Angel Investor and Mentor in start-ups which look to create a market differentiation by introducing concepts which add value to human lives and their well-being.
Since 2017/18 I have had the opportunity to invest in over 15 start-ups : plus, some more via the Private Equity route. As an Investor, associated with start-ups in the areas of People Intelligence, Mobile Technology, AgriTech, Arts, Training, Healthcare and Space Technology. I also informally mentored a few start-ups.
After having had a career of nearly two and a half decades providing Consulting led Solutions and Services to Global Banks and the Financial Services Industry, owing to certain personal setbacks in life, I moved away from professional life.
After being part of some soulful engagements in social and community work and some educational pursuits, I wanted to once again engage with some professional work.
For most of my career, acting as an intrapreneur and having been part of creation of some innovative industry pioneering financial solutions, I thought that by engaging with start-ups both as an investor as well as a mentor, would provide me with the required level of professional satisfaction, as also, allow me to engage selectively and on my own time.
Given that the Indian start-up ecosystem is growing rapidly, where literally thousands of new start-ups are coming up every year, it is my belief, that the larger society has a moral obligation to participate within this ecosystem, both by way of financing these start-ups by deploying patient capital, and / or guiding them appropriately. Thus, hopefully they can become one of the main engines of innovation and growth for the economy.
Owing to wide industry experiences, it was my intention to bridge the “experience” gap existing within start-ups i.e. apart from direct investments also act as a mentor and advisor by sharing the knowledge and experiences and distribute it amongst the wider start-up community.
One of my objectives was to also provide a “guardian” type approach to the start-ups, in addition to the Business, Technology and Organisational help which I could provide as a Mentor.
Start-up life can be very difficult and challenging and there are many cases of the founders suffering nervous break downs or even depression, and hence a positive mental and physical environment is very important for such start-ups, particularly in the initial years.
Personally, having faced various setbacks and having understood life from an alternate perspective, and having shared those with the larger community, I thought those learnings could also be useful to the founders.
While I did not have a specific investment thesis, I tried to focus on those start-ups which looked to create a market differentiation by introducing concepts which add value to human lives and their well-being.
Now it is my intent to further my association within the start-up ecosystem, by having a more active participation, primarily as a Mentor, and for an appropriate opportunity, also as an Investor. Based on the brief journey of the last 2+ years coupled with many years of global experiences, I believe I can mentor and guide the founders and their teams in Due Diligence, Fund Raising, Business and Product Strategy, GTM/Marketing Strategy, Operational and some Financial controls. This apart from a “soft” perspective and guidance which I can bring to the founders and their teams. Hence, I also got associated with TIE as a Charter Member.
I am hoping to gain an even larger access to the start-up ecosystem, where I can provide my guidance in a more meaningful and structured way; more importantly in a way which makes a difference to the start-up, its founders and their teams.
In the process, it would be a privilege to learn from other participants of the ecosystem, both about their start-up experiences, as also the primary domains which they represent; and in return also share my own experiences.