Capital
01The first cheque
Early capital at idea, pre-seed and seed, on simple founder-friendly terms, with room to follow on when you have earned it.
Retrum VenturesVenture capital for 0→1 founders
The first cheque, and everything after it.
Retrum is a private venture house for founders at zero. We invest at idea, pre-seed and seed, then put our distribution, our community and our operators behind you until the company works.
StageIdea · Pre-seed · Seed
FocusAI, fintech, B2B, consumer
BaseIndia, building for the world
I.The Thesis
What we believe.
We back the earliest version of a company, when there is more conviction than data. Six beliefs decide where our first cheque goes.
- 01
Founders before markets.
At zero there is no data, only people. We back founders with unusual speed, earned insight into a problem and the stubbornness to keep going when it gets quiet.
- 02
The earliest cheque matters most.
A small amount of capital and the right help, early, change the slope of a company. We would rather be first in than loudest later.
- 03
Software eats every industry. AI eats software.
Every category is being rebuilt, first by software and now by AI. We look for companies that are AI-native from the first line of code, not AI-flavoured after the fact.
- 04
Distribution is destiny.
Great products still die in silence. Every company we back gets distribution built in, from content and community to outbound that actually books meetings.
- 05
Small teams, big outcomes.
We favour lean teams that ship weekly and talk to users daily over large rounds and long roadmaps. Momentum compounds.
- 06
Built in India, for the world.
We back founders building from India for global markets, and for the hundreds of millions of customers coming online at home.
06Companies built in-house
05Focus areas
0→1The stage we back
02Partners on every deal
II.Requests for founders
Where we are looking.
If you are building in one of these, we want to hear from you early. Choose one to start your application.
i.
AI-native software
Agents, copilots and vertical AI that do the work, not just assist with it.
ii.Fintech & creators
Money, protection and infrastructure for creators, freelancers and the new middle class.
iii.B2B go-to-market
Tools and services that help companies find, win and keep their customers.
iv.Consumer & culture
Brands and communities that people wear, share and belong to.
v.Hospitality & experiences
Places and journeys built for people who work hard and travel well.
III.The Platform
More than a cheque.
Most early investors send money and a calendar link. We send the same machinery we use to build our own companies.
DistributionCloy Media
02Go-to-market, built in
Content, positioning and outbound from Cloy Media, so your first hundred customers do not depend on luck.
CommunityTHESLCTV
03Rooms worth being in
A seat in THESLCTV: dinners, trips and work sessions with founders and operators a few steps ahead of you.
Operators
04A bench, not a network
Operators who have sold, hired and shipped, there for the hard weeks: pricing, first sales hires and fundraising prep.
RetreatsThe Residence
05A room in the valley
Offsites and deep-work weeks at The Residence in the Lahaul Valley, for when the company needs thinking, not meetings.
Brand
06Taste, on tap
Brand, product and pitch design from the team that dresses our own houses, so you look like the company you are becoming.
IV.How we invest
Straight answers. Quickly.
Founders at zero do not have months to spare. Our process is short, direct and run by the partners themselves.
- Step i
Apply
Use the form below. A deck helps, but a clear paragraph, a demo and proof that you talk to users matter more.
- Step ii
First conversation
A partner reads every application. If there is a fit, we talk, founder to founder, about the problem and why you.
- Step iii
Working session
One deep session on the product, the market and exactly how you win your first hundred customers.
- Step iv
Decision
A clear yes or no, with our reasons either way. We do not keep founders waiting on a maybe.
- Step v
Day one
Capital in, then the platform switches on: distribution, community, operators and a room in the valley when you need it.
No warm intro needed.
Cold applications get the same read as referrals. The best founders often find us themselves.
V.The Houses
Built by us. Borrowed by you.
We invest like operators because we are operators. These are the companies we build and hold ourselves, and the bench every founder we back can draw on.
FintechLive
01Celix
The AI financial OS for creators. Account protection and recovery first, then a copilot for the money behind the content.
- Sector
- Creator finance
- Market
- India first
GrowthLive
02Cloy Media
Content-led GTM for funded B2B founders. You don't have a lead problem. You have an attention problem.
- Sector
- B2B growth
- Web
- cloymedia.com
CommunityMembers
03THESLCTV
A community for the young, ambitious and building. Rooms, dinners and trips for people who would rather do than talk.
- Sector
- Private community
- Entry
- By selection
HospitalityIncoming
04The Residence
A small stay in the Lahaul Valley, just past the Atal Tunnel. Stone, timber, glacier light, and very few rooms.
- Sector
- Hospitality
- Place
- Himachal Pradesh
TalentCommercial
05Modelling
A commercial modelling platform connecting brands with faces for campaigns, catalogue and film. Fair rates, fast bookings.
- Sector
- Talent & casting
- For
- Brands & agencies
ApparelNew
06LustCrew
A clothing label for the crew. Heavyweight cuts, limited drops, made to be worn hard and kept.
- Sector
- Apparel
- Model
- Limited drops
VI.The Residence · Incoming
Where founders go to think.
A small stay in the Lahaul Valley for founders who work hard and need somewhere worth going back to. A waterfall on one side, the Chandra river on the other.
Stone, timber and glacier light.
32.48° N · 77.12° E · Lahaul Valley
- Location
- Lahaul & Spiti, Himachal
- Access
- Via Atal Tunnel, Manali
- Rooms
- A handful, by design
- For
- Our founders and members
- Status
- Opening soon
Founders we back get first access for offsites and deep-work weeks, then THESLCTV members, then the waitlist.
VII.The Community
THESLCTV. By selection.
Every founder we back gets a seat. Everyone else earns one. Members are chosen for what they are building and how they show up for the room.
Be in rooms where the average is higher than you.
VIII.The Partners
Operators first.
Retrum is run by two partners who build companies for a living. Both read applications, and both are in the room for every decision.
HS
Partner
Harshit Singh
Started his first company at 21 and has spent the years since in sales, growth and company building, from B2B SaaS to running outbound for venture-backed startups.
YG
Partner
Yash Gupta
Partner at Retrum. Builds alongside Harshit across the houses, with a hand in how each company is run, funded and grown.
IX.Apply for funding
Building from zero?
Tell us what you are building. It takes five minutes, and a partner reads every application.
- Idea, pre-seed or seed stage
- Any sector, with extra interest in our five focus areas
- Solo founders and teams both welcome
- No deck and no warm intro required
X.Questions
Asked often.
What stage do you invest in?+
Idea, pre-seed and seed. We like to be the first cheque in a company, and we are comfortable backing founders before there is revenue.
Which sectors do you back?+
We have extra conviction in AI-native software, fintech and the creator economy, B2B go-to-market, consumer and culture, and hospitality. Exceptional founders outside these should still apply.
How much do you invest?+
It depends on the stage and what the company needs to reach its next milestone. We share specifics, and our terms, in the first conversation.
Do I need a deck or a warm introduction?+
Neither. A clear written answer to what you are building and why now, plus a demo or link if you have one, is enough to start.
What do founders get beyond capital?+
Distribution through Cloy Media, a seat in THESLCTV, access to our operator bench, brand and pitch help, and retreats at The Residence.
Do you only back founders in India?+
We are based in India and know it best, but we back founders building from India for global markets as well as for customers at home.
What happens after I apply?+
A partner reads your application. If there is a fit we set up a first conversation; if there is not, we tell you rather than leave you waiting.
Retrum Ventures
Start at zero.
Founders, co-investors, partners and operators. One inbox, read by the partners, answered personally.