Ridhish Talwar

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed easing angel fund regulations and opening up these funds to more diverse investor groups. In a major step, the regulatory body will soon allow family trusts and sole proprietorships to invest in angel funds.   These measures are likely to boost opportunities for startup funding and supply young ventures with essential capital for growth, highlighting SEBI’s commitment to cultivating a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g3aGwgJP #StartupFunding #AngelInvestors #SEBINorms #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #IndiaStartups #BusinessGrowth #StartupEcosystem

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A few weeks back, we at SkillsOn, set sail with India's first venture capital (VC) school - with fresh, engaging & 100% practical sessions backed by 10+ years of investing experience & conducted by executives from India's leading investment funds. The last module of the VC masterclass set the ground running with a thorough overview of the deal flow - stages, steps, skills & a real-world case. And as with every module, a signature offering - this time it was the "Alpha Doc" - a one-stop guide to set valuation multiples for companies. More on the Alpha Doc in the upcoming module, “The Venture Capital Engine” this Saturday, 10th August @ 5pm. This module will discuss how India’s leading funds evaluate sectors and companies, conducting research beyond Google, getting high-quality inputs, drawing razor-sharp conclusions and deciphering hidden stories in company financials. All with the backdrop of a real-world case to build 100% practical understanding. This will be the heart of the VC masterclass series. And you do not want to miss this! If you’re eager to explore the world of start-ups, looking to build a career in investments, planning to raise funds for your venture or simply enthusiastic about this space, this is the session for you. More in comments. #venturecapital #entrepreneurship #innovation

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It is often said that Impact investing does not deliver financial returns. At C4D Partners, we are proving this wrong. Our Fund 1 has already achieved a 51% DPI on the India portfolio within 6 years of fund life, delivering a robust IRR. We’re not just about investing for impact, but also prioritizing strong, sustainable financial returns. We carefully select companies that are cash flow positive and demonstrate a clear path to profitability within a couple of years of our investment. This has enabled us to keep our mortality rate under 20%, lower than the industry average. Our approach - We invest in early-growth stage companies that are well-governed and on a clear path to positive cash flows, and be there for the long haul. Our approach comprises not just capital infusion, but active involvement in fostering a culture of transparency, operational excellence and sustainable value creation. We position our investments for sustainability and success in an ever-evolving market. If you’re a startup or investor interested in partnering with us, or just curious to learn more, let’s connect. Mirakle Couriers, Ecotasar, LabourNet, Saahas Zero Waste, Aarohan , 1BRIDGE, Ananya Finance, Freyr Energy Services Pvt Ltd #VentureCapital #Startups #SMEs #GrowthCapital #InvestmentStrategy #C4DPartners

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𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲'𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞! I am excited to share that our portfolio company, Advance Mobility, has successfully raised $3M from existing and new investors ! When we invested in Advance Mobility as the first bet from GrowthCap Ventures’ maiden fund, it was based on three key pillars: a visionary founder like Mohit Jalan, a rapidly evolving market, and a clear path to profitability and scalability. Their innovative approach towards mobility and sustainable transportation resonates deeply with what we aim for in high-potential startups. The #mobility sector in India is witnessing a profound transformation, and with the right execution, we firmly believe that Advance Mobility is poised to capitalize on the growing demand for sustainable solutions. This funding milestone marks a significant step in their journey, and we are eager to see how the team continues to scale with a sharp focus on operational efficiency and market growth. Read more about this exciting development here: https://lnkd.in/gDk9APCG #GrowthCapVentures #AdvanceMobility #SustainableMobility #VC #Startups #IndiaStartups Jenny Mehta Sakshi Vora Jash Shah

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Think operational competencies are only a Big Company responsibility? Think again! At Ops Matters, we are working with the Top Leaders in Ops to break myths and bring real insights from folks who have been there and done that! Check out this short clip from our hour-long session with Rohit M A, Managing Partner of PeerCapital, as he explains why even early-stage startups need to care about Ops and what he looks for in founding teams. If you’d like access to the whole conversation and to be a part of future conversations with India’s leading Ops Leaders, please use the link in the Comment Section to apply to join the community at Ops Matters!

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Should be a fun panel today with Deep Bajaj and Sandeep Jethwani on all things "Founder Wealth"

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 We at RevX Capital just completed the 1st Year of operations at the Fund. Sharing some key milestones and reflections on this #anniversary. 1. Deployed 𝐈𝐍𝐑 500𝐂𝐫+ 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 52 SMEs and Startups. We overachieved the number of portfolio companies. It not only helped us enable the growth of more enterprises but also diversify risk.  2. We talked to 1100+ companies and evaluated 600+ to build this portfolio. INR 2 Cr was our smallest debt investment and largest INR 30 Cr ( with assisted LP co-investments) since we do not invest more than INR 20 Cr via the fund.  3. Products: ~40% of our transactions are 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 based on cash flow, timing, and purpose. Some founders/CFOs didn't even know such custom debt products were available for their business needs.  Apart from Working capital(~60%) and Capex(~20%), we also funded 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 for some large/pre-IPO companies, such as equity buybacks & warrants exercise of promoters, and debt for holding companies.  4. We started with a 6-person team in Gurugram, and are now 17 members spread across Investments, Portfolio & Covenant Monitoring, Finance, Legal, Fund Operations, Admin & HR in Gurugram and Hyderabad.  5. We consciously did not spend a single rupee on Marketing and PR. The team kept heads down and worked on building value for the companies by doing what we know best, providing 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, building customized debt structures, and helping our portfolio companies 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. I want to thank the entire RevX Team, our LPs/Investors, Service providers, and Portfolio companies. We are excited about the next year and will gradually unveil our plan as we build on the RevX Platform.

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Super stoked to announce the close of our third fund! Grateful to have been a part of the journey thus far. 🚀 🚀 If you are building in the consumer brand space, please reach out to us- we would love to have a chat. We invest in businesses at a pre-seed, pre-revenue stage with the ability to support our portfolio companies until growth/ late stages. #Fund3 #ConsumerBrands #EarlyStageInvesting #SauceVC #Startups  #Entrepreneurship #IndiaGrowthStory #PreseedInvestment #VentureCapital #Consumer

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Consumer tech businesses will continue to get built in India as we go deeper and deeper in the market. Micro transactions have enabled new business models for content consumption /digital entertainment/ Gaming. B2C businesses in Healthcare and Edtech, still have a large untapped opportunity in India. Govind Lohia from our team at Gemba Capital captures some of his thoughts in this article published by ET. Do give it a read, if you are interested in the early stage consumer tech space in India and reach out to us, if you are building one. #consumer #tech #Venture #earlystage #seed Vipul Rawal ↗️ Sujoy Chakravarty Kamini Shivalkar Shashank Gupta

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Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) is on the rise globally, with India hosting over 150 CVCs. This trend reflects corporations' recognition of the innovation startups bring and their desire to stay competitive. By investing in startups, corporations gain access to innovation, value-adding technologies, and financial incentives. CVCs play strategic roles by investing in startups within their industries, offering benefits like industry networks and expertise, while also providing general support such as access to experienced professionals and relaxed return expectations. The significance of corporates investing in the startup ecosystem is continually growing globally, with many Southeast Asian corporations turning their attention to South Asia, particularly India. Read More Here: https://bit.ly/4a8vsTJ #Restaurants #Hospitality #Technology #Business #Innovation #AI #investing #venturecapital Branded Hospitality Ventures Noah Stern

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While cautious, investors are excited about the next phase of Consumer startups in India. Whether it is the incumbents or the ones at very early stages, we believe that large scale businesses will be built in the consumer space across premiumization, digital entertainment, tech led services themes across sectors in the coming decade. The below article captures our view in much detail. If you are building in Consumer Tech/Services space and are solving a complex problem, we would love to talk to you. Gemba Capital Adith Podhar Vipul Rawal ↗️ Kamini Shivalkar Shashank Gupta

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At Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, we used to do a Wealth Creation Study every year under the guidance of Raamdeo Agrawal. In 2021, we did one on "Atoms to Bits" (https://lnkd.in/gdyic6Ny). Key insight when we were researching was Digital Business Design is about business first, design second and digital third. A simple framework that comes from this (Think of it like a 2x2) 1. Quality of Business Design and 2. Degree of Digitization When we started interacting with Namma Yatri, it struck us that this is one of the rare teams which not only has the most simple and innovative use of a protocol but also innovated on business design. The enduring moat of the business actually comes from their frugal DNA which supports this innovation. It is invisible like the best moats are :) Their data is transparent on https://lnkd.in/gARxQEsA which is also a window into one of their other key facets of culture - Collaboration and Transparency I have no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most exciting population scale companies being built and it is a privilege to be a yatri with Magizhan Selvan Shan M S. More details from Nitin Sharma https://lnkd.in/gbgzTPdp

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Exciting Developments in the Indian Budget 2024 for the Startup Ecosystem! 🚀 The Indian Budget 2024 has unveiled several groundbreaking measures that reflect a strong commitment to economic stability, growth, and innovation. Here’s a quick overview of the key highlights: ✅️ ₹5000 Crore Innovation Fund: A substantial new fund has been introduced to support innovative startups and extend tax benefits, providing a significant boost to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. ✅️ ₹1000 Crore Venture Capital Fund for Space Economy: The establishment of this fund demonstrates India’s forward-looking vision and positions the country as a leader in the emerging space sector. ✅️ Angel Tax Abolished: The removal of angel tax is a major step forward, eliminating a significant barrier for startups and investors. ✅️ Long-Term Capital Gains Tax Reduced to 12.5%: The new rate of 12.5% on long-term capital gains will enhance investment attractiveness and encourage more funding into startups. These measures are set to invigorate the startup landscape, drive innovation, and support long-term growth. As an entrepreneur and angel investor, I’m excited about the opportunities these initiatives will unlock for the startup ecosystem! For a deeper dive into these developments and their implications, check out my views in a detailed article in the Economic Times https://lnkd.in/g_znAT9r #IndianBudget2024 #StartupEcosystem #Innovation #EconomicGrowth #SpaceEconomy #VentureCapital #AngelTax #CapitalGains #Faad Aditya Arora Dr.Dinesh Singh Harshika Paliwal Shivani Khare Neha Mourya Vatsal Lunawat Abhilash Gupta Samarth Gupta Sanyam Jain

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So exciting to mobilize with partners in the Indian VC Ecosystem to fuel women-led innovation for the benefit of all. Along with all these returns-first investors, we know that "When you invest in women, you're in good company." And, with The Great Wealth Transfer seeing billions of dollars moving into the hands of women and Next-Gen investors, we believe we are living through a historical opportunity to address the egregious gender venture funding gap. #beyondthebillion #investinwomen #drivereturnsthroughdiversiy

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How innovation is essential for building truly great economies, especially for emerging economies e.g., for India and OECD ?? Exports indeed is a reflection of your ability to compete and win. But for that, one has to have differentiating competitive advantages that typically are enabled by one's core competencies. For example: - China, "by-design", since 1976, combined power of clear domestic policies, incentives, verticalization of labor, infrastructure, and focused on consumer export-oriented goods to the West. Within 15-20 years, this became their core competency. - For India, the initiative to boost exports is worth applauding, and to some extent and for some time, one can grow it by either tapping into the unmet demand, or by propping up by giving incentives. Good. But those drivers can not be sustained. You have to address the underlying issues all around. What India DOES have is a brilliant and resilient breed of people who can work hard and make a difference if provided with the right (eco) system!! Few things have happened off-late (e.g., infra, digitalization, et. al.) but unless one bridges the remaining gaps, it will be hard: - Manufacturing and supply chain costs are not minimum - We did not invent or innovate anyone of those technologies. - All technology is either imported or licensed. - Culture of glorifying "Jugaad" with "Innovation" is flawed. - Cost of capital is high, ... and so on Something to think about.

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We are delighted to announce the close of Kedaara IV at USD 1.738bn, our fourth fund. We had a one and only close, and we completed the entire fund-raise in 4 months. This is an important milestone in Kedaara Capital's 12 year journey and comes at a time when the PE industry is fending off fierce headwinds and a challenging fund-raising environment. This is all thanks to our incredible family at Kedaara, where we have brought together a team with extremely sharp minds, diverse areas of expertise and a real passion to create a unique firm. It is made possible by the terrific entrepreneurs and owners of quality companies who give us the opportuity to partner with them. On top of that, we have an absolute solid set of thoughful Limited Partners/Investors who have backed us from our start in 2011, and continue to do so today, despite various challenges in the macro and the micro which crop up occasionally. And of course, a final thanks to our friends at Clayton Dubilier & Rice, who we partnered with early on in our journey... For us, with all humility, this is just the beginning... At the end its never about size, its about performance. Its about giving back many times more than what we take - to our investors, to our portfolio companies, and to our team - As India sets itself for even bigger strides in the coming decade, we hope that we, as Kedaara Capital, can play our small role in accerating that, even as we provide disproportionately high (relative to the risk taken) returns to our Limited Partners... As always, we welcome your thoughts.... https://lnkd.in/dWYePTKg

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After a power-packed session on Venture Basics, we moved on to the second module of the VC masterclass this weekend, at India's 1st venture capital school by SkillsOn. We set the ground running with a thorough overview of the deal flow - stages, steps, skills and a real-world case. And as with every module of ours, a signature offering - this time it was the "Alpha Doc" - a one-stop guide to set valuation multiples for companies. More on the Alpha Doc in our upcoming module, “The Engine” this August. Here, we will discuss how India’s leading funds evaluate sectors and companies, covering every aspect in thorough detail – conducting research beyond Google, getting high-quality inputs, putting them together for drawing razor-sharp conclusions and deciphering hidden stories in company financials. All with the backdrop of a real-world case to build 100% practical understanding. This will be the heart of the VC masterclass series. If you’re eager to explore the world of start-ups, looking to build a career in investments, planning to raise funds for your venture or simply enthusiastic about this space, this is the session for you. #startups #venturecapital #entrepreneurship #careers Link in comments.

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Venture capital firm Peak XV Partners ( formerly Sequoia Capital India and SEA) has emerged as the top investor India’s startup ecosystem. The firm made investments in a whopping 47 potential unicorns ( start-ups founded after the year 2000 with a valuation of US$1bn) this year, according to ASK Private Wealth Hurun India Future Unicorn Index 2024, which highlights India's fastest-growing start-ups. Accel came in at the second position while Tiger Global which made very few investments in the past couple of years came in third. Trifecta and Blume Ventures also made it to the top 5 list. #startups #investments #india #funding

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As the foreign venture capital world shifts and changes, to me it is evident that the next generation of Indian companies are going to be built with the support of Indian capital. The emergence of strong domestic brands in the VC space is a great start. And most of them (including Rukam) have raised capital from Indian institutions and family offices. The focus of Indian family offices too towards investing in startups is a step in the right direction. No country in the world has or can build a large startup ecosystem without domestic capital. As someone rooted in the Indian milieu it is of course significantly easier to understand the risks and the opportunities of building in India. There aren’t inflated business plans because it’s pretty evident to anyone who has lived most of their lives here that these just won’t fly no matter what. Domestic VCs have a great opportunity to build an ecosystem that showcases the best-in-class way of doing business. The emergence of domestic VC brands is a good sign of the robustness of our ecosystem. The next step is to make deeper pools of LP capital available as well as other enabling policies to domestic VCs so that this gets bigger and bigger. The more risk capital available to our founders, the bigger the pie becomes for everyone. #rukamfounders #riseofdomestocvcs #domesticcapital

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