Venture Highway, a seed-focused venture capital company, has merged with General Catalyst of Silicon Valley to lead General Catalyst’s India initiatives. This is a rare merger in the venture-capital space where a smaller firm is absorbed by a bigger one.

In a press release, General Catalyst stated that the merger “unites one of world’s largest platforms with a highly respected Indian seed investment team”. The two firms “seek a powerful venture platform to support the next generations of entrepreneurs in India”.

Venture Highway, an early-stage VC company based in Bengaluru and founded by the former WhatsApp Chief Business officer Neeraj Arora, was established in 2014. It has been among the first to write checks for companies such as Meesho, Moglix and BetterPlace.

General Catalyst is investing in India, supporting companies such as Cred, Spinny and Orange Health, since 2019. “Venture Highway brings our capabilities and commitment up to a whole new level. It has never been more exciting for us to double-down on India,” the company said. The two will concentrate on sectors like healthcare, energy and manufacturing.

This kind of churn in venture capital is rare, as executives often leave big firms to start up their own. Sequoia pulled out of India in the past year. The local team was rebranded as Peak XV Partners.