Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder and CEO of Paytm, has unveiled the VSS Investments Fund, earmarked for his personal investments, with a target corpus of Rs 30 crore. According to the PTI report, this Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) approved Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) scheme has a base size of Rs 20 crore, with an additional green shoe option of Rs 10 crore, collectively forming the total corpus of Rs 30 crore, as disclosed in a statement by Sharma.
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The report added that the primary focus of this fund is on startups related to artificial intelligence and electric vehicles, particularly those incubated in India and geared towards serving the Indian consumer and business segments. Sharma highlighted the wealth of entrepreneurial talent within the Indian startup ecosystem and the nation’s potential to become a hub for advanced technology and AI-driven innovations. He underlined the significance of technology in India’s development and expressed his commitment to nurturing promising Indian founders.
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Furthermore, the VSS Investments Fund will facilitate follow-on investments in consumer and B2B tech startups, extending support to Sharma’s existing startup investments. Notably, in the past, Sharma has shown a particular interest in supporting startups dedicated to sustainability and air quality improvement.
Sharma himself will be a significant contributor to the fund, along with external investors. VSS Investco Private Limited, an entity owned and controlled by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, has sponsored the AIF, which will be actively managed by a professional investment manager.
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Vijay Shekhar Sharma has supported various startups, including prominent names such as Ola Electric, Josh Talks, Mesa School, UNNATI, KAWA Space, Praan, GOQii, KWH Bikes, Daalchini, and Treebo Hotels.
