Indian-origin billionaire entrepreneur Siddharth Shankar, who is currently based in London, has invested INR 4.2 crore ($500,000) in a seed-stage venture capital fund called Arya Ventures, according to PTI.
The newly launched banner is dedicated to backing fellow Indian-origin entrepreneurs’ seed-stage technology and artificial intelligence startups in the UK and the US.
Billionaire Siddharth Shankar invests in Indian diaspora founders
Just days ago, the India-born entrepreneur shared the news via his official LinkedIn profile.
“Excited to announce my investment of $500,000 in Arya Ventures!” he wrote online. Taking pride in his fellow Indian-origin professionals’ contributions, he went on, “This fund backs Indian diaspora founders in the UK and US who are building the next generation of tech companies.”
“The numbers speak for themselves. Indian immigrants founded 72 of 358 US unicorns since 2018, collectively worth $195 billion. Despite being just 2.1% of the US population, they’ve created 19% of American unicorns.”
Name-dropping Stealth Startup founder-CEO Mohit Aron (also created Nutanix and Cohesity), software delivery platform Harness CEO and co-founder Jyoti Bansal (AppDynamics) and Viven CEO and co-founder Ashutosh Garg (Bloomreach and Eightfold.ai), Shankar hailed them as the “next generation of Indian diaspora entrepreneurs” for having “built multiple billion-dollar companies.”
Anmol Goel, the Founding Partner of Arya Ventures, also earned praise in Shankar’s post, for having “built something special here, combining deep operational expertise with a clear thesis on backing exceptional diaspora talent.”
Who is Siddharth Shankar?
The London-based entrepreneur is the Chief Operations Officer at Komerz Ltd, which is a pioneering omni-channel distribution company connecting brands with global markets, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“I’ve dedicated my career to bridging the gap between brands and markets, innovations and investments, and ambition and achievement,” reads his bio on the professional website. “After successfully scaling Tails Trading Group to become the 14th largest brand portfolio company in the world in under 7 years, without any external funding and orchestrating a $500M+ exit, I’m now on a mission to revolutionize how consumer brands tap into global markets as the Global COO at Komerz.”
In the same breath, he writes about the “UK-India corridor,” which he believes is “particularly thrilling, merging two vibrant economies with complementary strengths. I firmly believe that business is fundamentally about connecting human potential to possibility. Every strategy, investment, and partnership I pursue is rooted in this essential truth.”
In addition to his role at Komerz, which has now spanned over a year long, Shankar served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Tails Trading Ltd in London Area for over 7 years. His LinkedIn account further attests to the fact that he founded and grew Kroisos Investment Company and stepped up as the CEO and co-founder of Connoisseur Branding Solutions Pvt Ltd, a branding and marketing agency.
Although he completed his B-Tech in Computer Science from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University in 2012, he went on to finish his MBA, Finance, General, from Strathclyde Business School in Glasglow, Scotland. The Tails Trading co-founder kicked off his first business while he was still pursuing B-Tech.
Shankar even earned a Certificate of Recognition and mention in the Avendus Wealth – Hurun India U35 List 2025, which recognises entrepreneurs Under 30, Under 35 and Under 40.
$500M business exit
Appearing on a podcast earlier this year, the Indian-origin professional opened up about selling his previous business for $500 million. Baring his heart in an episode of ‘Trending Diary podcast,’ Shankar particularly made a heavy-hearted confession about feeling conflicted over exiting the $500 million empire he built without any kinds of external funding.
According to his profile on the Global India, Shankar grew up in Mumbai, with family roots tracing back to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. “Everything I’ve done in my career has been somewhat rebellious, trying to break the mold I witnessed growing up,” the entrepreneur said, as per the outlet.
“I started Tails with a classmate from Strathclyde University after my MBA. We were partners initially, with him bringing the idea to help British brands reach Asian shores after Brexit,” he further shared with Global Indian. “I was first an investor and executive, but when he faced personal issues and had to return to China around 2019–2020, I bought him out and became the sole owner.”
Given that his family was filled with professionals working for the government, his parents envisioned him securing his future with a “good job, preferably a government job” as well.
Despite the pandemic being a distressing period of time for business, he remained committed to his goals. Buying out brands that were losing their grip in the market, he continued his professional expansion. Tails alone resulted in him managing a network of 285 brands, leading to the generation of $6.7 billion in annual turnover, as per Global India.
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