Sumit Gupta

Interesting article by ET Prime on Softbank’s evolving investment strategy based on The Arc scoop on the Ultrahuman deal Thanks for citing us, Manu P Toms 🙏 More on what’s working for Ultrahuman and the round here - https://lnkd.in/gcQimTAS

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TFM presents Fin-Idea exploration meetup closed-door brainstorming session focused on what's new in fintech & can be built? Date: Dec 07th (Saturday) Time: 10 AM onwards Location: Delhi NCR (exact location will be shared with selected folks only) Participant profiles (& restrict to 10-12 participants): - BFSI professionals (leaving their current roles), - Seasoned ex founders, looking to re-start As we are approaching the end of 2024, one question we’re hearing more frequently is: 'What’s new on the FinTech front (actual fintech-fintech)? & while looking back at this year, I’d say 2024 has been a year for secured/ mortgage lending and majority deals happened in that domain. This initiative is designed to bring right mix of folks - BFSI Professionals, seasoned ex-founders and thought leaders in one room, with the shared passion for creating the next big fintech idea. Stay tuned for insights and highlights from this gathering — we believe it’s going to be a game-changer! Please fill form here (if you qualify above criteria): https://lnkd.in/gUrvP3CF #finTech #fintechyatra #innovation #brainstormingsession

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IIFL Portfolio Company Xtracap Unveils Instant Disbursal for E-Invoice, UPI Moment for SCF: This latest fintech innovation is anticipated to catalyze a transformative shift in the operational dynamics of the supply-chain finance ecosystem in ...

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In our fundraising workshops, we always get many questions on ESOPs (Employee Stock Option Programmes) and their distribution. Founders want to know how much ESOP to give, whom to give, and how to give. What are ESOPs? ESOPs are company shares reserved for employees. Most #startups form an ESOP pool (typically 10% of total equity) to incentivise their employees. In early-stage startups, salaries are generally lower than market salaries because the startup doesn't have enough money (or revenue). Hence, #founders offer their early employees some equity in their company as an incentive. The objective is to incentivise the employees to stay longer because these ESOPs can become valuable once the company grows. In all cases, the initial ESOP pool comes from the founders' shares. When startups create an ESOP pool, founders get diluted (their shareholding percentage reduces). All VCs insist on creating an ESOP pool as a condition of investment. This ensures that ESOPs don’t dilute VCs. VCs invest in startups that already have an ESOP pool. A 10% ESOP pool is the norm. How much ESOPs should you give to early employees? There is no rule dictating ESOP distribution. The board (consisting of founders and early investors) decide the company ESOP policy. In most cases, all full-time employees are eligible for ESOPs. Founders aren't eligible for ESOPs. Neither are advisors or part-time employees. A good rule of thumb is to give 1% ESOP each to key employees (top 3-4 people) and 0.5% to the next important hires (next 5 people). All ESOPs are vested over either 3 or 4 years. This means employees don't get their shares on day zero. They have to earn it over time. 25% after every year for 4 years is a common vesting schedule. Let's imagine you got 100 shares in ESOPs when you joined a startup. When will you get the shares? Assuming 25% vesting over 4 years, After Year 1 (called cliff): 25 shares After Year 2: 25 shares After Year 3: 25 shares After Year 4: 25 years If you decide to leave the company after the 2nd year, you will only get the vested shares (50). The unvested ones (50 shares) will return to the ESOP pool for future employees. As the company grow bigger, more and more employees get ESOPs. Over time, the entire 10% pool gets exhausted. When this happens, the board comprising founders, investors, and independent directors create another ESOP pool for future employees. All shareholders (Founders, Investors, Employees, etc.) get diluted when a new ESOP pool is created. ESOPs are always put in a trust. The company board makes policies on their eligibility and allocation. ESOPs are the best way to attract and retain talent in the early stages. P.S. We are organising our 9th Founder Fundraising workshop this weekend (20th & 21st July). It's an 8-hour boot camp for founders who want to raise #venturecapital. The programme fee is ₹15K with limited places. The registration link is in the comments.

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"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together" GalaxEye announced investment by MountTech Growth Fund - Kavachh, a $60 million Category-II AIF, has made its inaugural investment in GalaxEye’s $10 million Series A fundraising round. GalaxEye, founded by a dynamic and skilled team from IIT-M, is on a mission to revolutionize space-based surveillance with cutting-edge, multi-sensor (SAR and MSI) fusion technology. With the first LEO satellite launch slated for mid-2025, GalaxEye aims to meet critical security and commercial needs, showcasing the power of innovation driven by purpose and precision. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to supporting trailblazing solutions that address pressing challenges in surveillance and security. GalaxEye’s ambition to leverage SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and MSI (Multispectral Imaging) fusion for space-based surveillance aligns well with the evolving demands of both defence and commercial sectors. Their innovative approach with LEO #satellite constellations promises to address critical security and monitoring needs with unmatched precision and real-time insights. Backing a driven and skilled team like GalaxEye, rooted in a legacy of innovation like Avishkar Hyperloop, speaks volumes about the fund's dedication to fostering groundbreaking technology. This partnership not only reflects the fund's commitment to advancing national security infrastructure but also highlights a forward-looking vision that appreciates the convergence of innovation and practical impact. The anticipated satellite launch in mid-2025 is set to be a milestone in this collaborative journey, and it will be exciting to witness the tangible outcomes of this strategic alliance! #space #venturecapital #investment #india #strategic https://lnkd.in/ggZuW2xs

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Sow Seeds of Financial Abundance At ODIGITAL Startup Drivers, we know that investing in early-stage, high-growth, technology-driven startups is a proven way of sowing seeds of future financial abundance and wealth. This is an asset class that delivers great returns on investment (ROI) for stakeholders and has consistently outperformed hyperinflation and local currency weaknesses in global markets. We have partnered with Tekedia Capital to give you the opportunity to co-invest a minimum of $250 in their early-stage, technology startup investment deals. We have an ongoing investment round that will close on November 10, with a rigorously selected group of 15 of the world's best investment deals. And you have the opportunity to get your equity in any of these ventures and position yourself for future profitable exits. These ventures operate in varied sectors and markets such as B2B Commerce for African fashion, B2B Export for Africa, AI operating systems for chemical manufacturing, construction, property management, hardware design, insurance infrastructure with carriers license, supply chain management, medical billing as well as AI Infrastructure for non Nvidia Chips and Quantum Chip design, Diversified global investing for Indians, global payments for travellers in China and South East Asia and Stablecoin based remittance. If you want to join us to sow seeds that will deliver a future of financial abundance and wealth for you and your generations, then hurry and connect with us via any of the options below to get started. * Send me a direct message * Email - [email protected] * Click - https://lnkd.in/dHd8K9ZN - to join our WhatsApp group. Share and repost for the benefit of your network. And follow me for more posts like this.

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Our team at NiVa did a ground level survey with appx 800+ merchants across Pune , Delhi-NCR and Bangalore for various payment apps and in one of our insights about various payments apps we can see Paytm winning with huge margins across various metrics After reviewing the data , it's clear that Paytm is leading across all categories compared to other digital payment platforms like PhonePe, Cred, Google Pay, and Bharatpe. Fast Payments: Paytm has the highest bar with 85.7%, indicating it is the most preferred option for fast payments. Less Fraud: Paytm also tops the chart with 82.9% for being perceived as the most secure and fraud-resistant payment method. Service: In terms of customer service and support 88.6% , Paytm is ranked the highest by users. Less Fees: Paytm is considered the most affordable option with 48.6% with the lowest transaction fees. Multiple Payment Options: Paytm offers the widest range of payment choices with 88.6%, catering to diverse user preferences. The data unambiguously shows that Paytm outperforms its competitors across all the factors analyzed, including speed, security, service, affordability, and payment flexibility. It emerges as the dominant player in the digital payments space based on this comprehensive user preference study. This remarkable dominance holds valuable lessons for other players, including the up-and-coming NiVa platform. Firstly, prioritizing user experience is paramount – Paytm's seamless interface and rapid payment processing have struck a chord with consumers. Secondly, engendering trust through robust security measures and fraud prevention is non-negotiable in the fintech realm. Furthermore, Paytm's commitment to customer support and reasonable pricing has cultivated loyalty, underscoring the importance of putting users first. Lastly, offering a diverse range of payment options caters to varied preferences, expanding the user base. As NiVa aims to carve its niche, emulating Paytm's user-centric approach, technological prowess, and innovation in areas like security and payment diversity could be game-changers. In the fiercely competitive digital payments arena, learning from the industry leader may pave the way for NiVa's success. Vijay Shekhar Sharma Kudos to you and your team at PayTm !! #paytmkaro #fintech

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Venture Crazyness 🤯 To whom may it serve ? I call it „the revenge of the managerial class“ Taking Money from LPs, getting your cut on Capital commuted to seem rich whilst banking on outliers is the get rich quick or rather cancel student debt quick scheme of the best alumni of IVY League (equivalent european) universities. At the end of the day the government is in support of that, because as long as big quasi monopolies emerge, more tax money is generated that can be exploited by the folks running the military industrial complex through expensive government contracts. Eventually those benefit the most from software startups because it is research and development outside of their (risk) balance sheet with all the benefits of repurpusing the technologies for military usage with big govermenr contracts. Selffunding a fast growing software company with global domainace as Motivation is the only way to serve solely your customers and yourselves in order to turn the wheel of time ࿗

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Lightspeed's resetting SEA expectations report lightly dances around a fact that needs to be talked about a lot more around South East Asia and India. VCs are equally, if not more, responsible with Founders who've jumped on the growth-at-any-cost BURN model of building. In India, we've had the advantages of an AMAZING talent pool as well as a single dedicated market (despite regional nuances), so a lot of our burner babies have matured into strong resilient companies that now operate in the public markets. In SEA, as a first hand participant to the crazed growth and frankly insane narratives being pushed, that luxury doesn't exist. The pitch was similar to India's growth story, look, we'll have a 450 million strong middle class with strong purchasing power! Welp. The reality in India is closer to a 100 million. Still a massive market, but the cause of a lot of layoffs and downrounds to right size companies. SEA, on the other hand, sold a collective region (look at all the people in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore) and used a lot of averages instead of medians. Companies just couldn't scale operations across countries as easily as it was pitched. Building brands, setting up ENTIRE new languages, legal and accounting teams to comply with local norms and more. Even in terms of listings, Grab's US listing has been lacklustre, down 66% from it's listing price and unable to recover. GoTo Group is in a similar situation. This has led to an outcry from broader populace for more transparency, especially when it comes to companies that have had allegations of impropriety (Zilingo, Go Mechanic, The Fashion Valet). While private capital is just that, private, as an investor I feel a little more transparency would benefit everyone. Let's see the IC note that led to the investment. What levels of due diligence were conducted? How did the MIS reports look? Were there early warning signals that were completely ignored or was there fraudulent reporting (VC vs Founder onus)? Think initiatives like this would go a long way towards improving the general public's understanding of startups, as well as highlighting the risks of joining one. I still wholeheartedly think it's one of the most rewarding life experiences, however people need to understand the downsides and risks as well. #venturecapital #india #SEA #funding #tech

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Listening to yet another crypto savvy Mudrex user, Eshu Kumar gave us more insights about investors' needs and wants. A dedicated investor who chose Mudrex after conducting thorough research, Easu has confidently invested over $10,000 since April 2024 through our platform, and his experience has been nothing short of exceptional. Easu's story highlights our commitment to providing an accessible and user-friendly experience for all investors. We understand that choosing a crypto exchange platform is a significant decision, and we aim to ensure every user feels supported and empowered throughout their investment journey. Your trust motivates us to keep enhancing our platform and services to meet your needs better. Thank you for being part of our community! 🚀 #customertestimonial #testimonial #crypto #cryptoexchange #blockchain #cryptoevents #blockchainevents #web3 #mudrex #cryptotrading #cryptoapp #userreview #cryptoinvesting #digitalcurrency #blockchain #tradingplatform #cryptoexchange #investing #financialtechnology #cryptomarket #bitcoin #ethereum #altcoins #cryptonews #cryptotips #cryptoguide #cryptoeducation

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Factorwise SCF ecosystem India updates... There are 4 models existing and co-existing Bank led SCF programmes - Slow growth Fintech Driven SCF - Moderate growth but still has challenges Anchor Led SCF programs - Slow as it needs automation like Factorwise Deep tier financing - Slow and difficult .. data symmetry is the solution for underwriting better. 1. **Global Trade Growth** - Value of global trade (USD trillion): - 2020: 17.7 - 2021: 22.5 - 2022: 23.5 - 2023: 25.4 - CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) from 2020 to 2023: 7.46% 2. **SCF Ecosystem in India** - Total business throughput of the SCF ecosystem across TReDS in 2023: INR 18,000 crore - Projected total business throughput in FY24: INR 40,000 crore - Outstanding credit increase in the MSME sector in 2023: 20.9% - Outstanding credit amount by scheduled commercial banks: INR 26 lakh crore If we compare it with foreign peers, this is just a peanut. 3. **Growth of Registered MSMEs and Buyers** - RXIL: - Growth rate of registered MSMEs (sellers) between FY23 and FY24: 60% - Growth rate of registered buyers: 34% - Mynd Solutions: - Growth rate of registered MSMEs (sellers): 66% - Growth rate of registered buyers: 25% - A.TReDS: - Growth rate of registered MSMEs (sellers): 53% - Growth rate of registered buyers: 35% 4. **Factoring Units Financed** - Amount financed (in INR crore): - March 2022: 14,481 - March 2023: 17,966 - March 2024: 29,057 5. **Commercial Credit Inquiry and Disbursement** - Increase in commercial credit volumes from Q4 FY22 to Q4 FY23: 33% - Disbursals in Q4 FY23: 2.4 lakh crore (2% decrease from the previous year) 6. **Key Growth Drivers for SCF** - Adoption of digital payment systems and public infrastructure - Increased collaboration between banks and platforms like Factorwise - Regulatory support from the RBI and global financial bodies. We at Factorwise believe Anchor-led tech model ecosystems can scale the ecosystem further. Stay tuned with Factorwise #SCF #SCFecosystem #SCFtechnology #SCFautomation Source: PWC

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The importance of safeguarding personal data like PAN cards in the Indian fintech sector cannot be overstated. Ensuring the authorized use of PAN cards is a fundamental step towards enhancing data privacy and security within the financial system. Implementing robust practices to prevent unauthorized access is crucial for maintaining the integrity of sensitive information. #DataPrivacyLaw #Fintech #India

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API infrastructure platform M2P Fintech has secured ₹850 crore ($101.8 million) in a Series D funding round led by Helios Investment Partners. The round, which included $70 million in primary investment and secondary transactions, brings M2P's valuation to ₹6,550 crore ($790 million). The funds will help M2P strengthen its market leadership in India and accelerate growth in international markets, particularly Africa, where financial ecosystems are rapidly evolving. M2P Fintech powers financial services for over 200 banks and 300 lenders globally, with operations in 30+ markets. #M2PFintech #SeriesDFunding #HeliosInvestment #APIInfrastructure #FintechNews #GlobalExpansion #AfricaGrowth #DigitalBanking #FintechInnovation #IndiaStartups #FundingNews #FintechSolutions #BankInABox #FinancialServices #TechInvestment #FintechGlobal

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The latest video by the Solana Foundation is a hard slap on two-thirds of the Web3 pals who are building castles in the air. 👏 Gave me quite a few chuckles. 😂 🤣 My co-founder Devaraj Gowdanar and I have been very precise about what we want to build within Ascend HyFi Labs's product suite. For instance, we are going a step ahead of industry leaders like Mambo and Thought Machine and serving cloud-native core banking solutions that are highly composable. You get to choose from not only the pre-templated packages but also will be able to build your own customized palette suited to your brand philosophy and vision. We are bringing the first #web3 native core banking solutions. No, not a neobank, not a DeFi protocol, or a shady fintech dream scheme. Ascend is disrupting the disruptors - The core banking solution sector. And we aren't stopping at that. From B2B, the plan is set for B2C next. A 20-30-year vision in line before we even began! Ultimately, what sells is not the technology, app, or platform but the utility you create. And yes, build for the users, not for the VCs. It is the users who embrace and help projects grow and survive. Build for them and no other. #banking #blockchain #fintech #web3

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From Code to Cosmos: India’s Deep Tech Surge Seed investments in India’s deep tech sector have surged 5.3X in 8 years—but the average seed cheque is still 50% lower than global standards. The potential is immense, and the time to act is now. Key drivers of this revolution: ▪️ Green Hydrogen: Leading the global energy transition ▪️ Generative AI: Transforming industries ▪️ Space Tech: Startups like AgniKul Cosmos targeting 10% of the $700B space economy ▪️ Biotechnology: Addressing global challenges What’s fueling growth? ▪️ IITs & IISc turning research into commercial tech ▪️ Government initiatives like the National Deep Tech Startup Policy ▪️ Private capital backing innovations in energy, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing Challenges remain—capital intensity, market adoption risks—but with R&D investment, non-dilutive funding models, and a supportive ecosystem, India is set to lead the global deep tech revolution. #innovation #deeptech #news #revolution

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IIFL Fintech Fund Portfolio Delivers 9.5x Revenue Growth in Average Holding Span of 1.5 ...: India's only early-stage fintech-focused fund backed by a financial services conglomerate – the IIFL Group, has delivered a stellar performance ...

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𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 🇮🇳'𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 - 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 / 𝐙𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐨 / 𝐔𝐏𝐈 Suhas Motwani and I turned the common question of "What can India learn from Silicon Valley?" on its head in an episode of An Operator's Blog. (Full AOB episode link in comments)

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My 3 go-to AI tools I use on daily basis 1. ChatGPT 4o 2. Claude 3. Perplexity These are by far the best in market. #monday #aitools #productivity

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