Rovia raises $1M pre-seed led by Antler India to unlock $1.5T in trapped equity comp
What's the deal? RoviaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Bengaluru-based wealth platform for equity-rich tech professionals, has raised $1M in pre-seed funding led by Antler IndiaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. CDM CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, AC VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Operators StudioDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and angels across the US and India co-invested.
The startup, founded in 2025 by Shivang Badaya and Arnav Grover, builds financial infrastructure that helps international employees at US-listed tech companies transfer, manage, and diversify their equity compensation across borders. It has already registered as an SEC-registered investment adviser in the US.
Why now? Nearly $1.5 trillion in employer stock is held by employees globally, and a growing share sits with Indian professionals at US tech companies. The AI boom is only accelerating equity-heavy compensation packages.
These workers routinely lose 6–7% of value on every liquidation event due to high FX costs, tax complexity across jurisdictions, limited access to US brokerage infrastructure, and concentrated exposure to a single employer. Rovia's platform tackles these pain points through a unified interface for transferring, diversifying, and reinvesting equity compensation.
"The RSU is the entry point, but the bigger opportunity is becoming the full wealth operating system for equity-rich professionals globally," said Badaya.
What could go wrong? Cross-border fintech is a regulatory minefield. Rovia must navigate compliance requirements in multiple jurisdictions simultaneously — a challenge that has tripped up larger, better-funded startups. The company also faces competition from established brokerages and wealth managers that could build similar features for international clients.
Both founders previously worked at Zolve, a cross-border neobank, giving them relevant experience — but scaling a regulated financial product across borders with $1M is ambitious.
The signal: Rovia's round highlights a growing investor thesis around the financial plumbing gap for globally mobile tech workers — a segment whose wealth is increasingly denominated in RSUs yet poorly served by existing cross-border infrastructure. The involvement of AC Ventures, a Southeast Asia-focused fund, alongside US and India-based backers hints at the geographic breadth of this underserved market, suggesting demand extends well beyond Indian professionals alone.
Read more: businessnewsthisweek.com
