VMPL
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 16: Auraska Ventures Pvt Ltd today announced its launch as a new-age alternate investments and strategic advisory platform designed to invest in, advise, and build businesses across India’s cultural economy—spanning media, entertainment, sports, gaming, fashion, content IP, and celebrity-driven consumer brands.
The platform brings together three integrated businesses:
- A strategic advisory practice with a leadership track record of over USD 3 billion in transactions.
- The Auraska Opportunities Fund, a planned ₹500 crore SEBI-registered Category II AIF.
- An active venture-building arm currently incubating businesses in celebrity digital rights protection, legal tech, and consumer IP-driven brands.
Auraska is led by Vishal Mahajan, Founder and CEO, who brings 27 years of experience in alternate investments and investment banking, closing over USD 2 billion in deals including pioneering M&A transactions and investments in the consumer sectors including ORRA Diamonds and Kisankonnect e-grocery. He has been a founding team member at YES Bank Investment Banking and EY across Mumbai and New York and focuses on new-age businesses.
The CBO of Auraska Ventures, Stuti Shetty, has a background in legal studies in England & Wales. Recognized as a dynamic young leader, Stuti has built strong expertise in client relationship management across sectors. She has successfully cultivated relationships with High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs) across the UAE, India, and the UK.
Auraska’s launch comes at a moment when India’s cultural and creative economy is receiving unprecedented policy attention, institutional interest, and global recognition.
- India’s media and entertainment sector reached ₹2.5 trillion in 2024 and is projected to cross ₹3 trillion by 2027.
- The online gaming sector is growing at 28% CAGR and is projected to reach ₹33,243 crore by FY28.
- Between 2 to 2.5 million digital creators now influence over ₹29.6 lakh crore in annual consumer spending.
- India’s esports sector has collectively raised $825 million, with over 200 active companies.
The Union Budget 2026–27 formally recognised the “Orange Economy” as a national growth priority, announcing AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges.
Meanwhile:
- India’s AIF industry has crossed ₹15.7 trillion in commitments, growing at nearly 30% CAGR over five years.
- Indian family offices have pushed alternative allocations past 40%, the highest in Asia-Pacific.
Yet there is virtually no dedicated institutional capital vehicle designed to back the sectors where India’s cultural influence is generating the most global traction.
The Auraska Platform: Three Businesses, One Conviction
Strategic Advisory
Auraska’s advisory platform operates across deal advisory, M&A, fundraising, and cross-border strategic partnerships in consumer, media, sports, gaming, real estate, healthcare, and IP businesses. The leadership team has collectively advised on over USD 3 billion in transactions.
Auraska Opportunities Fund
A planned ₹500 crore SEBI-registered Category II AIF investing in 10–15 companies from seed to Series B across consumer, media, sports, gaming, fashion, and IP businesses. The fund blends equity with select high-yield debt opportunities. Its LP base—HNIs, celebrities, sports personalities, family offices, and corporates—creates a model where investors also serve as cultural amplifiers for portfolio companies.
Venture Building
Auraska is actively incubating businesses in:
- Celebrity digital rights protection and monetisation in an AI content world.
- Legal tech solutions for the Indian legal services industry.
- Consumer IP-driven brands.
The celebrity digital rights venture is particularly timely. India’s IT Amendment Rules 2026 mandate 3-hour takedowns of AI-generated deepfake content, and landmark lawsuits by prominent Indian celebrities have established judicial precedent around personality rights in the AI age.