Makoto Takano, former managing director of investment firm PIMCO Japan Ltd, has committed to invest about $4.6 million (Rs 30 crore) in Indian startups.
Takano will make the investments through Gurgaon-based GHV (Green House Ventures) Accelerator’s early-stage investment programme, the accelerator said. Takano is already on the board of GHV Accelerator through his association with the investment firm’s maiden venture capital fund.
“With the intellectual capital India has along with the strong innovation empowerment ecosystem, where GHV is playing a key role, the country is poised to be one of the leading economies, especially in the new innovation space,†Takano said.
Takano is chief executive of Japan-based media company Atomixmedia as well as the editor-in-chief of Forbes Japan. He is also founder of MT Partners, a chartered accountancy firm that offers established businesses and startups an array of financial services.
Last year, Takano partnered with GHV Accelerator and World Innovation Labs (WiL), a Japan- and Silicon Valley-based VC firm, to launch a Rs 350 crore (around $52 million) fund for early-stage Indian startups. The fund backs firms in health tech, fintech, adtech and business-to-business marketplaces and participates in Series A rounds with a ticket size of $2-5 million.
GHV Accelerator, founded by serial entrepreneur Vikram Upadhyaya, mentors startups and provides them seed investment between $100,000 and $300,000. It has invested in more than 10 companies till date, including MyTaxiIndia, FitMein, AdurCup, Applop, Pindrop Music, PickMyLaundry and RoadGods, among others.
GHV Accelerator’s most recent investment was in February this year, when it put in $148,000 (around Rs 1 crore) in Delhi-based peer-to-peer ed-tech startup Notesgen.
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