Venture Catalysts says it has funded 54 start-ups at over $50 mn valuation

Individual valuations of at least two dozen companies have crossed $100 million, says investment firm

Venture Catalysts Group, an investor for early-to-growth stage start-ups, has announced that about 54 of its portfolio companies have crossed $50 million valuation this year.

Individual valuations of at least two dozen companies have crossed $100 million, with Shiprocket, BharatPe and Vendantu attaining unicorn status in the last one year. Venture Catalysts said it houses 33 soonicorns and more than 100 minicorns, referring to firms that have the potential to be a unicorn and those with a valuation of $1 million or more.

“The valuations assume importance at a time when the fears around a possible funding winter continue to spook investors and startups not only in India but worldwide too. It talks volumes about the growth and up-rounds of the portfolio companies. Most of our portfolios have done extremely well in the last two years and we see at least 3-4 turning Unicorns next year,” said Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, cofounder of Venture Catalysts.

Sharma said that the company’s aim is to democratise entrepreneurship, enabling more investors to explore higher return asset classes to achieve profitable returns in a faster turnaround time.

Venture Catalysts, or Vcats ++, includes five funds ranging from early stage to sector focused. The company first launched its $150 million accelerator fund in 2020 and later four more: Venture Catalysts Angel Fund, a $200 million fintech focused fund called Beams, proptech fund Spyre, and a $200 million growth stage sector agnostic fund Elev8.

“Finding a good mentor is the 'secret sauce' to a start-up’s success, and 9Unicorns, and VCAT have been the guiding force for Assiduus Global. We received support and resources from 9Uniconrn to boost our growth. When properly equipped, we have been able to take Assiduus to establish our presence in our sector across the globe,” said Somdutta Singh, founder and chief executive officer of Assiduus Global.

The company said in a statement it has a combined portfolio of over 300 start-ups whose consolidated valuation is pegged at around $10 billion. Venture Catalysts said it has driven early-stage investments worth $100 million through its network.