Sequoia Capital, which quite undoubtedly is one of the biggest investors into India’s surging startup ecosystem, has made sure that it continues to cling on to that title. The Silicon Valley firm has now infused a fresh $210 Million into its previous $530 Million India-focused fund (via ET) to penetrate deeper into the Indian startup scene.
Sequoia has been a backer for some of the most notable startup successes in India. That includes the likes of JustDial, Zomato, MuSigma etc. Just yesterday, Sequoia-backed FreeCharge was bought in by Snapdeal, for a speculated $400 Million, giving the VC firm a substantial 3% share-holding into Snapdeal.
Sources have further told TOI that the $210 million top-up has been raised by the same set of limited partners or LPs, investors who provide capital to funds.
This fresh infusion has been made to Sequoia’s fourth India-focused fund, which it announced in early 2014. Including the current round, Sequoia now has capital worth over $2 Billion, stationed specifically for Indian startups. Sequoia has been one of the most prominent backers for Indian startups, with investments in over 100 companies since it initiated operations in 2006.
However, it isn’t just Sequoia which is ramping up its war-chest to take a pie from India’s highly competitive startup ecosystem. Numerous other prominent VC firms have either already announced or are in final stages of announcing fresh capital infusion into their India-focused funds.
SAIF partners just recently announced an additional infusion of $350 Million to its India focused fund, while Accel Partners announced a similar $350 Million round for the same cause. Other notable VC firms like Helion and Nexus ventures are in the final stages of announcing a $400 Million fund each. Kalaari Capital too is ready to deploy assets worth over $300 Million for its Indian fund.
