Manish Agrawal

Discover why AI's future is Indian! 🇮🇳 I recently spoke to The Economic Times about SenseAI Ventures' latest WhitePaper, which reveals how India is poised to lead in AI adoption. From SaaS dominance to untapped AI tooling potential, find out what the future holds for Indian AI startups. Explore the full WhitePaper: https://lnkd.in/dC8jQU6j Check out the Economic Times article to learn more about these recent developments. SenseAI Ventures #ai #indiaai

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

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When you find a practical use of AI in an area that has strong tailwinds in the India growth story, you know this is a venture that has a high potential not just for value creation but for job creation in the country. Delighted to back TraqCheck founders Jaibir Nihal Singh, Armaan Mehta and @rishabh jain as they make it easier for over 200 corporations to embrace the new way of work. Traqcheck's Ai-enabled background checks of employees is way, way faster and far more reliable than traditional methods of background verification. Pankaj Bansal (पंकज बंसल)Karann Mittal Danish Dogra Aman Khan Yukta Kelkar Atreyi D.

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"Health is an investment, not an expense." — Anonymous Just a few days ago, our teams at DeVC and PeerCapital brought together an incredible group of entrepreneurs and enablers to explore the real investments and expenses in healthcare. On stage, we had the dynamic trio of Mayank Banerjee , Dilip Kumar and Tarun Bhambra, who combined their wit and wisdom to delve into: - The consumerization of healthcare, preventive vs. curative approaches, accessibility and affordability challenges, offline vs. online dynamics, and how founders can bridge skill gaps. - The evolving role of AI and tech in healthcare, and how founders are strategically allocating resources to build cutting-edge solutions. - Collaborating with doctors, aligning incentives across systems and how ambitious change starts with robust foundational systems (think CAC's and LTV's). The conversations were raw, experiential, and refreshingly honest. If it weren’t for the ticking clock and the rainy day, we might still be chatting! It was inspiring to engage with so many passionate builders committed to reshaping India's #healthcare future. Let’s keep the dialogue alive. We invite more of your participation and views. Together, we are investing in the future of health. #healthtech #investing #founders

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

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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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Had the pleasure of hosting the amazing Hemant Mohapatra of Lightspeed India, who spoke on the opportunities in AI for founders in India. An excellent session, covering pointed analogies, and lessons from the past to inform the future: - Why is this wave of AI important - How to differentiate between ideas that can create large impact vs. ideas that are incremental - Big opportunities for new founders to build in the next few years. Notes on 1) AI x consumer 2) AI x enterprise adoption 3) AI x infra - Next generation of Agents and what to expect and more with Nitin Sharma Watch the full session - link in comments

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🎙️ Podcast #10: Alchemy of Transformation of India with R Balasubramaniam Dr R Balasubramanian is a member of #Indian Prime Minister’s HR Capacity Building Commission; author of “Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of #NarendraModi” and eight other books. A former Rhodes Professor at Cornell University, he is founder of Swami #Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM). Dr R Balasubramaniam is author of the definitive #leadership analysis of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through the Indic wisdom and legendary characters. He became a doctor but chose to live among tribes in the jungles of Mysore because he was driven by the belief of “seeing god in everyone”. His quest to find solutions to problems of indigenous tribes took him to #Harvard, #Cornell and write books. But he found that the treasures he sought in IVY League Universities were to be discovered within the same tribal communities of Mysore. I sat down with him to understand how PM Modi is changing modern India: 💡 The West standardizes knowledge in order to replicate it. However, the solutions in the East are bespoke, creative and so applying western models kills creativity of locally discovered solutions 💡 India & Pakistan should not ape western #management #philosophy and look inwards to the models of our own #leadership. In case of India, it is the likes of Arjuna, Krishna, Chanakya 💡 PM Modi’s agenda is 4Ps: Profit – People – Planet – Peace, based on a “crucible moment” in his early life when he was moved by empathy of a cow that refused to eat and died because of death in family of its owners 💡 #Article370 annulment was driven by a national need for #inclusivity, and having one constitution not two, having one PM not two because there cannot be two systems within one country. We will need to review PM Modi’s actions and legacy in 5 years, if his stated claim of inclusion holds true. #SwamiViveananda #NarendraModi #India #SouthAsia #SocialEntrepreneurship #Leadership #Transformation #Bureacracy #Demonetization #Article370 #Gujrat #PublicService #Development #SocialProgress #Inclusivity #Culture #Impact #HarvardKennedySchool #Adaptability #sustainability Listen and Subscribe 👍 #Podcast #AlchemyofTransformation in 1st Comments Below.

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

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Shashank Bijapur co-founder and CEO of SpotDraft, our portfolio company, ran a terrific panel at the Arkam Innovation Summit. He covered a lot of ground with Manish Jethani Co-founder and CEO of Hevo Data Data, and Gaurav Sharma Founder, and CEO of SaaSLabs .    Here are some key takeaways that stayed with me: Initial journey of identifying the problem statement and figuring out the solution during the early days at SaaS Labs and Hevo Data After selling his first company in the US, Gaurav returned to India. All he wanted to do was make $4-5 K living in India, so he started out by building tools for Shopify users. But when those tools rapidly grew to half a million in recurring revenue, Gaurav realized that he could build anything, be anywhere in the world, and sell it worldwide. Manish believes that your product has to solve a personal problem in addition to an industrial one. Once you start the journey as an entrepreneur, financial success will not satisfy you. “What one problem can you solve even if the financial outcome is not that great?” Deciding whether to validate the product in India and move to the US versus taking a US market-first approach Selling in India is hard, especially in the early days. As Gaurav said, "if you sell a $10 product, you must create an invoice, and then they’ll make the payment in 60 days. So, it became very hard to make a profit. From this, I realized that India is not ready to buy software yet, so the best model would be to build it in India and sell it across the world" Manish believes customer needs and expectations are completely different across India and the US. It's quite challenging to build a product for India and expect it to succeed in the US. So, from day one, he focused on the US market-first approach. Establishing product differentiation during the early days of growing in the US market? Initially, the number one challenge for Manish was to sell a product that their target audience could build themselves. Hevo Data needed needed financial and operational data from companies, which nobody shares easily. Most companies prefer to build a product in-house and work with that tool. So, Manish decided to find initial customers who meet three criteria: they should not want to build a product in-house, they should be fine with sharing the data, and they should be from the US. Aspects of the business that changed from 0-1 to 1-10 journey and beyond To get initial customers, Gaurav decided to integrate his product into larger companies to get more eyes on it. To sustain this growth, Gaurav bet on excellent customer service, which is “an unfair advantage for Indian SaaS,” as he says. His customer service and fast responses became the talk of the town amongst his customers. Here’s the full video video. Well worth your time to listen to three $10M+ ARR SaaS founders at the top of their game.   Arkam Ventures https://lnkd.in/gP_YT-gV

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I have seen this play out a lot - Investors evaluating D2C brands take feedback from friends and family which might not be the right thing to do because of 2 reasons -- 1. Negative bias kicks in. When you ask someone close how this product is, they aren’t thinking, “What’s good?” Instead their immediate thought is, “What’s bad?” This is a natural tendency—people tend to focus on what could be wrong instead of highlighting the positives. 2. The Target audience isn’t the same. Your friends and family probably aren’t the target customers of the startup. Real feedback comes from people who actually use the product and experience the problem it solves. Here is what you should do instead: ask the founder who their target customers are and talk to them for real feedback. Feedback from friends and family can create bias, as they’re not the real customers.

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*Registrations close tonight. This is for women only* Can't wait to host some wonderful ladies at the AMA on Angel Investing in Delhi tomorrow evening (26 May, Sunday)! We're thrilled to see 3x the number of women sign-up this time, compared to our previous AMA. 😍 Rebalance is India's first angel community that's 51% women with 27 investments in the portfolio. Last 2 spots left for women who are angel investors looking to expand dealflow (and back female founders) or those interested in learning about startup investing. Please note, that this is a forum strictly for Q&A on angel investing. When: 26 May 2024 [Sunday] Where: Somewhere in Delhi ☕ Timings: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm Eligibility: For women only RSVP here: https://shorturl.at/EoYLN If this isn't for you, share it with credible women who are looking to deploy their $$$ towards mission-oriented wealth creation. <This is part of Rebalance's In-the-loop series where we're building the world's most active community of women in startups, investing, science, and technology> CC: Vikas Kumar #diversity #womenininvesting #venturecapital #funding #investing #startups

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From a humble 4x4 Garage to making NATIONAL headlines, these four tier-2 cities individuals are rewriting the rules of personal mobility🔥. Quick story: Meet Rajib Gangopadhyay, Kunal Gupta, Aditya Oza and Sumedh Battewar, the dynamic brains behind EMotorad. EMotorad is setting new benchmarks in innovation and sustainability. As this startup prepared to inaugurate its megafactory in August, anticipation is at an all-time high. This megafactory…….    -5,00,000 e-cycles production capacity     -spans over 240,000 square feet    -300 plus employees to work As EMotorad continues to push boundaries and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs,       …. they are not just building a factory; they are shaping the future of personal mobility🔥. P.S : It's amazing to partner with EMotorad on their journey towards a greener, more sustainable future :)  Source: TOI and BusinessToday #startups #founders #ebike #sustainable #personalmobility MS Dhoni

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

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

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

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At eChai Ventures, we are collaborating with the Accel on the Accel Atoms program, along with many other good folks from the ecosystem. ..... Accel is back with the fourth cohort of their pre seed accelerator - Accel Atoms. Over the last 3 cohorts, they’ve funded 30+ startups who’ve collectively raised more than $200 Million. With their fourth cohort they’re looking to invest in founders building in two thriving sectors - AI & Bharat. What is the AI opportunity? 🤖 Microprocessors led the first tech revolution, which was followed by the internet. The third tech revolution is led by Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is a global opportunity for any Indian-origin founder to build AI applications for business cases or to building development/ foundational tools in the AI ecosystem. What is the Bharat opportunity? 🇮🇳 The top 20 per cent of the rural population has a higher monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) than about 50 per cent of the urban population. This highlights the substantial purchasing power & opportunity that is often overlooked in Bharat. Who should apply for Accel Atoms? 🫵🏻 Accel Atoms is looking ambitious founders with an ambitious idea in AI or Bharat. This includes startups at the pre-seed stage to startups in the idea-stage/ pre-product stage. Why should you apply for Accel Atoms? 🤔 When selected, you’ll receive up to $1 Million in funding, perks worth $5 Million & access to a community of 300+ founders. You will also get access to a dedicated learning track to set up your startup for long term success. Applications are open till the 17th Nov. You can learn more and apply for this program here: https://lnkd.in/dQwxHzQg

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