VC firm Antler expands India portfolio with 30 startups in 2024

Global early-stage venture capital firm Antler has expanded its presence in India by investing in 30 startups during 2024, bringing its India portfolio to a total of 80 startups.

These investments were made through Antler's first $75 million India-focused fund and span multiple sectors, including artificial intelligence (AI), fintech, consumer tech, deeptech, health, and climate.

The startups were selected from over 25,000 founders who engaged with Antler’s platform this year.

Antler’s investments highlight its efforts to build India’s startup ecosystem and nurture early-stage startups.

"We're seeing exceptional founding teams emerge from India's talent pool, many of whom have deep expertise in AI and emerging technologies. What's particularly exciting is that these founders are not just building for India, but are leveraging India's talent to solve global problems," said Rajiv Srivatsa, Partner at Antler India. 

"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 have 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," Srivatsa added.

Diverse and promising portfolio 

Notable startups in the 2024 cohort include:  

1. Bizup: A wholesale marketplace for fashion retail.  
2. Cautio: Providers of AI-powered dashcam solutions.  
3. Freshcon: Simplifying home cooking with ready-to-cook staples.  
4. Meine Electric: Advancing renewable energy with aluminum-air fuel cell technology.  
5. Sustvest: A fintech-led solar energy platform.  
6. Namma Yatri: Revolutionizing driver-focused mobility platforms.  
7. TradeFace: Building hyperlocal marketplaces.  

Other innovative startups include Infer.so, which develops voice bots for insurance and lending, and Wonder, offering interactive audio solutions for children.

Aims to support 6,000 startups

Globally, Antler operates in 30 cities, including Bengaluru, Austin, London, and Tokyo. The firm has backed over 1,300 startups and aims to support more than 6,000 by 2030.

Rajiv Srivatsa and Nitin Sharma are general partners at Antler in India and co-founders of the Antler India Fund. Antler's next Residency cohort in India is scheduled to begin in February 2025.