Global early-stage venture capital firm Antler has expanded its presence in India. It is investing in 30 startups this year and with this the total number of companies in its Indian portfolio reaches 80. The investments come through Antler’s inaugural India fund equipped with a total value of $75 million. The startups cover a wide range of sectors including AI, consumer technology, fintech, deeptech, health and climate solutions. The startups were selected from more than 25,000 founders who interacted with its platform in 2024.

Rajiv Srivatsa, Partner at Antler India, expressed his excitement over the potential of India’s talent pool. He said that many new founders have deep expertise in AI and emerging technologies. They are solving local problems and also addressing global challenges. The chosen startups received investment through Antler’s Residency programme. It helps the founders to validate their ideas and build strong teams.

Some of the noteworthy startups included in the 2024 investment round are online retail fashion wholesale marketplace and AI-powered dashcam solutions company Cautio. Freshcon is another startup that simplifies home cooking with ready-to-cook meal staples while Meine Electric is working on renewable energy with its aluminium-air fuel cell technology.

The investments of Antler reflect a belief in the future of India’s startup ecosystem. The firm plans to further expand its reach and the next Residency cohort is to begin in February 2025. Antler currently operates in more than 30 cities globally such as Bengaluru, Austin, London and Tokyo. It has already backed more than 1,300 startups and aims to support over 6,000 by 2030. The growing pace of investments in India shows commitment of Antler to help Indian startups grow as well as thrive on the global stage.