Over the past decade, the Indian startup ecosystem has evolved and grown dramatically, launching some of the most innovative companies which are transforming technology and commerce not only in India, but globally. We are fortunate to have been the first to partner with some of these game-changing Indian companies as they evolved from the earliest concept stages to fast-growers and eventually market leaders. These names include BookMyShow, BlackBuck, BlueStone, CommonFloor (Quikr), Flipkart, FreshDesk, Mitra Biotech, Myntra, Portea, Power2SME, PropTiger, Swiggy, TaxiForSure (Ola), UrbanClap and more. What excites us most at Accel is the breadth of technology investment opportunities emerging in India, and the creativity, vision and determination of the entrepreneurs behind these ideas.
Recently, we closed our fifth India fund — $450 million of new capital dedicated exclusively to invest in seed and early stage startups across one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems in the world.
Recently, we closed our fifth India fund — $450 million of new capital dedicated exclusively to invest in seed and early stage startups across one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems in the world. The new fund will continue to help us partner with, invest in and nurture exciting companies founded by some of the most passionate and truly amazing entrepreneurs anywhere.
Accel has been committed to seed and early stage investing since its inception over 30 years ago, and has been investing from the earliest stages in India for over ten years. Being the first investor and a long-term trusted partner is important to us. More than 80% of our 100+ India investments started out as seed investments. We enjoy working with startups from the seed stage, and gladly help in the journey with our entrepreneurs as they mature and scale their businesses. These critical periods of development are where we believe we can have the most enduring impact and that is what keeps us motivated.
Being the first investor and a long-term trusted partner is important to us. More than 80% of our 100+ India investments started out as seed investments.
Along the way, we realized the need to build strong, proprietary capabilities to assist our companies in building their businesses from the earliest days. This realization has translated into a full-fledged portfolio services team which includes experts in human resources, product management, technology, design, marketing, and data science. The sharing of insights across Accel teams in the Bay Area, London, and Bangalore, as well as among Accel’s global companies has made us better prepared to help the entrepreneurs we back. These shared learnings and knowledge have been translated into applicable frameworks to guide our broader portfolio.
The sharing of insights across Accel teams in the Bay Area, London, and Bangalore, as well as among Accel’s global companies has made us better prepared to help the entrepreneurs we back.
Today we believe there are more favourable tailwinds in the Indian ecosystem than ever before. Business-friendly government policies are contributing to strong long-term fundamentals. Talented entrepreneurs who can build world-class products for India and global markets alike are rising to the challenge of starting new businesses. The rapid adoption of mobile technology by both consumers and businesses is a fundamental enabler. All these positive trends are helping entrepreneurs to identify large opportunities and scale faster.
With our latest fund, we are actively looking to invest in technology entrepreneurs across sectors such as consumer, enterprise/SaaS, financial technology, India B2B (business-to-business) and healthcare. We are excited to continue the work of supporting extraordinary Indian entrepreneurs, and are grateful to these entrepreneurs for letting us be their partners in their quests to build the next wave of category-defining businesses and a profoundly better and brighter future.
— Team Accel (Bangalore, India)
