Suvansh Bansal

Indian venture market has exploded. Someone reported that there are 800+ funds/networks/syndicates/ accelerators active in Indian venture market now. Not sure, if that number is correct but if you are an early stage tech founder on your fundraise journey, chances are, you would meet hundreds of people. While majority of the fund houses are doing incredible work and shaping the ecosystem. There are certain kinds of investors you need to identify & avoid to save time and stay focused: Sharing from my personal experience, top 5 such cohorts to avoid and the takeaways for the founders: 1. Data collectors: At early stage, you don't have historical data to present. Your projections are just that, Projections. I wasted one whole week discussing with a prospective angel investor on why the CLTV to CAC ratio is x, and not y. Takeaway: Discuss high level strategic numbers only without going into the details. None of the projections would be accurate anyway when rubber hits the road. 2. Document collectors: Met few folks, who would watch from the fences and ask for n number of documents, data rooms, statements without sharing the purpose of the ask or even revealing their investment intent. Takeaway: It is supposed to be a bi-directional conversation. Say 'no' often, till the time, an official relationship is established. 3. Valuer (! investor): At early stage, valuation is a function of multiple parameters, the opportunity itself, the team, or anything else except steady cash flows, because you don't have much. I wasted another week with a prospective investor trying to justify valuation, had to shut down that conversation, after both of us started quoting Aswath Damodaran and his valuation principles. Takeaway: Too much content on the internet for both parties anyway. Shouldn't be a bone of contention at early stages. 4. Facilitators posing as investors: Met numerous people, who would go to any lengths to pose themselves as serious investors, even buying paid media articles. Only to reveal at the last: The success fee. Takeaway: Avoid facilitators until Series A 5. Brokers posing as market makers: People posing as market makers sharing tons of gyaan on LinkedIn but are actually deal brokers looking to make quick %. Personal experience: Two rounds of conversation happened and then out of blue, they added a third party in the mail trail, someone who facilitates mergers & acquisitions. There wasn't even a single instance in the past conversations where we indicated any such intent. Takeaway: Avoid name & shame in public but at least share within founder communities. #venture #fundraise #startups #investing

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This is a great list that Pearl Agarwal has shared Personally, I am more of a Notion plus make.com guy For my own start-up, whether it’s lead capture or HR management, CRM or an accounting software, I have built almost everything in Notion and automated them through make or relay.App But of course, there are other tools. You need MS teams for webinar and meetings along with their recording transcriptions and open AI for action items and lot of manual stuff Automation. I have this succesfully eliminated the need of otter.ai or fireflies Not to forget that I strongly recommend Setapp.app app, if you are Mac user because it makes life so so much easier #Startup #founders #startups #funding #accounting #audit #export #financialmodelling #pitchdeck #business101 #businessplanning #businessplan #funding #vcfunding #angelinvesting #entrepreneurs #entrepreneurship #startupmentor #scalability #scalable #cloudmigration #hardware #cpu #appdesign #diversification #productdesign #offering #cloud #business #vc #founder #fund #idea #concepts #interesting #general #possible #ticketsize #max

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While going through the YC S24 batch, I couldn’t resist making my own list of top picks. These are based on what gets me excited—industry potential, founder-market fit, team chemistry, and that compelling founder story. If your favorite isn’t here, don’t take it personally. Every company in the batch is phenomenal. But hey, I can’t put all 254 on my list! So yeah—here’s my top 10 picks for YC S24 batch (in no particular order): • Blaze (YC S24) by Faiyam Rahman, Luc Succes, and Igor Zagnieński - Global venmo for cross border payments. • Cartage by Abdul Basharat, Harman Sahota and Josh Lampen - Your end-to-end logistics partner that delivers beyond freight - speed, transparency, and peace of mind shippers count on. • Modus by Lin Ling and Amar K. - Unlock revenue per employee with AI powered headcount management. • Decisional AI (YC S24) by Sai Neeraj Kanuri, Adit S. and Dhruv Tandon - AI Agent that helps Financial Professionals do deep thoughtful financial work. • Merlin AI (YC S24) by Kumar Siddhartha, Ayantika Dey , and Sneha Kumari - the AI-powered ERP for construction. • Dimely (YC S24) by David Pang and Peter S. - An AI copilot built to automate your manual billing workflows. It understands your business and is as accessible as sending an email. • Offstream by Varsha Ramesh Walsh and Zach Janicki - Streamline compliance for your carbon project. • Fazeshift (YC S24) by Caitlin Leksana and Timmy Galvin - Automating invoicing & accounts receivable. • Terra by Lev Glushkovskii and Dylan McFarland - A new world of furniture procurement. • @Modern Realty by Raffi Isanians and @Raymond Xu - Your AI real estate agent. • LedgerUp (YC S24) by Joseph Johnson and Bailey Spell - Your first and only finance hire. • Manaflow (YC S24) by Austin Wang, Wesley Tjangnaka, and Laurence Chen - Automate repetitive white-collar work that fits in tables with AI.

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Speed is a moat in of itself. This thread [1] does a great job of breaking that down But, speed / urgency is also a moat in sales. Sales teams that: - respond right away to an inbound lead - do same day follow ups - set up POCs in a day instead of a week just compete better. This is because to get speed, you have to solve so many problems upstream from tooling to hiring to culture. [1] https://lnkd.in/gCkewMJV

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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

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This post from Vaibhav Domkundwar beautifully shows how surviving long enough can position a startup to take advantage of an eventual tailwind. When we invested in Yulu, no one had a clue that Quick Commerce will become the next commerce phenomenon in the country after payments. Because Yulu intelligently survived, kept improving the product and is capital-efficient enough to be agile to market needs, it’s now befitting from QC tailwinds. Reminds me of what the Rippling founder once said - as a startup, just survive 10 years and the odds are that you will end up succeeding.

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👻 Dreaded interview no-shows From chatting with retail/QSR operators in the past few weeks, interview no-show rates can be as high as 60% (Side note: DM me if you want a benchmark for your country). This leaky bucket of candidates is a pain; after all, you’ve paid for their profile on the job board, screened them, and spent time scheduling the interview, only for them to leave you standing. But why do candidates no-show? Perhaps they couldn’t get the time off work, the train was late, they didn’t feel like it on the day, they accepted another offer, they were too nervous to ask you a question, or circumstances changed (you get the picture, there are a lot of reasons). Here are 5 quick ideas you can implement tomorrow to increase the number of people who attend your interviews. 🔄 Make rescheduling easy - life happens, make it easy to reschedule with you once or twice. ✅ Reconfirm the day before - drop a reminder and ask for their confirmation 24 hours before the interview (super impactful!) ✋ Send FAQs upfront - candidates have questions, lots of them. and sometimes, they’re too afraid to ask. Remove the friction. 🗓️ Increase the options - people lead busy lives with existing commitments, make it easy to find time with you that matches their schedule ⏰ Reduce the time horizon - contrary to the above, try to limit your options to 7 days out; we see a big drop off for people scheduling more than week out What’s the gold standard? When you have an attendance rate of more than 85%. Drop what works for you in the comments!

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HSR Founders Club is doing an AI for GTM Fireside this Friday. Where? Most probably HSR :) If you're in a 5km radius and looking to do something before you step out, drop by. Look forward to meeting Rapti Gupta Piyush Agarwal and Akshay Hangloo. #GTM #AI

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🌟 India Embraces the SaaS Revolution: Cultural Adaptation and Business Growth 🌟 In recent years, Software as a Service (SaaS) has revolutionized the global business landscape. India, with its vibrant culture and innovative spirit, is uniquely positioning itself to harness the full potential of the SaaS-driven market. 🔹 Indian Mentality & SaaS Adoption The Indian approach to SaaS is rooted in resilience, flexibility, and a strong entrepreneurial mindset: Cost-Effective Solutions: SaaS provides scalable and affordable options, making it ideal for startups and SMEs looking to optimize budgets without sacrificing quality. Customization: Indian businesses value the ability to tailor SaaS platforms to meet their specific needs, ensuring seamless integration into their unique operational frameworks. Community & Support: A strong emphasis on customer support and collaborative improvements fosters a thriving environment where SaaS providers continuously enhance their offerings based on user feedback. 🔹 Scaling Businesses with SaaS SaaS empowers Indian companies to scale efficiently by: Enhancing Operational Efficiency: Automation of routine tasks allows businesses to focus on innovation and expansion. Data-Driven Decision Making: Advanced analytics and insights enable companies to make informed strategic decisions, driving growth and competitiveness. Global Reach: Cloud-based solutions facilitate easy access to international markets, helping Indian businesses expand their footprint globally with minimal overhead. 🔹 Cultural Synergy and Success Stories India’s rich cultural emphasis on jugaad (innovative problem-solving) aligns perfectly with the agile and adaptable nature of SaaS. Success stories like Zoho, Freshworks, and Razorpay illustrate how Indian ingenuity combined with SaaS can lead to global success, prioritizing customer-centricity and continuous innovation. 🔹 Looking Ahead As India continues to integrate SaaS into its economic fabric, the synergy between cultural values and technological advancement will be crucial. Embracing SaaS not only drives business growth but also reinforces India’s position as a leader in the global tech ecosystem. 🚀 Join the Conversation! How do you see Indian culture shaping the future of SaaS in the country? Share your thoughts and experiences below! 👇 #SaaS #IndiaTech #CulturalAdaptation #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #BusinessGrowth #TechIndia #innvoket

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RCB, KKR, or CSK? 🏏 bigbasket.com made it easy for you to support your favorite IPL team and win surprise goodies. How? By participating in a poll right from your inbox. 💯 Check out the template in action below 👇 Read the full story here - https://bit.ly/3RgYJF7 If you are an e-commerce marketer, you can also replicate the same with the ongoing T20 World Cup on days your country isn't playing! Click on the link in the comments section to book a session. #emailmarketing #quickcommerce

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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

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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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STARTING THE YEAR WITH A ROCKING NEWS!! Faad Capital is on the list of India's top startup investors of 2024 by Inc42 Media . 🙌 With 42 investments and over 50 CR deployed last year, we have continued our journey to support many notable companies and entrepreneurs.✅ Also, the year saw eight successful exits, strengthening our quest to create high-value capital for our LPs and stakeholders. 💰 All this would not have been possible without the support of rockstar partners, investors and stakeholders. 🙏 At 110+ portfolio companies now, we are all set. 2025, here we come! 💪 #startups #india #investors Karan Verma Dr.Dinesh Singh Neha Mourya Sanyam Jain Vatsal Lunawat Shivani Khare Abhilash Gupta Vansh Mittal

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Finsire has recently started its learning series - Ideally by chatting with the best folks in the Industry. Here, with Siddharth Shetty, Co-founder and CTO of Account Aggregator (AA) from DigiSahamati Foundation, we speak about the data exchange's inception, growth, and future in India. - We use AA for various reasons, including pushing boundaries in India's data exchange layer with various use cases. - It's been about three years since it went live, and over 70 million cumulative Indian accounts are linked. - One-of-a-kind data sharing network from India that is not seen anywhere across the globe, baring Singapore with https://lnkd.in/gyrCQtVQ - Different approach to protect consumers as compared to the previous models that existed to attain consumer data by various methods used by Plaid or Salt Edge Onemoney Finvu (Cookiejar Technologies) Protean eGov Technologies Anumati by Perfios AA NADL - Account Aggregator Computer Age Management Services Limited KFin Technologies Ltd. Enjoy - Please click on the link below and watch the video!

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Just because you achieved a certain valuation doesn’t guarantee success. It’s about finding product market fit with proper unit economics.

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Top News of the Week in Indian Startup Ecosystem: 1. The week saw the first mega funding deal materialise for an Indian startup in the form of healthtech unicorn Innovaccer’s $275 Mn Series F fundraise. 2. On the back of this, healthtech emerged as the most funded startup sector this week. Besides Innovaccer, BrainSinghtAI and Zoplar also raised $5 Mn and $3.4 Mn this week. 3. Fintech, cleantech and ecommerce all saw three funding deals materialise this week, leading to fresh capital infusion of $48.9 Mn, $14.2 Mn and $13.3 Mn respectively. 4.  After months of speculations, Ritesh Agarwal increased his stake in his startup OYO with a capital infusion of $65 Mn via his venture capital firm Redsprig Innovation Partners. This funding round made travel tech the second most funded sector this week. 5. This week’s most active investor was VC firm Alteria Capital, investing in BrainSightAI’s $5 Mn pre-Series A funding round and Pratilipi’s $1.2 Mn funding round. 6. Eyewear major Lenskart is said to have initiated talks with bankers for a $1 Bn IPO that could value it in the range of $7 Bn to $8 Bn. Its IPO could hit the Indian bourses toward the end of the next financial year. Read the full post on link below Stay up do that with the Indian startup ecosystem on Medial.

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I was reading investor memo of #Rippling for the year 2024 and it made me think why Indian SAAS companies barring very few [**won't name them here**] don't embrace the design language of compound software? Why we don't think from the perspective of building a workflow for a user journey and plug-in that particular workflow with complementing services, and in turn increasing the TAM and ARPU??? I would appreciate your comments and also name of Indian SAAS companies who have embraced design language of compound software. #rippling #TAM #ARPU

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One of the best insights about SMB SaaS I got was from Girish Mathrubootham, founder of Freshworks at an event hosted by Together Fund: Me: Several VCs keep telling me to move upmarket and focus on enterprise as SMBs have low retention. What's your take given Freshworks is the poster child of SMB SaaS being built out of India? Girish: They don't have low retention. They have lower retention than enterprise. But, if your product/service is good, churn is under 15%-20% and you are growing at 100%-150% YoY, why does it matter?

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Who would invest in founders who have wasted $50M? Koo, an Indian microblogging platform, recently shut shop after raising $50M in capital. Everyone has their views on why Koo failed. IMO, the biggest reason behind its failure was a lack of PMF (Product Market Fit). Koo spent much money on marketing and didn’t build a product people wanted. It kept harping on nationalism, a Twitter for Indians, made in #India. This approach failed. However, this doesn’t mean Koo’s founders aren’t smart or intelligent. I wrote in an earlier post that we shouldn’t be surprised if Koo’s founders raise fresh capital for a new startup. To many of us, this might seem grossly unfair. Millions of smart, hardworking founders are struggling to raise capital while investors are backing failed founders who have wasted millions of dollars. How is that fair? It confirms the widely held belief that the #venturecapital industry is broken and corrupt where a few people with the right connections get all the capital while others don’t see a dime. It shows that the VC industry is a closed group, a cabal where who you know matters more than anything. While these are just complaints, most people who criticise VCs don’t understand how startup investing works. VCs welcome failures. They embrace them because they know failures are inevitable. When VCs invest in 20 #startups, they know 15 will fail. The goal is to invest in startups that can give them a 100x return. Failures are part of the game. They are unavoidable. The aim is to back founders who can build such 100x return companies. Hence, failures are not looked down upon in the VC industry. It’s similar to the American culture where society appreciates the people who take risks, and it easily accepts personal bankruptcies that result from this risk-taking approach. There’s no taboo in failing in the USA and the VC industry. I’m sure Koo’s founders have learnt from their mistakes. It’s an expensive mistake and not everyone is so lucky to have this luxury to spend $50M on their education. ;) However, most VCs will back Koo’s #founders because these founders know how to raise capital and they know how to not build and scale tech companies. Their past failures have improved their chances of future success. In the VC industry, Failure is Good.

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