TLDR:
- Lightspeed Ventures plans to increase investments in climate change and artificial intelligence.
- The firm has invested in companies like Sarvam, Marqo AI, and Exponent Energy.
Lightspeed Venture Partners, known for backing Indian startups like Sharechat, Udaan, and Razorpay, is set to focus on emerging areas such as climate change and artificial intelligence. Rahul Taneja, a partner at Lightspeed India, revealed that the VC firm will continue to invest in themes like enterprise SaaS, fintech, consumer, and commerce, in addition to the new focus areas. The firm has already made investments in AI-based companies like Sarvam and cross-border startups like Pocket FM. Lightspeed, currently operating from its $500-million fourth fund, has conducted 18 deals over the past year and deployed over $250 million across stages in India. Taneja outlined the firm’s journey in India, with three distinct phases that have led to a multi-stage approach and expansion into Southeast Asia. Lightspeed has also built specialist teams to support startups with talent, leadership, and other areas. Overall, Taneja expressed confidence in the attractiveness of India’s startup ecosystem, citing opportunities for innovation and growth despite challenges like high interest rates and geopolitical tensions. The firm is looking forward to evaluating its next fund raise in the near future.
