Singapore-based venture capital firm Antler is starting its India operations and has appointed Urban Ladder co-founder Rajiv Srivatsa to lead its local operations.
The early-stage investment firm plans to bet on as many as 40 companies in India through a country-focused fund within a year, multiple media reports said, citing a press statement.
Antler will set up an office in Bengaluru and plans to expand to other big cities in India in coming years.
Srivatsa, who quit Urban Ladder last year and who will be a partner at Antler India, said the VC firm will collaborate with other venture capital firms as well as angel investors to support startups.
Antler, founded in 2017 by Magnus Grimeland, operates startup cohorts in Singapore, Amsterdam, London, Nairobi, New York, Oslo, Stockholm and Sydney. It says it has backed about 160 startups so far.
The VC firm plans to start its first India cohort in Bengaluru in the second half of the year. The programme runs for six months where it mentors entrepreneurs, helps them fine-tune their business ideas and makes investments.