Entrepreneur and angel investor Neeraj Tyagi, co-founder of We Founder Circle (WFC), Avinya Ventures and Invstt, passed away on Saturday, August 16. He was around 50. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Tyagi was a familiar presence in India’s early-stage ecosystem. At WFC, launched in 2020, he helped build one of the country’s most active founder-led angel networks. Over the last three years, the platform facilitated more than 100 startup deals, with the wider WFC community backing 150+ startups including Pixxel, Clensta, Mugafi and ParkMate.
Beyond WFC, Tyagi co-founded Invstt, a marketplace connecting founders and investors, which says it has onboarded more than 27,000 investors across 66 countries and 900 cities. In 2024, he expanded his focus on institutionalising early-stage investing by co-founding Avinya Ventures.
A prolific angel, Tyagi made more than 60 personal investments, with a marked tilt toward electric mobility and emerging tech. His portfolio included BluSmart, Rooter, Zypp Electric (backed since 2018), Oben Electric (since 2021), Garuda Aerospace and Hesa.
Startup community mourns the demise of Neeraj Tyagi,
Industry peers paid tribute through the weekend. “I woke up today to the heartbreaking news of the untimely passing of Neeraj Tyagi, the founder of We Founder Circle,” wrote Pee Safe founder Vikas Bagaria. Infynit founder Ritesh Jain remembered a recent conversation with Tyagi, recalling him saying, “life is too fragile.”
Pepul founder and CEO Sureshkumar Gunasekaran also mourned the loss, recalling their shared vision for strengthening India’s startup ecosystem. “Miss you Neeraj Tyagi… I still remember the time we spent together, the love and respect we mutually had and the vision to make this startup ecosystem a better place,” he wrote, adding that Tyagi’s contributions “are huge and you will always be remembered.”
WFC has remained active in 2023–25 despite a tighter funding climate. Its GIFT City fund raised $10 million in 2023 and onboarded 250+ investors to back early-stage companies. In the first half of 2025, WFC figured among India’s most active early-stage investors, closing 41 deals including Hedged, Pickkup, Growit, Machaxi, Awnest and Tarzanway; earlier this year it also led a seed round in dinnerware brand BlackCarrot.
Moneycontrol first reported Tyagi’s passing on August 17 and noted his role over nearly a decade mentoring founders and building early-stage deal flow in India. The report also reiterated that the cause of death had not been disclosed at the time of publication.
In addition to his recent ventures, Tyagi previously served as a managing partner at Venture Catalysts, contributing to fundraising efforts for 200+ companies, and earlier ran a content production business with clients including Microsoft, Google, Network18 and Whirlpool. He was a frequent speaker at startup events and completed executive education at MIT Sloan.
His death comes amid a series of untimely losses in the startup community over the past year, including founders Amit Banerji (Table Space) and Vikas Kumar (LoanTap), a context that has unsettled many in the ecosystem.
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