“This market is largely underserved but represents a very large opportunity,” said Will Poole, co-founder and managing partner of Capria Ventures.
Whether they pick AI for India or AI for Bharat, one thing is certain, the VCs betting on India’s AI ecosystem are focusing on the largest segment that will benefit the most from such innovations: The great Indian middle class.
Seattle-based Capria Ventures is one such capital firm that identified this opportunity over a decade ago and has been capitalising on this aspirational segment ever since. The 12-year-old firm invests in early-stage and early-growth tech startups in the global south.
Why Middle India Matters
“We look at the rising middle class of India, often referred to as ‘Middle India’, which aspires to have and do more,” said Will Poole, co-founder and managing partner of Capria Ventures, in an exclusive interaction with AIM.
Poole explains how the aspirational middle class, comprising roughly 600-700 million people, forms a cornerstone of their investment strategy. “This market is largely underserved or less served but represents a very large opportunity,” he said.
With increasing incomes and growing aspirations, Poole believes that this demographic drives demand for innovative solutions across sectors such as healthcare, education, and technology. The firm recognised this trend early. “We started doing this before anybody else was doing it,” he remarked.
With decades of experience as an investor and entrepreneur who founded eShop, which was acquired by Microsoft in 1996 and was part of the ‘Windows’ growth, Poole has witnessed the advent of mobile technology firsthand during his tenure at Microsoft in 2003.
“The power of the mobile revolution happened fast in India,” he noted, drawing parallels to the current wave of digital and AI-driven innovations.
Poole also highlighted the role of generative AI in addressing challenges specific to Middle India, such as language diversity. By leveraging AI for multilingual solutions, businesses can expand their reach and improve operational efficiency.
This article was originally published on Analytics India Magazine>
