Athlone Ventures opens new $300m fund to invest in early-stage startups

The new venture capital brand is looking to invest in the seed rounds or series As of 15 tech startups per year

Athlone Ventures opens new $300m fund to invest in early-stage startups

As any entrepreneur can attest, raising funds can be challenging in the beginning of your startup journey; many investors can be hesitant to open their chequebooks before you’ve built your brand and proved the founding team’s business acumen. Fortunately, the launch of Athlone Ventures, a VC firm that just raised a $300m fund to invest in early-stage startups, could make it easier for founders to fill their company’s coffers.

The new firm is now looking to invest in tech startups raising their seed or series A rounds. In particular, Athlone Ventures’ goal is to annually invest in 15 new enterprises with big ideas in the digital space. Having announced its plans, the firm is now particularly looking for pitches that pique its interest in fields like big data, education technology and digital media.

And it’s safe to say that the two co-founders of Athlone Ventures know a thing or two about being an entrepreneur. For instance, in 2000 Jojar Dhinsa, the company’s CEO and chairman, launched Athlone Group, the global private equity firm of which the new VC fund is a subsidiary. Today the company reports annual sales of over $15bn and has a portfolio covering sectors like oil and gas, construction, education, technology, finance and real estate.

Dhinsa is backed by  Brendan Morrissey, co-founder and managing partner at Athlone Ventures. He has an equally impressive background as the serial entrepreneur behind Mobstar, a talent app; ProTunes, a music-licensing program; and eSchools, an e-learning platform.

Given the founders’ backgrounds, it’s hardly surprising that they’re committed to helping the growth of digital startups with Athlone Ventures. Commenting on the new $300m fund, Dhinsa said: “Ultimately, we want to help build and grow the businesses of the future, that have been founded by exceptional entrepreneurs, who just require the funding and support to lift their idea off the ground and strategically place it in the commercial arena.”

It’s alway encouraging to see successful entrepreneurs invest both their knowledge and money in the next generation of startups.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Johansson
Eric Johansson
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