This paper models investment duration in the Indian venture capital (VC) market, by industry and exit route. We examined 3416 investment and exit transactions in India during the period 2000–2017 and found that the probability of staying invested for more than ten years was 70%. Exit probabilities were low in most sectors. Investment duration was not positively associated with the investment valuation; rather, it was impossible to exit from the majority of investments because of the illiquidity of the VC market. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.