Capital With A Purpose: 3one4 Launches $15 Million Fund To Back Founders Others Often Overlook

3one4 Capital has launched a $15 million fund with British International Investment to support under-represented founders, women entrepreneurs, and startups building solutions across sectors such as healthcare, climate, manufacturing, and deeptech.

Some of the biggest startup ideas don't always come from India's metro cities or well-funded founders. Many emerge from overlooked markets, solving problems that rarely attract mainstream venture capital. With its latest initiative, 3one4 Capital wants to change that narrative.

Bengaluru-based venture capital firm 3one4 Capital has partnered with British International Investment (BII) to launch the IIDEA Fund, a $15 million (around ₹141 crore) investment vehicle aimed at supporting under-represented founders and underserved sectors within India's startup ecosystem. The fund will primarily invest in startups working across energy transition, agriculture, healthcare, deeptech, and manufacturing, while placing a strong emphasis on women-led ventures, founders from Tier II and Tier III cities, and businesses addressing critical developmental gaps.

Unlike traditional venture funds that spread investments across dozens of companies, the IIDEA Fund plans to back 10 to 15 startups, beginning with initial cheques of around $500,000, while reserving additional capital for follow-on investments. Notably, BII has committed the entire corpus as the sole limited partner (LP), and 3one4 Capital has already begun deploying capital, with nearly five investments completed under the new fund.

The launch comes as 3one4 Capital also prepares to raise its fifth flagship fund, continuing its focus on early-stage technology startups across sectors such as AI, SaaS, fintech, enterprise software, and deeptech. Over the years, the firm has backed more than 100 startups and recorded 26 profitable exits, building a portfolio that includes companies like Licious, Jupiter, Darwinbox, Lumio, smallest.ai, and Eka.Care.

As India's startup ecosystem expands beyond metropolitan hubs, access to early-stage capital remains one of the biggest barriers for many founders. By directing capital toward overlooked entrepreneurs and high-impact sectors, the IIDEA Fund reflects a growing shift in venture investing, one where success is measured not only by financial returns, but also by the ability to unlock innovation from every corner of the country.