Saka Ventures

Saka Ventures is a US-India cross-border seed-stage venture capital fund founded in 2022 and headquartered in Manhasset, New York, with additional operating presence in New York City, Bangalore, and New Delhi. The fund is led by Founder and Managing Partner Pankaj Jain, a 25-year veteran of technology, finance, entrepreneurship and blockchain who previously served as Partner at 500 Startups, where he led India investments and operations for more than four years. The firm focuses on fintech, data and analytics, SaaS, blockchain and Web3, and broader enterprise and consumer software, with a thesis that prioritises balanced founding teams capable of building, designing, and commercialising products for global markets. Saka deploys capital at the pre-seed and seed stages, writing checks across a concentrated US and India portfolio. Across 15 disclosed investments the firm has backed companies including BotGauge, Gloroots, Unifize, Nymble, Sketchnote, Obvious Technologies, ListenOwl, Arusto, and Astrophel — a portfolio that reflects the fund's commitment to backing product-led startups addressing real enterprise and consumer needs. Deal pace has accelerated in recent years, with approximately 3 investments in 2025 and activity continuing into 2026. Saka's model is deliberately lean — fewer than 10 team members — giving Pankaj Jain close working relationships with every portfolio founder. The firm draws on deep cross-border networks in both the US and Indian startup ecosystems to help founders access customers, talent, and follow-on capital on both sides of the Pacific. The investment philosophy rewards founders who build in disciplines spanning product, design, and go-to-market simultaneously, rather than relying on any single strength.