The Neon Show

During her early career, Ritu worked in Product Development at Unilever and later in Marketing Strategy at Philips. In 2013 she Co-founded Ankur Capital with Rema SubramanianAnkur Capital has so far majorly invested in Agritech & Healthcare sector, some of its portfolio companies - Health Sutra, Cropin & Niramai among others.In this podcast, Ritu shares her experience of investing in Agritech & Healthcare space in India, and her vision going forward. Notes - 00:42 - Her Journey from a Physicist to the VC ecosystem06:50 - Thesis behind investing in Cropin & Niramai10:21 - Concentration of Portfolio towards Agritech & Health-tech11:20 - Future of Agritech in India by emerging startups21:36 - Training farmers for adopting Agritech solutions23:20 - Deployment of Fund II in 2020 & 2021 (at Pre-Series A & Series A rounds)25:07 - Recent successful exit from Carmel Organics and others in the pipeline (next 6-8 months)27:40 - Is it difficult for women to mark a place as VC?35:07 - Thesis behind investing in JinySend us a text

Deepak’s investment journey started with him joining Intel Capital in early 2000, where he spent 14 years managing global investments, mergers & acquisitions. In 2015, he started Equitycrest, which identified and worked with early-stage startups and assisted them in engaging with investors to realize their funding needs.After gaining over 17 years of investing experience and managing acquisitions, in 2017 he founded WEH Ventures.Some popular startups in its portfolio - Trell, Pratilipi, and smallcase among others.In this podcast, Deepak shares his experience of investing during the 2000 & 2008 crash and what he expects now. Notes - 00:43 - Joining Intel Capital & starting WEH Ventures03:05 - Successful exits from Telecom, Consumer Internet startups05:07 - Working at Intel Capital & understanding fundamentals of Venture capital06:57 - Investing during previous downturns of 2000 & 200809:27 - Investing in Pratilipi - Crucial to India’s vast vernacular landscape13:08 - Investing in smallcase - Simplifying investing in Stocks by creating thematic bundles16:31 - Overall approach to finding & adding portfolio companies18:45 - Advice for Startups in tailwind sector - Being semi-aggressive20:15 - Advice for Startups in badly hit sectors - Cut down cost & preserve your runway22:22 - Distinct qualities of entrepreneurs who survive & thrive during such crisis 28:06 - Impact of Covid-19 on upcoming investments (Series A & Series B) in 2020 & early-2021Send us a text

Pankaj joined Bertelsmann New York in 2009 and later started Bertelsmann Corporate Services India Pvt. Ltd and Bertelsmann India Investments. Bertelsmann India Investments has several popular startups in its portfolio - Licious, Pepperfry, and Quikr among others.In this podcast, Pankaj shares his opinions on how startups can optimize spendings and become more cash efficient in the long run. Notes - 00:40 - Joining Bertelsmann in New York & starting Bertelsmann Corporate Services India02:33 - Thesis behind the diverse portfolio of Bertelsmann India Investments07:02 - Exit from Saavn which is now JioSaavn11:02 - What change can startups expect in consumer behaviour post Covid-19?14:45 - Biggest value addition which Bertelsmann brings to its portfolio companies20:20 - Average ticket size & ideal phase for making an investment at BII21:12 - Personal habits and hobbies which he attributes to his success23:35 - Ability to see far & deep and implementing future prospects within the business26:30 - Investing companies which raise minimum capital and are able to build great businesses28:58 - Identifying companies with high profit margins(Treebo as an example)29:59 - Advice to entrepreneurs to sail through Covid-19 crisisSend us a text

Coming from a Tech-background Mekin spent his early career at Yahoo, Ugenie, Lulu.com, and Flipkart.Since 2016, he has also been an Angel Investor investor and exited a few startups such as - UrbanClap, Vaahan, Tapchief, Quizziz & mGaadi.In 2017 he started Udhyam, it focuses on nurturing and guiding students to become future entrepreneurs at the school level. In 2018, he parallelly started Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship, referred to as GAME. As the name suggests, it aims to create 10M entrepreneurs (50% of women), who will create 50M jobs by 2030.In this podcast, Mekin shares his opinions regarding the current situation of MSMEs and how Udhyam & GAME are moving towards their goals amid Covid-19 crisis. Notes - 00:48 - Joining Flipkart and founding Udhyam02:52 - How does Udhyam stimulates and encourages young entrepreneurs?04:34 - How was GAME founded and what problem does it solve?06:14 - Enabling entrepreneurs who run a small business and employ 5-20 people12:53 - How are MSMEs affected by Covid-19?18:21 - Behavioural changes after the crisis20:45 - Opportunities which might emerge from the current scenario27:30 - How is Udhyam leveraging the current lockdown?36:02 - Advice to entrepreneurs to navigate through this crisisSend us a text

#100xEntrepreneur #Podcast with Sanjay Nath, Managing Partner at Blume VenturesIt seems as if Silicon Valley has been a consistent choice during the early career phase for several Indian VCs! Sanjay isn’t an exception as well. After spending his early years in Silicon Valley, in 2006 he came back to India and became an active member of Mumbai Angels.Finally, after 4 years of being an Angel Investor, he cofounded Blume Ventures in 2010. So far Blume Ventures have announced funds of a combined value of $150M with over 192 Portfolio Companies.Some of its Portfolio Companies are - Dunzo, LBB, Cashify, and Unacademy.In this podcast, Sanjay shares his opinions on Indian startup ecosystem navigating through Covid-19 crisis. Notes - 00:44 - From Joining Mumbai Angels to Co-founding Blume Ventures03:40 - Backing Naveen Tiwari, InMobi during 2008 Crash07:35 - How do you test the founders in good vs bad times?12:02 - How has Covid-19 affected Mobility & SaaS Startups?15:30 - Advice to founders to navigate through these tough times16:30 - Startups contributing to building the Future of Work21:53 - Change in Investment Thesis from 2011 (Super-Angel Fund) to 2020 (Fund-III)24:31 - Post Covid-19 Scenario for Non-Consumer Startups (SaaS, Deep Tech, Enterprise)29:55 - Survival of best companies being self-sufficient32:05 - How to evaluate & implement cost-saving strategies?40:10 - Considering and dealing with possibilities of mergers & acquisitionsSend us a text

Mark started Omnivore, an impact Venture Fund focused around Agritech back in 2010. Omnivore has so far invested in over 57 startups which are based on multiple verticals such as - B2B, B2C, Fresh-to-home & Rural Fintech.Some of his Portfolio Companies are - Bijak, Stellapps, and DeHaat.In this podcast, Mark shares his experiences & learnings of investing in Agritech Startups in India over the last decade. Notes - 00:40 - Omnivore’s Background03:06 - Why was Agritech chosen at the focus at Omnivore?05:50 - Investing in Stellapps full-stack dairy digitization08:18 - Portfolio Company - Intello Labs building fresh produce quality system using AI & ML09:47 - Impacting Indian farmers - Lowering cost, increasing profitability, insurance, better techniques13:55 - Co-investing with other Indian Venture Capital firms17:13 - Various verticals in Agritech - B2B, B2C, Rural Fintech, Fresh-to-home21:12 - Challenges while investing in Agritech - Incubation period of the investment, Connecting with farmers, Finding the right opportunities24:40 - How is Omnivore creating a difference in Agritech in India?31:28 - Impact of Covid-19 on AgritechSend us a text

After working at BCG for 2 years, Ishaan joined Sequoia India's Analyst Program in 2011. He spent around three and a half years at Sequoia India. He then went to business school and joined Sequoia India back in 2016. In this podcast, Ishaan shares his experiences & learnings of investing in Consumer brands and Fintech Startups. Notes - 00:42 - Joining Sequoia India's Analyst Program01:57 - Investing experiences over 9 years at Sequoia03:34 - Culture at Sequoia - “Singular focus on doing the right thing for all the stakeholders”.04:45 - “We help the daring entrepreneurs build from Idea to IPO & beyond”.06:23 - “While investing you never have the right or wrong answer”.09:29 - Macro-trends driving Consumer Brands in India11:05 - Financial Services in India are still unpenetrated12:21 - Mamaearth - Being a digital-first personal care brand for their consumers12:57 - Eruditus - Making Ivy league colleges more accessible15:18 - Fintech Startups in India leveraging large digital footprint of their customers to serve them better18:30 - Razorpay - Solving merchant payment issues with innovative solutions20:34 - Scope & Future of Neobanks in India across various customer segments28:37 - Challenges while investing from a large pool of amazing foundersSend us a text

“It’s fine to grow slower, but importantly to grow sustainably.” Mohit has been a successful Angel Investor since 2012 growing over 20x in his portfolio. He even considers his learnings from one of his early investments - Local Banya equivalent to an MBA degree.Since 2017 he has been a part of the Investment Trust of India Group and manages investments in early-stage innovative ideas.Some of his Portfolio Companies are - REVOS, Evolve Snacks, and ten3T Healthcare.In this podcast, Mohit shares his experiences & learnings of investing in Startups which have sustainable growth models. Notes - 00:42 - His learnings from being an Angel Investor05:40 - Investing his own money in early ideas in Ecommerce Startups09:32 - Co-investing in REVOS - Smart Mobility Platform11:15 - Investment & Growth Thesis in Evolve Snacks12:40 - Investing in Preventive Healthcare - ten3T Healthcare18:04 - Avoiding over-ownerships in Portfolio Companies to have a downside protection26:20 - Is securing a Hyper-investment a sure success parameter for a Startup?28:59 - Important to have Sustainability in Investing v/s Spray & PraySend us a text

#100xEntrepreneur Podcast with Vaibhav Domkundwar, CEO at Better Capital“Do Zero Paid Marketing - To Understand What’s Working And What’s Not” Vaibhav has founded successful companies like Roamware (acquired by Audax Group) and Better Inc. As a VC & a founder, he’s a core believer in implementing & experimenting with organic growth hacks to grow a company, this reflects in most of his portfolio companies as well. Some of his Portfolio Companies are - Khatabook, OPEN Bank, Gramophone, and ShopKirana.In this podcast, Vaibhav shares his experiences & learnings of investing in Startups which provide a simple but complete solution to a consumer problem. Notes - 00:35 - His Journey from Founding Two Companies to Becoming a VC05:20 - Investing in 45 Companies in Last 2 Years07:02 - While making an Investment Decision it’s important not to Templatize a Founder’s Idea09:30 - Investing in Asia’s first Neobank - OPEN14:29 - Creating a product which completely solves a problem rather than offering a better way of dealing with it - Khatabook16:05 - Agritech Portfolio Companies - Gramophone, Jai Kisan, BharatAgri18:49 - Investing in a Truly AI-first company30:57 - How does Better helps its Portfolio Companies?Send us a text

#100xEntrepreneur #Podcast with Rutvik Doshi, Managing Director, Inventus Capital PartnersRutvik refers to himself as an “Accidental Venture Capitalist”, coming from a Product management & Software Engineering background.He’s an IIT Kharagpur alumni and later did his MBA from INSEAD. During his early career, he worked at Broadcom Inc. & Google.In this podcast, Rutvik shares his experiences & learnings of building relationships with founders, scanning through potential investments & more. Notes - 00:35 - Accidental Venture Capitalist03:50 - Being a part of Inventus Capital Partners05:50 - Investing in PolicyBazaar & RedBus.in09:14 - Scaling & Diversity in HealthifyMe12:35 - Filters & Criteria to scanning potential investments15:43 - Being a mentor to the founding team22:30 - Giving 1st Priority to Founder / Business & then later check on the Market32:10 - Common traits among founders who’ve scaled 100x36:45 - Fine line between Conviction & Stubbornness in founders37:55 - Challenges while fund-raising as a VCSend us a text