We invest directly
Selected ventures receive investment from a dedicated fund committed to student entrepreneurship. We are the investor, not a broker — there is no intermediary between your deck and a decision.
An initiative of Kreon Finnancial Services Limited
StuCred for Startups backs student-founded ventures in India — with capital from a dedicated fund, a standing panel of operators and investors, and hands-on help through to your next round. You don't have to go hunting for either one.
Send a pitch deck and your financials. That's the whole first step.
What you get
Most student founders lose months to the search itself — for a first cheque, for someone who has actually done it before, for a warm introduction to the next investor. We put all three in the same place.
Selected ventures receive investment from a dedicated fund committed to student entrepreneurship. We are the investor, not a broker — there is no intermediary between your deck and a decision.
Your business is reviewed by a panel of operators, domain specialists and investors — and the same people stay available afterwards. Pricing, unit economics, your first hires, what to stop doing. The unglamorous parts.
When you outgrow what we can put in, we help you raise it. Introductions to co-investors in our network, a data room that stands up to scrutiny, and a story that survives the second meeting.
Who it's for
You do not need a registered company, a co-founder or a working product to start a conversation with us. You do need to have thought hard about the problem.
A problem you understand well and a clear view of who has it. Nothing built yet. Bring the thinking and we'll pressure-test it with you.
Something people can use, even roughly. Early users, early feedback, no revenue yet — this is the stage where capital and guidance compound fastest.
Live product, paying users, real numbers. You know what's working and want fuel plus someone experienced to argue with.
How it works
Fill in the form below with the basics of the business and its stage, and attach your pitch deck and financials. If the deck needs work, we'll tell you what to fix and help you sharpen it before you present.
Our team reads every submission and comes back to you within ten working days — with a next step or with the reason it isn't a fit.
You present to the panel. They ask hard questions, we do diligence on the numbers, and you get a considered view of the business either way.
If it's a yes, we agree terms, complete documentation and assign your mentors. The relationship starts at that point rather than ending there.
For entrepreneurship cells
Campus entrepreneurship cells do the hard part — finding the founders and getting them to build something. What usually doesn't exist at the end of it is anywhere for a good idea to actually go. We'd like to be that.
Questions
No. This is an investment programme and it is entirely separate from the StuCred lending product. There is no repayment obligation, no interest and no effect on your credit record. Applying here has nothing to do with any StuCred account you may or may not hold.
Yes. Investment is made in exchange for equity or a convertible instrument, with the amount and terms agreed case by case depending on stage and what the business needs. Nothing is decided unilaterally — terms are discussed with you in full before anything is signed.
Yes. A meaningful share of what we look at has nothing built yet. What matters at that stage is how well you understand the problem, who has it, and why you're the person to work on it. Write that down clearly and send it.
Not to apply. If we move towards an investment, the venture will need to be a registered entity before funds can be released — and we'll help you work out what structure makes sense rather than leaving you to guess.
They're reviewed by our investment team and, if you progress, by the panel assessing your business. We treat them as confidential and don't share them outside that review without your consent. If you'd prefer a mutual NDA before sending detailed financials, say so in the form and we'll arrange it.
Teams, and we'd generally rather see one. Every co-founder must be a student or a recent graduate, and the student founders must together hold majority equity and control of the company. Employees, advisors and mentors can be anyone — the requirement applies to the founding team, not to everyone you work with.
We're strict about this on purpose. The programme exists to back student founders, not to fund an established operator who has put a student's name on the deck.
You'll get more than a rejection line. We'll tell you why it's a no, what we made of the business, and what we'd want to see before it became a yes — the same view we'd give a founder we had backed.
A no from us is a judgement on fit and stage, not a verdict on the business. Come back to us when something material has changed.
Get in touch
A few details about you and the business, your deck and whatever financials you have. Ten minutes, and it goes straight to the team that makes the decision.