Prashant Pansare

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 Dass

25

Rebalance is India's first angel community that's 51% women with 27 investments across fintech, biotech, consumer, drones, Gen AI, deeptech healthcare, climate, energy, edtech and more. 🔥 Aishwarya is hosting a limited-seating, candid chat for women who invest in startups (would like to invest with Rebalance) and for women who want to learn about startup investing. No question is too trivial or small, this is a safe space to ask anything about startup investing! When: 26 May 2024 [Sunday] Where: Somewhere in Delhi ☕ Timings: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm 2 days to go!! RSVP here: https://shorturl.at/EoYLN If you're already an investor or not based in Delhi/Gurgaon - you can directly sign up here to be part of the investing community: https://lnkd.in/g7taCdkc

44

4 Comments

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

5

If you doubted the rise of India as a powerhouse, Pine Labs, a significant fintech player, is now relocating its headquarters from Singapore to India following approval from a Singapore court. This strategic shift mirrors other successful Indian startups like PhonePe, Razorpay, and Groww, embracing the trend of ‘reverse flipping’. The move signifies growing confidence in the Indian market and its potential. Key factors enabling this move include: - Favorable economic policies - Growing domestic market - Increasing investor confidence - Greater certainty of an exit at a higher valuation - Ease of accessing capital - Regulatory changes - Maturing capital markets - Cost-effective listing process All great signs for India! #India #Fintech #PineLabs #Startups #BusinessGrowth

91

2 Comments

Only TWO days left to apply for the RippleX Fellowship program! If you are a student/dropout/recent grad building a b2b software company in Canada/US, this is the program for you. In our last batch we had some amazing mentors like: - Braden Ream (CEO, Voiceflow): Mastering storytelling and navigating selling into enterprises - Rahul Parmar (Prev. Senior Director of Sales, Drata): Sales 101 – Converting pilots to real revenue, creating urgency among buyers, and best practices to manage a sales process - Nicholas Chepesiuk (CEO, OnCall Virtual Care, now part of Qualifacts): Striving towards product-market fit, utilizing creative outbound strategies, and the importance of building trust with customers in the early days - Justin Sky (CEO, Rose Rocket): Identifying venture-scale markets, learning when to pivot, and building strong organizational culture - Josh Gray (CEO, Artemis): Conducting customer validation, segmenting your ICP, and advice for young founders Apply here: https://lnkd.in/e2iAu6vi

19

2 Comments

I’m excited to share insights from my recent interview with Arundathi Ramanan at CNBC-TV18, where I discussed the journey of str8bat and our vision for the future of sports technology. Key Takeaways: Roadmap for Growth: With our recent Series A funding led by Exfinity Venture Partners, we are ready to expand our product offerings and market reach. Our focus is on integrating cutting-edge technologies, including Generative AI, to enhance user experiences and provide real-time insights that empower athletes. Innovative Tech Play: We’ve launched the world’s first "smart willow" cricket bat along with Sanspareils Greenlands Pvt. Ltd., featuring IoT sensors that deliver actionable metrics like bat speed and impact analysis without cameras. This technology democratizes access to advanced training tools for all aspiring cricketers. Customer-Centric Approach: Our partnerships with Cricket Australia and Rajasthan Royals highlight our commitment to delivering value. With thousands of users benefiting from our platform, we aim to make elite-level training accessible to everyone. As we navigate the rapidly growing sports tech industry, str8bat strives to be a guiding light for innovation. Together, let’s harness technology to unlock human potential in sports! I invite you to watch the full interview for a deeper understanding of how str8bat is transforming sports training https://lnkd.in/gcDaTMWW Rahul Nagar Madhu Sudan Shailesh Ghorpade Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl Vansh Oberoi Yasuhiro Seo Vikrant Varshney Dhiraj Kumar Sinha Utsav Somani Techstars Paras Anand Greg Chappell AO MBE   #str8bat #SportsTech #Innovation #CustomerFirst #AthleteEmpowerment

74

12 Comments

Like to order deliveries from the comfort of your own home? Zepto's recent $665 million funding will now allow the company to set up even more store across India to serve you better. Read all about it only in my new article at Entrepreneur India. . . . Follow and connect for more industry news and updates . . . #News #Update #Zepto #Funding #Investment #EntrepreneurIndia #AdityaPranMahanta https://lnkd.in/gYvATrUE

1

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

7

1 Comment

Volt VC, a micro venture capital firm, has launched its first fund, Volt VC Fund-1, with the goal of addressing the pre-seed funding gap and offering crucial resources to startups across India. Volt VC Fund-1, a SEBI-registered Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), aims to raise a corpus of Rs 45 crore. The fund will focus on investing in innovative, consumer-centric startups at the pre-seed stage, with a mission to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and creators building strong, consumer-focused businesses in sectors such as D2C, B2C, and B2B2C. Volt VC plans to invest between Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 2 crore in approximately 20-25 pre-seed startups. Founded by Param Patel, Volt VC will offer strategic guidance, market research support, product development, branding, fundraising strategies, and access to an extensive network of experts across various domains. The firm’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship and fuel the growth of innovative startups in Gujarat and across India. Based in Ahmedabad, the company aims to close its first fund within the next 3-4 months. Volt VC also intends to solidify its role in super early-stage investments by backing promising startups across various sectors within the next 12 months. #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #PreSeedFunding #VoltVC #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #Startups #IndiaStartups #SEBI #D2C #B2C #B2B2C #Investment #Fundraising #BusinessGrowth #GujaratStartups #EarlyStageInvestment #ProductDevelopment #Branding #TechStartups #career #job #focus #jobgram #ai #hr

9

1 Comment

CredFlow, a fintech startup offering cash flow management solutions for Indian SMEs, has secured $3.7 million (over Rs 31.2 crore) in a pre-Series B round, led by existing investors Inflexor Ventures and a Singapore-based family office.   The startup offers various solutions for SMEs, including invoice collection, payment acceptance, payment reminders, and automated follow-ups. In its previous two funding rounds, the company raised $9.2 million from venture capitalists. In 2021, the company secured $2.1 million in a seed round, led by Stellaris Venture Partners, Omidyar Network India, and Flourish Ventures. Want to deep dive? For premium market intelligence and insights, explore VCCEdge (link in the comment section 👇) #Fintech #FamilyOffice #SMEFinance #VentureCapital #VCCEdge Kunal Aggarwal

67

3 Comments

🚀 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

55

2 Comments

Join us! With great power (capital, position, trust) comes great responsibility. Following the launch of Ortella Global Capital - OG Capital, India's only fund that co-builds companies, we are humbled by the overwhelming support and enthusiasm for our mission to empower the next generation of groundbreaking startups. As we embark on this exciting journey, we are reminded of the profound impact we can make through responsible and strategic investing and co-building. At Ortella Global Capital - OG Capital, India's only fund that co-builds companies, we firmly believe that with great power comes great responsibility. We are dedicated to upholding the highest standards for our investors, our co-builders, our founders and every individual whose lives we touch. As stewards of capital, we understand the importance of harnessing our resources for the greater good, not just for financial gain (yet focused on delivering 50%+ CAGR). As we grow, we are eager to expand our team with exceptional individuals who share our vision. We look forward to potentially working together to create the next hundred unicorns. Who is it for: a. If you had started a company ever and successfully exited, Reach out to us b. If you are a current founder who is passionate about building but for some reason, your business is not working out, Reach out to us c. If you had started out a few times before but for some or other reason it did not work out, Reach out to us And by the way, all our team members are ex-founders :) Additionally: - It does not matter whether you are 15 years old or 60, Reach out to us - It does not matter whether you are in Ahmedabad or Agartala, Reach out to us - It does not matter whether you are from IIT/IIM or a college drop out, Reach out to us --- because we have seen that success does not have a tag, you just need it to click once. And that's it! Please fill out the form in the comments :)

239

30 Comments

Budget 2024: Angel tax abolition to supercharge startup ecosystem, will attract both domestic and foreign investments, says VCs Top venture capitalists and investors commented that the abolishment of angel tax will attract not just domestic investors but also foreign investments and will also bring confidence in the startup ecosystem as well as among investors. Story by Anushka Sengupta #Budget2024 #AngelTaxAbolition #StartupEcosystem #VentureCapital #ForeignInvestments #StartupIndia #VCInsight https://lnkd.in/dAYJgYsB

6

There is a prevailing trend of SaaS roll-ups across the world and across industries as investors grapple with a lack of critical mass. B2B fintech SaaS in India is entering its best era in terms of customer spend. Young, India-focussed start-ups are in a great place with a lot to look forward to. There will absolutely be a handful of market leaders that build $50M+ ARR standalone companies on rapid organic growth. But as more and more fin-tech SaaS companies emerge, servicing a limited number of large customers, it’s hard to see how most of them can scale independently with an India only focus. There is a compelling case for value creation via acquisitions and a smart roll-up strategy. This is what Perfios has demonstrated, and other investor-funded combinations are likely not far behind. Here is my article in Forbes India on the India B2B fintech SaaS market cross roads and strategy choices for founders and start-ups. Would love to get your views on this topic. Arkam Ventures #fintech #saas #b2b #banking #PE #founders #investors

64

Interesting article by AIM on wrappers. Wrappers are an important "value unlocking layer" for underlying assets. If a new industry is emerging, the next immediate opportunity is the wrapper on top of it. What wrappers can India build on AI? Read article here: https://lnkd.in/gq5Pwtrq

73

1 Comment

We did it again 🚀🚀 While Invstt continues to be enabling startup investments, it is also now becoming *one stop shop for startup discovery* - be it for investment, or your business needs, or any possible ecosystem enablement. We just crossed the first milestone of 1️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣➕ startups being listed on Invstt . And it's definitely just the beginning 🌟🌟🌟 It continues to be one of the best funnels for ourselves for deal-discovery to invest via our multi-stage investment platforms - We Founder Circle | EvolveX Accelerator | Avinya Ventures

141

20 Comments

New Delhi-based venture capital firm growX ventures, focused on B2B and DeepTech, has launched Fund II with a target of ₹400 crore ($47.1 million). The firm plans to support both early-stage and early-growth-stage companies such as semiconductors, defence-tech, spacetech, alternate materials and advanced manufacturing, fintech, healthtech, and supply chain/logistics over the next two to three years. The first investment will be up to ₹10 crore in seed rounds and ₹20-30 crore in Series B rounds. Ashish Taneja To share your startup information write us on - [email protected] For Startup funding reach out us at: https://lnkd.in/gqwTnHME Join Our Whatsapp Channel To Get The Latest Updates & News: https://lnkd.in/esJEFzan #GrowXventure #news #startup #funding #fundraising #venturecapital

7