Entrepreneur and investor Neeraj Tyagi, who co-founded We Founder Circle (WFC), Avinya Ventures, and Invstt, passed away on Saturday, August 16. He was aged around 50, Moneycontrol stated.
Tyagi was a prominent voice in India’s early-stage ecosystem. At WFC, he helped build one of the country’s most active angel networks, facilitating 100+ startup deals in the last three years.
He also co-founded Invstt, a marketplace for startups and investors, which has attracted over 27,000 investors across 66 countries and 900 cities, according to the firm. In 2024, he co-founded Avinya Ventures, extending his focus on institutionalising early-stage investing.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Tyagi served as the co-founder and CEO of We Founder Circle since 2020, investing in early-stage startups with cheque sizes between $250,000 and $1 million. At Avinya Ventures, launched in 2024, he focused on early-stage tech startups. He also led Invstt since 2020 as co-founder and CEO, creating a global syndicate platform for startup deals.
Beyond institutional platforms, Tyagi was a prolific angel investor. He had more than 60 personal investments, including early bets on BluSmart, Rooter, Zypp Electric, Oben Electric, Anveshan, ClearDekho, and HealthySure, according to media reports.
His LinkedIn profile further highlights investments in Garuda Aerospace, India’s largest drone-tech company; Hesa, a rural fintech and supply chain network; and streaming platform Rooter.gg. He had also backed Zypp Electric since 2018 and Oben Electric since 2021, underscoring his strong interest in EVs.
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Tributes poured in from the startup ecosystem. Pee Safe founder Vikas Bagaria wrote: “I woke up today to the heartbreaking news of the untimely passing of Neeraj Tyagi, the founder of We Founder Circle.”
Infynit founder Ritesh Jain said: “Deeply saddened by the sudden passing of dear friend Neeraj Tyagi, Founder of We Founder Circle. Hard to believe—we spoke just days ago, and I still remember him saying ‘life is too fragile.’
Before launching his own platforms, Tyagi was managing partner at Venture Catalysts, involved in fundraising for more than 200 companies. Earlier, he ran a content production business that worked with Microsoft, Google, Network18, and Whirlpool. He frequently spoke at startup events and academic institutions, and completed executive education at MIT Sloan
