Emphasis Ventures
Pre-Seed–Series A · 8 people tracked
Investment thesis
EMVC partners with early-stage founders building the global fintech landscape. The firm focuses on fintech infrastructure, identity and risk platforms, banking-as-a-service, and AI-driven decisioning solutions. The investment thesis emphasizes backing companies that provide foundational financial services technology to underserved markets, particularly in emerging regions like India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 20, 2026.
Team · 8 people
from the firm's websiteAn entrepreneur and investor with over 20 years in India, Melissa founded Emphasis Ventures to invest in digital infrastructure, commerce, and AI-enabled financial systems. Previously, she led Asia investments for Fortune 500 companies and startups, served as Vice President at Zomato, and held senior roles at Albright Stonebridge Group and the US-India Business Council, with deep expertise in digital banking, payments, and insurtech.
An investment professional specializing in early-stage fintech in India. Ashwini was a founding member of the Digital Group at ICICI Securities, where he evaluated fintech startups and led the development of ICICI's first fintech incubator, and previously worked in private wealth management and investment banking.
A regtech and legal expert specializing in regulated industries who serves as Chief Legal Officer of Unit. Previously, he was Managing Director and General Counsel at Fenway Summer, a U.S. fintech fund, and worked as an attorney for financial institutions and in senior technology startup roles.
Founding CEO and Managing Director of the National Payments Corporation of India, responsible for building the world's first and largest biometric-enabled real-time national payments platform including UPI, RuPay, and BHIM. Previously held the position of Chief General Manager of Payment & Settlement Systems at the Reserve Bank of India.
CEO of SWIFT India overseeing national and cross-border banking payments. He previously led Western Union's expansion in South Asia as CEO and Regional Head, and has been instrumental in digital finance evolution in India for over 20 years, receiving national recognition for driving financial inclusion.
A global leader in insurtech distribution and product innovation who served as global head of microinsurance at AIG and founding executive of Blue Marble Microinsurance, a consortium of major insurers. He led AIG's market entry in India and holds credentials from the London School of Economics and the Insurance Institute of India.
An early specialist in digital currency, blockchain, AI, and distributed ledger technologies who is a partner at Outlier Ventures. She previously led venture investments for CME Group and is an early investor in prominent blockchain companies, bringing international expertise to work with founders in South Asia and other markets.
An active investor in India and co-founder of Aspada, an early-stage impact venture capital fund in Bangalore focused on financial services, agricultural supply chains, logistics, healthcare, and education. Aspada was acquired by LGT Group in 2019 and became part of Lightrock, their global sustainable fund.
What they invest in
from 3 of 19 portfolio companiesFintech ×3AI & Machine Learning ×1Cybersecurity ×1InsurTech ×1
HQs:India×2
Investments · 19 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBimaplan offers life and health insurance products tailored for low-income households in India, delivered through a mobile-first platform. The company targets financially vulnerable populations in the region who previously lacked affordable access to such coverage.
FintechInsurTechBengaluru, IN
Vikul Goyal(Founder)in
Bureau provides payment fraud prevention and account takeover detection technology for financial institutions and digital platforms. The company offers age verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance solutions to reduce manual review costs and accelerate onboarding.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityFintech
Khatabook provides a mobile app that allows business owners to digitally record customer credit and debit transactions, replacing paper ledgers; the platform also offers access to lending services and is designed for small businesses managing customer accounts.
FintechBengaluru, IN
Ravish Naresh(Founder/CEO)in
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Emphasis Ventures invest at?
- Emphasis Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does Emphasis Ventures focus on?
- Emphasis Ventures focuses on Fintech.
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