Venture capital firm Capital-A announced the first close of its Fund II at ₹160 crore on Monday, aiming for a total corpus of ₹300 crore with a green shoe option to increase to ₹400 crore. The fund is primarily supported by its general partner and features participation from various domestic family offices, high net-worth individuals, and institutional investors, including the Anand Rathi Group. The firm is targeting investments in 15–18 early-stage companies across sectors such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, robotics, defense, aerospace components, semiconductors, and hardware technologies. Capital-A has already begun deploying capital with seven investments, including Manastu Space and Agrileaf, and is in advanced talks with additional domestic institutional investors. Ankit Kedia, the founder of Capital-A, noted a significant shift in how founders and investors are approaching the manufacturing and deep tech sectors in India, emphasizing the need for patience and strong operational involvement.