Southeast Asian early-stage venture capital firm A2D Ventures has entered the Indian market through a strategic partnership with homegrown angel syndicate We Founder Circle (WFC).
The partnership seeks to streamline capital flows, mentorship, and co-investment opportunities between the two regions, targeting high-growth startups in sectors such as AI, climate tech, fintech, and food & beverage.
A2D Ventures, which has backed startups across Southeast Asia, will now co-invest and collaborate with WFC, one of India’s most active angel syndicates with over 150 startup bets and 24 exits, including Zypp Electric, Garuda Aerospace, and Hesa.
The partnership will be powered by a tech-enabled approach to investing—combining Invstt, a digital platform offered by We Founder Circle for dashboard-driven automated investing, and A2D Ventures’ proprietary systems, the firm said in a statement.
“Southeast Asian founders are looking beyond their borders for scale, and India offers immense synergies. Likewise, Indian investors now have a structured gateway to tap into the high-growth potential of Southeast Asian startups,” Neeraj Tyagi, Co-Founder & CEO of We Founder Circle, said.
Initial cross-border deals include a lactose-free milk biotech startup, a beverage kiosk venture, a CRED-style open finance platform tailored for Southeast Asia, and a fast-growing coffee brand in the Philippines.
The move comes at a time when India is emerging as a relative bright spot in Asia’s startup funding landscape. While private capital investments more than halved in China and Southeast Asia in Q1 2025, India saw a sharp 1.6x year-on-year jump to $4.18 billion, according to DealStreetAsia DATA VANTAGE. Southeast Asia, by contrast, saw deal value drop to $700 million from $1.92 billion in the previous quarter.
