Campus Fund Earmarks $10 Million to Back Young Founders From Around the World Who Choose to Build In India

Campus Fund is allocating $10 million from Fund III to back young entrepreneurs around the world who decide to build their startups in India.

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Campus Fund, the first SEBI-registered venture capital fund in India dedicated to student and young founders, has unveiled Build In India, a long-term program aimed at backing young entrepreneurs who pick India as the location to establish their companies.

Under this initiative, Campus Fund has set aside as much as $10 million from its $100 million Fund III to offer first institutional pre-seed cheques to qualifying founders.

The initiative welcomes students, recent graduates, and college dropouts from across the globe. Notably, founders may come from any university, educational background, nationality, or sector, as long as they select India as the base for building their startup.

This specialized capital will be directed toward the earliest phase of building a company. For numerous young founders, obtaining that first institutional cheque can prove difficult. Campus Fund seeks to close this gap via its Build In India initiative.

The fund will offer pre-seed capital to founders capable of creating innovative and scalable businesses from India.

More Than Just Funding

Campus Fund’s backing will go further than investment alone. Chosen founders may receive access to:

• Investors and funding networks
• Connections with central and state government
• Technology credits
• Support with hiring
• Guidance on business and strategy
• Experts in the field
• Possible customers
• Follow-on capital

This wider ecosystem can assist young founders in navigating the early phases of building a company.

The Build In India initiative adopts an inclusive stance toward founders’ backgrounds.

Students, recent graduates, and college dropouts are eligible to apply, no matter where they studied. The initiative also accepts founders from universities outside India, as long as they decide to build their startups from India.

The main emphasis is on the founder’s ambition and their choice to build in India.

No Restrictions Based on University or Nationality

Campus Fund has made it clear that the initiative is not tied to university pedigree, educational background, or nationality.

This method opens up opportunities for founders from a wide range of backgrounds. It also mirrors the rising number of entrepreneurs who are contributing international education, experience, and networks to India’s startup ecosystem.

Data from Campus Fund indicates a rising number of founders who studied at universities abroad and subsequently picked India as the base for their startups.

In 2025, Campus Fund assessed 7,300 startups, and 518 of them, or 7.10%, had been founded by students from international universities. In 2024, that number was 218 startups, or 4.54%, out of the 4,800 startups assessed.

By 2026, Campus Fund has already recorded 470 such startups among 4,420 startups assessed, which amounts to 10.6% of the startups in its funnel.

These numbers reflect a rising interest among young founders educated internationally in establishing companies from India.

This trend is also evident throughout Campus Fund’s existing portfolio.

Five of the firm’s most recent 10 investments have been in startups founded by entrepreneurs who studied abroad and subsequently relocated to India to establish their companies.

Within its portfolio, Campus Fund has supported 12 companies established by 15 entrepreneurs who attended international universities. Their academic credentials include schools like Wharton, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Kellogg, Dartmouth, Imperial College London, and the London School of Economics.

Six of these 12 companies have together raised over $24 million in follow-on capital and generated more than 200 jobs.

These companies operate in sectors such as space, climate technology, clean technology, consumer technology, consumer internet, and other frontier areas.

A number of shifts are turning India into an ever more appealing setting for entrepreneurs.

1. Greater Domestic Risk Capital

India’s startup funding ecosystem has grown considerably. Family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and domestic alternative investment funds have built up larger reserves of capital for Indian startups.

This provides young companies with more opportunities to secure domestic funding as they expand.

2. Geopolitical Shifts

Visa limitations and geopolitical instability in certain global markets are also shaping where young entrepreneurs decide to establish their ventures.

For certain founders, India presents a chance to merge a vast home market with connections to worldwide networks.

3. AI Is Lowering Technology Barriers

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the cost and pace of creating technology companies.

Access to cutting-edge AI tools allows smaller teams to build products more quickly and address complex markets with fewer resources. This opens up new opportunities for young founders pursuing ambitious ideas.

4. Government Assistance Is Growing

Central and state governments have boosted their backing for startups via funding schemes, incentives, infrastructure, and other measures.

The growth of the Startup India ecosystem has likewise generated further support for entrepreneurs at various phases of building a company.

5. India’s Exit Ecosystem Is Growing

India’s public markets are progressively opening up to technology companies. Meanwhile, the secondary market is generating further opportunities for liquidity and price discovery.

A more robust exit ecosystem can offer investors and founders additional pathways over the long term.

6. The Pool of Experienced Technology Talent Is Expanding

India now possesses an expanding base of professionals who have founded and grown technology companies.

As a result, young founders can tap into seasoned operators, engineers, product experts, and business leaders who are able to support their growth.

Build In India is not confined to any single industry. Campus Fund is exploring opportunities throughout India’s growing startup ecosystem.

Possible areas consist of:

• Artificial intelligence
• DeepTech
• Space technology
• Climate technology
• Manufacturing
• Enterprise software
• Consumer technology
• Frontier technologies

This industry-neutral approach enables founders to chase opportunities grounded in their ideas, skills, and market potential.

India’s vast consumer market gives young founders the chance to test, refine, and grow their products. Meanwhile, founders who have international experience can offer their companies global insights and connections.

This blend can enable startups to develop products for Indian consumers while simultaneously pursuing international markets.

The journeys of founders like Antariksh Pasricha of Serendipity Space and Adarsh Humne of Athena Protein illustrate how entrepreneurs who studied or worked overseas are coming back to India to establish businesses.

Campus Fund has framed Build In India as a long-term initiative inside its current $100 million Fund III, rather than as a standalone investment vehicle.

The firm also intends to connect with student associations and founder communities at universities beyond India. Campus Fund will also keep monitoring progress in student entrepreneurship via its yearly State of Student Entrepreneurship reports.

Founders may apply on a rolling basis, and the announcement does not state any application deadline.

The Build In India initiative underscores a wider transformation in India’s entrepreneurial environment. Young founders who have studied and worked abroad are increasingly viewing India as a destination to launch and grow their companies.

By merging early-stage funding with mentorship, networks, technology resources, and strategic guidance, Campus Fund seeks to assist this rising cohort of founders in tackling the hurdles of building a business.

The initiative may also reinforce ties between India’s startup ecosystem and universities, entrepreneurs, investors, and technology communities around the world.

Campus Fund’s choice to set aside $10 million from its $100 million Fund III for young founders who decide to build in India represents a notable milestone for the country’s early-stage startup ecosystem.

Via Build In India, the fund will offer first institutional pre-seed capital to students, recent graduates, and college dropouts, no matter their university, educational background, nationality, or sector.

Even more significantly, founders will gain access to a broader network of investors, experts, government connections, technology resources, hiring support, customers, and follow-on capital.

As a growing number of young entrepreneurs from across the world pick India as their base, efforts like Build In India can help link global talent with India’s expanding market, capital, infrastructure, and innovation ecosystem.