Navigation

© Zeal News Africa

Nexus Venture Unleashes $700M AI War Chest for Next-Gen Startups!

Published 4 days ago3 minute read
David Isong
David Isong
Nexus Venture Unleashes $700M AI War Chest for Next-Gen Startups!

Nexus Venture Partners, a prominent venture capital firm, has officially announced the successful close of its latest fund, Fund VIII, securing $700 million. This substantial capital injection is strategically earmarked to support innovative startups operating within the critical domains of artificial intelligence (AI), enterprise technology, consumer services, and fintech sectors, spanning both India and the United States.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Delaware, with key operational offices located in San Francisco's Menlo Park, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, Nexus Venture Partners boasts an impressive investment history. Over its nearly two-decade tenure, the firm has made over 130 investments and successfully navigated more than 30 exits, a number of which have been achieved through initial public offerings (IPOs). Its investment philosophy has consistently covered a wide array of technological advancements, ranging from foundational open-source infrastructure and sophisticated developer platforms to the more recent innovations in agentic AI companies, alongside a strong focus on evolving consumer and fintech landscapes.

The firm places a significant emphasis on the transformative power of artificial intelligence, articulating in a statement that "From infrastructure to applications, every layer of the tech stack is getting rewritten by AI." Nexus further highlights the paradigm-shifting potential of "Agentic AI," noting its capacity to revolutionize how work is accomplished by introducing "a whole new wave of augmentation and automation across industries." With Fund VIII, Nexus Venture Partners reaffirms its commitment to "doubling down on visionary entrepreneurs solving the hardest problems and shaping the next wave of global innovation."

Nexus has been instrumental in fostering the growth of numerous successful ventures, several of which have attained unicorn status, signifying valuations exceeding $1 billion. Its diverse portfolio includes notable companies such as the quick-commerce leader Zepto, the ride-hailing platform Rapido, the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace Jumbotail, and the maps data company MapmyIndia, which was subsequently acquired by Flipkart. The firm also backed the test-preparation edtech Unacademy and SEDEMAC Mechatronics, a control systems manufacturer that recently filed draft papers for its IPO with market regulators in November.

Moreover, Nexus Venture Partners remains an active investor in rapidly expanding sectors. This includes a $10 million investment in Slikk, a quick-delivery fashion platform, and a $1 million seed investment in Snabbit, a quick-maid service. Demonstrating its foresight in the AI landscape, Nexus also participated in AI infrastructure company Neysa's $20 million seed round last year, led by Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners India), and later co-led Neysa's $30 million Series A round alongside NTTVC and Z47. Neysa is reportedly in discussions with major investment entities, including Masayoshi Son's SoftBank and American investment firm Blackstone, for further funding rounds.

Recommended Articles

Loading...

You may also like...