JPIN launches funds worth $150 mn to promote startups in India, worldwide

The company's investment plans aim to connect start-ups and small businesses worldwide to encourage innovation.

JPIN, an investment bank for start-ups, has launched two strategic funds for promoting start-ups showing potential in emerging markets, helping them with finances scale up their businesses to global levels.

The company’s $130-million JPIN Global Fund in the United Kingdom and a $20-million JPIN India Fund in India will connect some of the world's most ambitious start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

With the $130 million Global Fund, JPIN aims to lead investment rounds by allocating its initial committed capital in start-ups from Pre-Series A onwards over a period of 3 years. The remaining capital will be set aside to be deployed in follow-on rounds. The fund will primarily focus on investing in the home market United Kingdom as well as emerging markets – Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Vietnam – which are in sync with the company’s objective of creating the modern silk route between emerging markets for start-ups and investors.

“Backed by operational intelligence, JPIN has a proven track record of fund-raising and investment activities in the emerging markets across the globe,” said Gaurav Singh, founder of JPIN. “This is visible in our choice of the businesses we pick to fund and mentor – innovative, ambitious, hardworking. Through the JPIN Global Fund, we aim to back potential unicorns and decacorns of tomorrow with international capital and help them scale globally, thus enabling them to achieve their true potential.”

The JPIN India Fund, in the name of Mastermind JPIN Capital Partners Fund, is a SEBI registered CAT I AIF raised in collaboration with Mastermind, a leading business advisory and investment banker. With a size of $13 million, it will be an industry-agnostic fund primarily focusing on the SMEs of India-.

The collaboration looks to bring together a solid network of investors to provide expert counsel and financial investment for the sector, which is currently lacking adequate access to finance and credit. JPIN's partnership with Mastermind will further accelerate India's SME growth by providing adequate and timely equity funding that will ultimately help SME businesses fuel growth and expansion.

In the past, JPIN has focused and invested in the early stages of growth (pre-series A) enabling start-ups to scale with its proprietary network and an end-to-end approach to start-up development. The JPIN India Fund will now enable the start-up investment bank to focus on more matured SME businesses seeking transformational growth capital.

Nayan Gala, founder of JPIN, said India is home to around 63 million SMEs that are the backbone of the socio-economic development of the country. With a target to contribute 50 per cent to India’s GDP by 2024-25, the sector is all geared to lead the next growth story.

“Our strategic fund will ensure that these SMEs have access to global capital whilst providing our investors an opportunity to invest in stable businesses that are creating a valuable impact and giving VC expected returns,” said Gala. “The launch of these funds is a step forward to the founders’ vision of scaling JPIN’s reach and building the superhighway for start-ups, enabling cross-border investments between the UK and India.”