New Silk Route

Co-founders Parag Saxena and Rajeev Gupta have historically led investment decisions out of the firm's Mumbai and New York offices. Saxena brought growth-equity and venture experience from Invesco and Vedanta; Gupta joined after a career at Carlyle Asia. After the departure of co-founder Vikram Gandhi in 2011, the remaining partners oversaw the firm's reduced active deployment.

The firm announced plans to raise a second fund targeting $350 million for India and Southeast Asia investments, but no final institutional close was widely reported. By 2019, public disclosures showed the firm managing legacy assets from its first vehicle but not actively pursuing new platform deals at scale.

New Silk Route was a significant backer of Coffee Day Enterprises, the parent of the Café Coffee Day chain in India. A 2013 public dispute occurred when the firm sought to enforce its rights against the company's promoters over a repayment default on a loan by KKR and other lenders, revealing the complexity of co-investing alongside operating families.

Public records suggest that New Silk Route has not raised a major subsequent institutional vehicle since its debut fund. The firm appears to manage a portfolio of legacy holdings, but no new fund close or large-scale deployment announcement has been reported in recent years.

New Silk Route historically pursued growth-equity, late-stage venture, and infrastructure investments, writing checks from $20 million up to $100 million. The firm favored minority positions in consumer, healthcare, and financial-services businesses with proven unit economics, occasionally participating in buyouts alongside sovereign wealth funds and Asian conglomerates.