Renowned marketing strategist and Trident Group CMO Harshavardhan Chauhaan has announced the launch of the Young Entrepreneurs Fund (YEF)—a $10 million initiative dedicated to backing pre-revenue, early-stage startups that prioritize societal impact, sustainability, and national innovation.
What sets YEF apart? It's a personal mission, not a corporate venture. The fund is being financed from the global proceeds of Chauhaan’s upcoming book, #NCAYB (Nobody Cares About Your Brand), set to launch across 21 countries on March 31, 2025. The book aims to rebuild business education from the ground up, especially for underserved or overlooked founders.
Funding and Support
- Grant size: $10,000 to $250,000
- Stage: Pre-revenue, early-stage startups
- Focus: Founders building transformative solutions over traditional VC metrics
- Mentorship access: Brand strategists, growth marketers, and serial entrepreneurs
“We want to back ideas that shape consumer behavior from the subconscious up,” said Chauhaan, adding that YEF is about building neural networks of influence, not just products.
Strategic Focus Areas
YEF will invest in startups solving problems across four high-impact verticals:
1. Deep Tech
Startups building with AI, quantum computing, robotics, and other frontier technologies will receive capital to scale R&D-heavy projects with long gestation periods.
2. Clean Energy
YEF will support ventures working in renewable energy, green infrastructure, and carbon-neutral systems—aligned with India’s national sustainability goals.
3. Rural Innovation
Founders building agritech tools, rural fintech platforms, and digital literacy initiatives will be backed for their role in democratizing prosperity.
4. National IP & Indigenous Innovation
From traditional crafts to climate-resilient agriculture, YEF will help scale ideas that are locally rooted and globally scalable, fostering India-first IP creation.
A Reimagined Philosophy of Capital
Chauhaan’s launch of YEF goes beyond traditional fundraising—it represents a critique of startup funding norms and a call to shift capital to creators with conviction rather than just projections.
“This is for the builders, the bootstrappers, the believers,” Chauhaan said in his launch post.
“It’s about enabling those who are reshaping consumer trust, impact narratives, and cultural relevance.”
About the Book: #NCAYB
The Young Entrepreneurs Fund is deeply linked to the philosophy of #NCAYB (Nobody Cares About Your Brand)—a soon-to-release book that challenges corporate branding orthodoxy and promotes authentic, grassroots brand building.
“If brand strategy isn’t inclusive, empowering, and human-centric—it doesn’t matter,” Chauhaan noted.
A Global Lens, An Indian Core
While the fund is global in ambition, it strongly emphasizes Indian founders, rural markets, and national IP development—echoing India’s vision for a Viksit Bharat and inclusive entrepreneurship.
Startups or founders interested in applying to the fund can follow Chauhaan’s updates via his LinkedIn page or through the upcoming #NCAYB community.