

1947 Rise
Shiva Singh Sangwan
Our purpose is to help startups go mainstream in 🇮🇳!
1947 Rise Podcast is helping in accelerating the speed of reverse brain drain
We do this by interviewing India-born, overseas-trained who have moved back to India and built massive tech companies themselves and/or helped enable the tech ecosystem
1947 Operators Podcast is helping in increasing the number of operator-angels in the startup ecosystem.
We do this by unpacking the investing journey of the best operator-angels in India.
1947 Rise Podcast is helping in accelerating the speed of reverse brain drain
We do this by interviewing India-born, overseas-trained who have moved back to India and built massive tech companies themselves and/or helped enable the tech ecosystem
1947 Operators Podcast is helping in increasing the number of operator-angels in the startup ecosystem.
We do this by unpacking the investing journey of the best operator-angels in India.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 22, 2023 • 31min
87: Revolutionizing Communications in VC | Day One Ventures' Winning Formula, ft. Masha Bucher
Masha Bucher is the Founder of Day One Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that’s pioneering a new model in VC by spearheading communications for its portfolio companies.
The fund has backed backed 8 unicorns and one portfolio company went public
They have invested in companies like Remote, Worldcoin, You.com, Simulate, Superhuman, Truebill (acq), Arcadia, DoNotPay, Atoms, Yumi, DuckDuckGo & others
Before that, Masha was an angel investor and PR studio founder working with companies like Houzz, HotelTonight, Toptal & more.
Timeline:
00:00 : Top Moments
00:31 : Intro to pod with Masha
01:53 : Founding story of Day One Ventures
04:25 : How does it differentiate itself from other funds
07:32 : Portfolio construction
10:28 : How has she improved as an investor over the years
13:04 : Role of luck in investing
15:00 : Patterns in successful companies
17:55 : Notable moments, significant mistakes
20:26 : Lessons from Fund one for Fund two
22:57 : Strategies for securing LPs
27:04 : A typical day in Masha's life
28:34 : Masha beyond professional identity

Dec 15, 2023 • 42min
86: Fixing Problems in the Indian Education System: Insights from Arjun Nair, Co-Founder of Great Learning
Arjun Nair is the Co-Founder and President of Great Learning.
Great Learning is India's leading provider for online professional & higher education.
In 2021, BYJU’S Acquired Great Learning for $600 Million. Great Learnings was bootstrapped.
Timeline:
00:00: Top Moments
00:38: Intro to pod
02:00: Early life and shaping moments
09:56: Return to India and founding Great Learning
16:03: Evolution of online learning and its future
22:44: Key issues in Indian education and solutions
28:55: Advice for diasporas for seizing opportunities in India
33:29: A glimpse into a typical day
35:52: Yoga practice
38:30: Alternative passions without constraints
40:34: Exploring the person beyond the professional persona

Dec 7, 2023 • 39min
85: How Nihal Mehta built Eniac Venture as New York's top VC fund | 1947 VC
Nihal Mehta is the co-founder of Eniac Ventures. One of the top Venture Capital funds in the US.
Through Eniac they have invested in over 10 unicorns.
Before founding Eniac, Nihal had built 5 tech companies. Some succeeded and some failed.
People call Nihal the human Rolodex and Nihal is typically the life of the party.
Timeline:
00:00 Top Moments
00:40 Intro to pod with Nihal Mehta
02:30 Foundational Thesis of Eniac Ventures
04:19 Portfolio construction and evolution over the years
06:44 Journey of transitioning from making smaller investments to leading rounds
10:11 Aspects of investing: sourcing, picking, and winning
15:41 Common traits of companies of successful companies in portfolio
17:46 Lessons from misses in investment
19:54 Challenges and less-discussed aspects of building a venture fund
22:38 Fundraising journey and communicating with LPs
25:38 Advice for someone starting a fund or venturing into VC
29:13 Personal life and daily routine outside of work
33:19 Interests beyond work
35:48 Superpowers or unique qualities of partners in the venture firm

Nov 30, 2023 • 43min
84: How Fabrice Grinda Built FJ Labs into the World's Most Active VC Fund | 1947 VC
Fabrice Grinda is among the world’s leading Internet entrepreneurs and investors.
Fabrice was named the #1 Angel Investor in the world by Forbes.
Fabrice founded FJ labs, and today FJ labs is one of the most active investors globally.
FJ labs has invested in companies like Alibaba, Airbnb, Instacart, Flexport, and many more.
Timeline :
00:00: Top Moments
00:34: Intro for Pod with Farbrice
01:57 : FJ Labs founding story
04:57: Portfolio and fund model evolved through experience and learning.
07:59: Success factors for a $295 million fund
09:45: Potential changes for the third fund if starting a new fund.
12:15: LP relationship-building strategies
16:38: Effective pre-fundraising relationship building
18:31:Evolution in deal sourcing.
25:27: Challenges in building a venture fund
27:05: Investment thesis for India
31:08: Pros and cons of starting a fund
33:54: Importance of brand building for deal flow
35:17: Typical day routine
37:14: Non-work obsession
38:25: Recent personal mindset changes
41:32: Who is he outside of work?

Nov 23, 2023 • 42min
83: How He Built India's Leading Venture Debt Fund, Ishpreet Singh Gandhi, Stride Ventures | 1947 VC
Back in 2015, when the start-up landscape in India was at a nascent stage, as a banker Ishpreet pioneered the first-ever debt solutions for startups in India. In 2018, Ishpreet founded Stride Ventures and today it has become —India’s leading venture debt fund.
They have partnered with companies like Zepto, Bira, Sugar, Spinny, Zetwerk and many more.
00:00 Top Moments
00:26 Intro
02:31 Starting Stride Ventures in 2015 and pioneering venture debt in India
05:40 Thesis, portfolio, fundraising, and venture debt business model
12:10 Check sizes, sectors, and stages of investment
14:09 Journey of building Stride Ventures
16:55 Vision for Stride Ventures as a startup bank in 3-5 years
19:23 Prioritizing tasks and product roadmap
20:43 Early lessons when starting Stride Ventures
24:16 Challenges in building a venture debt firm
28:11 Advice for startups open to venture debt
31:25 Tough moments and confidence boosters
34:36 Typical day routine
36:03 Unexplored areas of learning
36:34 Outside work obsession
38:40 Alternative pursuits if not building Stride Ventures
39:48 Perception by friends outside work
41:12 Dream dinner guests, dead or alive

Nov 6, 2023 • 30min
82: No one talks about this in venture capital | Jeff Morris Jr. of Chapter One | 1947 VC
Jeff Morris Jr. is the founder and Managing Director of Chapter One. Chapter One has invested in companies like Mercury, Supabase, Superhuman, Dapper Labs, and Pipe to name a few.
Morris was previously the VP of Product, Revenue at Tinder. In the role, he led the revenue team to the #1 top grossing app in the App Store globally.
Timestamps
00:00 Top Moments
02:27 - Entry into angel investing and Chapter One's founding story.
05:22 - Fundraising and portfolio changes between Fund 1 and Fund 2.
08:23 - Establishing a unique value proposition for Fund 2.
11:17 - Staying relevant in a rapidly changing industry.
13:23 - Recent insights from fund manager interactions.
15:13 - Pros and cons of starting a fund.
17:54 - Fundraising advice for aspiring fund managers.
21:16 - Early fundraising and investing insights.
24:32 - A typical day in the speaker's life.
25:55 - Personal interests and hobbies.
26:39 - Unexplored subjects or skills.
27:43 - Top three funds for LP investment.
🔗 CONNECT WITH JEFF
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmorrisjr/
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/jmj
🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA
💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/
🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ...
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Oct 27, 2023 • 24min
81: Should one start a VC fund or not? | Julia Lipton, Awesome People Ventures | 1947 Rise
Julia Lipton is the founder of Awesome People Ventures.
Awesome People Ventures is an early-stage fund focused on Web3.
She is one of the top web3 investors globally.
Timestamps:
0:00 Top Moments
0029 Intro to pod with Julia Lipton
01:39 What led to founding Awesome People Ventures?
03:16 Fundraising journey and evolution of fund thesis?
05:13 Portfolio construction, check sizes, investment stages?
06:32 Mistakes in fund one and their influence on approach?
09:36 Future of Web3 in next 3-5 years?
11:09 LPs in fund one, key learnings, evolution in fund two?
13:15 Importance of brand building for fund managers?
15:04 Pros and cons of being a solo GP?
17:00 Advice for those starting a fund?
18:36 Early career insight for fund management?
19:33 What's your daily routine?
21:33 Current passions outside of work?
22:23 Recent diet changes or helpful products?
23:44 How do friends perceive you beyond your role as an investor?
🔗 CONNECT WITH JULIA LIPTON
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julialipton/
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/JuliaLipton
🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA
💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/
🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ...
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Oct 19, 2023 • 44min
80: Cracking the Code: Indonesia's Top VC Investor Ft. Eddy Chan (Intudo Ventures)
Eddy Chan is the Founding Partner at “Indonesia-only” Intudo Ventures, the only VC investing exclusively in Indonesia
Prior founding to Intudo Ventures, Eddy worked on venture investments in startups since the late 1990s, including PayPal, Palantir, and Affirm, founded and operated venture-backed technology companies
Timestamps :
00:00 Top Moments
00:31 Intro to pod with Eddy
02:04 Eddy's Entry into Venture capital and Intudo Ventures
07:13 His journey from first fund to current fund
17:21 Strategy to build LP relationships and closing deals.
27:36 Lessons learnt while fund raising
29:41 Evolution of Indonesian Tech Ecosystem since 2007
37:01 Eddy's Typical Day
41:48 Who is Eddy outside of work?
🔗 CONNECT WITH EDDY
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddychan
🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA
💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/
🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ...
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Oct 12, 2023 • 46min
79: The Quest for the Perfect Deal: What Solo GPs Don't Want You to Know Ft. Robin Haak
Robin Haak is a Solo GP based out of Berlin.
Through his fund, Robin Capital, Robin primarily invests in angel, pre-seed and seed stages of companies.
00:00 Top Moments
00:23 Into to pod with Robin Haak
01:58 Robin's journey to Angel Investing
15:45 Porfolio Construction of Robin Capital
20:59 Robin's approach to deal sourcing.
28:45 Robin's strategy to source LPs
35:56 Robin's experience as solo GP
39:50 Top three funds Robin would invest in.
42:40 Robin's daily routine
43:33 Challenging or undesireable parts of his day.
🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/RobinEricHaak
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinhaak/
🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA
💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/
🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ...
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Oct 5, 2023 • 35min
78: The Power of Capital: How Mahila Money is Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in India | 1947 Operators
Sairee Chahal is the founder of Sheroes, Mahilay Money and Appreciate Capital.
Sairee is responsible for bringing women in India to the internet.
Today Sheroes has over 20 million users.
Mahila Money is a full stack financial products and services platform for women in India.
Apprecite capital is a vehicle through which she invests in other founders
00:00 Top moments
00:33 Intro with Sairee Chahal
03:11 MahilaMoney founding story?
10:04 Loan amounts & impact stories?
16:56 MahilaMoney's long-term vision?
18:59 What motivates you in supporting founders?
21:11 Angel investment advice?
23:52 Changes needed in the startup ecosystem?
28:03 A day in your life?
30:40 Unlearned skill or subject?
31:33 How do friends perceive you?