Hyderabad Angels Fund (HAF.VC) launches INR 150 Crore Category I AIF Fund for Startups

A New Beginning

Hyderabad, February 12, 2024 – HAF.VC has officially launched its maiden Venture Capital Fund –a Category I Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), featuring an investable corpus of INR 100 crore and an additional greenshoe option of INR 50 crore (“Fund”). The Fund has commitment of 60cr as part of the first close.

This strategic Fund is specifically designed to focus on startups placing a significant emphasis on scalability through technology and AI. Notably, the Fund’s management partners, serving as primary investors, allocate the significant portion of the management fee exclusively to fortify the investment team, in turn, demonstrating a dedicated commitment to building a resilient foundation for success. To drive global innovation and expedite the scaling of startups, the Fund proactively involves accomplished entrepreneurs as investors.

Investment Focus

The fund aims to deploy up to INR 5 crore across 20 disruptive startups that are positioned to scale with technology and AI in Pre-Series A/Series A with a strong commitment to follow-on investments to support future growth.

Entrepreneurial Engagement

HAF distinguishes itself by actively seeking successful entrepreneurs as investors, fostering rapid scalability for startups with a robust technology foundation. The overarching goal is to establish a platform where successful entrepreneurs and investors collaborate to build game-changing ventures.The fund encompasses successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in Pharma, healthsciences tech, education, sustainability and other sectors.

Founder’s Vision

Sri Myneni and Kishore Ganji, Managing Partners, express a mission that goes beyond funding, by collectively addressing individual challenges and connecting visionary ideas with strategic capital to innovate and grow fast globally. They said, “As serial entrepreneurs and angel investors, we are staunch believers in the transformative force of innovation. We are building HAF as a dynamic, collaboration-driven platform where founders not only secure financial backing but also tap into the collective wisdom of accomplished Limited Partners (LPs) who themselves are successful entrepreneurs.

Hyderabad Angels Legacy

Building upon Hyderabad Angels’ decade-long investment acumen, the fund strategically taps into the mentorship of Hyderabad’s serial entrepreneurs and investors across diverse sectors, fostering an impactful catalyst for startup founders to drive innovation and achieve rapid scalability. HAF draws on the established platforms and processes created by Hyderabad Angels.

Leadership Perspective

BVR Mohan Reddy, Founder & Executive Chairman of Cyient, emphasizes the importance of an active engagement platform between LPs/investors and entrepreneurs, positioning HAF at the forefront of driving collaboration. He said, “As an active investor in numerous venture funds and startups, I am of the belief that fostering an active engagement platform between Limited Partners (LPs)/ investors and entrepreneurs is pivotal for creating successful businesses. HAF is constructed with this strategic approach. With direct guidance from many seasoned investors from a diverse array of industries, HAF Collaborative Limited Partners (CLPs) platform will become a dynamic force empowering and cultivating successful ventures”

T-Hub’s Perspective

Mahankali Srinivas Rao (MSR), CEO of T-Hub, a well accomplished business leader and an investor/advisor of the fund, acknowledges Hyderabad’s role as the nucleus of the world’s largest innovation hub, stating that HAF is ready to harness the potential inherent in the synergy of funds, direct engagement with industry leaders, and the vibrant startup ecosystem in Hyderabad.

Catalyzing New India

In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology-driven enterprises, India is positioning itself as the global leader. HAF emerges as a catalyst, committed to accelerating the growth of this new India.