Vasuta Agarwal

#Take2 Why the Market May Be Overestimating Quick Commerce's Future Despite Damodaran's Optimism As a genuine admirer of #AswathDamodaran and his insightful #valuation frameworks, it's fascinating to see how his evaluations cut to the core of a business's #financial #health. However, with #quickcommerce, it’s possible that the broader market has overestimated the long-term potential of these businesses. Quick commerce is undeniably enticing in terms of #growth and #marketshare grabs, but as Damodaran himself has noted, the sector faces headwinds like narrow #margins and dependency on high-frequency, low-value transactions. Quick commerce relies heavily on the temporary advantage of local #logistics and #labor #arbitrage, but as cities become more congested and labor markets tighten, these operational “advantages” could quickly erode. Furthermore, the political landscape may not always be welcoming, especially given the impact on local #kirana stores, which are integral to India’s #retail fabric. While Damodaran’s framework rightly emphasizes lifecycle positioning, it may not fully capture the #political and #inflationary risks that quick commerce facilitates and faces as it scales. This could mean that valuations, even if optimistic now, might not reflect the long-term stability or profitability the street expects. One critical factor that quick commerce models often overlook is India's regional #diversity —it's anything but a #homogenous market. Local preferences, purchasing behaviors, and infrastructure vary widely from city to city. Quick commerce platforms will need to adapt to these variations, constantly refining and expanding their product categories to cater to local demands. This could mean shifting beyond the basic groceries and essentials model and embracing more regional product mixes, which further adds to complexity and costs. The sector's reliance on ultra-fast delivery and inventory optimization only intensifies these challenges, as what works in a metro city like Delhi or Mumbai may fail in smaller towns where consumer habits and logistical networks differ significantly. This makes scaling in India particularly #complex, and could limit the profitability of the "one-size-fits-all" model that quick commerce often tries to implement. All things considered, I’m confident that these companies have the talent needed to evolve. Just look at how Zomato transformed from its early days to what it is now. The real question is: what will they evolve into, and will that future model justify the premium they currently command? For now, I’ll take advantage of my exclusive offer on Coke Zero from quick commerce and enjoy it while it lasts.

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Excited and looking forward to discussing the evolving challenges of raising capital for early-stage startups at SAASCON24. Join me as I dive into the current trends, what founders need to know, and how we can navigate this more challenging environment. #SAASCON24 #StartupFunding #EarlyStageStartups #SaaS #Entrepreneurship

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"India has among the highest out-of-pocket expenditures in healthcare in Asia, with 48.2% of healthcare expenditure being incurred by patients. 1 High out-of-pocket expenditures have increased poverty, pushing 55 million people below the poverty line every year. 2 While the government continues to take significant steps to bridge the healthcare financing gap, the role of the integrated healthcare financing ecosystem continues to gain significant importance in the country. This prominence of healthcare financing has brought about certain crucial trends to the fore." Pleased to share that my thoughts on the integrated healthcare financing ecosystem have been published in India's leading financial media publication, The Economic Times BFSI. https://lnkd.in/dwdh8CiK

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Thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Harbinder !! We are at an inflection point in India on Consumer health !! Bio science + Data/AI will massively disrupt this space !! Do write to me if you are an entrepreneur disrupting this space !! #consumerhealth #innovation

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Venture capitalists and BizDateUp co-founders Jeet Chandan and Meet Jain have acquired an undisclosed stake in IPO-bound foodtech giant Swiggy through an off-market secondary deal. Founded in 2020, BizDateUp allows angel investors to invest in Indian startups with a minimum of INR 1 lakh and recently launched a INR 200 crore fund for technology investments. The firm raised over $10 million from more than 1,000 angel investors in FY24. This move comes as several celebrities, including cricketers Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan, tennis player Rohan Bopanna, director Karan Johar, and actor Ashish Chowdhry, have also invested in Swiggy ahead of its IPO. Notably, Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit have previously acquired stakes in the company. Read full story here: https://lnkd.in/gM8sEWSZ #foodtech #startups #ipo #swiggy #foodindustry #news #latestnews LinkedIn News India Linkedin News Ashu Agrawal

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Raised $26,000,000 with just an idea Lyskraft India Pvt Ltd - the latest kid in the block! So, Mukesh Bansal is back with another startup this time with Mohit Gupta, the former CEO of Zomato's food delivery arm. In July of last year, there were reports about Bansal and Gupta raising funds for a new venture. As per TechCrunch, both of them pitched a range of ideas to potential backers like a female-focused counterpart to Manyavar and "Infosys 2.0" a presumed upgrade to a multinational IT services and consulting firm. Now finally... The news is out and we know what they are building, Lyskraft: initially a women's only marketplace for premium brands mostly focusing on Gen-Z shoppers. Recently we have seen giant e-commerce platforms launching dedicated portals to attract GenZ shoppers, like SPOYL launched by Flipkart within its app, FWD by Myntra, also we are seeing the growth of new-age startups working in this space like Virgio(Mukesh Bansal is an investor in it), Newme(recently raised $4,500,000), Absolute Brands, Snitch, Styched and many more As per Inc42's Report, India's fashion and apparel sector is projected to reach a mouth-watering $112 Billion by 2030, which will be over a quarter of the country's $400 Billion e-commerce market!! Let's be honest, anyone will want a piece of this market. As we are already aware of how crowded this space is, let's see how Lyskraft differentiates itself from others. Mohit Gupts and Mukesh Bansal, in this crowded space building a community around your product, building digital IPs, and creating experiences through videos are the ways to elevate your brand to the next level. I the founder of Elevate would love to connect and assist Lyskraft in building a community, digital IPs and help create experiences through videos, if that sounds like something that interests you would love to connect and discuss!! sources of information : TechCrunch article 2021 - https://bit.ly/49UwkLI Inc42 article - https://bit.ly/3w0SDlb #mukeshbansal #myntra #fashion #startups #venturecapital #fundingwinter #norevenue #cultfit #community #communitymarketing #socialmediamarketing #india

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Today, we are excited to share our biggest investment as Antler, in India so far. At Antler, incl. our Elevate continuty fund (Fady Abdel-Nour, CFA), we're thrilled to co-lead a $11M pre Ser A in Namma Yatri, alongside Blume Ventures Karthik B. Reddy and Google In this business, a few times in your career, you come across a truly disruptive business model that challenges the way things have been done, and extremely obsessed founders creating a culture that is so unique, you have never seen it before. When that happens, despite all the things not clear, it’s a joy to jump on board that potential rocketship. That’s what we have seen in the way Namma Yatri is being built by Magizhan Selvan and Shan M S with (a) a disruptive business model in urban mobility, rethinking how to make the life of a driver better and (b) Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) at its heart. 46 million trips have already been completed, with >7 million registered users. For us, this is also a continuation of our commitment to investing in a future on DPI / Beckn / ONDC, started in 2022. h/t Susmit Patodia. Rajiv Srivatsa Magnus Grimeland Martell Hardenberg Teddy Himler Keerat Singh Sethi Vimal Kumar Sheetal Lalwani T Koshy sujith nair Pramod Varma

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🚀 A $7 TRILLION economy by 2030 - the biggest wealth creation opportunity of our generation is unfolding in #India. But how will we get there? This week, we launched #Upstart - a groundbreaking series that decodes India's unprecedented growth story through the lens of its innovators and architects. The numbers are staggering: 👉🏼 97 million people joining the workforce in next decade 👉🏼 371 million middle-class consumers (world's largest) 👉🏼 40% of power capacity from renewables 👉🏼 Digital payments transactions highest globally, 2-10x of developed nations 👉🏼 Services exports hit record $341.1 billion in FY24 But numbers only tell half the story. In Episode 1, we sit down with Pranav Pai, Founding Partner of 3one4 Capital, one of India's most influential VCs who has backed 70+ category leaders including Licious, DarwinBox, and Open. Highlights from the episode: 💡 Why services are "India's LeBron James" for the next 30 years 💡 How PLI schemes are transforming manufacturing 💡 The critical policy shifts needed for global competitiveness 💡 Where the biggest startup opportunities lie in this transition Want to understand where the next decade of opportunity lies in the world's fastest-growing major economy? 👉 Watch Episode 1 of Upstart today! https://lnkd.in/gjqcU47W WeWork India | #WeWorkLabs | Aniket Jagtap | Mohini Kumar | Shenjit Basu | Akanksha Sarma | Tanuj Ahuja #Startups #VentureCapital #Founders #MakeInIndia #StartupIndia #IndianEconomy #Leadership #Entrepreneurship

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Merak MeetStreet in Gurgaon was one for the books! 💯 Reflecting on our journey with MeetStreet, we've now hosted 5 events across 5 different cities, shortlisting 52 businesses from a large pool of registrations. Each edition has highlighted the innovative spirit of early-stage founders, yet some challenges resonate universally. A few key hurdles we've observed: ➡️ Hiring: The first few hires are crucial lifelines for any business. Founders often find this process daunting as these early team members can significantly influence the trajectory of the business. Are there any firms (or even better, early-stage businesses) that specialise in assisting with these critical early hires across multiple functions? ➡️ Working Capital & Supply Chain Financing: A perennial challenge for businesses (more so, B2B ones), which we have observed getting mitigated with time (and scale). Despite its importance, solutions remain limited for early-stage companies. Founders, how have you navigated this tightrope? ➡️ Tech Roadmap & Development: For non-tech founders, establishing a tech foundation can feel like navigating unchartered waters. Until you find a permanent tech co-founder, where do you start? Are there any consultants who specialise in guiding early-stage startups? ➡️ Fundraising: The classic conundrum! It's often why many founders attend MeetStreet, hoping to unlock funding opportunities. But let's face it, early-stage fundraising might be more of an art than a science. How are you creatively approaching fundraising beyond the traditional VC route? MeetStreet isn't only about funding; it's about building a community where founders can share insights & explore solutions together. The learnings from these sessions have been tremendous & there's so much more to uncover as we continue this journey with many more gatherings to come. ✨ Merak Ventures #VentureCapital #Business #Startups #India #EarlyStage #Founders #MerakMeetStreet #VC

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Co-lead a workshop (with Sumathi my business partner and Komal lath of Tute Consult) on branding and communication and why/how its' strategic & important for the portfolio companies of an early stage growth focused PE fund in Mumbai this noon. very interactive session. lots of takeaways. one of the biggest benefits of doing such workshops with founders and CXOs of growth companies is that you get to first hand understand their pain points and priorities. which makes you realize there is a long road ahead laden with great opportunity for those in PR & comms if we take off our hats and look at it from their perspective.

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Bengaluru-based healthtech startup 4baseCare has successfully closed a $6 million Series A funding round, led by Yali Capital with contributions from various undisclosed investors. This new capital infusion will accelerate the company’s efforts in advancing genomics and digital health technologies and facilitate its entry into the Asian and Middle Eastern markets. The funds will be used to enhance product offerings and establish genomics laboratories in the Philippines, Nepal, and Dubai. These new labs will strengthen 4baseCare’s capabilities in delivering precision oncology solutions tailored to regional needs. Founded in 2018 by Hitesh Goswami and Kshitij Rishi, 4baseCare specializes in precision oncology, using cutting-edge genomics and digital health technology to personalize cancer treatments. The company previously raised $2 million in Pre-Series A funding to boost genomic testing in oncology. This latest funding round highlights the increasing investor interest in healthtech solutions for cancer care. Recently, biotech firm Immuneel Therapeutics raised $12 million from Taiba Middle East FZ LLC, while Icanheal secured INR 15 crore to provide tailored healthcare financing for cancer patients. According to the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), cancer incidence in India is alarmingly high, with one in nine individuals expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime. In 2022, there were 1,461,427 new cancer cases reported, translating to an incidence rate of 100.4 per 100,000 people. #4baseCare #HealthTech #BengaluruStartup #SeriesAFunding #FundingAlert #FundraiserAlert #YaliCapital #VentureCapital #Investors #Genomics #PrecisionOncology #CancerCare #DigitalHealth #GlobalExpansion #HealthCare #HealthcareEcosystem #Biotech #HealthInnovation #OncologySolutions #MedicalTechnology #CancerResearch #HealthTechStartups #AllBoutCorps

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Announcing the next big conversation at the D2C Unlocked Delhi-NCR chapter 🗣️🎤 Join Arush Chopra, Co-Founder of Just Herbs, and Manu Chandra, Founder & Managing Partner of Sauce.vc, as they dive into the topic: 𝐈𝐏𝐎 𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃2𝐂 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 Arush brings to the table his firsthand insights from steering Just Herbs through this pivotal chapter of the Marico partnership, meanwhile, Manu enriches discussions with a comprehensive understanding of the D2C ecosystem, drawing from Sauce VC's investments in pioneering brands like XYXX Crew and The Whole Truth Foods. The conversation, “IPO or Strategic Acquisition: The End Game for D2C Brands,” is more than just a debate—it’s an in-depth examination of what the future holds for D2C brands. What's the secret sauce for D2C brands to flourish in today's market? Is going public the ultimate goal, or are partnerships a smarter move? Inviting all D2C Founders/CXOs in Delhi-NCR to join us on April 25th, 2024, at 6 PM for an exchange of ideas that’s as thought-provoking as it is insightful. D2C Unlocked is presented by Simpl and powered by Affinidi, AdYogi, & Shipway. See you there—let’s fuel the buzz! Register : https://lnkd.in/gAabp73G

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✨ Our Managing Partner, Jatin Desai, shares his insights with Entrepreneur India on the current landscape of seed funding in India. He states how the 'Startup India' initiative has significantly influenced investor sentiment towards tech startups, particularly at the seed-stage level. 💼 Dive deeper into Jatin’s insights by reading the full article on Entrepreneur India! #inflexorventures #innovation #seedfunding #seed #funding #venturecapital #india https://lnkd.in/gMaKnaav

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"Engaging discussion with Mr Sanjeev Chopra, former Director of LBSNAA, on #Indianmasterminds. His book 'We, the People of the States of Bharat' offers pragmatic insights into restructuring India's internal boundaries. Intrigued by the upcoming biography on Lal Bahadur Shastri, a visionary leader pivotal in India's resurgence. The interview unveiled lesser-known facets of Shastriji's life, underscoring his foundational role in shaping India's destiny. Eagerly awaiting the formal release! A must-watch for those interested in Indian history and leadership. Kudos to Mr. Chopra for enriching our understanding of our nation's past and present. #IndianHistory #Leadership #Inspiration"

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India's $45 Billion Startup Implosion Puts Tech Future in Doubt Byju’s, Paytm falter in stark reminder of the unique risks and challenges facing the country’s tech economy. For a brief, shining moment, India looked like the next big market for technology startups. Now, the country’s leading startups are struggling to survive and funding for the next generation of founders is drying up. Potential profits have turned to dust. The online education pioneer Byju’s — once the country’s most valuable startup at $22 billion — has seen that figure drop more than 90% from its peak. The digital payments firm Paytm pulled off what was India’s largest-ever initial public offering in 2021 — only to have its stock collapse about 80%. Oyo Hotels, a celebrated lodging business, has watched its valuation sink roughly 75% amid accounting problems and partner clashes. Those three marquee names between them have shed more than $45 billion of market value from their peak. More than 35,000 startups wound down operations last year, according to one study. https://lnkd.in/dAKiFNtH By Sankalp Phartiyal Repost by : Salem Bagami Chief Executive Officer Digital Transformation Company & Managing Director 2080.Ventures Email: [email protected] Website: www.2080.ventures -

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Employee healthcare platform Onsurity has successfully raised ₹219 crore (~$26.4 million) in a new funding round led by  Creaegis, with participation from existing investors Nexus Venture Partners and Quona Capital. The funding comes as part of Onsurity's strategic plans for growth and expansion. Creaegis took the lead in this round, contributing ₹176.4 crore, while Nexus and Quona added ₹31.4 crore and ₹11.9 crore, respectively. With this infusion of capital, Creaegis now holds a 17.10% stake in the company, with Nexus and Quona commanding 28.22% and 12.82% stakes. Founded in 2020 by Yogesh Agarwal and Kulin Shah, Onsurity offers subscription-based healthcare services for businesses, extending coverage to full-time employees, contractors, interns, and consultants. The company also provides a range of insurance products, including cyber insurance and D&O liability insurance, through its subsidiary. This new funding round is set to fuel Onsurity's ambitious growth plans, enhance its working capital, and support overall corporate objectives. Kudos to the Onsurity team! This is a significant milestone in reshaping the employee healthcare landscape in India. Read More: https://lnkd.in/gnccjq2Z #Onsurity #FundingNews #HealthcareTech #StartupNews #Creaegis #NexusVenturePartners #QuonaCapital #EmployeeHealthcare #IndianStartups #Growth #Expansion #InsuranceTech

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What if the answer to a massive healthcare problem was hidden in plain sight? In this week's The Lobster Talks, we follow Ankur Rustagi of Saatvy Health (YC S23) a YC founder who pivoted from AI to delve into the untapped potential of Ayurveda for chronic conditions. Ankur's curiosity was piqued by a startling statistic: the U.S. spends trillions on healthcare, yet a significant portion of the population suffers from chronic illnesses. Driven by personal experience and a thirst for solutions beyond conventional medicine, Ankur turned to Ayurveda. This episode uncovers: -The eye-opening data that revealed the scale of the chronic illness problem in the U.S. -Ankur's personal journey with rheumatoid arthritis and his exploration of alternative treatments -The discovery of Ayurveda's potential to manage symptoms and address root causes -The initial skepticism surrounding Ayurveda's ancient wisdom and its relevance in the modern world -Ankur's decision to dive deeper, connecting with practitioners, experimenting, and witnessing the benefits firsthand Listen to the full episode to hear Ankur's story and gain valuable insights into: -The power of questioning conventional wisdom and seeking alternative solutions -The importance of personal experiences in shaping entrepreneurial journeys -The potential of ancient healing traditions like Ayurveda to address modern health challenges -The courage to embrace unconventional ideas and explore uncharted territories 🎧 Listen to this episode on your fave pod platform or watch on YouTube -https://lnkd.in/e6_hUq_6 . . . . . #ayurveda #chronicillness #healthcaresolutions #founderstory #YCstartup #thelobstertalks

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The Swiggy of 2024 is a shadow of its former self. [Full subscriber episode 🔓] The foodtech startup has been playing defence for too long now—whether with products, innovation, market share, narrative, or even leadership. How did it get here? As it heads for an IPO, how should it change this narrative? Listen to the full, uncut version of this Two by Two episode for free (only for a limited time) by clicking the link in the comments. ----------- #TheKen #TwobyTwo #Swiggy #Foodtech #QuickCommerce

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