Abhishek Talwar

Truly inspiring to listen to Dax Dasilva tell the story of Lightspeed Commerce on 20VC. With $900M in ARR I was thrilled to learn that Dax bootstrapped the company for 7 years to get to $10M in ARR. I hope it doesn't take us 7 years to get Liquid360 there but it makes me feel better about the 3.5 years we've put in to date. For me these stories are deeply encouraging. When you're building something very big it can take time to get to launch. A couple of weeks ago we met with a global player in the VC world. They were looking to invest $5M - $10M and we said we weren't there yet. We'll get there but it wouldn't be the right move today. They then jumped to another conclusion. The wrong one. I get it. They have a multi-billion dollar fund and capital to deploy. We have a company to grow and too much cash will not help us do it right. We've made good decisions being lean. Our customers are starting at $500K. This is an enterprise/gov't product. We have to satisfy a very discerning customer. No bugs, no glitches. A dependable and reliable product. We are excited by the feedback. We are making the world safer. Harry Stebbings suggested that Lightspeed is one of the most misunderstood companies. It's market cap is $2.6B which seems really low relative to the ARR. Very interesting episode.

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India’s Oyo, once valued at $10 billion, is finalizing new funding at a $2.5 billion valuation. This marks a steep decline from its $10 billion valuation in 2019. The startup, which has raised over $3 billion from backers like SoftBank, Peak XV Ventures, Lightspeed, Airbnb, and Microsoft, has struggled to attract institutional investors. In recent months, it has aggressively pitched to high-net-worth individuals after withdrawing its IPO application twice in the past four years. Once a red-hot Indian startup active in markets including the U.S. and Europe, Oyo has now scaled back its international presence. #venture #downround https://lnkd.in/gE2GjYnM

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Tracxn put out a really interesting DaaS deck with everything from funding to investors to acquirers and so much more. Lots to unpack. h/t World of DaaS for making me aware of this. Some interesting takeaways: - Top 3 Geographies of Companies: US, UK & India - Top Funding Rounds in the last 2 years: AlphaSense & Miovision - Funding by Team Background- College- Harvard, Univ of Pennsylvania, & Wharton - Top Funded Business Models: DaaS, B2B Contact Database, Alt Data Providers Link below for the entire deck 👇

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the *mirage* of the india software ipo for global b2b companies over the last few quarters there has been increasing chatter in the indian ecosystem that indian software companies building for and selling to the US/global markets will be better off registered/flipping back to being an indian registered HQ and going IPO in india than (struggle to) meet the high bar that is required for an ipo in the US. the key points are these: (1) if indian companies can get to say $100M ARR with decent 15-20% EBITDA they will be considered heroes by the indian retail investors (2) however, with these numbers it is not possible to go ipo in the US (3) indian market is hungry for tech and will continue to award much higher valuation to these companies. i don't know what the right answer is in the long run. it is also possible that there are different right answers for different people. and by no means am i an expert so take this view as just one view, but based on seeing all of this very closely while working with the top 1% talent in India. here's why i personally believe this is unlikely to work and/or may be long term harmful for indian software product ecosystem that is looking to build globally relevant companies. 1 - top tier founders who I checked with said “hell no” to this option. for them it is like accepting defeat before even getting started. the ecosystem is finally closer-than-ever to figuring out how to build US-native companies to be globally relevant/respected brands in their categories and this entire thought process of "aiming for an low bar indian ipo" is opposite of what is going on in their minds and what is driving them today. 2 - once you set the $100M ARR, $20M EBITDA as the *goal*, it is likely to immediately lower the bar mentally for everyone in the company and it can be a negative spiral when you set a local maxima as a *great outcome* - the entire ecosystem then aims for this and overall we will soon start to build small companies instead of large outlier companies that are globally respected. 3- the outcome of this strategy *on average* will create #7 #8 #9 companies in their respective categories at best and that too *when things work out* and that is a hard position to be in as we all know. even if they go public in india i am not sure how long they can hold their valuations if their position, brand and standing in their categories is mediocre at best. CONTINUED IN THE FIRST COMMENT -->

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Startup decks vs Business plans. It's accepted that a startup needs a deck. Dax Dasilva of Lightspeed Commerce made an important point on 20VC. Writing a business plan - including financial projections - is an important step. It requires discipline. It provides a rigorous framework for thinking deeply about the problem you're trying to solve. Harry Stebbings countered that he doesn't even want to see a deck since it's all dreams. We spent a lot of time and energy on our business plan with the expectation that we would show it to no one ever. The business plan was part of our roadmap for the company. We researched customers - including having 50+ conversations. We wanted to understand them: their background, their interests, their presence on social media. We also wanted to understand how they were evaluated by leadership and how integrated they were with the business of the company they were protecting. We researched pricing both with potential customers and other products in our industry to find out if OpEx or CapEx was a better fit. How did they buy today? How would they like to buy? We did market research to understand the verticals and map the right entry point - we were wrong but that doesn't reduce the value of the research. We looked at competitors in depth to understand what they were seeing that we weren't. Dax is right. This is an invaluable document that should be updated every year - the company is changing, the market is changing, there's more feedback about price and ICP. It's not for sharing with the outside world. It's a map for driving forward. Decks won't get you investment - VCs invest in people. We make decks but we know they don't tell our story. The deck is a calling card. Dax and Harry are both right. https://lnkd.in/e25M82xY

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One unintended consequence of 'software as a service' is that selling software is becoming more and more like selling services. Historically, software: 1. Has relatively few competitors per category, because creating a product was expensive. 2. Differentiation has been in the product features and capabilities 3. Product differentiation was sustainable for a reasonable period of time 4. Buyers often bought based on one competitor being able to better meet specific technical requirements 5. Pricing was relatively opaque Historically, services: 1. Have an endless number of competitors, from gigantic companies to one person in their basement 2. Differentiation is in the brand, people, process and experience 3. Technical parity is the norm 4. Buyers buy based off their purchasing experience 5. Pricing is relatively transparent (i.e. if you have 3 big agencies bid or the big 3 consulting firms.....they will all cost about the same) More and more, the two are converging. How does this align with your experiences?

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✨ Chet Kapoor ✨ is quite the Silicon Valley legend. Three-time founder and currently the CEO of DataStax his wisdom for founders is incredibly spot-on ✅ and timeless ⏰ ! In this most recent and probably best-ever episode of The Enterprise GTM podcast, Chet discusses what it takes to build enduring tech companies. Some 🎤 soundbites 🎤 from our conversation: 👩‍🏫 The quality of people influences the outcome of your startup the most. 🔥 You do not need smart people who sit around and pontificate. ☄ Momentum is everything. Never underestimate it. 🌟 Having complete clarity of thought at any given time is very important--who are you doing this for, and how will it change their lives? 🌈 One of the best ways to create a large company is to create a parade or join one. ☝ Know who you are. There's a high likelihood that the company will become more like who you are rather than who you want to be. 🛑 Don't make the mistake of hiring sales execs too soon. Be extra cautious about partnerships. 📣 Tune in to hear about what he has to say about AI startups getting started today, the future of the data layer, the evolving importance of data roles (data science, data engineering), and so much more! #devtool #founder #startup #data #ai https://lnkd.in/gW-58nvE

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What makes Accel one of the most prestigious VC funds in India? Listen to our latest podcast where we share insights about the Indian VC ecosystem, the realities of fundraising, and the challenges fund managers face. https://lnkd.in/gYEv2i5C

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I am happy to announce that Pepsales has closed pre-seed funding led by Chiratae Ventures 🙌 🙌 🙌 As a founder, you’re often told that it’s a lonely road—filled with long days, tough calls, and countless challenges. But with the right people, it doesn’t have to be like that. Throughout my career, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with visionary leaders who believed in me before I even believed in myself. Along the way, I’ve been inspired by teammates from around the world who pushed me to do better every day. But when it comes to building a company, that’s a whole different game. It’s about embracing uncertainty and hoping you’ll find the right partners who share your vision. When Abhinandan Sahgal and I started Pepsales just six months ago, in a challenging macroeconomic climate, finding those partners felt like an uphill climb. Then one day, Venkatesh Peddi, Naimil Shah and the team at Chiratae Ventures came along. Their conviction in us was truly a game-changer. Every conversation with them has been insightful, and when they offered to invest in Pepsales, it was one of those “pinch me” moments that founders dream about. But let me be clear—this is Day 0. The road ahead is long, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. We’re laser-focused on continuing our mission to empower sales teams with AI that transforms how they sell. There’s so much more to build, more problems to solve, and more milestones to hit. That said, the right partners make all the difference. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas or navigating the challenges of scaling a company, having that support is invaluable. Here is to everyone who believed in us—thank you. We’re beyond grateful, and even more excited for what’s ahead. This is just the beginning. And now, a shameless plug: if you’re a B2B SaaS company looking to empower your sales team to drive and deliver a world-class experience with every demo—without the hassle of digging through mountains of data to find that one key insight—we’d love to have a conversation. We’re here to help you add real value to your sales funnel. #FounderJourney #SaaS #AI #Pepsales #Gratitude #DayZero #B2BSales Link to our announcement - https://lnkd.in/g5V7j2Nh

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Looking forward to meeting women entrepreneurs who are on their journey to create some pathbreaking ideas and inspiring others to do the same. #advaitawomenentrepreneurs #womeninbusiness #entrepreneurship #womenentrepreneurs #EmpowerWomen #womenleaders #businesswomen

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Meeting SaaS leaders at SaaStr has been an enriching experience, Growth projections for SaaS look very promising - Global market projections → US $908B by 2030 Projected CAGR → 18.7% SaaS spending → US $232B by the end of 2024 This will mark a 17.7% increase from the previous year. By 2025, 85% of business applications will be SaaS-based, up from 70% in 2023 What’s behind these changes? → AI Integration: AI is now integral—transforming user experiences and operational efficiency across SaaS platforms. → Power of Personalization: 75% of leaders link personalization with better performance, and 90% of customers are willing to pay more for tailored experiences. → Focus on Customer Success: With the customer success market expected to reach US $31B by 2026, 72% of businesses are prioritizing this area. → Cybersecurity Imperative: As cloud adoption expands, securing data is increasingly critical - more than just a best practice, it's essential. → Commitment to Sustainability: 44% of consumers are now favoring brands with clear ESG commitments - sustainability is key. What’s on the horizon? → Vertical SaaS Growth: Specialized services for niche markets are set to expand, offering more precise solutions. → Low/No-Code Platforms: Expected to drive 65% of app development by 2024, these platforms are democratizing technology creation → Micro-SaaS Expansion: Niche solutions with low entry barriers are booming, fostering innovation at a granular level. → Regulatory Compliance: As data privacy and network security become crucial, adherence to regulations is non-negotiable. → AI as a Catalyst: Projected to reach US$ 1,811B by 2030, AI is poised to revolutionize operations and drive significant innovation.  Here’s the bottom line - The future of SaaS is filled with both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges. Navigating these waters requires agility and foresight - Today's challenges are indeed shaping the leaders of tomorrow. #SaaS #AI #Innovation #FutureOfSaaS

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🎉 The Clientell Family has some exciting news to share 🎉 We're thrilled to announce that Clientell has successfully raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Blume Ventures, with participations from our existing investors, including Chiratae Ventures, Artha Venture Fund and from Z5 Capital. https://lnkd.in/gZukPBUg This investment marks a significant milestone in our journey to redefine Revenue Operations. At Clientell, we envision a future where autonomous AI agents handle the entire spectrum of RevOps tasks. These AI-driven agents will serve as copilots, enhancing productivity and efficiency for RevOps teams everywhere. While our vision is expansive, the road ahead is filled with opportunities for innovation and growth. We are gearing up to dive deep into the development phase and are enthusiastic about the impact we as a team can create in this space. We're hiring! To realize our ambitious goals, we are expanding our team. We are looking for passionate, innovative minds ready to join us in shaping the future of RevOps through cutting-edge technology. If you are excited about AI and making a significant impact, we would love to hear from you. Career's page: https://lnkd.in/gwPXQhjZ A special thank you to Venkatesh Peddi from Chiratae Ventures for taking an early bets on us in our first round as well as being the pillar of strength and voice of reason across the pivots and hard decisions. Lastly, the only thing that I'm really proud about here is the stellar team we have who are building this company. It's a whirlwind ride it wouldn't have been possible if any one of them wasn't there. Since it's their company as well so won't say thank you, but I really appreciate the opportunity of building a company with each one of them: Aryan Trip. Ruthuparna K. Prathik Shetty Sayak Samaddar Shivraj N. Ayush Singh Chauhan Palak Jani Penchala Tharun 🚀 Kirti Bhatia Malaya Sahoo Ankit Deshwal To our investors, partners, and the entire Clientell community, thank you for your trust and support. It is an exciting journey and we look for to sharing the same with you all. #Clientell #FundingNews #RevOps #AI #StartUpLife #WeAreHiring #Innovation

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if you know, you know Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures. nerd. founder. wise. man. been there done that sv. wisdom. it's missing. let's face it. it's always been missing over time. for.ever. so it's a blessing truly to have an o.g. that keeps it for reals. yes we are a fan. much like Jensen Huang Fei-Fei Li ilya sutskever ...and other good people in sv. they are the ones who make this place so special. indeed they do. here https://lnkd.in/exWqey9K we have sam i am that's all that i am sam (alt)man having a 1-1 with the man. this is a must watch to provide a foundational (no llm required here) mindset as to how sv is at it's best (and worse). caution. watch out for the truth bombs. vinod is (in)famous for this style and we <love> him for it. thank g-d he exists. if you meet the dbags in sf/bayarea your experience you will be quickly lonely, dazed and confused. best to listen to these wise words from vinod and from that determine your spot in the sv landscape. with an insight on the sv playbook from a master. well. need i say more. it's about the very spirit of sv that makes it so special. and this is indeed embodied in a few who are masters. deserve our attention. yeah. yeah. i know attention is all you need. although what happens if your attention is being distracted from building. being in the company of those who will join your mission ala brian chesky of Airbnb. missionaries. search for the good missionaries in sv. keep away and keep in mind of the mercenaries. they are there. pg. he's another gift (as opposed to the grifters) paul graham wrote about this too https://lnkd.in/eEYmQwqZ - being a chesky-esque missionary. these are good things to follow on the path of achieving escape velocity as an (ai) startup. oh. hollywood has entered the ranks of sv. yes it has. so there is a bit of performance art that is required. not enough that you've created something that's novel (truly, novel). also requires a bit of showmanship. audacious in fact. it's a well known sentiment that audacious ideas motivate people. sun microsystems. audacious. juniper. audacious. OpenAI. vinod as an early investor. audacious. Vinod Khosla was born audacious. so fitting he found a place in this world where many have benefitted from this sentiment. perhaps years ago a bit on the abrasive side. now with those white hairs. the elder statesman. non-diplomat. rules, the roost of that which allows for others to flourish. note if you manage to thread the needle of vinod means that it's a very very very good beginning. nothing is guaranteed of course. as my lawyer 'friends' like to say. * buyer beware. be aware. Vinod Khosla is. are you (ai)? are you?? perhaps yes. perhaps, non. < . >

"Cooking is like art, and baking is like science. Cooking can be less precise." -- Aayush Talreja This analogy also generally holds true for SaaS startups vs. Infrastructure companies. The latter requires more precession, more thoughtfulness as you hope others take a critical dependency on you and focus more of their time on core features vs. muck. You can't just ship things out there without a certain level of craftsmanship to your work (cc: thanks to Bob van Luijt and Florian Forster who reiterated this notion as they were gracious enough to take time out for another OSS start-up) Btw, here is to welcoming Aayush as our summer intern working on intelligent infrastructure for GenAI developers. Excited to see what he will build in the next 10 weeks with us! (cc: Ethan Evans Kamlesh Talreja)

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PE - AI & the Future of GTM at PE-backed Portfolio Companies AI for GTM (sales, marketing, CS) can transform business operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth at PE backed portfolio companies. The significance of AI technology is in its potential to address human resource challenges, streamline sales processes, and elevate overall efficiency in an increasingly digital marketplace. The Future of GTM at PE-backed Companies: - AI is the Future of GTM: the integration of AI is shifting traditional sales roles (and CS), making processes more efficient - Option for Buyers: AI acting as an efficient sales or CS rep will be an option, but not required and buyers can still talk to the person - AI Can Function Like Reps: as virtual sales or customer success or support reps - Real-Time Learning: AI can process data to create detailed buyer profiles instantly - Enhanced Buyer Experience: The AI engages buyers with accurate, immediate responses, improving satisfaction - Cognitive Abilities: AI acting as a sales rep will possess advanced memory and cognition skills, allowing them to recall past interactions and adjust their approach based on prior conversations, enhancing personalization - Behavioral Shift: B2B buyer behavior is evolving, with buyers increasingly comfortable or even preferring to interact with AI for pre-sales information and support, potentially shifting preferences away from human SDRs and AEs (and CS reps) at least in the initial stages of engagement Business Impact: - Competitive Necessity: Companies that delay adopting AI risk falling behind competitors who leverage these technologies to optimize their go-to-market strategies - Business Growth: GTM AI helps PE-backed companies tackle talent challenges effectively - Cost-Effective: AI solutions can significantly reduce hiring costs while maintaining service quality - First-Mover Advantage: companies adopting AI technologies early can gain a competitive edge. - Efficiency Gains: AI can streamline sales processes by handling repetitive tasks, allowing human reps to focus on complex deals - this shift can lead to significant productivity improvements - Data Integration: AI will pull from various data sources (including your CRM and Marketing Automation System), ensuring that they have the most current and relevant information to assist customers effectively - Tailored Training: AI can be trained on specific sales methodologies, providing flexibility in approach and enhancing their effectiveness in various selling scenarios - Long-Term Investment: Investing in AI technology now will yield long-term benefits as these systems continue to learn and improve, becoming more integral to business operations. ------------------ #pe #privateequity #tech #ceo #cro #saas #gtm #growth #middlemarket #boardofdirectors #board #revenue #revenuegrowth #investing #investment #finance #business

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DePIN & RWAs dominance isn't as far off as most people think. Across every innovative cycle, three fundamental pillars emerge: foundational technology development, proliferation of infrastructure, and a surge in application development. As we venture into the third cycle, DePIN and RWA protocols are poised to become market leaders paralleling the dominance witnessed by infrastructure projects from 2015 to 2024.

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Excited to announce the launch of Bracket by BoldCap 🚀 India's first Go-To-Market platform for entrepreneurs building global AI companies. For the past year, Bracket has been exclusively supporting our portfolio founders to tackle the complexities of scaling AI-native products in the global market, especially North America. Today, I am excited to launch Bracket; to provide all AI builders with the same GTM accessibility.. 🎯 The new landscape shift has made it absolutely clear that traditional SaaS playbooks no longer fit the bill for AI-native products. We are redefining this through Bracket – our closely curated community of 50+ GTM operators across North America and Europe who offer the resources, networks, and the new-age playbooks that founders need in their $0-$1M journey of building an AI company from India to the world. 🌍 We work with some of the smartest minds in GTM globally– from the Revenue director at Clari, Pricing leader at DocuSign, GTM leader at Databricks, Sales leader at Outreach to Growth Leader at Snowflake and many more– all exceptionally talented operators who have built multiple GTM motions from scratch and are now committed to support the upcoming generation of entrepreneurs along with us. We deeply believe this is what our ecosystem needs: accessibility to the right leaders in the global market, and we aim to bridge this for Indian founders. Thanks to our early GTM partners Jyoti Swarnkar Samuel Sunderaraj Kiran Surapaneni Merritt Baer Murali K Atul Sahai Ramana Narayanam Sara Archer Sara Jones Shiv Sundar Stan Rymkiewicz Andreas Drakos Andres Lozano Sanudo Ashwath M. Brant W. Cody Harris Connor Williams Daniil Krets Jake Haselden Jeff de Ruyter Karthik Ramamoorthy Kevin Flitcroft Laura Handy LeeRon Yahalomi Paul McGhee Shane O'Neill (and the list goes on.... unfortunately not able to tag more) who shaped Bracket into a powerful community along with us. Big shout out to Aditi Gera for all her effort on putting this together and to the rest of the BoldCap team Shiv Tayal Pratham Chadha Kevin D'Souza. Thank you Bhuvana Kamath and YourStory Media for this exclusive coverage - https://lnkd.in/gZBXTsmv If you're founder in the AI software space, we are excited to work with you! BoldCap

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Adam and Santosh at RB2B have focused on sharing progress in terms of real numbers and *learnings* whereas most other founders are focused on sharing pictures from events and dinners and some product feature screencasts. i don't get it. i get it that not everyone can have a hockey stick happening from early on but if you are building correctly you will always have insights and learnings - those will be far more valuable to share and connect with your users than hawking product updates. content is the easiest way to cut through the noise and yet almost everyone does it the wrong way. think about what you write and if it will make anyone pause and read. if not, delete the post.

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