Latest news with #BeyondNextVentures
Mint
20-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Japan's BeyondNext plans $50 million India fund to back deeptech, AI, semiconductor startups
Japanese venture capital firm BeyondNext Ventures, which focuses on deeptech and deep science startups, plans to raise a $50 million fund to back more Indian ventures, a top company executive said. The firm's rationale is threefold: investing in companies with a strong go-to-market focus, investing in Indians across the world, and bringing these businesses to Japan, where larger conglomerates can act as distribution partners. 'We think of India as a place where there are enormous tailwinds and tonnes of young entrepreneurs," Jay Krishnan, head of India investments at BeyondNext Ventures, told Mint in an interview. 'We want to enable those tailwinds, both from a policy and risk conversion side, and bring them to Japan." BeyondNext entered India in 2019, when it backed 14 startups using capital from its $100 million second fund. 'Back then, the idea was to get a taste, get some exposure. Now, we've decided to go full hog in India," Krishnan said. Also Read | How AI is transforming the role of venture capital for startups Japanese VCs are looking more closely at the Indian startup ecosystem. Clean energy startup Aerem raised about $12 million from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation earlier this year. In November last year, Sumitomo's Asia fund was part of a $35 million funding round in mortgage-tech startup Easy. In July last year, mobility manufacturer Suzuki launched its first India-focused ₹340 crore fund to tap startups working in agriculture, financial inclusion, supply chain and mobility. BeyondNext is fundraising at the moment and will set aside 50% of the fund for 20 to 25 investments in the first five years of the 10-year fund. In the next five years, it will deploy the remaining capital for winners from the India portfolio, reserving $1 million for a pre-Series A cheque and another $1 million for follow-on investments. Bullish on semiconductors The firm will enter companies at the pre-seed stage and is offering cheques that start at $250,000 and go up to $2 million. 'We don't want to do Series A for these startups – we'd rather make them discoverable and visible to investors who come in at that stage," said Krishnan. Also Read | India's venture capital firms are finding that leaner might be better For the India-focused fund, BeyondNext said it is very bullish on the semiconductor industry, specifically startups that are able to disrupt the value chain in the sector. Additionally, the firm is evaluating startups in biotech, space and artificial intelligence. 'We're also eager about anything that has a local/contextualised play where the market is big enough that once they crack India, they can go anywhere," Krishnan said. The firm plans to bring its Japanese deeptech playbook to India. BeyondNext runs an incubation programme called BRAVE, where it matches scientists and researchers with ideas that could become startups with business-facing talent. The programme has yielded 52 ventures, according to BeyondNext's website. Also Read | End of FOMO: Venture capital firms turn cautious over AI startup hype; demand models with clear returns and impact 'We prefer two or three founders where the shortcomings of one are mitigated by someone else," said Krishnan. Some of BeyondNext's previous investments in India include GigIndia, which was acquired by PhonePe in 2022, medical crowdfunding platform ImpactGuru, daycare surgery aggregator Medfin, and low-code digital therapeutics SaaS platform Wellthy Therapeutics.
Entrepreneur
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Entrepreneur
Battery Tech Startup Volt14 Raises USD 1.87 Mn Led by Blume Ventures to Scale Silicon Anode Production
The funds will be deployed to scale manufacturing of its silicon-rich anodes and strengthen its technical team as it prepares for commercial adoption of its next-generation battery materials. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Battery technology startup Volt14 has raised USD 1.87 million in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Blume Ventures, with participation from Beyond Next Ventures, Spectrum Impact, Supermorpheus, and existing investor Cocoon Capital. With this round, the total funding raised by the company has reached USD 4.02 million. The funds will be deployed to scale manufacturing of its silicon-rich anodes and strengthen its technical team as it prepares for commercial adoption of its next-generation battery materials. Founded in 2019 by materials scientist Animesh Kumar Jha, Volt14 is at the forefront of battery innovation, focusing on ultra-high capacity electrode materials, particularly silicon-majority anodes for lithium-ion batteries. Its core offering is a ready-to-use, tunable anode product that promises a substantial boost in energy density without compromising performance or scalability. The company has also developed an in-house cylindrical EV-format battery cell, showcasing state-of-the-art energy density using its proprietary anodes. "We are delighted to have the backing and vote of confidence from such high-quality investors," said Animesh Jha, Founder of Volt14. "Over the past five years, our focused and resilient team has made outstanding progress in commercializing our high-performance silicon anode platform. Electrification is an irreversible trend, and we are excited to help our partners unlock tangible product advantages through superior battery performance." Dr Puneet Gupta, a seasoned silicon industry veteran, joined Volt14's Board last year, bringing two decades of management experience. Yifan Tang, ex-Tesla and CTO of SERES, has also come on board as an advisor. Blume Ventures' Arpit Agarwal commented, "Volt14 is fundamentally reimagining the future of battery technology. Their breakthrough silicon anode innovation could push the boundaries of what's possible with lithium-ion batteries. Under Animesh and Puneet's world-class leadership, we're confident in Volt14's global potential." Jay Krishnan, Partner at Beyond Next Ventures, added, "Our investment in Volt14 aligns with our thesis of 'Healthy Planet, Happy People'. Their mission to innovate in battery chemistry supports our commitment to backing pioneers who are building a sustainable future." Volt14's progress comes at a critical time, as global demand for lithium-ion batteries surges, fueled by the rapid rise of EVs and clean energy solutions.
