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Tag: Venture Catalysts

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Venture Catalysts Leads a Pre-Seed Funding for Perceptyne, Revolutionizing Industrial Automation

May 2, 2024 by Sujata 0 Comments #Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, #Industrial Automation, #Raviteja, #Venture Catalysts

National, 1st May 2024: Venture Catalysts, India’s premier integrated incubator and a leader in early-stage investments, today announced that it has led a pre-seed funding round for Perceptyne. This investment round also included participation from notable figures in the deeptech hardware startup community, including Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain of Ather, and Pawan Chandana and Bharat Daka of Skyroot Aerospace. Other notable investors include T-Hub, Z21 Ventures, Naveen (Founder-My Ally), Satya (Founder-Bluecopa), and Aditya Damani (Founder-Credit Fair).

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Perceptyne, a deeptech AI & Robotics startup, emerges from stealth mode. Pioneering India’s first Industrial Humanoid Robots for revolutionizing factory floor automation. Their products are designed to perform tasks demanding human-like dexterity, such as product assembly, e-commerce packaging, and commercial kitchen operations—areas where traditional robots fall short. The company is innovating and building a vertically integrated full stack Robotics platform centered around AI.

Commenting on the funding, Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-founder, and Managing Director of Venture Catalysts++ stated, “Venture Catalysts is proud to lead the pre-seed funding round for Perceptyne, a company that exemplifies the innovative spirit we seek in our investments. Perceptyne’s groundbreaking approach to industrial automation with humanoid robots is set to transform the sector, and we are excited to support their journey. Our investment reflects our belief in their vision to automate tasks with precision and their potential to scale rapidly in the EMS and Automotive industries. The expertise of Perceptyne’s founding team, their technological advancements, and their strategic business model align with our commitment to fostering disruptive technologies. We look forward to seeing Perceptyne’s impact on the industry and are confident in their success as they redefine what’s possible in robotics and automation.”

Raviteja, Co-Founder & CEO from Perceptyne, expressing delight over receiving the funding, stated, “At Perceptyne, we are on a mission to redefine the automation landscape with our Innovative Industrial Humanoid Robots. This funding led by Venture Catalysts is a testament to the confidence in our vision and technology. Our Industrial Humanoid Robots are set to revolutionize industries that have long awaited such innovation. We are grateful for the support from industry stalwarts and our esteemed investors. It fuels our commitment to democratize automation. With this investment, we are poised to accelerate our product development and pilot deployments, particularly in the EMS and Automotive sectors.”

The automation market is vast, with a global automation market valued at USD 18 billion annually and growing at a CAGR of 12.3%*. In addition, the manufacturing sector in India is poised for rapid growth due to the China+1 strategy and aided by government push through schemes like PLI. Perceptyne is well positioned to meet the surging demand for automation both global and domestic. The founders of Perceptyne (Raviteja Chivukula, Jagga Raju Nadimpalli, Mrutyunjaya Nadiminti) bring with them vast experience in Deeptech Product development, Production, Marketing and Sales across various industries including Aerospace, Industrial Automation, Automotive and Electronics after graduating from prestigious colleges like IIT Madras and BITS Pilani.

Perceptyne’s industrial humanoid robot features dual arms with seven degrees of freedom each and five-fingered end effectors, complete with tactile sensing and force feedback. This innovation is set to transform the EMS and Automotive industries with key benefits being:

1. Reduction in automation implementation time by 90%.

2. Eliminating a need to pause production while implementing automation.

3. Minimal infrastructure and workflow restructuring needed during implementation.

Through this strategic investment, Venture Catalysts reaffirms its commitment to nurturing innovation and supporting the growth of trailblazing companies like Perceptyne, poised to redefine the landscape of industrial automation.

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In the ever-evolving landscape of startups, accelerator programs stand as the driving force propelling visionary ideas toward resounding triumph. These programs are not just a source of financial backing, but also serve as invaluable wellsprings of mentorship, connectivity to influential networks, and essential resources, all critical for startups to flourish and navigate the complexities of the industry. As we gaze into the horizon of 2024, this list spotlights four accelerators that have consistently left indelible marks on the journey of countless startups, providing a catalyst for growth and innovation. These accelerators not only offer funding but also serve as conduits to a wealth of knowledge, strategic guidance, and influential connections, making them key players in shaping the future success stories of the tech startup ecosystem. Below are the top 4 accelerators fueling tech-based startup success: India Accelerator India Accelerator, awarded the Best Accelerator of the country in 2021 by Startup India and first GAN partnered accelerator in India, provides a dynamic and highly supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Backed with a couple of SEBI AIF, IA has 200+ startups in our portfolio, 1800+ angel investors and mentors in its network. With 9 co-working hubs, our vision is to create an inclusive ecosystem that can connect all relevant stakeholders in the economy- Government, Academia, Industry and the Startups. Our thesis is to invest in high potential early-stage entrepreneurs and help them scale, thus contributing to the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. Y Combinator Y Combinator, often referred to as YC, is one of the most prestigious and influential startup accelerators globally. Known for its highly competitive application process, Since 2005, YC has invested in nearly 3,000 companies including Airbnb, DoorDash, Stripe, Instacart, Dropbox, and Coinbase. They offer funding, mentorship, and a robust network of alumni to help startups succeed. The combined valuation of YC companies is over $300B. YC has programs and resources that support founders throughout the life of their company 9Unicorns 9Unicorns is a prominent Indian startup accelerator and early-stage venture fund that plays a pivotal role in fostering the growth of early-stage startups. Known for its diverse focus across industries such as technology, healthcare, consumer services, and fintech, 9Unicorns provides not only crucial seed funding but also extensive mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts. The accelerator’s support goes beyond financial backing, aiming to assist startups in refining their business models, improving their products or services, and preparing for subsequent rounds of funding. With a commitment to nurturing innovation, 9Unicorns stands as a key player in the Indian startup ecosystem, offering a platform for startups to showcase their potential and accelerate their journey to success. Venture Catalysts: Venture Catalysts is a prominent seed-stage accelerator in India that has made significant contributions to the startup ecosystem. Recognized for its comprehensive support, Venture Catalysts not only provides funding to early-stage startups but also offers strategic mentorship and access to a vast network of successful entrepreneurs and industry experts. With a focus on driving innovation and growth, Venture Catalysts plays a crucial role in nurturing and shaping the success stories of startups across various industries. The accelerator’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and providing a robust ecosystem makes it a noteworthy player in India’s dynamic startup landscape.

Mar 1, 2024 by Sujata 0 Comments #9Unicorns, #accelerator programs, #Venture Catalysts, #Visionary ideas

In the ever-evolving landscape of startups, accelerator programs stand as the driving force propelling visionary ideas toward resounding triumph. These programs are not just a source of financial backing but also serve as invaluable wellsprings of mentorship, connectivity to influential networks, and essential resources, all critical for startups to flourish and navigate the complexities of the industry. As we gaze into the horizon of 2024, this list spotlights four accelerators that have consistently left indelible marks on the journey of countless startups, providing a catalyst for growth and innovation. These accelerators not only offer funding but also serve as conduits to a wealth of knowledge, strategic guidance, and influential connections, making them key players in shaping the future success stories of the tech startup ecosystem.

Below are the top 4 accelerators fueling tech-based startup success:

India Accelerator

India Accelerator, awarded the Best Accelerator of the country in 2021 by Startup India and the first GAN-partnered accelerator in India, provides a dynamic and highly supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Backed with a couple of SEBI AIF, IA has 200+ startups in our portfolio, and 1800+ angel investors and mentors in its network. With 9 co-working hubs, our vision is to create an inclusive ecosystem that can connect all relevant stakeholders in the economy- Government, Academia, Industry, and Startups. Our thesis is to invest in high-potential early-stage entrepreneurs and help them scale, thus contributing to the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.

Y Combinator

Y Combinator, often referred to as YC, is one of the most prestigious and influential startup accelerators globally. Known for its highly competitive application process, Since 2005, YC has invested in nearly 3,000 companies including Airbnb, DoorDash, Stripe, Instacart, Dropbox, and Coinbase. They offer funding, mentorship, and a robust network of alumni to help startups succeed. The combined valuation of YC companies is over $300B. YC has programs and resources that support founders throughout the life of their company

9Unicorns

9Unicorns is a prominent Indian startup accelerator and early-stage venture fund that plays a pivotal role in fostering the growth of early-stage startups. Known for its diverse focus across industries such as technology, healthcare, consumer services, and fintech, 9Unicorns provides not only crucial seed funding but also extensive mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts. The accelerator’s support goes beyond financial backing, aiming to assist startups in refining their business models, improving their products or services, and preparing for subsequent rounds of funding. With a commitment to nurturing innovation, 9Unicorns stands as a key player in the Indian startup ecosystem, offering a platform for startups to showcase their potential and accelerate their journey to success.

Venture Catalysts:

Venture Catalysts is a prominent seed-stage accelerator in India that has made significant contributions to the startup ecosystem. Recognized for its comprehensive support, Venture Catalysts not only provides funding to early-stage startups but also offers strategic mentorship and access to a vast network of successful entrepreneurs and industry experts. With a focus on driving innovation and growth, Venture Catalysts plays a crucial role in nurturing and shaping the success stories of startups across various industries. The accelerator’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and providing a robust ecosystem makes it a noteworthy player in India’s dynamic startup landscape.

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Reevoy raises $4m in seed round led by 9Unicorns and Venture Catalysts

Jan 26, 2022 by Gouri 0 Comments #9Unicorns, #Ankur Khetan, #Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, #Ishan Dadhich, #Mohit Agarwal, #Reevoy, #Venture Catalysts

B2B cross-border trade startup Reevoy has raised a total of $4m as seed money, led by 9Unicorns and VCAT. The round also saw participation from Better Capital, Earlsfield Capital Partners, Kunal Shah, Anupam Mittal, Ketan Patel and Hanumantha Kumar.

Started in Oct 2020, by IIT Delhi, IIM, ISB alumni Ankur Khetan, Ishan Dadhich and Mohit Agarwal, Reevoy is a platform – which helps importers source high-quality products from Indian exporters and provides working capital to finance the transactions. The funds will be invested in building its supply-chain technology and embedded finance capabilities. Dexter Capital was the advisor to Reevoy for this deal. Previously, in June 21, Reevoy had raised $1 million in a pre-seed round.

Global trade in the textile, home goods and lifestyle category is a trillion-dollar industry. Indian exports are benefiting from global supply chain realignment and domestic support through the ‘Make in India’ initiative. This space is already witnessing a double-digit year on year growth. However, importers continue to face a lot more uncertainties when buying from India, compared to the vertically integrated supply chains of China and South-East Asia.

Reevoy is enabling big global brands in fashion and home décor to buy from India at the click of a button. Reevoy’s integrated tech platform is a one-stop destination for importers to find the right exporters; streamline the production process – from design to final quality checks, and purchase the goods on credit.

Reevoy is on a mission to create tech-powered, quality-assured supply chains for fashion and home-décor between India and the world. Reevoy supercharges mid-sized audited Indian factories with tech, bringing them on the cloud with their production management software. Reevoy has built a strong on-ground team that manages and inspects production ensuring that anything leaving the warehouses of Reevoy-accredited exporters exceeds the expectations of global importers – thus turning ‘Made in India’ into a hallmark of quality.

Ankur Khetan, co-founder of Reevoy said, “In today’s world, where ordering a Rs 50 coffee on an app gives us hundreds of restaurants to choose from and shows us minute-by-minute visibility on the order progress – it is surprising that export orders worth millions are being managed the same way they were 50 years ago. Reevoy aims to turn this on its head, unlocking the India opportunity for global importers.”

Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, co-founder of 9Unicorns and VCATs said, “Reevoy is a first of its kind startup that is using technology to solve some real pain points for the Indian exporters with regards to supply chain and payments, helping them compete globally. With India’s share of global exports hitting record numbers and forecast to cross $400 bn in current fiscal, we expect massive opportunities for players like Reevoy.”

Anupam Mittal, CEO of People Group and founder of Shaadi.com said, “Reevoy is a matchmaker between Indian suppliers and global exporters. They are filling a gap that had so far made sourcing from India cumbersome, thus improving the performance and perception of ‘Made in India’. I wish this winning team all the best!”

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Incubate Hub to launch 9 Thematic Demand-Led accelerators with the strategic backing of Venture Catalysts and 9Unicorns

Jan 22, 2022 by Gouri 0 Comments #Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, #David Jakubovic, #Incubate Hub, #IncubateHub, #Rajiv Mukherjee, #Venture Catalysts

With open innovation becoming mainstream over the last few years, India’s IncubateHub has announced its ambitious plan to become a global player in Open Innovation this year. The company plans to launch nine thematic demand-led programs for the startups and corporates to co-create solutions and go-to-market strategies in partnership with India’s most prominent early-stage investor, Venture Catalysts, and leading accelerator fund 9Unicorns.

The platform has witnessed a 4x growth in the number of corporates, startups, and investors participating on its platform in 2021. Over one lakh corporate professionals, startups, and other ecosystem players used IncubateHub for various services, from using white-labelled portals for open innovation management to getting a group of dedicated analysts, community managers, and program managers to drive corporate accelerator programs.

Founded in 2016 by industry veterans and startup evangelists Rajiv Mukherjee, Uday Vipra, and Pradeep, IncubateHub is akin to US-based innovation platform Plug and Play Tech Centre. The Bangalore-based firm provides open innovation and corporate venturing management-as-a-Service for corporate professionals, investors, and ecosystem players. It connects large corporates with a curated community of deep tech startups to help them create a proof of concept, accelerate solution development, drive digital transformation and build capacity.

With just three corporate programs in 2016, Incubatehub has achieved to carry out over 480 open innovation programs with 76+ companies and conducted over 986+ paid pilot projects. In 2021, the platform onboarded 86 startup partners and helped them secure INR 280 million of paid pilot projects, among which six have progressed to be long-term vendor contracts.

Last year was phenomenal for IncubateHub as it achieved some key milestones, including launching Asia’s first Enterprise SaaS platform for managing open innovation programs, managing global corporate programs for some marquee logos like Mondelez, P&G, Telstra in Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, Egypt, Eastern Europe, LATAM, and North America.

Talking about its global plans, Rajiv Mukherjee, Co-founder, IncubateHub, said, “Open innovation is the future. As its name suggests, open innovation refers to a process where an organization does not solely rely on its internal knowledge, sources, and resources for innovation of products, services, business models, etc. It promotes innovation outside of the company to achieve new products, new verticals, or to innovate. We are helping the ecosystem stakeholders to work on ideas, test, pivot, and launch products and services that are globally scalable. We want to be the largest such platform in the world.” 

The corporate innovation market is estimated at a little over $200 million and is expected to reach ~$750M by 2023, growing at 27% CAGR. Incubatehub is well-positioned to capitalize on the immense potential in this sector, Mukherjee said.

He further added that open innovation is getting popular amongst corporates as they find it more profitable for multiple reasons including having access to the right talent, synergies between internal and external innovations, the potential employer branding opportunities, low costs of experimentation besides, increased competitive advantage and creation of new revenue streams

Talking about the benefits, David Jakubovic, Director R&D Open Innovation Asia at P&G, said, “While global P&G teams were already working with Incubatehub on digital innovation, we wanted to conduct a pilot program on sustainable packaging. The quick turnaround time & a highly responsive support team ensured success throughout the engagement.”

Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, cofounder of Venture Catalysts and Managing Director of 9Unicorns, said ‘’As a company we have seen a rise of CVCs especially in the Asian market which is a huge boost. Incubate Hub will further establish and strengthen the position of start-ups, accelerate product development, expand its footprint with existing customers, and scale its go-to-market organisation’’

IncubateHub launched four solutions for Corporates last year for specific needs of Corporate Innovation Teams to accelerate their Build/co-create, Rent/license, Buy/invest decisions.

Experimentation, Trendspotting and Building an innovation culture to Stay ahead of the curve

Offerings

  • Intrapreunership Program with Employees
  • Crowdsourcing Hackathon with Employees, Students & Early-Stage Startups
  • Corporate Accelerator Programs with Startups

Build Startup Partnerships for Transformation Projects, Joint GTM, Investment mandates

Offerings

  • Pilot solution showcase by Mature Startups
  • Corporate venturing program

Building Emerging Technology Talent Pipeline

Offerings

  • Hiring Hackathons with T-Schools
  • Hiring Hackathons with B- schools
  • Hiring Hackathons with Developers, Professionals & Designers

In 2022, Incubatehub is gearing up to become a Global player in Open Innovation. The company has planned to launch 9 Thematic Demand-Led Accelerators with the Strategic backing of VCats and 9Unicorns. The company will also launch specific solutions for the growing CVC market in Asia to assist corporates in funding startups that are strategic to the company’s 10-year plan

Left to right - Anil Jain, Gaurav Jain, Dr Apoorv Ranjan Sharma and Anuj Golecha
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Venture Catalysts Group closes 207 deals in 2021, invests 178 unique start-ups

Dec 20, 2021 by Gouri 0 Comments #Anil Jain, #Anuj Golecha, #Gaurav JainDr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, #start-ups, #Venture Catalysts, #Venture Catalysts Group

Venture Catalysts Group, India’s leading early-stage investment firm has doubled its growth by closing 207 consolidated deals in 2021. It invested in 178 unique startups during the year.

The Mumbai-based investment firm runs and operates –India’s first and most active early-stage investment platform Venture Catalysts, and 9Unicorns, a $100 million accelerator fund.

The sector-agnostic group co-invests with marquee VCs like Sequoia Surge, DSG Consumer Partners, Nexus Venture Partners, Lightspeed Ventures, Matrix Partners, and other early-stage and angel investors like Astarc Ventures, Earlsfield Capital, Anicut Capital, Titan Capital, Anupam Mittal, Ramakanth Sharma, Pankaj Chaddah, Sanjiv Bajaj, SOSV, Kunal Shah, Nikhil Kamath, Pravin Jadhav, Lalit Keshre and many other prominent figures. Some of its key active family offices include the Nanavati family, Manish Modi, Puzzolana Group, and Salarpuria group.

Venture Catalysts Group is known to have democratised start-up investing in the country with a focus on strengthening the ecosystem in the smaller Indian towns and cities. About 15% of the startups come from these towns. A few names include Silvassa-based peanut butter brand MyFitness, Panaji-based Numadic, Lucknow-based IGP.com and Keeros and Bhopal-based Agrigator amongst others.

Commenting on the milestone, Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-Founder and President, Venture Catalysts Group said, “The pandemic has created many gaps in service deliveries which are being addressed by startups. We envisage a huge blue-ocean opportunity in backing such businesses in its early stages of growth. Considering the stage of investing, the valuations help us realise lucrative exits, thereby contributing to our business growth by many folds.”

Founded by Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Anil Jain, Anuj Golecha and Gaurav Jain in 2016, the group has made it to the list of top 10 global most active accelerators and incubators, second time consecutively. It is has surpassed popular accelerators such as Techstars, Bpifrance,500Global, and SOSV and now only behind YCombinator.

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Some of the prominent investments for the year includes BluSmart, Dukaan, Klub, Melorra, Kala Gato, Mitron TV, Rage Coffee, Power Gummies, Coutloot, Prescinto, Resolve AI, Toch, Zingbus, RoundLabs, and Stage, amongst others. Among the sectors, DeepTech, B2B Saas, FinTech, InsureTech, F&B, HealthTech, and Media dominated the investments this year.

Some other unique investments include

Fintech – Basic, Numadic, Vital, Reevoy, Castler

SaaS – ANS Commerce, Nimblebox.ai

FemTech – Healofy, Fembuddy

Robotics/Deeptech – Ethereal, Cynlr Robotics, Botsync

Vernacular focused – Kahanibox, Sutradhar

Voice Tech – TinyChef, Callify

Defence Tech – Optimize Electrotech

Speaking on the sectoral vision, Dr. Sharma, added, “We will continue investing in sectors such as FinTech, EduTech, AgriTech, FMCG, e-commerce, logistics and supply chain management. DeepTech is another sector that we are bullish on since businesses will continue to be online in the post-pandemic would as well.”

With a strong and robust network of over 5,000 angel investors across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, Venture Catalysts has aggressively expanded its domestic and global footprint to over 70 Indian cities and nine countries, respectively. Venture Catalysts invested in 15 start-ups from Tier 2 cities, constituting 15 percent of the overall investment portfolio. 33 Founders and 28 women from Tier 2 cities received backing, as well.

Venture Catalysts witnessed 62 cumulative exits and liquidity events in 2021, unimpacted by the ongoing socio-economic crisis of the pandemic. The most successful exit for the year remains BharatPe with 80X returns as well as other significant exits such as Dukaan, ImpactGuru and Rooter. This also indicates the growth potential for late stage investment activity valuations.