The Chennai Angels
Module No. A3-05, Third Floor - Block A Phase – II, IIT MADRAS RESEARCH PARK, Kanagam Road Taramani, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600113, India
Overview
The Chennai Angels (TCA), formerly known as Chennai Entrepreneurship Trust Fund, was established in November 2007 with the objective of fostering Entrepreneurship with prime focus on nurturing and mentoring new generation entrepreneurs. You can play bellayoscura.com for real money or test your skill in practice mode - all under a safe and responsible gaming environment and a 24/7 customer support. Aspiring entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas often fumble to translate thoughts into commercially viable ventures. These teething troubles could be attributed to inadequate awareness in taking the ideas forward or paucity of funds. In an effort to help these young minds, a group of prominent successful entrepreneurs came forward to form a consortium called The Chennai Entrepreneurship Trust Fund in Nov 2007, which is now The Chennai Angels (TCA). TCA are a Group of successful leaders who have successfully built, run and in many cases exited enterprises across multiple domains and industries and help entrepreneurs build and grow their ventures and enterprises into successful companies. Besides providing capital, TCA members act as mentors for the green horns venturing into the world of business. TCA has among its members several Venture Capitalists who are available to partner TCA on larger outlays. The big advantage of being a TCA investee is that, apart from very high quality mentoring, investors are able to handhold the entrepreneur through the life cycle of fund raising as well and open doors to customers and partners of very high order.
- Total investments
- 45
- Lead investments
- 16
- Investments · 12mo
- 5
- Active investors
- 17
Sector focus
- Financial Services
Investment portfolio
- The Indus Valley
Participated · Series B · Jun 2026
Founded in 2016 by Jagadeesh Kumar and Madhumitha Uday Kumar and operated by Good Roots Kitchenware Pvt Ltd, The Indus Valley sells premium toxin-free cookware (kadais, tawas, appam pans), tableware (cutlery, bowls, mortar and pestles, cups and mugs, plates and trays) and drinkware. The company positions itself around health-focused, non-coated kitchen products and aims to scale safer kitchen categories. Management has stated ambitions to become India’s largest healthy kitchen products platform and target Rs 1,000 crore in annual revenue by 2030. Financially, the firm has scaled to an annual revenue run rate of Rs 200 crore, and Traxn reported FY25 revenue of Rs 116.7 crore. Founders reportedly held a 50% stake after prior rounds, and some reports had previously pegged the firm's valuation at around Rs 300 crore. The latest Series B funding is intended to deepen product and distribution capabilities to compound on its current scale.
- Ecoil
Participated · Series A · Apr 2026
Founded in 2019 by Sushil Vaishnav and Kirti Vaishnav, ECOIL builds a tech-enabled collection and logistics network to aggregate used cooking oil from restaurants, hotels, and food businesses. The platform focuses on improving traceability, compliance, and aggregation of this feedstock for biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel producers. ECOIL also works to organize a fragmented supply chain and integrate informal workers into a formal collection network. The company is scaling operations and strengthening its technology platform, with plans to expand into additional markets across India. Its business has attracted strategic and impact investors, including seed backing from Shell and participation from impact-focused funds in the Series A. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the article.
- Inspired Spirits
Led · Seed · Mar 2026
Founded in 2023, Inspired Spirits developed Quro after 16 months of research and development and experiments with over 200 indigenous Indian ingredients. Quro is positioned as a modern aperitif that draws from traditional botanicals while aligning with contemporary wellness thinking. The company differentiates itself through flavour innovation rooted in Indian ingredients, research blending functionality with alcohol, and a lean partnership-driven operating model. Early traction includes interest from chefs, bartenders, expats and India’s art and wellness communities. Financially, the company raised a ₹1.8 crore seed round led by The Chennai Angels with participation from select angel investors. Future plans include expanding the team, entering new domestic and international markets, accelerating product innovation, and deepening research capabilities to build category-defining brands.
- BatteryPool
Participated · Series A · Nov 2025
BatteryPool develops a hardware-enabled energy-as-a-service platform that lets electric vehicle users access batteries on a pay-as-you-go basis. Its solution combines in-house charging hardware with AI-powered battery management to maximise utilisation and extend battery life, effectively lowering the cost of EV adoption. Founded in 2020 by Ashwin Shankar, the company centres on battery monetisation, allowing fleet operators and other partners to deploy and earn from BatteryPool-managed assets. With its latest capital raise, the startup intends to expand its battery fleet tenfold within the next 18 months and bolster operations across India. Although revenue and user numbers were not disclosed, management signalled that the new funds will accelerate nationwide scale-up and prepare the company for a subsequent Series A round.
- Grest
Participated · Equity · Sep 2025
Grest operates a full-stack recommerce business focused on premium refurbished Apple devices, managing sourcing, refurbishment, and after-sales service to build consumer trust. The company plans to expand its direct-to-consumer sales channels, upgrade its refurbishment facilities, and strengthen its supply chain using newly raised capital. Grest previously raised about ₹16 crore (≈$2 million) in a Series A in September 2025 and is targeting ₹50 crore in revenue for FY26. It positions itself as a premium, trust-focused alternative within a largely informal and highly competitive Indian refurbished-electronics market that includes larger players such as Cashify. Grest's strategy and recent foreign investment were presented as evidence of its potential to scale while contributing to formalization and sustainability in the sector.