CII Venture Capital Summit 2025 – Why True Inclusion Begins With No Exclusions

At a time when venture capital in India is being redefined by scale, structure, and societal expectation, the CII Venture Capital Summit 2025 arrived at an important inflection point. Held in Gurugram under the theme “Evolving Role of Venture Capital | From Capital to Catalyst,” the summit convened leading investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to explore how the next decade of venture will be shaped. Turns out inclusion, intent, and impact will matter as much as capital itself.

Among the key voices on stage was Rohit Bhayana, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Oister Global, who joined the panel on “Inclusive Lens Investing – Expanding Opportunities for Founders.” His message was simple but powerful:

“It doesn’t matter what your gender, geography, or pedigree is or how polished you seem. Capital isn’t sentimental; once the fundamentals are strong, those biases collapse. The best way to practice inclusive investing is to be bias-neutral. If you’ve built a strong business, you deserve capital, no matter who you are or where you come from.”

Inclusion Through Bias-Neutrality

Rohit’s words captured a subtle but critical shift in how Indian venture capital is evolving. The conversation around inclusion, once centered on representation and access, is giving way to a deeper understanding: true inclusion is not about working with inclusions, but about removing exclusions.

Bias-neutral investing reframes the question. It doesn’t ask who needs to be included; it asks why anyone should be excluded if merit is evident. For a venture ecosystem as large and diverse as India’s, this distinction matters. Capital, after all, is most efficient when it flows where fundamentals are strongest, not where filters are softest.

As India’s entrepreneurial map expands from metros to Tier II and III cities, and from consumer tech to deeptech and climate innovation, this bias-neutral philosophy may well define the next decade of venture allocation. It shifts focus from founder identity to business viability, from background to build quality, from narrative to numbers.

From Capital to Catalyst

The theme of the summit, ‘From Capital to Catalyst,’ reflects a maturing venture ecosystem. Indian investors are no longer just deploying funds; they are building systems of stewardship. Across panels, one sentiment resonated strongly: venture capital in India has evolved from funding entrepreneurs to partnering with them for long-term scale.

This evolution is visible across every stage of capital formation.

1. Seed investors now play the role of early validators, helping founders formalize governance and metrics from day one.
2. Growth-stage funds are offering global networks, talent access, and strategic alignment.
3. Institutional LPs, both domestic and global, are seeking partners who think beyond financial returns to ecosystem resilience.

Bias-neutral investing fits squarely within this transition. By prioritizing business merit over identity markers, investors can widen the founder funnel, deepen portfolio diversity, and ultimately deliver stronger, more sustainable outcomes.

A New Definition of Inclusivity

For India, inclusivity in venture capital has a unique texture. The country’s entrepreneurial energy is widely distributed across cities, languages, and lived experiences. Many of today’s breakout founders come not from the established tech corridors of Bengaluru or Gurgaon but from emerging innovation hubs like Jaipur, Indore, and Coimbatore.

These founders are leveraging India’s digital public infrastructure, including UPI, Aadhaar, ONDC, and low-cost data, to compete on equal footing with anyone, anywhere. They already have the potential and talent to compete. They don’t need bias in their favor; they need the absence of bias in their way.

This is what bias-neutral investing enables. It levels the field without distorting it. It allows ideas, not origins or identities, to determine access to capital.

The Culture Behind the Capital

Oister Global’s own experience reflects this philosophy in practice. The firm’s teams, across research, HR, legal, investment, and brand, are built on meritocratic foundations. Many of its most visible functions, from analytics to communications, are led by women. But this is not as part of a diversity program, instead this is a natural outcome of removing friction and favor from hiring.

This organic inclusivity reinforces Rohit’s point on stage: when bias is stripped away, talent flows where it must. The result is not just a fairer organization but a stronger one, more reflective of the market it serves and more capable of navigating its complexity.

The Venture Capital Outlook: Inclusion as Efficiency

The Indian venture ecosystem is entering a new cycle, one defined by institutional maturity, wider access, and higher accountability. In this phase, inclusion should not be posed as a social agenda, because it is increasingly an economic one. A more diverse founder base means more experimentation, more innovation, and more resilience across sectors. All of which means more returns for founders, investors, and the entire ecosystem.

As global investors allocate record sums to India’s private markets, the need for bias-neutral investing becomes even clearer. More than good ethics, it is good economics. When investors focus on fundamentals rather than filters, capital allocation becomes more efficient, valuations more rational, and ecosystems more balanced.

Looking Ahead

The CII Venture Capital Summit 2025 underscored a key reality: venture capital’s role is no longer confined to financial intermediation. It is about enabling ecosystems that reflect the complexity and opportunity of modern India.

By embracing bias-neutrality, investors can expand inclusion without diluting discipline, ensuring that opportunity is defined by ability, not appearance.

As Rohit Bhayana summed up on stage, “Capital isn’t sentimental.” It is the ultimate meritocracy. And perhaps that’s the most inclusive system of all.

Research Analyst

Simran Mehla

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was the focus of the CII Venture Capital Summit 2025?

A: The CII Venture Capital Summit 2025, held in Gurugram under the theme “Evolving Role of Venture Capital | From Capital to Catalyst,” explored how India’s venture capital ecosystem is shifting from funding startups to catalyzing sustainable, inclusive growth.

Q: What does “From Capital to Catalyst” mean in the context of Indian venture capital?

A: “From Capital to Catalyst” reflects how Indian venture investors are moving beyond capital deployment to active ecosystem building. Investors today are focused on governance, mentorship, global expansion, and long-term value creation, helping founders institutionalize their businesses, not just fund them.

Q: What is bias-neutral investing?

A: Bias-neutral investing is an approach that eliminates bias from investment decisions, whether based on gender, geography, pedigree, or background. It doesn’t seek to favor specific groups but ensures no one is excluded when business fundamentals are strong. In India’s diverse venture landscape, this means capital flows to the best ideas.

Q: How is inclusion in venture capital evolving in India?

A: Inclusion in Indian venture capital is shifting from identity-based representation to merit-based opportunity. With founders emerging from cities like Indore, Jaipur, and Coimbatore, investors are recognizing that inclusivity comes from removing barriers, not adding filters. Bias-neutral investing supports this evolution by prioritizing fundamentals over founder profiles.

Q: Why is inclusion becoming an economic imperative in Indian venture capital?

A: A more diverse founder base drives broader innovation, resilience, and long-term returns. Inclusion is no longer a social agenda but an economic one, essential for building balanced portfolios and healthy ecosystems.

Sources

Linkedin