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We exist to remove early friction and help founders move faster from 0 to 1 — with clarity and intent.
AudTen brings conviction-led capital for the earliest stage, when things are still non-obvious.
Our Purpose
Why
AudTen
Exists
Early-stage startups rarely struggle because of lack of ambition. They struggle because of friction.
AudTen exists to remove that friction. We invest early, act with conviction, and help founders build momentum when it matters most.
How we work
Our partnership with founders is built around a simple idea: capital alone doesn't win early. How that capital shows up, does.
Our 3-Capital Approach
AudTen works through a structured 3-Capital approach designed to remove early friction and provide a product-like experience for founders at the 0→1 stage.
Conviction Capital
We lead with fast, conviction-driven capital - without committees, and we write meaningful first cheques — institution grade. This gives founders clarity early: fewer names on the cap-table, cleaner ownership, and an investor who is fully aligned from day one.
Intellectual Capital
We work closely with founders across their next two fundraises — helping sharpen positioning, structure narratives, prepare for investor conversations, and help build strong financial scaffolding early. On difficult, high-impact decisions, we act as a trusted advisor — bringing second-order thinking to hard decisions around growth, burn, and dilution.
Relationship Capital
We believe access should reduce friction, not create noise. AudTen provides founders access to a curated, pre-negotiated vendor stack across legal, finance, hiring, and infrastructure — saving time, cost, and founder bandwidth. We act as a reputation multiplier, making warm, context-rich introductions to operators and investors — not just cold-intros.
What Changes for Founders
Over the first 12–18 months, this approach helps founders move faster with less friction:
✓
A cleaner cap table from day one
✓
Sharper positioning for the next round
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Fewer wasted cycles on fundraising or operations
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Better decisions when the stakes are highest
What We Invest In
We back early-stage founders solving real problems with technical depth and market clarity.
01. Stage
Angel & Pre-Seed
0→1 stage investments with INR 50L-1.5Cr first cheques. Follow-on friendly.
02. Focus
AI & Fintech
AI-native B2B businesses and fintech workflows with clear vertical depth
03. Founders
Edge Over Polish
We value clarity of thinking over surface readiness
04. Geography
India to Global
Built from India, for global markets
Our investment process:
1
Share a deck
→
2
Initial shortlist if within thesis
→
3
30 min founder intro
→
4
Detailed pitch
→
5
Conviction-led decision
About the GP
AudTen is led by Sanjay G Kothari with deep experience working at the intersection of founders, investors, and capital formation. The fund reflects a personal way of working — high conviction, deeply involved, and long-term oriented.
Read more about the GP →