EP#29 Rajiv Srivatsa – Co-building startups at Antler India, the Urban Ladder experience & unpacking the fundraising lifecycle of a startup

In this episode, Rajiv Srivatsa, Partner @Antler India & Co-founder @Urban Ladder, joins our host Digjay, to talk about the Antler India program, building & scaling Urban Ladder, raising funds from Mr. Ratan Tata, difference in fundraising approach between 0-1 & 1-10 stage, managing stakeholders expectations & overcoming valleys of death as a founder. Prior to joining Antler India, Rajiv co-founded Urban Ladder (UL), one of India's top omni-channel furniture brand. Over ~8 years, UL raised over $100mm from top Indian VCs, like Kalaari Capital, SAIF Partners (now Elevation Capital) & Steadview Capital. Prior to UL, he served as a Sr Product Manager with Yahoo. An IIT Madras/ IIM Bangalore alum, Rajiv has been featured multiple times on the Fortune 40 U/ 40 India list. You can connect with him here on Linkedin / Twitter 

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Show notes: 

1. (01:35) Rajiv’s background; Antler’s mission & entry into India 

2. (08:06) Unpacking the fundraising lifecycle of a startup 

3. (12:06) Antler India operating model 

4. (18:19) Building & scaling Urban ladder 

5. (28:35) Raising funds from Mr. Ratan Tata; Difference in fundraising between 0-1 & 1-10 stage of a startup 

6. (30:49) Managing expectations of different stakeholders of a company 

7. (37:57) Overcoming valleys of death as a founder 

8. (41:36) How being an entrepreneur has shaped Rajiv’s personality over the years? 

9. (44:46) Rapid fire and closing remarks 

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