New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) Banking veteran Rahul Gupta and fund manager Siba Panda on Wednesday announced their first venture debt fund called ValuAble with a corpus of Rs 850 crore that will invest in tech-first and inclusive startups in India and globally.

The sector-agnostic fund ValuAble will offer responsible capital and aims to bridge gaps to banking for capable and ambitious founders. 

“With ValuAble, we don’t want to be just lenders; we want to be partners in the entrepreneurial journey of different startups. Our core philosophy is to be enablers for businesses, providing them with the necessary resources, mentorship, and tools to not only secure capital but also to foster sustainable growth,” said Gupta, Founder and Managing Partner at ValuAble.

Gupta was previously head of financial sponsors coverage at Axis Bank.

ValuAble is the first fund in India to be steered by a fund manager who is visually impaired.

“Our mission is to co-build with founders in their entrepreneurial journey, offering support beyond capital infusion,” said Panda, Founder and Managing Partner.

“We plan to achieve this by introducing bank credits much earlier than the norm, expanding market access for businesses, providing growth capital through strategic partnerships with VC funds and DFIs, helping companies bolster their environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, and instilling a strong culture right from the early days,” he explained.

ValuAble is committed to ensuring that the cost of funding remains highly competitive, offering an edge in the market while not compromising on returns for its investors.