Two months ago, I asked a simple question to my LinkedIn network:

What if Indian-origin investors around the world stopped chasing startup hype and instead backed real companies led by real founders – quietly and efficiently?

Today, that question turned into a post that became a movement. And that movement just deployed $1.2 billion in 25 minutes.

No public pitch decks. No VCs. No demo days. No endless fundraising cycles.

Just trust, track record, and a system that respects both the capital and the builder.

The Collective Is Not a Fund. It’s a Circle of Trust.

I’ve always believed that capital follows trust, not noise.

So when we opened the doors to a group I now refer to as the Indian Investor Collective, I didn’t need a term sheet. I needed a filter.

Every investor was vetted like they were applying to a sovereign wealth platform or a Reserve Bank. Every founder who applied was reviewed on real metrics – revenue, resilience, and readiness.

And once inside, they didn’t get a lecture. They got access.

The $250K Rule That Built a $125M Company

Let me share a story with you.

A founder, whom I deeply respect, placed $250,000 into the investor pool to test the system. His AI logistics tech company had $20M ARR but was ignored by traditional funds because he refused to dilute.

He raised $125 million from our circle. Not by shouting. By being who he is – real, trusted, and focused.

This is what happens when builders and believers share the same table.

Why This Works? Especially for Indians Worldwide

The Jewish community has long had a culture of economic cooperation across generations and borders. Americans institutionalized private equity. The Chinese built state-supported tech conglomerates. In Bengaluru, where I grew up I saw my Marwadi friends had a small, but very powerful circle.

Indians? We have talent everywhere. Make fortunes for our employers. But we rarely build together.

That changes now.

The Collective is for Indians globally who want to back real businesses – not pre-revenue ideas – and do it without middlemen, showboating, or dilution. It’s not free. It’s not public. And it’s not for tourists.

You show up, you invest, and you help fund the next wave of global Indian ventures – from freight to AI to cybersecurity to fintech.

The Five Rules I Live By (And So Does This Model)

1. Be your own first investor
2. Let capital follow trust, not trends
3. Treat the capital with the respect it deserves
4. Build silently, scale globally
5. If your business needs hype to survive, it’s not a business

So What’s Next?

We are opening the next funding window soon. Why? Because it works and more join in, the faster we grow and the bigger the deals in the future.

If you are an Indian founder or an investor with purpose, you already know what to do.

This model doesn’t need a name. But if it did, I’d call it Collective Capitalism.

Not the kind that gets written about in textbooks. The kind that changes lives – without headlines, until the job is done.

– Arun Pudur