Editorial illustration for Manish Maheshwari Launches Seed Fund Targeting AI, Enterprise, and Healthcare Startups
Manish Maheshwari's New VC Fund Targets AI Startups
Manish Maheshwari has seen enough hype cycles to last a career. So his new venture firm, BAT VC, is doing something radical: it’s explicitly ignoring most of the market. Fresh from launching a $100-million fund in May to bridge India and the U.S., the firm is now narrowing its hunt to pre-seed and seed deals in just three areas—artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and healthcare.
This isn't diversification. It's a targeted bet, one that reflects a growing wave of Indian founders now recycling their own hard-won, operational experience into early-stage checks. They are aiming for the messy, technical foundation layers where they believe real fortunes get built.
In 2025, over 50% of global venture capital funding went to AI companies, according to Crunchbase data. Last year, Indian AI startups raised $780 million, according to AIM Research, and this figure is expected to rise this year.
That razor focus is the entire thesis. Seed-stage healthcare and enterprise software are the plan now, not a portfolio footnote. Maheshwari’s resume gives the strategy its heft: he scaled Twitter India, then built Fanory.ai from scratch.
That path offers a particular lens. It peers past buzzwords to spot product-market fit in regulated, technically dense, and often unsexy sectors. The fund’s dual-country mandate is logical.
The next diagnostic AI algorithm or back-office automation tool could emerge from a Palo Alto lab or a Pune startup. The $100 million is essential, of course. But in these fields, the real currency is operational grit and a network that comprehends compliance slog, long sales cycles, and deep tech integration.
Maheshwari is wagering that founders in these trenches want a guide who has been there, not just a banker who signs the check.
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Common Questions Answered
What specific technology sectors is Manish Maheshwari targeting with his new seed fund?
Manish Maheshwari is focusing his new seed fund on three key technology sectors: artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and healthcare. These emerging technologies are currently attracting significant investor attention and represent high-potential growth areas for startup investment.
What is Fanory.ai, and how does it relate to Maheshwari's venture capital strategy?
Fanory.ai is a creator monetization platform co-founded by Maheshwari in 2022, which enables content creators to build personalized apps and monetize their superfans. His experience building this startup provides him with direct insights into early-stage technology ventures, which now informs his approach as a venture capitalist investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups.
What investment stages will Maheshwari's new BAT VC fund focus on?
The new seed fund will specifically target pre-seed and seed stages of startup development, focusing on supporting early-stage founders during their most critical period of growth. By concentrating on these initial investment stages, Maheshwari aims to provide crucial support and capital to emerging technology startups in AI, enterprise software, and healthcare.
Further Reading
- New York-based Bat VC, cofounded by former X India head announces $100 million AI-focussed fund — Economic Times
- New York-based BAT VC Announces India Entry with $100 Million AI-focused Fund II — Business Standard
- Bat VC launches $100 million fund to back US and Indian AI startups — Business Insider
- Next-Gen VC Leaders Shaping the AI Landscape — Indian Startup Times
