Senthil Kumar Muthamizhan

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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Healthtech startup Orange Health has raised $12 Mn (INR 101.5 Cr) in an undisclosed funding round led by Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund👇 The round also saw participation from a host of existing investors, including Accel, General Catalyst, Bertelsmann India Investments and Y Combinator. The Bengaluru-based company plans to use the fresh capital to grow its team, product expansion and drive further innovation in diagnostics. Orange Health’s latest round takes its total funding round to $47 Mn till date. Founded in 2020 by Gupta and Bhambra, Orange Health is an on-demand diagnostics service provider. It competes with the likes of Practo, Redcliffe Labs and PharmEasy in India. In 2022, the startup raised $25 Mn in a Series B round led by Bertelsmann India Investments and General Catalyst. 🔗To read the in-depth article, click here: https://4-2.co/3CYVVIL #news #healthtech #startup #fundraising

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Indian venture market has exploded. Someone reported that there are 800+ funds/networks/syndicates/ accelerators active in Indian venture market now. Not sure, if that number is correct but if you are an early stage tech founder on your fundraise journey, chances are, you would meet hundreds of people. While majority of the fund houses are doing incredible work and shaping the ecosystem. There are certain kinds of investors you need to identify & avoid to save time and stay focused: Sharing from my personal experience, top 5 such cohorts to avoid and the takeaways for the founders: 1. Data collectors: At early stage, you don't have historical data to present. Your projections are just that, Projections. I wasted one whole week discussing with a prospective angel investor on why the CLTV to CAC ratio is x, and not y. Takeaway: Discuss high level strategic numbers only without going into the details. None of the projections would be accurate anyway when rubber hits the road. 2. Document collectors: Met few folks, who would watch from the fences and ask for n number of documents, data rooms, statements without sharing the purpose of the ask or even revealing their investment intent. Takeaway: It is supposed to be a bi-directional conversation. Say 'no' often, till the time, an official relationship is established. 3. Valuer (! investor): At early stage, valuation is a function of multiple parameters, the opportunity itself, the team, or anything else except steady cash flows, because you don't have much. I wasted another week with a prospective investor trying to justify valuation, had to shut down that conversation, after both of us started quoting Aswath Damodaran and his valuation principles. Takeaway: Too much content on the internet for both parties anyway. Shouldn't be a bone of contention at early stages. 4. Facilitators posing as investors: Met numerous people, who would go to any lengths to pose themselves as serious investors, even buying paid media articles. Only to reveal at the last: The success fee. Takeaway: Avoid facilitators until Series A 5. Brokers posing as market makers: People posing as market makers sharing tons of gyaan on LinkedIn but are actually deal brokers looking to make quick %. Personal experience: Two rounds of conversation happened and then out of blue, they added a third party in the mail trail, someone who facilitates mergers & acquisitions. There wasn't even a single instance in the past conversations where we indicated any such intent. Takeaway: Avoid name & shame in public but at least share within founder communities. #venture #fundraise #startups #investing

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Taking the HARD FACT path. MatchDay Health is undoubtedly taking Path #2 based on Sequoia Capital product market fit framework. The status quo around jobs has always been. Job board > apply to jobs >get interview > get offer > accept offer. We have been brainwashed to believe this is the path to landing a job. I have never personally landed a job this way. It work's, but it's not the ideal path. Also, who the heck said that this was the only way? Would you list your home on the market without an agent? Maybe. Would you get the best offer? Would you get the best buyer in the fastest amount of time? Probably not. The job market has been one sided for so long, without proper representation for job seekers. Taking the HARD FACT path means we are changing the status quo. Making professional EXPERT representation in the job market the new smart approach.

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Never work in Stealth Mode for a Startup Idea. Very risky. This is the time that the idea needs a lot of Validation, Understanding Use Cases, Market Insights, Understanding Competition, Adoption challenges, Market Sizing. More prospects/customers in this phase needs to be met. Asking all the right & tough questions. The Foundations of Problem Validation & Value Proposition needs to be clear here. Working in Stealth Mode cuts you off from these inputs. We have worked with 100+ MedTech/Healthcare startups over the last 3 years. Impact : ✅ Some startups pivoted after they worked with us in GTM Readiness. ✅ Few founders even went back to their Corporate jobs realising the problem they were solving was wrong & didn't see a path to PMF. ✅ Few changed their Pricing and Business Model and entered the Market. Explore GTM Readiness Services. Enter the form in the comments section for a discussion.

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Enrol for Tech for Growth CRAFT - latest update to GrowthX® membership. Built for senior folks in product, marketing & growth. Use tech to drive real growth - details below 👇 First off this is not your generic tech 101 or simplifying tech jargons, nope. This is built to help you - understand your tech stack, nuances, use that to build truly great products & drive revenue - DHANDA. And it's available starting today. Link in comments. Here’s what all it covers — 1. Build the ability to break down any tech stack. 2. Learn how to of tradeoffs while solving for features/ funnels. 3. Learn foundations, front-end, backend & data bases. 4. Learn to work with the engineering team - life skill. Plus, case studies include Building a front-end web app for Groww, Mobile app build tradeoffs for Netflix, Building the database for Blissclub's D2C website, and deeper integrations implementation for Calendly. Built primarily for those in a product role or want to transition into one. But, don’t let that stop you from learning a core technical skill: understand how tech solves for growth & ways of working with engineering. Signup for Tech for Growth link in comments. P.S. Engineers, thank us later :)

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Why are D2C founders hesitant on sharing their unit metrics? I understand they don't want to share it with any tom dick or harry but with the agency that you are hiring? This only helps us understand your unit economics better 6/10 d2c founders hesitate on sharing their numbers with us, even AFTER GETTING US ONBOARD! 😐 knowing your unit economics will only help us craft offers better and scale better

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How To Get Real Feedback For Your Startup's Products w/ Mohit Jain of Kimirica | Shrija Agrawal of RizingTV What needs to be done to make sure you get constructive criticism or feedback for your products or services? In conversation with RizingTV, Mohit Jain of Kimirica explains. #kimirica #mohitjain #vaibhavjain #abnw #startup #productfeedback #productmarketfit #rizingtv

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Building on Mrunal Jhaveri's insightful reflections, I am compelled to share some thoughts on the dynamic landscape of venture investment through family offices—a domain not many venture into but one that holds immense potential for long-term impact. The road to establishing Ice.vc, as Mrunal describes, is paved with practical lessons that resonate across investment strategies and personal experiences alike. The clarity in focusing on core competencies rather than getting sidetracked by trying to offer everything to portfolio companies is something that resonates deeply. In an ever-evolving market landscape, flexibility and adaptability remain crucial. Furthermore, maintaining structured policies and decision-making frameworks isn't just a best practice; it's imperative for avoiding unnecessary disruptions. Clearly defining roles within the family office setup, just as Mrunal does with his brother, ensures seamless operations and clarity in execution. The essence of this journey, however, transcends financial metrics. It is about aligning investments with personal values and the overarching vision one cherishes—creating a legacy that's more meaningful than mere numbers. These insights continue to shape the future of investments and offer a beacon for those brave enough to innovate and invest in line with their own values.

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Today, Startup Réseau turns 5! This post is a shoutout to partners, with who's support we have been building a bootstrapped, "made in India" brand catering to emerging markets, and at the intersection of startups + technology + innovation. Yes, we do operate startup accelerators and #Startups are our core; but then, we have been fortunate to work with Fortune 500 companies + home grown large corporations across diverse industries, unicorns, fast growing tech companies, international universities, governments, development agencies and try creating value for them by keeping entrepreneurship and innovation at the heart of it. We have impacted 1,000+ startups through our programs, worked with 50+ institutional partners and operated programs across 20 countries; in addition to expanding to Nepal, and successfully launching extensive operations across multiple countries in Africa under the Hindsight Ventures brand. Jagruti Bista Gaurav Kulkarni and Kanish Goratela have been with me on this journey all through the 5 years, so a big thank you to 3 as well :) I'd also like to thank each individual who worked with us at some point in time during these 5 years, and just put it out there that your contribution has played its part in getting us here. Hitting refresh and reset, as we dive into the next 5 years and beyond. Anshul Ajay Vansh B. Aman Aragonda Claire Sonia Rose Urassa Vedant M. Yogesh Bista Adithya Binoy #Turning5 #5thAnniversary #Bootstrapping #Startup #Partnerships

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The Rise of India’s SaaS Market: A $70 Billion Opportunity by 2030 India’s SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) market is on a growth trajectory like never before, poised to become a $70 billion industry by 2030. 🚀 Let’s unpack what’s fueling this incredible expansion: 1️⃣ Global Leadership: India is home to over 1,600 SaaS companies, including 18 unicorns as of 2024, contributing significantly to the global SaaS ecosystem. 2️⃣ Exports Powering Growth: A whopping 75% of India’s SaaS revenue comes from international markets, making India a global SaaS powerhouse. 3️⃣ Funding Boom: Indian SaaS startups have raised $6 billion+ in funding since 2020, demonstrating strong investor confidence. 4️⃣ SMEs and Startups Driving Demand: With over 60 million MSMEs in India digitizing rapidly, the demand for affordable, scalable SaaS solutions is skyrocketing. 5️⃣ Employment Opportunities: By 2030, the SaaS sector is expected to generate over 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs, boosting India's economy and talent pool. 6️⃣ AI and Cloud Adoption: AI-driven SaaS products and cloud computing are transforming industries, with Indian companies leading innovations in vertical SaaS solutions for healthcare, finance, and education. India’s SaaS journey is not just a growth story; it’s a transformation story—reshaping how businesses operate globally. 🌍 As we look to 2030, it’s clear that Indian SaaS is not just solving problems; it’s setting benchmarks. 💡 Let’s hear from you: How do you see Indian SaaS evolving in the next few years? Share your insights below! #SaaS #IndianTech #StartupIndia #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

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The startup ecosystem is crocked. We have incubators being ran by large institutions who couldn’t incubate a sodding egg, let alone an innovative startup. We have disingenuous ‘investors’ who haven’t got any actual money to deploy but need their ego massaging. We have failed founders dishing out stale advice like it’s confetti. And by ‘failed founders’ I don’t just mean people who’ve failed at business - even great founders do that. I mean founders that are *terrible* at being a founder. A level of incompetence so bad that they ought to hang their heads in shame and go earn an honest living. But, what do they do instead? They lean even further into the startup ecosystem where the community will pat you on the head, let you get away with murder and allow you to reinvent yourself as an industry expert with absolutely zero due diligence whatsoever. And, what are they doing in the startup community? They’re advising new founders. Often in these incubators. Or swapping out the narrative and becoming a penniless investor instead. I keep seeing it. People that I know full well never built a business. It wasn’t that they built something and then it all went wrong (because there are a lot of helpful and genuine learnings to pass on from that). These are folks who’ve barely even got out of the starting blocks. Trips back and forth to the US - a handful of paying customers after years of fund raising. Series of posts about the podcasts they’ve listened to or books they’ve read - yet they haven’t even heard of a some of the basics, like a CRM, never mind implemented on after Lord knows how many years. And now their startup has gone down the pan (like I could’ve told you it would years ago) they’re reimagining themselves as valuable advisors to startups, investors and whatever new thing they can pretend they’re credible in. It’s the startup equivalent of cat-fishing. You think you’re getting advice direct from a modern day Steve Jobs, but you’re actually getting suckered in by the latest Charles Ponzi. I’ve always said startup founders are in an incredibly vulnerable position. Please, don’t become a victim. Do your due diligence. Ask questions. Ask for proof. Need help, just shout ✌️ #founders #investors #incubators

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Venture capital firm Peak XV Partners has about Rs 16,000 crore of “dry powder” ready for investment Just think of it, a lot of problems in the ecosystem will be solved So just be strong, focused and lean for now Sooner or later, things are going to change

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We have case studies of companies scaling after a good amount of slow growth Pintest took 3 years before it started scaling Stripe founders were manually transferring money behind the scenes for an year Airbnb took few months to get their first employee Kunal Shah spent an year researching before starting CRED Sam Altman said their best companies that scaled in Ycombinator came from companies That wanted to solve a smaller problem With a small audience, And some how Ycombinator people convinced These companies to think global When I was working at Truepush, we had 6 months of halo time before we scaled and Became profitable At current company it’s took months to find a winning ad and we could bet on them for a long time after that. —— When you know what things to work on - KPIs - Retention - Your high paying clients - Repetable clients - Channel fit - Positioning to them And working on unit economics. You will have a unstoppable growth. This process doesn’t gurantee success, But it avoids you from big failures. And that’s 90% work done. You just need to get all these right, once. Until then focus on keeping costs low, Generating retention and revenue. When you get that, scale.

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Your D2C Dreams Are Bankrupting You. Here's Why. 90% of new D2C founders I meet are burning cash to feed their ego while marketplace sellers are quietly building 7-figure businesses. You are also probably confusing and collapsing D2C with Marketplace. Stop lying to yourself. You're not building a brand. You're burning your family's savings because you're too proud to sell on marketplaces. I'll say it louder: Your obsession with building a D2C brand isn't business strategy - it's pure vanity wrapped in a business plan. While you chase social media clout and dream about news features, your bank balance is screaming for help. Starting your own D2C store is like setting up a shop in a narrow gali of Chandni Chowk when you could be selling in Select Citywalk. In that gali, you're burning money on staff, operations, maintenance, and the biggest killer - marketing costs. You're literally paying someone to stand on the main road and beg people to visit your shop inside that gali. "But we're investing in brand building!" No. You're hemorrhaging cash on vanity metrics while marketplace sellers are banking real profits. Your fancy website, custom checkout page, and Instagram aesthetic aren't assets - they're liabilities masquerading as brand building. The hard truth? You're not special. Your product isn't unique enough to justify burning lakhs on customer acquisition. Those big D2C success stories you worship? They started with solid unit economics, not pretty websites. I see founders drain their savings on website development, social media campaigns, and influencer marketing, generating orders that don't even cover their monthly burn. Meanwhile, the "unfashionable" marketplace sellers are scaling to crores without the founder spotlight. Here's your reality check: Start with marketplaces. Hit 500 units daily. Master your operations. Generate actual profits. Then, maybe then, your D2C dreams won't be a death wish for your business. Your ego wants a D2C brand. Your business needs marketplace success first. This post will either offend you or save your business. There's no in-between. Take a hard look at your monthly burn rate and ask yourself: Are you building a business, or just funding an expensive hobby?

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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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Who would invest in founders who have wasted $50M? Koo, an Indian microblogging platform, recently shut shop after raising $50M in capital. Everyone has their views on why Koo failed. IMO, the biggest reason behind its failure was a lack of PMF (Product Market Fit). Koo spent much money on marketing and didn’t build a product people wanted. It kept harping on nationalism, a Twitter for Indians, made in #India. This approach failed. However, this doesn’t mean Koo’s founders aren’t smart or intelligent. I wrote in an earlier post that we shouldn’t be surprised if Koo’s founders raise fresh capital for a new startup. To many of us, this might seem grossly unfair. Millions of smart, hardworking founders are struggling to raise capital while investors are backing failed founders who have wasted millions of dollars. How is that fair? It confirms the widely held belief that the #venturecapital industry is broken and corrupt where a few people with the right connections get all the capital while others don’t see a dime. It shows that the VC industry is a closed group, a cabal where who you know matters more than anything. While these are just complaints, most people who criticise VCs don’t understand how startup investing works. VCs welcome failures. They embrace them because they know failures are inevitable. When VCs invest in 20 #startups, they know 15 will fail. The goal is to invest in startups that can give them a 100x return. Failures are part of the game. They are unavoidable. The aim is to back founders who can build such 100x return companies. Hence, failures are not looked down upon in the VC industry. It’s similar to the American culture where society appreciates the people who take risks, and it easily accepts personal bankruptcies that result from this risk-taking approach. There’s no taboo in failing in the USA and the VC industry. I’m sure Koo’s founders have learnt from their mistakes. It’s an expensive mistake and not everyone is so lucky to have this luxury to spend $50M on their education. ;) However, most VCs will back Koo’s #founders because these founders know how to raise capital and they know how to not build and scale tech companies. Their past failures have improved their chances of future success. In the VC industry, Failure is Good.

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