New York's BAT VC Taps into India's 'Golden Era' of AI with USD 100 Mn Investment Plan The fund will focus on sectors like fintech and B2B SaaS, aiming to back early-stage companies with global potential.
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BAT VC, a New York-based early-stage venture capital firm, has announced plans to invest up to USD 100 million in Indian AI and deeptech startups through its second fund.
The fund will focus on sectors like fintech and B2B SaaS, aiming to back early-stage companies with global potential.
The India initiative will be led by three general partners—Manish Maheshwari, former India head of Twitter, along with Aditya Mishra and Ravi Metta. Maheshwari has relocated to Bengaluru to anchor the effort. "My move to Bengaluru underscores our conviction in India's potential to lead the next wave of AI-driven global growth," he said.
BAT VC believes India's AI sector is entering a "golden era," with the industry growing at 32% annually and expected to reach USD 23 billion by 2027. The enterprise SaaS market is also booming, currently valued at USD 8.7 billion and growing at 35% CAGR—twice the global average.
The firm highlighted the sharp rise in US-India cross-border AI investments, which surged 180% to USD 4.7 billion in 2023. BAT VC attributes this to the growing availability of talent, capital, and market access across both countries.
"We aim to back Indian founders building globally relevant AI products, supported by capital and perspective from both the US and India," said Aditya Mishra, Managing Director and General Partner at BAT VC.
BAT VC's portfolio includes companies like Wand AI, StockGro, Nickelytics, Accern, and Uptiq AI. The firm stated that it has received strong interest from institutional investors and family offices in both regions.
"Our technical depth enables us to identify high-impact AI startups early and guide them through global scale-up," added Ravi Metta, General Partner at BAT VC.
