Auxano Leads SanchiConnect’s Latest Funding Round

SanchiConnect has raised an undisclosed sum in a bridge round, led by Auxano with participation from existing investors Seafund, 8X Ventures and Arctic Invent. The round also saw the entry of Shashikant Chaudhary, former Managing Director of GlobalLogic India, as a new investor. The company said the bridge funding is a precursor to a larger round.

The company also announced key leadership appointments as it prepares for its next phase of growth.

Vijay Bawra, formerly with T-Hub, has been brought on to lead the company’s evolving business verticals. Separately, Ashutosh Srivastava, who joined SanchiConnect three years ago has been elevated to the first line of leadership.

SanchiConnect was founded in 2022 as a joint initiative between Baring Private Equity Partners India and Dr Sunil Shekhawat. It aims to bridge the gap between startups, investors, industry, academia and government. The company supports the innovation lifecycle through startup discovery, accelerator programs, investment readiness initiatives and enterprise partnerships. Since inception, it has facilitated more than INR 400 crore in capital mobilization for portfolio companies.

The company’s flagship platform, SanchiAPP, powers innovation ecosystems through programme management, governance and impact measurement. It also operates a DeepTech Hub in Noida, which serves as a collaborative space for founders, investors, mentors and enterprises. According to the company, its ecosystem has grown to nearly 5,000 members, including over 800 venture funds, family offices, syndicates, industry experts and corporates.

Commenting on the investment, Brijesh Damodaran of Auxano said, “The ecosystem enablement infrastructure market in India was until recently, fragmented and largely unaddressed by credible product-led players. SanchiConnect has built the right platform at the right moment, one that combines programme management rigour with portfolio intelligence in a way that no competitor in this space currently matches. We led this round because we believe SanchiConnect is on track to become the default place for every deep tech operator in India in days to come.”

Reflecting on the company’s journey, Dr. Sunil Shekhawat, Founder and CEO of SanchiConnect, said, “We set out to build the operating layer, both tangible and intangible, that this ecosystem deserved. Four years on, the market has moved in our direction and the team we are now building around this platform reflects the scale of what we intend to do next. This round is the beginning of an aggressive next chapter.”