Bessemer Venture Partners is a research-led, roadmap-driven global VC — investing since 1911 — that has treated India as a dedicated geography for over two decades. Its India practice invests through dedicated funds: a maiden $220M India fund in 2021 and India Fund II of $350M in March 2025, with more than 80% of the latest fund earmarked for early-stage bets. Globally the firm states $20B in AUM on bvp.com.

Investment thesis

Bessemer backs audacious founders through two dedicated practices — seed/early and growth — and is famous for publishing its investment "Roadmaps": deep research memos on where it believes the next big companies will emerge, from AI infrastructure to fintech. Founders treat the Roadmaps as a public window into the partnership's current convictions, which is unusual transparency for a firm of its vintage. In India the current focus areas are AI, fintech, enterprise tech, health, consumer and cybersecurity.

Stages and cheque sizes

The firm invests from seed through growth, with an early-stage tilt in India — typically entering at the first institutional round. A standard cheque range is not publicly stated, but the $350M India Fund II sizing implies meaningful early cheques with reserves for follow-ons.

Notable portfolio

Verified Indian portfolio companies include Swiggy, Urban Company, Mediassist, Perfios, Sarvam, Boldfit, Vetic, Easebuzz and Pluro — spanning food delivery, home services, insurtech, AI and D2C.

People

The India team is Bengaluru-based: Mayank Khanduja (Partner — ex-Elevation Capital, appointed late 2026, covering early-stage, consumer tech, AI and deeptech), Vishal Gupta (Partner), Anant Vidur Puri (Partner) and Pankaj Mitra (Partner — enterprise, AI and cybersecurity).

Credits and perks

No open founder programme is publicly documented; the "Roadmaps" are research and thought-leadership rather than a perks stack. Founder support comes through partner engagement and the firm's global network.

How to engage

There is no open application documented — founders pitch via bvp.com contact channels or, better, through personal networks and portfolio founders. Read the relevant Roadmap before you reach out: Bessemer respects founders who engage with its published theses, and a warm introduction to the Bengaluru team beats a cold email.

Why it matters for founders

Bessemer pairs a century of pattern recognition with a freshly capitalised India fund that is overwhelmingly early-stage. If you are building in AI, fintech or consumer from India, its Roadmaps tell you exactly what the partners are hunting for — read them before you pitch.