Aviral Bhatnagar’s AJVC closes maiden fund at Rs 200 Cr

Aviral Bhatnagar’s A Junior VC (AJVC), a pre-seed venture capital firm, has announced the final close of its maiden fund with commitments surpassing Rs 200 crore, more than double its original Rs 100 crore target.

In March this year, the firm closed its first Rs 100 crore fund, aimed at supporting startups in the pre-seed stage in India. 

Bhatnagar, who earlier worked as an investor at early-stage investment firm Venture Highway, left the fund shortly before its acquisition by Silicon Valley–based General Catalyst in June 2024.

In a year, AJVC has emerged as one of most active pre-seed investors, having reviewed over 11,000 founder applications and backed 25 startups to date. The fund expects to support an additional 60–70 startups in AI and consumer technology over the coming years. 

Its applicant pool spans over 50 cities, 6,000 colleges, and 4,000 companies.

“We are deeply grateful to our LPs for their trust. The fund was significantly oversubscribed, but we chose to remain disciplined, closing at nearly Rs 165 Cr. India is witnessing an unprecedented wave of first-time entrepreneurs. Meeting their ambition requires venture capital to operate at an entirely new velocity," said Bhatnagar.

Beyond capital, AJVC offers founders a 600,000 strong network, structured resources worth Rs 4 crore, and community-driven programs designed to accelerate customer acquisition and peer support.

The firm’s recent investments include Nuyug, a jewellery brand focused on celebration-wear, and Mithila Foods, an FMCG company working on Bihar-based food products.