EP#15 Smita Aggarwal – The incentive to build for the underserved markets & investing in impact creating fintechs

In this episode, Smita Aggarwal, Global Investments Advisor @Flourish Ventures, joins our host Digjay, to talk about her path leading up to Venture Capital, key criteria for investing in impact creating startups, the untapped Fintech opportunities in India, the incentive to build products for the underserved markets & how VCs play a role in evolution of founders.

In her present role with Flourish Ventures, a global fintech focused fund of the Omidyar Group, Smita invests in innovative fintech start-ups that help advance financial health and inclusion in Asia. Previously at Omidyar Network she led multiple new investments in companies like NeoGrowth Credit, Indifi, Bon, Kaleidofin, ZineOne, ShopUp, GramCover, Qoala to name a few. Smita is a fintech investor and a thought leader with deep expertise in venture capital, financial inclusion, digital banking and financial regulation. She has been listed amongst the ‘Top 30 Fintech Influencers’ in India as well as amongst the top 100 women VC investors in the world in a recently published book “Women Who Venture”. With over two and half decades of experience, Smita has held leadership positions with noteworthy firms such as Omidyar Network, Fullerton, Reserve Bank of India and ICICI Bank. She is also a start-up coach and mentor with Catalyst Fund and Village Capital. You can connect with Smita here on Linkedin / Twitter

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Show notes –

1. (02:28) Smita’s background & path leading upto Venture Capital

2. (03:45) Best part of her job as a Venture Capitalist

3. (04:30) About Flourish Ventures; Investing in ‘impact creating startups’; Prioritizing between Product, Team & Market

4. (07:00) Measuring & tracking ‘impact’ post making an investment

5. (09:15) Untapped opportunities in Fintech - Insurtech & Embedded Finance

6. (14:25) What should founders focus on when serving the underserved segments of the market?

7. (21:15) Learnings from investing in multiple markets

8. (25:43) The role of VCs in the evolution of founders

9. (27:52) Rapid fire and closing remarks