana Ventures, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the firm.

Poornima Nayak

VP – Investments & Finance

Poornima Nayak is VP – Investments & Finance at Ventana Ventures, overseeing investment evaluation and financial management for the fund.

Shobana Prakash

Investment Analyst

Shobana Prakash is an Investment Analyst at Ventana Ventures, supporting deal evaluation and portfolio management.

Registration

SEBI Registration

SEBI-registered

Reg. NumberIN/AIF2/22-23/1208

VintageFeb 2023 · 3 yrs old

Valid ToPerpetual

Contact PersonShylaja Rao

AddressDoor Number 13 3 41A Ground Floor Mahalakshmi Towers, Court Road Udupi 576101 Karnataka, Udupi, Karnataka, 576101

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Disclaimer

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