First Cheque

First Cheque is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Bengaluru, India, that provides pre-seed and seed-stage funding to concept-stage startups challenging conventional business models. Operating as an investment entity under the broader venture capital fund India Quotient, the firm deploys up to $500,000 in equity funding per portfolio company and currently plans to back 20 new founders over an 18-month period. The firm primarily targets direct-to-consumer brands and SaaS platforms, having systematically built a diverse portfolio of more than 130 startup investments. First Cheque has backed several notable portfolio companies including Giva Jewellery, Rocketlane, DrinkPrime, Fleetx, Rigi, and Simplismart, recently achieving a 75X return on its partial exit from Giva Jewellery in September 2024. The organization was founded in 2018 as a dedicated early-stage investment vehicle by India Quotient partner Gagan Goyal and mentor Kanika Agarrwal.