Aastha Dusad

Optimising for survival vs valaution During my previous startup journey My Dream Store we grew from 3cr annualRevenue to 30cr annual Revenue in 24 months and we were on look out for series A of 5Mn usd , Talked to almost every VC in town by that time we have only raise an angel round of 300k usd only. Everything was green we were super ambitious , stayed in market for 3 months could not close . During this time there were few Angel groups who could write 500k to 1mn cheques but we thought it would be too small for our ambitions. We went back to building again - our growth began to drop and became flattish at 2cr monthly revenue , we went back to market to raise 2Mn after 1yr to market to a different set of VCs - very hard to raise on back of degrowth, we were willing to dilute more but yes could not close. Lesson learnt always raise when you are going to peak in the next 3-6 months. As founders we would be focused on growth during that cycle but it’s better to put more money in war chest. Back to story one more year passed on flattish growth, we did some working capital solves , cut expenses we de grew to 1.5cr monthly revenue . Was again out in market this time looking for Angels founder angels or syndicates to raise 500k to 2Mn to build back. I was almost on verge of giving up but then Sujayath Ali wrote a small cheque gave us hope to rethink and started building Nobero. Only a founder can truly understand the grit and struggle. Now Nobero is a rocket ship we are super excited along side strong partner like TMRW House of Brands . From my journey of fundraising failures here are something’s that other founders / people who want to start can pick up 1. Always raise when you are on the raise 2. Do not be finicky about valuation pick best of what you are getting and go back to building 3. Like you see in my essay I moved down from 5Mn to 2Mn to 500k , very foolish . In hindsight had I picked the 500k to 1Mn cheque when we were at 30cr the story would have been totally different . Pick whatever you can at best price you can close fast. The art is to close deal fast and move from position to position strongly on back of good metrics 4. Small cheques get large cheques , you are no longer alone in journey. It’s in interest of all parties to protect org and do what is right for org to grow 5. Fundraising is sales , be very strategic of what you offer -if you are degrowing offer a larger share, create phased offers milestone led - 500k to x size and if I hit X follow on with 2Mn if I do not grow to X be willing to take more hit on equity. Always offer what others cannot 6. Have some founders on your cap table who have been part of these , it’s millions saved #fundraising #startup #lessonsbuildingnobero

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#SuccessfulExit: Highlights the positive outcome of the investment, showcasing a profitable venture for all involved. #InvestorWins: Celebrates the success of Inflection Point Ventures and their ability to generate significant returns. #D2CFashionSuccess: Showcases the growth potential and profitability in the direct-to-consumer fashion industry. #IndianStartupEcosystem: Emphasizes the thriving startup environment in India and the opportunities it presents for investors and entrepreneurs. #BackingDreams: Conveys the role of angel investors in supporting and nurturing early-stage startups. #GrowthStory: Captures the journey of Fashor, from a startup to a successful brand, thanks to strategic investment. #EmpoweringEntrepreneurs: Highlights the role of Inflection Point Ventures in empowering and enabling entrepreneurs to realize their visions.

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Funding Update - INDIA - E-commerce & SaaS startups grabbed maximum funding Growth Stage #Atlan: Data and AI governance company raised $105 mn in its Series C funding round, co-led by GIC and Meritech Capital.   #NephroPlus: Dialysis chain raised $102 mn from Quadria Capital.   #GreenCellMobility: Shared electric mobility startup raised $36.7 mn from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) for its electric bus project in Uttar Pradesh.   #K12TechnoServices: Provider of full-stack education, content, and technology services raised $27 mn from Venturi Partners Pte. Ltd, acquiring a 5.12% stake.   #Lendingkart: Lending firm raised $10 mn from external commercial borrowing (ECB) from BlueOrchard Fund.   #MyelinFoundry: Deeptech AI startup raised $4 mn led by SIDBI Venture Capital, with participation from Endiya Partners, Pratithi Investment Trust, and Subh Labh.   #BharatRohan: Agritech firm focused on drone-based hyperspectral remote sensing raised $2.3 mn in a pre-IPO round from Villgro Innovation Foundation, Caspian, RevX, Venture Garage, and UHNI individuals.   Early Stage #Superplum: Direct-from-farm produce supply chain startup raised $15 mn in a Series A round led by Erik Ragatz.   #Poshn: Foodtech startup raised $4 mn in equity and $2 million in debt in a pre-Series A funding round led by Prime Venture Partners and Zephyr Peacock India.   #Parseable: Log analytics startup raised $2.75 mn in a seed funding round led by Surge, with participation from NP-Hard Ventures.   #Cornext: Agritech startup raised $2.2 mn in a seed funding round led by Omnivore.   #Regrip: Re-engineered tyre startup raised $2 mn in a funding round co-led by Sirious One, Inflection Point Ventures, and Let’s Venture.   #ICON: Startup raised $1.2 mn in a seed round led by DSG Consumer Partners with participation from angel investors.   #Atomgrid: Startup raised $1.2 mn in a seed funding round led by Merak Ventures, with participation from Dexter Ventures, Upsparks, Point One Capital, and UniCards's founders Nitin Gupta and Prateek Jindal.   #Eternz: Startup raised $1.15 mn in a pre-seed funding round led by Kae Capital, with participation from Gemba Capital, IIMA Ventures, TDV Partners, and Venture Lab.   #Knit: Startup secured $1 mn from Endiya Partners, Axilor Ventures, and angel investors.   #SelectBrands: Startup raised $778k in Pre-Series A funding led by Agra Gwalior Pathways and Airen Holdings, with contributions from We Founder Circle, Prataap Snacks, Apricot Foods, Workie, and IVY League Ventures.   #50Fin: Startup raised $550k from Arali Ventures and Nitin Gupta.   #Treacle: Cybersecurity startup raised $479k in a pre-seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures.   New Fund Launch #InCredAlternativeInvestments: Marked the first close of its inaugural private equity fund.   #ClientAssociates: Wealth management and investment banking firm announced the first close of its inaugural Cat II AIF @$36 mn. Like it? Follow me for more updates like this.

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✨ Breaking: Alkemi Growth Capital Announces New Fund.- Alkemi Growth Capital A women-led healthcare-focused fund in India, led by Alka Goel, planning to launch a second fund. Alkemi Growth Capital For the ❤️ of Startups #Fusion42 #Startups #Founders #Venturecapital

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What happens when a Founder leaves after raising funds or for some reason can't continue? What Happens to Investor Money in that case? This is a genuine concern, and the answer lies in a term you might find in your term sheet - Reverse Vesting. Reverse vesting happens when founders already own their shares from day one but agree that the company can buy back these shares at a nominal price if they leave early. Typically this reverse vesting is of four-year period with a One-year Cliff. So if any founder leaves before one year(cliff), he has to sell all his shares to the company at nominal prices. This is generally a good practice to prevent startups from failing because of cofounder issues or early founder exits. Share your thoughts, and ask doubts about anything related to startups

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Who exactly is losing market share in the hotly contest grocery commerce? I thought it must be the now-not-so modern retail, but I'm not so sure. Zepto raised $665 Mn at a valuation of $3.6 Bn, and is in talks to raise $250 Mn more. And their cofounder and CEO Aadit Palicha recently commented that they can beat DMart - Avenue Supermarts Ltd on GMV in the next 12-18 months. Swiggy Instamart also is growing, and Blinkit is likely to be more valuable than their owner Zomato itself - so they are all doing well, even if Dunzo isn't. Sure, no idea what JioMart Digital is doing, but deep pockets. Same with Tata Digital and their weird assortment forced to converge on Neu. bigbasket.com is trying to unlearn and relearn, and it just might. And Flipkart Grocery and Amazon Fresh are also upping their game - launching faster deliveries, discounts, improved fill rates, and selection. So I wonder if it is the modern-trade players? The likes of More Retail Private Limited, Spencer's Retail, STAR BAZAR, and SPAR Retail that are suffering? The nearest Spencer's to me is definitely a sore sight, now reduced to a shell of it's former glory - I think they aren't even replenishing inventory now. And we all know what happened to Big Bazaar - Future Retail. But Dmart itself isn't doing half bad - with pareto presence in just 23 cities, and no presence in UP (except NCR), Bihar, and West Bengal, they have considerable headroom, still. And they haven't yet quite solved for ecommerce, so while The Ken says that they are lost, they may find their way, eventually? I also don't think that the real consumption is growing, if at all, it may even shrink with the K-growth. Thus, some one _is_ losing share. And if it is not modern trade, then is it the regional chains? The single kiranas? The corner-store? The hand-cart? I'm not entirely sure because this data is hard to organize, and get. Would you know? Image created by AI in Microsoft Bing Copilot.

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There are only 4 major drivers of competitive advantages in building a D2C business in 2025. 1. Category creation 2. Distribution moats 3. Ecosystem dynamics 4. Founder brand But if you're just starting out, you really only have one option. Founder Brand Why? -> Category creation is the ultimate prize but demands massive capital. At any given moment, based on market conditions and investor appetite, only a handful of companies can sustain this burn. Most implode trying. -> Distribution moats are beautiful in theory but nearly impossible to build from scratch. Getting to true escape velocity in distribution requires either vast resources or perfect timing. Usually both. -> Ecosystem dynamics seem promising, but the modern stack is brutally efficient at commoditizing partnerships. What took 5 years to build in 2015 gets replicated in 5 months today. This puts early-stage founders in a bind. If category creation needs endless capital, distribution moats need perfect timing, and ecosystem plays get commoditized instantly, what's left? -> You lean into the Founder brand. This makes technical founders deeply uncomfortable because it can't be engineered or automated. But that's precisely why it's POWERFUL. Because it takes time. Because it’s difficult. And because it’s very hard to fake. It is the reason why folks like Shantanu Deshpande and Satyajit Hange are leading their companies to such strong performance. You couldn’t fake being either one of them for a second. They are simply themselves. Brands leverage the power of trust. And in a world of digital exhaustion, trust is the most precious resource there is. DO NOT STOP INVESTING IN YOUR BRAND The velocity of trust = Velocity of growth = Reference = Momentum That's how the Founder's brand becomes a scaling engine. If you want to build something enduring, your early customers need to bet on you before they bet on your solution. The game has evolved. Early companies chasing venture-scale outcomes must weaponize their founder's natural magnetism. A perfect product is table stakes. Your escape velocity comes from being an undeniable force in your space. The ones who embrace this rise above the noise. The ones who resist become ambient noise. Choose wisely. #startups #entrepreneurship

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CHANNELIAM FUNDING TRACKER RECENT UPDATES 1.    Chosen® Raises USD 1.2 Mn in Seed Round 2.    Clodura.AI Raises USD 2 Mn from Bharat Innovation Fund 3.    Digital marketing automation #startup Maino.ai raises $1.8 Mn 4.    #Healthtech startup DocPlix raises Rs 1.2 Cr in bridge round 5.    Speciality chemicals startup Scimplify to raise $5 Mn 6.    Robinhood acquires Bitstamp in $200M deal to expand #crypto presence globally #funding #startups #businessnews #channeliam

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🚨Zepto Raises $665 Mn From Avenir, Lightspeed, and avra (Anu Hariharan new fund) at $3.6 Bn Valuation While startups are struggling to raise funding at a higher valuation, Zepto's valuation jumps ~ 2.5X -> 2024: Zepto bags the biggest fund raise in 2024 -> 2023: Becomes the first Indian startup to turn unicorn in 2023 #Zepto #Funding #Indianstartups #Quickcommerce #Valuation Inc42 Media (To read more, click the article link in the comment section 👇🏽)

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𝐆𝐌𝐀𝐓 715 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 40 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 | 98𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 Fewer than 1% of the GMAT test takes get to a score of 715. Achieving this in a mere 40 days is almost a rarity. Yet Siddharth did just that – he not only scored a brilliant 715 (99th percentile) with a perfect Q90 but also a phenomenal 98th Percentile on Data Insights. In this video https://lnkd.in/e_9yxjZq, we delve into the key elements of Siddharth's impressive GMAT success story: 1. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Siddharth ’s journey to the top 1% involved ____. Discover what they were and how he identified these and fulfilled them to achieve the top GMAT score in just 40 days. 2. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲: Six of the nine milestones were DI-specific. Siddharth not only completed all these milestones efficiently but also excelled in each of them, achieving 80%+ accuracy for hard questions across the DI sub-sections. 3. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞: While many students are good at quants, only a few of them get a perfect Q90 score. Uncover the focused strategies behind Siddharth’s preparation that led to a perfect Quant Score. 4. 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭: Siddharth faced many challenges – from setbacks in previous attempts to test day anxiety. Learn how he overcame each of these challenges and performed exceptionally well on the test day. If you want to learn how to improve your score and excel at your GMAT dreams, then do not miss out on this incredible session! Take the first steps toward writing your own GMAT success! Payal, Abhinav, Atul, Satish, Sanchari, Shubham, Akash, Abhishek, Rida, Rashmi, Abha, Kanupriya, Prakriti, Mansi, GMAT Club, Siddharth, Manas

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Gururam-based angel investment platform Inflection Point Ventures has announced a full exit from Jaipur-based D2C fashion brand Fashor with a 33% IRR. The firm said it has achieved 3.75X MoM (Money over money) from this exit within 54 months of investing in the startup. Read the full story here: 👇 https://lnkd.in/djhTrmvS #funding #investors #angelinvestors #d2c #fashion #entrepreneur #indianstartupnews

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Already in debt crisis due to credit cards? Here are your productive solutions 📌 Stop using credit more credit cards to pay off your one credit card bill! it could be highly counter productive! 📌 You can use personal loans as they still highly expensive but less costlier than credit cards (cc-40% intt and personal loans- 20%) 📌 Consider borrowing from family to pay off dues! 📌 If your dues are highconsider taking a loan against fd or gold to pay off the dues! It would be cheaper than credit cards! 📌 If you have other investments like mutual funds, you can consider taking loan against the same as well! Don’t sell your investments to repay the due! Stay tuned with Sanjay Pekam for such more productive solutions!

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🚨Zepto's cash burn zooms to Rs 250 crore a month on rising capex, closes Rs 2,500 crore funding round Zepto founder Aadit Palicha confirmed the HNI round in a statement to Moneycontrol "Investors are confident with the mature store profitability proven and the forward indicators of EBITDA for new stores, which is why we have successfully raised the largest ever 100 percent domestic financing for a private startup in Indian history. We are raising this Indian capital as a first step to quickly becoming a fully Indian-owned company within the coming fiscal," The Zepto effect Digital marketing spends ⏫ Talent costs ⏫ Cost of Google keywords ⏫ While Zepto burnt Rs 250 crore (around $30 million) in September, the monthly cash burn went as high as Rs 300 crore (about $35 million) in October, two of the persons cited above said while adding that it is likely to stay in the Rs 300 crore range for November as well. But sources close to Zepto say this number is closer to 250 crore. with Tushar Goenka https://lnkd.in/gmkNyaMs

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Closing a startup properly is crucial for founders.

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🏥 The Global Health Tech Boom: A VC's Playbook for US & India In the US, the consumer health tech market is expected to reach a whopping $400 billion by 2027, while India is experiencing a similar surge, with its consumer health tech market projected to hit a staggering $32 billion by 2025. As a VC actively investing in innovative health tech startups across both continents, here is what gets me excited: 🚥 Seed Funding ($0.5M-$5M): Focus on validation, not chasing unicorns. Early traction is crucial – think $300K-$2M in annual sales depending on your niche. Demonstrate efficient customer acquisition (sub-$30 CAC) and cultivate loyalty (lifetime value exceeding CAC). Most importantly, show product-market fit. A passionate user base willing to pay a premium is a winning formula. 🚥 Valuation: Seed-stage valuations are concept-driven. Expect a range of $3M-$15M, with a typical multiple of 5x-10x revenue. This considers market size, innovation, and team experience. 🚥 Series A ($10M-$20M): Scale-up time! We look for 2x-4x YoY revenue growth and a minimum of $2M in annual sales. This validates your customer acquisition strategy and a repeatable sales engine. Retention remains king! High customer retention signifies a strong brand connection and sustainable growth. 🚥 Valuation: Early traction and a clear path to profitability are essential. Series A valuations can range from $10M-$30M, with a typical multiple of 4x-8x sales. Revenue growth, market potential, brand strength, and team expertise influence this multiple. 🚦 Decoding Valuation in Global Health Tech: ⚡ Market Potential: A large addressable market with room for significant brand capture is key. Think millions of potential customers! ⚡ Profitability Path: Growth is exciting, but we need a data-driven roadmap to profitability, consider factors like insurance reimbursement models, pricing strategies etc. ⚡ Brand Strength: Show us metrics like social media engagement, brand mentions, and positive user sentiment. A strong brand can command a premium valuation. ⚡ Customer Empathy: Consumers are value-conscious and diverse. Deeply understand your target audience and tailor your product accordingly. ⚡ Passion is Key: Demonstrate your passion for transforming healthcare delivery on a global scale. 🚥 Key Areas of Opportunity: These areas hold immense potential: ⚡ Telehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring: Simplifying access to quality healthcare for remote populations. ⚡ Chronic Disease Management: Offering personalized solutions for managing chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. ⚡ Mental Health & Wellness: Address growing need for mental health support through accessible and affordable solutions. ⚡ AI-powered Diagnostics & Treatment: AI to improve healthcare accuracy, efficiency, and affordability. ⚡ Preventive Health & Personalized Medicine: Fostering proactive health through personalized preventive care and wellness solutions. 🗣 Love to hear from HealthTech Startups! 🏥

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VCs don't want you to wait anymore. :) Antler India is coming to Delhi/NCR with its fast track edition on 12th September. Referrals received upto 10th September shall be considered. - Ticket Size -> 1. $500k ($250k initially + $250k rolling) - Funding 20 companies - $10Mn total investment by 2024 end. - Decision on residency within 24hrs of meeting the team, and decision on investment within 2-4 weeks. - The only caveat is that you must be recommended by someone known to any team member of Antler India. Here's the process - 1.  Find someone in Antler Team members' networks or someone who knows them. 2. Ask them to message them, tag them on linkedin, tweet, etc. whatever. Convince them to write a 1-2 good lines. 3. All shortlisted individuals and teams will get a direct slot with Antler India on September 12/13 to meet team Antler India (happening mostly in Gurgaon). We could collate the list of all people in Antler India. I will try tagging a few in comments. Also, would need that referral myself if someone knows them 😂. #AntlerIndia #Startups #Funding #thisisgulshan

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5-point strategy for conquering the market with a startup I came across this strategy in a post by Santosh Sharan, and here are the key points he emphasizes: 1. Capture Attention Better Than Your Competition. 2. Just Be Different. 3. Refuse To Copy Your Dominant Competitor. 4. Relentless Focus On Optimizing The Low End Of The Market. 5. Be the best at something and don't try to be good at everything. Using Gearheart.io as an example, I will show how these points can be put into practice. 1. Capture Attention Better Than Your Competition Think globally, act locally. Inspired by business futurist Adrian Slywotzky at UCU Business School (LvBS), we’ve been generating buzz for Gearheart right here in Silicon Valley, since I moved here. What we’re doing: - LinkedIn activity to create valuable content for startup founders. Startups usually do this, not dev agencies. - Sponsoring and organizing our own local events in San Francisco and the Valley. - Building a community of allies by offering value to startups before we even start working with them. 2. Just Be Different - We have the mindset of entrepreneurs, having built our own startups, while also operating as an offshore team. - We specialize in B2B SaaS platforms that focus on creating time. - We’re located in hi-tech hubs like San Francisco and London, giving us access to a valuable network and exceptional expertise. 3. Refuse To Copy Your Dominant Competitor With countless competitors, we studied the market to see what everyone else was doing the same, and then chose to do things our way. As a startup founder myself, I speak the same language as our customers. 4. Relentless Focus On Optimizing The Low End Of The Market We combine the expertise and presence of an American agency that knows how to build products for this market, while leveraging offshore pricing by building teams in Ukraine and working remotely - a practice we’ve been mastering for over 12 years, long before COVID. 5. Be the best at something and don't try to be good at everything We focus on building B2B SaaS platforms designed for efficiency and speed, essentially creating time for our clients. That’s our niche. P.S. I invite you to apply this model to your business and share it in the comments.

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𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐆𝐌𝐀𝐓 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞   The above statement resonates deeply with Anurag's GMAT journey. "I realized the GMAT isn't just about how much you know, but how you approach each section," he reflects. This insight was his game-changing moment. When I first heard about Anurag's transformation from 635 to an impressive 715, I was amazed by the improvement. As I delved deeper into his story, I discovered a powerful lesson: 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘔𝘈𝘛 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. Watch Anurag's full interview here: https://lnkd.in/gmzxiDRM Let's break down the key insights that propelled Anurag to the top 1% of GMAT scorers: Anurag's journey to the top 1% of GMAT scorers is a masterclass in strategic preparation. In the Quant section, he achieved a flawless Q90 by emphasizing mindset over memorization. "Read questions twice…," he advises, highlighting how this simple strategy prevents silly mistakes in seemingly easy problems. This approach transformed his performance, proving that attention to detail can be the difference between a good score and a great one. The Data Insights section, often intimidating to many test-takers, became another area of triumph for Anurag. His foolproof tactics turned initial apprehension into an improvement from 70%ile to 96%ile. This transformation demonstrates that with the right approach, even the most daunting sections can be conquered. Perhaps the most crucial element of Anurag's preparation was his approach to mock tests. "Analyze every mock for 30-40 minutes," he emphasizes. This deep dive into performance patterns was pivotal, helping him identify and correct weaknesses. His insights on section ordering and performance tracking could be the missing piece in many GMAT aspirants' preparation puzzles. Anurag's journey proves that with the right strategies and mindset, even the most daunting GMAT score is within reach. His story isn't just about a score increase—it's a blueprint for smart, efficient GMAT preparation.  🤔 Which of Anurag's strategies resonates most with you? Share your thoughts below, and let's learn from each other's GMAT journeys! #GMAT #GMATPrep #GMATSuccess #GMATStrategy #TestPrep #StudyTips #GMATScoreImprovement #HigherEducation #GMATVerbal #GMATQuant #DataInsights #MockTests #StudyStrategies

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For a startup, it is difficult to get the first 10 customers. Here is how we got ours: (1) Listening to the market: In October 2023, we made a resolution. We will have a nimble product development cycle which can quickly change course depending on the market feedback. This is not as easy as it sounds. The sales and product team really need to work in sync to make this happen. Our sales team used to showcase our AI solution to the schools and the feedback was relayed back to the product team. This made sure that we are building something which schools really need. (2) Being patient: To get the first 10 customers, we did more than 200 product demonstrations. Many schools rejected us, some schools kept us waiting for a long time only to reject us finally, we were pure unlucky in some schools (biased decision maker, corrupt management). The sales cycle is typically long and panic should not affect the mindset in these times. All the team members were very patient through the whole process. (3) Strong Belief: It is not easy to keep building the product, when there is no traction initially in the market. You need to really have the belief that whatever you are working on will work and will sell. The team always kept believing through the whole sales cycle. I want our whole team to be proud of themselves, people who are still a part of the company and people are who are not. Onwards and Upwards!

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