Global early-stage VC firm Antler has significantly expanded its investment footprint in India, announcing investments in 30 startups in 2024, taking the total India portfolio to 80. These investments were made through Antler’s maiden India fund of $75 million.
The investments span sectors including AI, consumertech, fintech, deeptech, health and climate. The portfolio companies have been selected from over 25,000 founders who engaged with Antler's platform in 2024.
"We're seeing exceptional founding teams emerge from India's talent pool, many of whom have deep expertise in AI, and emerging technologies," said Rajiv Srivatsa, Partner at Antler India. "What's particularly exciting is that these founders are not just building for India, but are leveraging India's talent to solve global problems. Our investment pace reflects both the quality of the founders we're meeting and our conviction that the next wave of global technology companies will emerge from India. We've invested in 30 companies this year, many of which were born in our Residency program, where founders had the opportunity to validate their ideas, build strong teams, and get early customer traction before raising their first check.”
"Beyond capital, we're fundamentally reshaping how early-stage companies are built in India," added Nitin Sharma, Partner at Antler India. "We doubled our investment pace in 2024. Through our Residency program, we're actively involved in the company-building process from Day Zero - from team formation and idea validation to early customer development. So far, over 100 companies have been formed at Antler Residencies in India. We are investing with high selectivity (1 in 1000), so when we invest, we have a deep conviction in both the team and the opportunity because we've worked alongside them through these crucial early stages. This hands-on approach is reflected in the strong fundamentals we're seeing across our portfolio."
