# Smile Group

Smile Group is a Private Equity based in Gurgaon, India.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** Gurgaon, India
- **Region:** Asia
- **Address:** Gurgaon, India
- **Founded:** 1999
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** smile.co.in
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/smile-group

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Smile Group is a leading internet firm in Asia that invests, builds and partners with disruptive founders. It has been building and investing in tech companies in South Asia since 1999. The firm is stage agnostic, investing from seed to late stage across equity and tokens, and builds businesses focused on consumer internet, SAAS, gaming and web3. It also partners with high-growth tech companies on expansion in Asia.

## Sectors

- Media & Entertainment
- Enterprise Software
- FinTech
- Consumer Tech

## Offices

- Singapore

## People

- Manish Vij — Founder
- Harish Bahl — Founder

## Questions

### Who makes investment decisions at Smile Group?

Founders Manish Vij and Harish Bahl share decision-making authority on all capital allocations. Both have operational backgrounds in digital advertising and internet media from the early 2000s. There is no external investment committee.

### Does Smile Group raise external capital from limited partners?

No. Smile Group deploys the founders' proprietary capital, earned from earlier entrepreneurial exits in digital advertising. It has not publicly launched a conventional venture fund structure with institutional limited partners.

### How does Smile Group source new investments?

Sourcing relies on the founder network built over 25 years of Indian internet operations, plus alumni from incubated companies who often introduce promising founders. The firm's venture-lab model — building platforms alongside entrepreneurs — generates proprietary deal flow not accessible to traditional funds.

### Which sectors does Smile Group explicitly avoid?

Smile Group concentrates on consumer internet, digital media, and software. It has no public track record in deep-tech, hardware, or biotech. The founders' expertise shapes a deliberate avoidance of capital-intensive industrial sectors.

### What is the firm's geographic remit?

The primary market is India, with a secondary base in Singapore that supports expansion into Southeast Asian markets. Investments outside this corridor are rare and not part of the stated strategy.

## Related profiles

- [Smart Money Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/smart-money-ventures)
- [Sociedad para el Desarrollo Industrial de Aragón](https://altss.com/profile/sociedad-para-el-desarrollo-industrial-de-arag-n)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:08:11.274Z

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