Vertex Ventures eyes semiconductors, robotics and batteries in deeptech pivot
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India is actively scouting for hardware and deeptech investments, with a sharp focus on semiconductors, robotics, and battery technology, according to a top executive at the firm.“It's definitely a new space for us, but it makes sense due to how geopolitics is playing out. In the past two years, companies have been looking to be more independent and move away from relying on China,” Ben Mathias, managing partner at the firm, told Mint in an interview.Vertex Ventures is the latest firm to build a deeptech investment thesis in India, joining a sector buoyed by the growing demand for "sovereign technology”.
This shift mirrors a global trend: deeptech accounted for 36% of all venture funding last year, according to Celesta Capital. Also, global hardware investments have surged since 2023, nearly doubling from $150 billion to $280 billion.Back home, investments in the sector have already hit $967 million in the five months of 2026, according to private company intelligence platform Tracxn, compared to $1.47 billion raised in the whole of 2025.Vertex Ventures has traditionally focused on sectors such as fintech, consumer brands and tech and enterprise software, and has invested in companies such as FirstCry, XpressBees, Yatra and Kissht.Last week the firm was part of BigEndian Semiconductors' $6 million pre-Series A funding round led by IAN Alpha Fund, with participation from IvyCap Ventures.
The firm had previously written a $3-million seed cheque to the company. Last year it led deeptech startup Spyne's $16 million Series A round.
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