E63: Anjali Bansal (Founder & General Partner, Avaana Capital)

Anjali Bansal is the Founder of Avaana Capital which invests in and provides scaling up support to innovation-led startups for catalyzing impact at scale while delivering commercial returns.

Anjali has invested in and mentored various successful start-ups including Delhivery, UrbanClap, Darwinbox, Nykaa, and Lenskart. She is closely associated with NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform, digital solutions, and mentor to the Atal Innovation Mission.

Anjali is former Non-Executive Chairperson of Dena Bank, appointed by the Government of India to steer the resolution of the stressed Bank, eventually leading to merger with Bank of Baroda. She was earlier a global Partner and Managing Director with TPG Growth PE responsible for India, SE Asia, Africa and the Middle East. She started her career as a strategy consultant with McKinsey and Co. in New York.

She serves as an independent non-executive director on several leading boards including Tata Power, Bata, Kotak AMC, and Piramal Enterprises. She has previously chaired the India board of Women’s World Banking, a leading global livelihood-promoting institution and on the Managing Committee of the Indian Venture Capital Association.

She has been elected as President designate, Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and serves on the CII National Committee on Corporate Governance. Anjali previously co-founded and chaired the FICCI Center for Corporate Governance program for Women on Corporate Boards. She is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and charter member of TiE.

In this episode, we will cover:

1. Looking back at India’s most recent boom cycle i.e. 2020-present (2:50)

2. Skeptical about this period or a believer of the potential? (7:50)

3. Evolution of Anjali’s career (11:55)

4. The role of empathy and insecurity in professional life (16:56)

5. What is Anjali’s purpose behind investing (23:21)

6. Why venture and how do you measure the impact of your own in venture beyond capital returns (28:57)

7. The India opportunity (37:54)

8. How does Avaana think about the evolving venture landscape and where to place their bets (42:25)

9. Anjali’s journey as an LP (47:01)

10. Advice for fund managers (53:18)

11. Advice for founders (56:18)