Stride Ventures - a name that has become synonymous with innovative startup funding financing in India, is the brainchild of Mr. Ishpreet Singh Gandhi. Having committed close to $160M over 50 transactions in 2021 alone, Stride Ventures under his able and visionary leadership as the Founder and Managing Partner of the firm, has earned the tag of the most active lender in the Indian startup ecosystem.
In just over 2 years, Ishpreet has built an enviable portfolio for Stride Ventures. Founded in early 2019, the firm now boasts of a well-diversified portfolio sanctioning over $213M in 67+ companies across Consumer, FinTech, Logistics, AgriTech, B2B Commerce, HealthTech, B2B SaaS, mobility & energy solutions (EV) etc. Post the spectacular performance of the first fund which was backed by SIDBI (Govt of India) , Ishpreet led the launch of Stride’s second fund in June, 21 with a target corpus of $133M (with a greenshoe option of $117M and within 45 days, Stride announced the first close of the second fund at $75M, making it one of the fastest fundraisings of this size in the country.
Ishpreet has also successfully pioneered tailor-made short term solutions for growth stage businesses. He has created banking alliances for Stride’s portfolio companies by leveraging his close to 14 years of experience of working with leading multinational corporations and Indian banks in various leadership positions and the strong network he built over those years.
Ishpreet has a diversified experience. Prior to starting Stride Ventures, he worked with various banks including multinational banks like Standard Chartered and Citibank and some well known Indian Private Banks like IDFC, Kotak and Yes Bank.
While working with previous banks, he gained expertise in the startup domain. From retail to SME, he was at the forefront of building startup relationships. He successfully brought onboard well-known startups like OfBusiness, LendingKart, Bira91, Leap India, Rivigo; all of which are amongst the prominent startups in the country.
Pace and innovation have been the hallmarks of each and every endeavour that Ishpreet has undertaken, from his banking days to becoming the founder of Stride Ventures. He has indomitable spirit, dedication and determination to create an impact in the startup ecosystem.