Singapore-based venture capital firm Beenext is significantly intensifying its investment focus on India, particularly in the manufacturing sector, including textiles and aerospace components. This strategic pivot aims to capitalize on India’s burgeoning supply-chain capabilities and agility, as confirmed by Beenext Partner Anirudh Garg. The firm is actively evaluating new deals and anticipates closing several in the coming months, buoyed by the strong performance of its existing portfolio companies like Whizzo, which specializes in textile manufacturing; Scimplify, involved in chemical manufacturing for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and fragrances; and Mini Mines, operating in the cleantech space.

Garg highlighted a discernible shift in manufacturing from China to India across various sectors such as aerospace, textiles, and materials, where India has long been a prominent exporter. This evolving landscape presents a significant advantage for Beenext's investment strategy. Historically, India’s export market was largely dominated by major corporations with inherent demand, which often constrained the pace and scope of growth. However, a new generation of agile, specialized, and lean firms is emerging, poised to cater to global niche markets that larger players found challenging to penetrate. These companies, even with limited capital expenditure or a single facility, can leverage existing supply chain infrastructure to meet diverse global demands by specializing and streamlining operations, thereby fostering global expansion.

Beenext's enhanced India strategy mirrors a broader trend among India-focused investors. Accel, for instance, has earmarked 'advanced manufacturing' as a key area for significant investments from its latest $650-million fund. Similarly, Arkam Ventures, a backer of companies like Jar and Kreditbee, added electric vehicles and manufacturing to its primary focus areas for its second venture capital fund last year. This signifies a growing wave of private capital, from firms like Singularity AMC, targeting India's industrial ambitions across sectors ranging from semiconductors to defense. Investors are keen to assess whether supportive policies and global tailwinds can translate into substantial scale and returns.

Beyond manufacturing, Beenext is also committed to strengthening its consumer portfolio, with a particular emphasis on premium direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands. Recent investments include a follow-up in the skincare brand Deconstruct in January, following a $1.2 million seed round in specialty coffee brand First Coffee in September. The firm also invested in Elevn, a dating company founded by filmmaker Karan Johar. Anirudh Garg indicated that Beenext is open to increasing its cheque sizes slightly, reflecting the expanding opportunities within the Indian market. The firm’s consistent strategy involves issuing the initial cheque and leading investment rounds, often bringing in institutional partners from the US and Southeast Asia, which provides a significant advantage for portfolio companies.

The overall investment landscape in India remains robust, with firms having raised close to $1.9 billion so far in 2025, which represents approximately 60% of the total $3.2 billion raised across 123 deals in the entirety of the previous year, according to Venture Intelligence. This strong inflow of capital underscores the confidence investors place in India's economic potential and its evolving industrial and consumer markets.