Mumbai: ah! Ventures, a premier full-spectrum investment platform, launched its maiden angel fund today to empower start-ups with Glocal ambitions across India. The SEBI registered Category I AIF-VCF-Angel Fund with a target corpus of ₹100 crores (~USD 14 million), and a greenshoe option of up to ₹50 crores (~USD 6 million) will focus on early-stage, Pre-Series A start-ups with GLOCAL ambitions.
“Over the last few years, homegrown start-ups with a local focus and global approach have been the game-changers for the Indian economy. These companies have played a tremendous role in evolving India as the third-largest star-tup ecosystem in the world. But this is just a scratch on the surface. We are yet to witness the full potential of thousands of budding star-tups, especially if they get the requisite support and level playing field during the early stages. Our Angel Fund aims to do just that – substantially propel those next big ideas and help them take the leap,” said Amit Kumar, Partner, ah! Ventures Fund.
This new fund is sector agnostic and aims to invest INR 3-5 crores each, on average, in 30-35 Pre-Series A start-ups. “The pandemic combined with rapid scale digital transformation has redefined the market. The emerging sectors, riding the technology wave, offer a lot of promise for growth and expansion. While we are sector agnostic, our core focus will rest in healthcare, FinTech, education, B2B SaaS, enterprise tech, New AgeTech and D2C, amongst others,” said Harshad Lahoti, Partner, ah! Ventures Fund.
ah! Ventures have empowered several early-stage start-ups across more than 25 sectors in the past, boasting a total investment portfolio of over ₹285 crores (~USD 37 million), 14 exits, and 28 follow-on rounds. 2022 looks like another massive milestone for the platform, with 37 investments so far in the year. The company is already working with leading companies like Testbook, Inc42, NewsBytes, Bolo Live, Ketto, Expertrons, and Text Mercato amongst others.
With over 70000 entrepreneurs and over 6000 renowned seed/angel investors & venture capitalists from India and abroad, the ah! Ventures platform has catalysed the growth of promising businesses and investors alike.
While its stringent star-tup curation process has ensured better returns for investors, its strategic hand-holding approach has paved the way to success for start-ups.
“We are firm believers in creating value. Through the years of enabling and mentoring start-ups, we have had the privilege to understand the pulse of these daring entrepreneurs. There is no greater satisfaction than a start-up living up to its promise and spreading value. So, we have taken a value-focused and futuristic approach for this fund as well,” added Abhijeet Kumar, Partner, ah! Ventures Fund.
The first close is expected in the next 60 days as the Fund launches. The team’s target is to be fully invested by the third year with potential winners.
Driven by innovation and start-up focus, the ah! Ventures Angel Fund promises an excellent opportunity for bold start-ups ready to make a dent.
If you want to learn more about ah! Ventures Fund, visit https://ahventures.fund/ or write to amit@ahventures.fund.
