Venture Catalysts invests ₹500 crore in 63 deals this year, looks at bets in AI

BENGALURU : Startup incubator Venture Catalysts has invested ₹500 crore across 63 deals, including in 54 new startups, in 2019, the Mumbai-based firm said on Monday.

Its co-founder and president, Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, said over the phone that out of the 63 deals, Venture Catalysts backed 54 new startups and nine were follow-on rounds across multiple stages (Series A, B, C) in its portfolio companies.

“In 2019, we did a good number of deals in fintech, supply chain/logistics, deep-tech and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods). We experimented with a few new sectors as well,” he added.

He added that Venture Catalysts had achieved 30 successful exits in four years. The firm typically invests $250,000 to $1.5 million in early-stage startups and has a network of over 5,000 angels across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.