2am VC is an early-stage India-focused venture fund founded in 2021 by Hershel Mehta and Brendan Rogers — a pairing of an Indian investor with deep family-office roots and an American operator who co-founded a SoftBank-backed startup. With Fund II launched in March 2025, the firm is doubling down on what it calls the "New India opportunity": backing companies built for uniquely Indian contexts, and acting as a bridge between Indian founders and global capital.

Investment thesis

2am VC invests behind the idea that India's next decade belongs to companies that upend market biases and introduce global investors to the country's ecosystem. It positions itself as a "hyperlocal partner" — its India Beachhead Strategy is designed to connect Indian founders with international networks, follow-on capital and expansion opportunities. The fund says it aims to lead rounds and take meaningful ownership so it can offer real operational expertise, not just a cheque. Its stated operating values: speed, transparency and founder-friendliness.

Funds, stages and cheque sizes

The firm's debut fund, Fund I, was $10 million. Fund II was launched in March 2025 with its corpus not publicly disclosed, and a plan to back up to 30 startups — 60% reserved for initial investments and 40% for follow-ons. The firm invests at pre-seed to seed, across consumer tech, fintech, food & beverage, AI and global SaaS. Cheque sizes are not publicly disclosed. The firm keeps offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Los Angeles.

Notable portfolio

At the Fund II launch, the firm reported roughly 47 investments. Named portfolio companies include NEWME (clothing platform), Apna Mart (omnichannel retail), Bimaplan (insurtech), Karbon Card (fintech), Bluelearn, BurnCal, Blitzllama, Procureyard, inframandi (B2B marketplace), Fibr and Intervue. It has co-invested alongside Titan Capital, 3one4 Ventures, Inflexor VC, 100X.VC, LSIP, Y Combinator, India Quotient, Orios Ventures and iSeed.

People

Hershel Mehta — founding partner; comes from an investing family (Mehta Ventures) that has backed young Indian entrepreneurs for over a decade, with prior backing including Zepto. Brendan Rogers — founding partner; co-founder of Wag! Labs, the pet-services startup backed by SoftBank. Forbes India has described the firm as focused on "Gen Z entrepreneurs in India."

Credits and perks

No startup credits or perks are publicly disclosed by the fund.

How to engage

The firm has not published a pitch email or application process in the sources we reviewed. Founders can approach it through its website (2am.vc) and its presence in the Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi NCR startup ecosystems.

Why it matters for founders

2am VC is a good fit if you are a pre-seed or seed founder in consumer tech, fintech, F&B or AI who wants more than money — specifically, a bridge to global investors and follow-on networks through its LA presence and hyperlocal-partner positioning. The firm says it leads rounds and takes meaningful ownership, which matters at pre-seed when signal is scarce. Come with a story about the 'New India' you are building for.