EP 347 - Some Investors Are Toxic, Can Startups Avoid Them Before It’s Too Late? - Bhavik Vashi - Carta

In this episode of the Asia Tech Podcast, Bhavik Vashi, Managing Director for APAC and the Middle East at Carta, shares valuable insights from his experience helping startups and investors navigate the complex world of cap table management and private financial markets.

Some of the deeper topics that Bhavik covered in detail include:

• Managing a startup’s cap table is one of the most foundational yet complex tasks a founder can face...and founders should aim to keep their cap tables as simple as possible.
• Choosing the right investors is key—trust, mutual goals, and alignment matter far more than almost anything else.
• Singapore ranks highly on the global scale for startup innovation and continues to mature into a world-class ecosystem.
• A shared skepticism about the concept of stealth startups, notting that founders who hide their ideas might miss out on valuable feedback and iteration opportunities.
• Most importantly, how Carta is transforming into an operating system for private financial markets, serving not just startups but also the investors who fund them.