Natasha Malpani launches ₹200 crore fund for Indian AI startups.

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Natasha Malpani, who launches ₹200 crore as a key partner at Kae Capital, has now set her sights on an audacious new venture: Boundless Ventures. With a substantial Rs 200 crore corpus, this early-stage investment fund is dedicated to nurturing AI-native startups in India. The goal is ambitious yet precise—backing 20–30 startups, particularly at pre-seed and seed stages, with cheque sizes ranging from $200,000 to $400,000 while keeping follow-on capital ready for the ones that shine.

Boundless Ventures isn’t limiting itself to one corner of AI. From consumer AI apps to infrastructure, agent tooling, healthcare, logistics, and even indigenous AI hardware, the fund is casting a wide net. It has already placed its bets on six startups: SuperHealth, Armatrix, Piersight, Knot, and two stealth-mode ventures focusing on AI infrastructure and consumer applications.

Malpani emphasizes that funding is just one fragment of the bigger picture. What excites her most are founders who don’t just have technical chops, but who also understand the cultural pulse—teams that, she argues, could define India’s AI story for the next decade. Boundless Ventures doesn’t just write checks; it immerses founders in guidance that spans strategy, market navigation, narrative-building, and network creation—a holistic toolkit for turning early-stage ideas into lasting ventures.

1. Natasha Malpani: The Founder Behind Boundless Ventures

1.1 Professional Journey

Natasha Malpani’s career is a study in versatility. She began with immunology at the University of Oxford, later joining Big Society Capital, a £1 billion fund in London, before earning her MBA at Stanford University with a focus on design thinking and innovation.

Her journey in India is a rare cocktail of relentless entrepreneurship and precise operational discipline. She didn’t just co-found Boundless Media; she sculpted it, piece by piece, into a content studio that demanded attention, almost like it had its own gravitational pull. At Dice Media, she wasn’t some passive player on the sidelines—she was deep in the trenches, soaking in every jagged, unpredictable lesson that comes with building a company from nothing. Later, when she stepped into Kae Capital as a partner, she sharpened a near-psychic instinct for early-stage investing, learning to detect the faintest tremors of potential in startups long before anyone else even blinked. Today, it’s this rare cocktail—raw entrepreneurial tenacity fused with an uncanny investment acumen—that propels the bold, unapologetic vision steering Boundless Ventures.

1.2 Investment Philosophy

Malpani’s approach centers on identifying founders who can translate technical AI capabilities into meaningful solutions for the market. She believes that the founders who combine deep technical skills with cultural understanding will define the AI ecosystem over the next decade.

Boundless Ventures goes beyond writing cheques, offering founders strategic support in storytelling, access to markets, and network building, ensuring that startups have the tools to scale efficiently and sustainably.

2. Boundless Ventures: Fund Overview

2.1 Investment Focus

Boundless Ventures targets early-stage AI startups across multiple domains:

1. Consumer AI Applications: Solutions designed to enhance user experience and engagement.
2. AI Infrastructure: Foundational technologies that support AI deployment and scaling.
3. Agent Tooling: Tools for creating and managing AI agents across platforms.
4. Vertical Use Cases: Sector-specific AI solutions, particularly in healthcare and logistics.
5. Make-in-India AI Hardware: Indigenous hardware solutions powering AI innovation.

2.2 Portfolio Companies

The fund has already invested in six startups:

1. SuperHealth: Revolutionizing healthcare delivery with AI-powered solutions.
2. Armatrix: Robotics firm focused on last-mile industrial automation.
3. Piersight: Space-tech venture delivering real-time ocean intelligence via satellites.
4. Knot: AI-powered fashion delivery platform offering 60-minute logistics.
5. & 6. Two Stealth Startups: Operating in AI infrastructure and consumer AI domains.

2.3 Support Beyond Capital

Boundless Ventures offers founders far more than just money—it brings mentorship, tactical insight, and meaningful market connections to the table. Backed by Malpani’s hands-on experience in media, operations, and VC investing, this approach arms startups with practical tools to scale globally, instead of leaving them to navigate the chaos alone.

3.India’s AI Startup Ecosystem

3.1 India’s AI scene isn’t just expanding—it’s on fire.

In the first seven months of 2025 alone, generative AI startups raked in an eye-popping $524 million, hitting a five-year peak. Investors are paying close attention, drawn by India’s rare mix of abundant tech talent, rapidly growing digital infrastructure, and a cultural hunger for innovation that’s tough to find anywhere else.

3.2 Government Initiatives

The government isn’t merely observing from the sidelines. Initiatives like the National Deep Tech Startup Policy are actively pushing AI ventures forward, offering not just funding, but mentorship and a regulatory landscape that’s more predictable than ever. For early-stage startups, India isn’t just a feasible choice—it’s becoming a magnetic one.

4. Challenges and Opportunities

4.1 Key Challenges

Growth comes with its fair share of bumps. Indian AI startups face persistent obstacles:
A glaring scarcity of high-quality datasets—training cutting-edge AI models remains a major pain point. A pronounced talent gap, especially in deep learning and data engineering. Limited infrastructure—access to high-performance computing and specialized hardware can still be painfully constrained.

4.2 Emerging Opportunities

Yet, where there’s a challenge, there’s a golden opportunity:

• Sector-specific AI applications—healthcare, logistics, fintech—are wide open for disruption.
• The global stage is no longer distant; Indian AI startups are increasingly making their presence felt internationally.
• Funds like Boundless Ventures go beyond just capital—they deliver mentorship and strategic guidance that can genuinely tip the scales.
• Learning for Startups and Entrepreneurs
  Entrepreneurs would do well to study Boundless Ventures’ approach:
• Laser-focus on niche AI applications. Avoid crowded spaces, carve out your own market territory.

About Foundlanes

Foundlanes is committed to covering the evolving AI startup landscape in India. With initiatives like Boundless Ventures, early-stage startups receive not only financial backing but also strategic guidance to scale efficiently. By reporting on such trends, The Startups News empowers founders and investors to make informed decisions in a fast-growing market.