Page 3 - Venture Capital

Auxano Capital eyes final close of two funds, 3-4 exits by year-end

VC firm Auxano Capital aims to close two funds worth ₹200 crore each by end-2025 and plans 3-4 startup exits, with investments nearing ₹200 crore across 34 startups

360 ONE Asset launches Rs 500 cr VC fund to tap early-stage startups

360 ONE Asset's Rs 500 crore VC fund will invest in seed and Series A startups across sectors including AI, fintech, spacetech, defence, and precision manufacturing

Stiff competition in PE/VC fund landscape as more players join in

In 2024, global funds accounted for 50-55 per cent of the total number of funds, from 40-50 per cent in 2016. At the same time domestic funds are also flexing their muscles

VC funding in India dips to $2.4 bn in Q1 2025 amid global concerns: Report

Venture Capital (VC) investment in India declined to USD 2.4 billion in January-March 2025 from USD 2.6 billion in the preceding quarter as investors remained wary amid the current geopolitical situation, according to a report by KPMG. Looking ahead, the report said that VC investment in India could remain "somewhat soft" in the second quarter of 2025 although the long-term outlook remains positive given the country's strong macros. "India saw VC investment drop slightly from USD 2.6 billion in Q4'24 to USD 2.4 billion in Q1'25," said KPMG Private Enterprise's Venture Pulse-- a quarterly report tracking investment trends globally across major regions around the world. It noted that capital markets also took a beating in India during the quarter amid concerns of overpricing. While markets recovered somewhat in the second half of Q1 2025, the general trajectory was lower than initially expected in Q4 2024. VC investors in the country remained highly focused on consumer offerings in t

India PE/VC investments dip 14% in Q1 amid cautious sentiment: Report

Number of deals down 20% Y-o-Y to 284 in this period

India can be global hub for IP-led innovation: Accel's Prashanth Prakash

Asserting that there is "limitless headroom for entrepreneurs", Prashanth Prakash, partner at Accel says the venture capital firm will use its recently announced USD 650 million fund over the next two-three years to back start-ups focused on AI and tech-led industrialisation. The company is eyeing 20-25 start-up investments this year as it mounts an aggressive push to tap into India's growing innovation landscape. "If you're a start-up entrepreneur, there's no better time to begin. The number of sectors that start-ups are impacting is also 10-fold...it is more multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral," Prakash told PTI in an interview. "There are a lot of opportunities for founders who have the capability to imagine and envision what products India and the world need. There is limitless headroom for entrepreneurs," he said. While US tariff impact remains uncertain, India does have a strong potential to position itself as a global hub for IP-led innovation and high-value manufacturing,

US VC firm Expert Dojo to invest $45 mn in Indian startups by FY28

US-based venture capital firm Expert Dojo on Friday announced plans to invest USD 45 million (about Rs 387 crore) in Indian startups over the next 3-4 years. Launching its USD 100 million global fund at the Expert Dojo Investors Conclave 2025 in Bengaluru, the firm earmarked USD 15 million to be invested in 20-25 Indian startups in FY26. "Expert Dojo will deploy the USD 15 million in the first year to fund 20 to 25 early-stage startups across sectors such as fintech, B2B, SaaS, and AI. While sector-agnostic, the fund will focus on startups with global scalability. Founders can expect investment cheques ranging from USD 50,000 to USD 1 million, alongside access to Expert Dojo's international mentorship and go-to-market network," the company said in a statement. Over the next 2 to 3 years, Expert Dojo plans to invest an additional USD 30 million in Indian startups, the statement said. The company has also opened its India office in Bengaluru, positioning it as a central hub for ...

Cornerstone Ventures to raise $200 million in its second fund by 2025 end

Through its second fund, the company aims to focus on companies operating in the domains including agentic AI, quantum tech, and Web3

India's VC funding surges 40% in early 2025, defying global slowdown

Deal volume also increased 11 per cent during the same period, underscoring growing investor confidence in the country's innovation-driven startup ecosystem

Smallcase raises $50 million in funding from Elev8 Venture, others

Model portfolios platform Smallcase on Friday said it has raised USD 50 million in a new funding round led by Elev8 Venture Partners. The funding round is a mix of primary issuance of shares by the company and also secondary, where existing investors have sold shares, as per a statement. Other investors who participated in the round include State Street Global Advisors, Niveshaay AIF, Faeringcapital and Arkam Ventures, it said. Newly raised money will be deployed for expanding investment product offerings across asset classes and strengthen relationships with retail investors and ecosystem partners, it said. The company launched in 2016 helps individuals take a diversified approach towards building long-term portfolios, and has witnessed transactions of over Rs 1.2 lakh crore. "The opportunity to help millions of Indians design better financial futures is one of huge responsibilities and we will continue to deliver on it," its co-founder and chief executive Vasanth Kamath ...

Sidbi VC to manage Rs 1,000 crore venture capital fund for space sector

SIDBI Venture Capital Limited has been selected as the fund manager for Rs 1,000 crore venture capital fund announced by the government to support private sector firms in the space technology domain. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) made the announcement in this regard on Friday. "M/s SIDBI Venture Capital Limited is selected as the Fund Manager / Investment Manager for the Rs 1,000 crore Venture Capital Fund for the Indian Space Sector," the IN-SPACe said in a statement. The fund will deploy the amount earmarked for it over a period of five years, with a planned deployment of Rs 150 crore in the 2025-26 financial year followed by Rs 250 crore each in the next three financial years and Rs 100 crore in 202930. "The indicative range of investment is proposed to be Rs 10 crore-Rs 60 crore, contingent upon the stage of the company, its growth trajectory and its potential impact on national space capabilities," the government said in an ...

Lighthouse Canton plans $150-$200 mn second VC fund, eyes India growth

This comes after closing its first VC equity fund at $50 million and an ongoing second close for its $75 million venture debt fund

Venture capital, private equity funds bet big on traditional sectors

Investments in the BFSI segment went up 3.5x in 2024 over the previous year, touching $ 1.1 billion through 42 deals in which 47 per cent were above $50 million.

VC firm Endiya says it ranks among India's top-performing seed investors

'For every $1 we invested, our portfolio companies raised over $50 in follow-on capital,' says top executive

Traditional VC model not enough for deep science: Social Alpha founder

Manoj Kumar, the founder of venture development platform Social Alpha, says that deep science is all about impact first, rather than return first, making it harder to find typical venture funding

India's venture capital funding rises 43% to $13.7 billion in 2024

India's Venture Capital (VC) ecosystem exhibited robust growth in 2024, with funding surging 43 per cent year-on-year to USD 13.7 billion, according to a report. This recovery was fuelled by a 45 per cent rise in deal activity, with 1,270 transactions recorded, reinforcing India's position as the second largest market for venture capital and growth funding in the Asia-Pacific region, the report by Bain & Company and IVCA said. "Small- and medium-ticket deals (< USD 50 million), which made up around 95 per cent of the deals, increased by 1.4x, whereas USD 50 million+ deals nearly doubled, rebounding to pre-pandemic levels as high-quality assets attracted deployments. Megadeals (USD 100 million+) also rebounded with 1.6x increase in volumes as investors backed high-quality companies that successfully weathered the two-year funding winter," it said. The report noted that the consumer technology, software and SaaS (including generative AI), and fintech sectors attracted over 60 per

India's venture capital funding jumps 70% in January, outpaces China

Notable VC funding deals announced in India during the first month of the year include fundraising by building materials platform Infra

OpenAI co-founder Sutskever's startup to raise funds at $30 bn valuation

Greenoaks Capital Partners, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm, is leading the deal for the startup, Safe Superintelligence, and plans to invest $500 million

PE/VC investments in India off to a strong start in 2025: EY IVCA report

The report highlights a favourable macroeconomic environment, strong fiscal health, and stable government policies as key drivers of India's PE/VC ecosystem

Senior partners Shailesh Lakhani, Abheek Anand exit venture firm Peak XV

Lakhani and Anand have been with the firm for 17 years and 12 years, respectively. Both partners have made significant investments for the firm over the years