General Catalyst commits $5B to India over five years

General Catalyst, the Silicon Valley-based startup with more than $43 billion in assets under management, has announced plans to invest $5 billion in India over the next five years, expanding its focus on startups in the country less than two years later. merger with Venture Highway company.

Commitment, revealed on India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Friday, will focus on startups in artificial intelligence, healthcare, security technology, fintech, and consumer technology. The announcement marks a significant increase from the $500 million to $1 billion that the company previously invested in India.

India, the world’s most populous country with more than a billion internet users, is positioning itself as a hub for AI investment. New Delhi wants it attracting more than $200 billion in AI investments over the next two years when it hosts the India AI Impact Summit with companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.

“India will build the next generation of global companies,” said General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja (pictured above), adding that the company sees Indian startups as uniquely positioned to develop technology for crowdsourcing markets.

General Catalyst said it sees the biggest opportunity for AI in India in large-scale global deployments rather than so-called frontier models. The company also cited government-built digital infrastructure, a large domestic market, and deep workforce talent as reasons to watch.

The push comes as India’s AI ambitions are on the rise. At the meeting, conglomerates Adani Group and Reliance Industriesled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, announced plans to invest more than $200 billion together to build AI data center infrastructure in the country. OpenAI partnered separately with Tata Group’s TCS – one of India’s largest technology companies – to set up a 100-megawatt AI data center as part of its Stargate project expansion. In recent months, international technology companies including Amazon, Googleand Microsoft they have also reported billions of dollars in cloud and AI in the country.

General Catalyst has been building its Indian portfolio in rapid delivery, medical technology, and advanced technology, with investments including Zepto, PB Health, Raphe, Jeh Aerospace, Pronto, and Ayr Energy.

“This investment allows us to expand our operations in India,” said Neeraj Arora, CEO of General Catalyst in India, Middle East, and North Africa, adding that the company aims to support companies from early stage to public markets.

General Catalyst said it is developing a strategy to accelerate the implementation of large-scale AI in key sectors in India, with the aim of helping transform pilot projects to full deployment. The General Catalyst Institute of this company has also been trying to establish cooperation between the government and industry in the country.