Steptrade Capital raises Rs.100-Cr for Chanakya Opportunities Fund II

Ahmedabad-based Steptrade Capital has raised over INR 100-Cr for its Chanakya Opportunities Fund II, a Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF). The fundraising saw participation from ultra-high net worth individuals, family offices, and others.The fund, which maintains a target corpus of INR 500 crore, is managed by Kresha Gupta and Akshay Dawra. It intends to invest in pre-IPO and growth-stage companies. The firm will deploy the capital across three primary themes: advanced manufacturing including semiconductors, electronics, defence, and speciality chemicals; energy transition and infrastructure covering electric vehicles, battery storage, power transmission, and data centres; and emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, digital healthcare, and bio-manufacturing.This vehicle follows the firm’s first fund, which concentrated on investments in companies preparing to list on SME exchanges.