z21 Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, has announced the first close of its $40 million Fund II, securing $20 million from anchor investor WestBridge Capital. This follows the full deployment of z21’s first $5 million fund in June 2024, which backed 26 startups.

Fund II will focus on pre-seed and seed-stage investments in disruptive technology companies across sectors such as artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and healthcare. z21 Ventures plans to maintain its community-first approach by involving leading operators and experts to mentor and support founders as they scale.

Founded in 2022 by Raj Singh and Abhinav Shashank, with partners Jyotika Gupta and Sudarshan Ravi Jha, z21 Ventures aims to empower innovative startups with strong teams and scalable market opportunities.

WestBridge Capital, a US-India investment firm managing over $7 billion in assets, has an extensive portfolio that includes notable companies such as Innovaccer, Rapido, PhysicsWallah, and Indigo Airlines.