[YS Exclusive] Iron Pillar goes global with its strategic alliance with US-based Draper Venture Network

Iron Pillar joins Draper Venture Network, which includes hallowed VC names like Draper Associates. The move will bolster the India-focused growth fund’s global network for its growing portfolio of enterprise and consumer technology companies.

India-focused venture growth investor Iron Pillar's venture capital network just got bigger.

Iron Pillar announced it has joined the Draper Venture Network (DVN), a global alliance of independent venture capital firms with $1.8 billion in collective assets, in a move that will bolster the fund’s global access and reach for its growing portfolio of enterprise and consumer technology companies.

DVN, formed by legendary venture capital investor Tim Draper in 1990, is today a self-governed firm with an operations team that is dedicated to serving member funds and their portfolio companies. It brings together investors and entrepreneurs from across sectors and continents to share intelligence, source opportunities, and create greater value through cooperation.

“We are honoured and excited to become a member of this incredible collective, and are looking to leverage as well as contribute to DVN. This alliance will give our portfolio companies an opportunity to tap into best practices across hundreds of startups and dozens of markets around the world,” said Mohanjit Jolly, one of the founding partners of Iron Pillar who had worked with Tim during his nearly decade-long experience at Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ).

The other five founding partners at Iron Pillar – Sameer Nath, Anand Prasanna, Harish Hulyalkar, Ashok Ananthakrishnan, Ashish Shah – all come with strong and complementary industry experience. DVN founder Tim Draper, who has been eyeing investment opportunities in India for almost two decades, also serves on the advisory board of Iron Pillar, which focuses on growth-stage startups in the enterprise and consumer technology space.

Also read: [VC Focus] Iron Pillar on charting the next phase of growth for startups and taking them global

“We are thrilled to bring in Iron Pillar as a member fund, another testament to our renewed commitment to India. We believe Iron Pillar’s venture growth strategy fits the needs of the maturing Indian venture market and look forward to working closely with the team and their portfolio companies going forward,” said Tim Draper, Founder of DVN.

Iron Pillar's global access and reach

DVN, through its member funds, corporate business development relationships and connections to the technology and investing ecosystem, will provide the Iron Pillar family with wide cross-border access and reach, Sameer Nath, Managing Partner, Iron Pillar told YourStory.

“Iron Pillar’s portfolio is well balanced across enterprise and consumer technology companies, all of whom are thinking internationally from the get-go. DVN gives Iron Pillar’s portfolio a powerful global network to leverage, for business development, domain expertise, leadership sourcing, fundraising, partnerships as well as exit opportunities,” Sameer added.

The DVN alliance also gives the fund a deeper understanding of international markets, which is vital to the success of startups and entrepreneurs in today’s dynamic economic environment.

DVN member funds have funded over 600 companies and exited over 200 till date, including Skype, Baidu and Twitch. DVN principals have known Iron Pillar since its inception.

Iron Pillar recently closed its maiden fund of $90 million in October.