Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) has announced the close of its $350 million fund, marking its second dedicated India fund. The firm will look to backing early-stage startups across AI, SaaS, fintech, digital health, consumer brands, and cybersecurity.
The fund will primarily focus on Series A and earlier-stage investments, but Bessemer remains stage-agnostic.
“Bessemer follows a roadmap-driven approach, a kind of investment thesis but more specific and detailed. We will focus on early stage investment while also being open to growth stage rounds as well,” said Bessemer’s partner Anant Vidur Puri.
AI at the forefront
Puri noted that the firm sees AI as a transformative force across industries, with investments spanning foundational AI models, infrastructure tools, and AI-powered services.
“AI is a big area of focus, along with other roadmaps like FinTech, digital health, and consumer internet,” he said. “DeepSeek has shown that you can build a capital-efficient foundational model without needing tens of billions of dollars.”
Quick commerce is another high-growth area, enabling faster distribution for consumer brands.
The firm is also ramping up investments in cybersecurity, citing rising demand due to increased online transactions, AI data usage, and India’s DPDP Act.
“99 per cent of enterprises plan to increase cybersecurity spending, and we see high demand for AI-driven security solutions,” he added.
IPO and Exit Strategy
The firm has backed multiple Indian startups that have gone public, and expects more IPOs in the coming years.
“We’ve backed over 80 startups in India, had nine IPOs, and several secondary exits and M&A deals. The Indian public market is becoming more receptive to fundamentally strong, well-governed businesses,” said Puri.
With this new fund, BVP aims to start deploying capital in the next six months.
