Aims to extend its end-to-end start-up solutions to upcoming ventures in the region
New Delhi, June 20 July 2016:In another major development that underlines its commitment to nurture start-up growth in the country, Venture Catalysts, India’s first seed investment and innovation platform, has announced its entry into Delhi/NCR through a strategic tie-up with Edge Tech Ventures, a Delhi-based start-up innovation platform.The partnership will enable Venture Catalysts in extending its proprietary start-up enablement platform to upcoming ventures in the region.
Venture Catalysts’ latest expansion is being heralded as a game-changing development by entrepreneurs and investors from the region, as it will give the start-up landscape in the Delhi/NCR region a big boost. The Delhi foray follows close on the heels of VCats’ recent expansion into Surat, and underlines its mission tocreate ahigh-quality, end-to-end support and investment ecosystem across the country.
Speaking on the Delhi launch, Dr.ApoorvRanjan Sharma, Co-founder, Venture Catalysts, said, “The Delhi/NCR region is a hotbed for start-up activity and has emerged as the second largest hub for start-ups in India. Our decision to expand our operations into Delhi is a part of our long-term strategy to establish a comprehensive start-up support infrastructure across the country. While we will be looking forward to more such expansions in the near future, we will also like to invite other start-up enablers toparticipate in this revolution and establish India’s position as the start-up capital of the world. We are also aiming to mobilise investors and catalysts locally in order to facilitate greater opportunities for mentoring, funds and networking for start-ups.”
By enabling key aspects such as investment, business networking, co-working, mentoring and technological expertise for emerging start-ups across the country, Venture Catalysts will be aimingto boost the growth of Delhi/NCR-based ventures and assist them in achieving success.
VCats’ Delhi will be assisted by Mr.Sameer Rastogi, Mr. GaganGhai, Mr.AmarjeetPahwa and Mr.Yogesh Bansal.
Sameer Rastogi, Managing Partner, India Juris, a top tier full service International Law Firm dealing with many Fortune 500 companies. He has vast experience in assisting and advising start-ups, angel investors, PE Funds, VC Funds, foreign investors, Accelerators, Incubators, E-Cells, and academic institutions on various corporate, legal and regulatory aspects of Investment transactions, technology transfer and Intellectual Property.
GaganGhai, Partner,Crest Capital Advisors has got deep experience in business valuation &enhancement, strategic rethinking, and coaching companies for growth from startups to mid-corporate.
Amarjeet Pahwa, Partner, Crest Capital Advisors, has got deep expertise in risk management, business process improvement, and automation (ERP) for growing companies including startups and have rich experience from working with companies like ITC, NESTLE, Union Carbide etc.
Yogesh Bansal, a veteran in internet industry and a serial entrepreneur who has founded couple of successful start-ups.He is also an Angel Investor and tech evangelist.
Anuj Golecha, Co-founder, Venture Catalysts,added, “While the country’s start-up landscape holds a lot of potential, there is a need for a dedicated end-to-end solution provider that aids ventures in their growth, as can be demonstrated by the recent challenges faced by the hyperlocal segment. Through strategic partnerships with leading global and national players such as Cox and Kings, Axis bank and Plug and Play, we will be looking to enable key start-up solutions such as investment, mentoring, business networking, co-working facilities and technological solutions. The end-goal is to support the Central Government’s Startup India Action Plan and create jobs and wealth for the country.”
Sameer Rastogi, Chief Advisor,Venture Catalysts Delhi,added, “The idea is not just about providing financial backing to the start-up space but also to nurture promising ventures and equip them with the tools required to expand on not just a national, but also on agloballevel. Venture Catalysts has already established its proposition as the fastest growing seed investment and innovation platform in the country.As such, its entry in Delhi/NCR will only serve to unlock greater growth possibilities for start-ups in the capital.”
Having enabled over nine investments worth more than $1.5 million in six months of its operations, VCatsis now looking to take forward its impressive performance by expanding into more geographies and create a country-wide nexus of start-ups, investors, enablers and growth facilitators.The platform will also be aiming to mobilise local HNIs and investors onto a national platform and seeksto enable financial and business-related assistance into at least 30 start-ups within the first year of its operations.
About Venture Catalysts (@vcatsIndia)
Venture Catalysts invests $100K – $250K in very early stage startups that has potential to create enduring value for over a long period of time. In less than 6months’ time, Venture Catalysts successfully added 9 companies to its kitty and is looking to add more innovative ventures to its portfolio in the coming months.
Even though we are open to all sectors, we prefer companies in IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Ad Tech, Virtual Reality, Education, E Commerce and Retail. The start-ups that we fund get most benefited from our mentoring, investor & industry network.