Blume Ventures

💡 ESOPs: A Founder’s Ultimate Retention Tool—Only If You Get Them Right! Stock options are one of the most powerful tools for attracting and retaining top talent in a startup. But structuring them right—without future headaches—is where things get tricky. 😢 Mismatched expectations. 💰 Tax surprises. ⚡ Confusing strike prices. 📜 Messy cap tables. And when things get complicated, the usual ESOP 101 guides don’t have the answers. That’s why we put together ESOP 201: the nuanced, high-stakes questions founders tackle in late-night investor chats and closed WhatsApp groups. The ones that can turn ESOPs into a competitive advantage instead of a compliance burden. 🚀 Featuring battle-tested earned secrets from Varun Rajda (Partner at Constellation Blu) and Mitul Mehta (Head of Finance at Blume Ventures), who have advised 100s of founders on their ESOP questions. This deep dive covers: ✅ The #1 mistake startups make with ESOPs (and how to avoid it) ✅ How strike prices impact employee motivation and your bottom line ✅ What happens to ESOPs in down rounds, acquisitions, and exits ✅ The smartest way to allocate ESOPs so they retain top talent, not just attract it If you’re building for the long term, you can’t afford to get ESOPs wrong. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gFquGzWR Karthik B. Reddy, Ashish Fafadia, Sanjay Nath, Arpit Agarwal, Sajith Pai Rohit Kaul, Ria Shroff Desai, Mitul Mehta, Alok Mehta, Deepika Jain, Sarita Raichura, Gautham Sivaramakrishnan, Vikram Gawande, Elton Coelho 

Doing our bit towards building a deep tech ecosystem in India !! Very excited to partner with Sandeep Shah and Shah, Dharin as they build indigenous imaging technologies for the country. Congratulations and wish you the best for this journey ahead!! Delighted to join hands with Blume Ventures on this one. Looking forward to building together !! Mela Ventures Parthasarathy N.S. Arpit Agarwal Akhilesh Agarwal https://lnkd.in/g976wHKi

We’re in the second phase of venture capital… And it’s not about just writing cheques anymore. It’s about showing up—for the founders. In this quick chat with Karthik B. Reddy from Blume Ventures we unpacked something important: While Coldplay concerts and Dalai Lama retreats sound fun— they’re not the solution. Mental wellness isn’t a dopamine hit. It’s the quiet trust you build before and after the big moments. It’s about giving founders a safe space— not just a good time. This perspective shifted something in me. Curious to know— do you think today’s investors are truly showing up for their founders? Drop your thoughts below. ___________ More on our podcast, live on Youtube 🎙. Link to Episode: https://lnkd.in/g_t-TD-7 Carnaama with Chetan Bhatia - An Honest Podcast by Honest Create VC+Founder Podcast to bring perspectives from both sides while giving a slice of their personal lives🤙

Welcome Blume Ventures, Mela Ventures, VC Grid to this exciting phase of the journey. Thank you for your conviction. Thanks to our early backers GVFL, Rajiv Dadlani, Equanimity Investments and Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC who supported all the while. Shah, Dharin Vansh Oberoi Mihir Joshi Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma Rajesh Sehgal, CFA

We are excited to announce Bipin Preet Singh Founder and CEO of MobiKwik will be having a Fireside chat at the Conquest ‘25 Launch Event powered by Visit Health. MobiKwik is a leading Indian fintech company offering digital wallet, UPI, and Buy Now Pay Later services. It aims to simplify financial transactions for millions of users across India. The fireside chat will be moderated by Udayan Pandey of Blume Ventures. Register now from the link in the comments to network with top investors and founders. #MakeaMark #WeWorkLabs #ConquestForStartups WeWork India

We are excited to announce Bipin Preet Singh Founder and CEO of MobiKwik will be having a Fireside chat at the Conquest ‘25 Launch Event powered by Visit Health. MobiKwik is a leading Indian fintech company offering digital wallet, UPI, and Buy Now Pay Later services. It aims to simplify financial transactions for millions of users across India. The fireside chat will be moderated by Udayan Pandey of Blume Ventures. Register now from the link in the comments to network with top investors and founders. #MakeaMark #WeWorkLabs #ConquestForStartups WeWork India

Security reviews are important—but they don’t need to be painful! When Raghuveer Kancherla and I were building Recruiterbox, we spent years on the buyer side of the table. Long review cycles, fragmented documentation, manual NDAs—it was exhausting for everyone involved. Hence, I’m excited to share that Sprinto’s Trust Center—a secure, verified space for prospects to show your #Security posture is now available to everyone💥 With this update, you can: ✅ Share sensitive docs securely with built-in access controls ✅ Publish a real-time, pre-approved security profile ✅ Speed up every review cycle—without compromising compliance Trust doesn’t need to be hidden in a spreadsheet. Now it lives where it belongs: front and centre. Try it free: https://lnkd.in/gbHhr3Mz #GRC #TrustCentre #Cybersecurity #Announcement

Trust isn’t just a word. It is the foundation of every transaction, every decision, and every relationship in today’s digital-enabled world. That’s why we’re excited to welcome Malcolm Gomes as COO to help us accelerate and innovate across IDfy’s product suites, industry solutions, and global operations. With nearly two decades of experience, most recently as a Partner at McKinsey & Co., he has expertise in strategy, business building, service operations, and digital transformation. Malcolm is set to drive deeper client relationships and scale our impact, strengthening IDfy’s position as the industry leader for all things ‘Trust’. Welcome aboard, Malcolm! The future of trust just got stronger.

🚨 Portfolio Funding Update 🚨 We’re proud to share that our deeptech portfolio startup Optimized Electrotech Pvt Ltd has raised $6 million in a fresh round led by Blume Ventures & Mela Ventures with participation from Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC , 100Unicorns & VC Grid 🎯 Founded by Sandeep Shah, Anil Kumar Yekkala , Shah, Dharin, Kuldeep Saxena, and Purvi Shah, Optimized is building cutting-edge electro-optic surveillance systems for defence, aerospace, and critical infrastructure – proudly made in India. This funding marks a pivotal moment in India's journey toward self-reliance in strategic technologies. Here’s to innovation, impact, and nation-first tech! 💡🚀 Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma | Anuj Golecha | Anil G Jain | Gaurav Jain | Rishabh Golchha | Vansh Oberoi | Arisht Jain | Madhav Bhaskar | Anvit Baliga 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/d3nRKkRw #VcatsPortfolio #100Unicorns #OptimizedElectrotech #DeepTech #DefenceTech #StartupFunding #MakeInIndia #SurveillanceTech #NationFirst #InnovationDriven

🚀 Proud to share an exciting funding milestone from our portfolio! Optimized Electrotech Pvt Ltd, a deeptech surveillance startup backed by Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC and 100Unicorns, has raised $6 million in a fresh round by Blume Ventures, Mela Ventures & VC Grid Founded by Sandeep Shah, Anil Kumar Yekkala, Shah, Dharin, Kuldeep Saxena, and Purvi Shah, Optimized is building cutting-edge electro-optic imaging systems for defence, aerospace, and border security—driving India’s ambition for indigenous, world-class surveillance technology. From battlefield borders to vital infrastructure, Optimized is redefining what’s possible in the surveillance space. This investment strengthens our belief in India's deeptech potential and the critical role of homegrown innovation in national security. Kudos to the entire team at Optimized Electrotech for their relentless pursuit of excellence! 💡💪 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dUuKQjRw Onwards and Upwards! 🚀 #Deeptech #SurveillanceTech #DefenceInnovation #StartupIndia #MakeInIndia #OptimizedElectrotech #VentureCatalysts #100Unicorns #FundingUpdate #NationFirst #InnovationDriven #AatmanirbharBharat