Private equity and venture capital investment firm Antler is to open in Bangalore.
The operation will be led by Rajiv Srivatsa, the co-founder of Urban Ladder, who has joined Antler as a partner.
The Singapore-headquartered firm has a presence in 11 locations around the world and has reportedly invested in over 160 technology companies.
Antler plans to invest in up to 40 companies within its first year of operations in the country through an India-dedicated fund.
The firm said it also has plans to expand to other major cities in India in the next three to five years.
Lower the barriers
Magnus Grimeland, founder and chief executive of Antler, said: “We believe the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem has massive potential.
“The quantity of exceptional talent, the ambition level of founders and the proliferation of high-quality venture capital and angel investors provides an incredible opportunity to build successful early-stage companies from scratch.
“We want to lower the barriers for exceptional people to start a technology company, regardless of their background or geography.
“Over the next five years, India is expected to be the third largest market and grow into a $5trn (£4trn, €4.5trn) economy, fuelling a much higher growth for the digital economy.
“In addition, we want to provide India originating start-ups with Antler’s global platform to ensure start-ups from India can expand, scale, succeed and tap into expertise on a global level.”
Where China was a decade ago
Srivatsa added: “I am excited to launch Antler in India. Antler, with its stellar mix of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and operators, has built a tremendous technology-backed platform to launch global-ready companies, all in the span of just two years.
“Today, India is at the stage where China was a decade ago. In the coming years, we have the potential to take this ecosystem into the next orbit and build 100s of world-class start-ups at scale.
“We will launch an India fund and collaborate with the entire ecosystem including VCs, angels and work closely with corporate partners and functional specialists as mentors, to power the India opportunity ahead this decade,” Srivatsa continued.
