Preparing for the Worst, Hoping for the Best

Founders… Don’t get Caught with Catch Words!

Founder: ….then we will provide data analytics to the hotel owners providing an overview of what are the common ...

SoftBank should flex its muscle: Flipkart buys Snapdeal or the deal snaps

The Masayoshi Son led SoftBank is in a boardroom battle to save its investment in Snapdeal, which is well known to us...

$30 billion in annual sales was built like that

Shoe Dog by Nike founder and chairman Phil Knight traces the journey of Nike from the time it was a startup...

Ola gets its product mix right!

Whosoever dreamed up Ola Select & Ola Play for ANI Technologies (DBA Ola Cabs) should be given a raise & ...

How LenDenClub.com grew 8x in 7 months (and under budgeted spends!)

It seems like yesterday when Bhavin Patel entered our office after raising money from VentureCatalysts. ...

Did you involve your customer in product development?

A single conversation with Mikhil Innani (of CouponDunia.com and Pharmeasy.in fame) brought about disruption...

How to shoo away investors at your next pitch..

Recently, I was on a conference call with experienced investors where our objective was to decide if a startup is f...

Screw Amendments, Rewrite the Law!

I have wanted to write this post for a very long time but kept putting it off for some good reason best known to ...

25 Lessons after Investing into 25 Start-ups Part One

Artha Venture Partners recently closed on its 25th investment, Interview Master. We have since then committed to...

DGCA: Now Approves Business Models too?

I like Tony Fernandes. He is the CEO of Air Asia with a spunky attitude which has made him one of the richest p...

Investment Idea : A Visitor Travel Management App

“When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity” – Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

Pulling the plug on your fundraise

I’ve written a lot about the fundraising process. Of late (however), I have begun advising founders to pull the plug on their fundraise.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W4)

Last week Indian startups raised $1.55 billion compared to $433 million in the comparable previous week period.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W2 & W3)

Last 2 weeks, 73 startups raised $843 million year-to-date, the month of January has seen a steady funding momentum as Indian startups have raised more than $1.50 billion in total capital.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W1)

Last week 27 start-ups raised $567 million. Given the record-breaking year of 2021 in terms of fund inflow and the emergence of unicorns for the Indian start-up ecosystem, the early signs of 2022 give hope that this momentum may continue. 

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W41)

Last week 28 startups raised $705 million; the slowdown in China has only increased the confidence in India!

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W39 - W40)

Last two weeks 68 startups raised $2.3 billion; our ecosystem is on a sustained bull run now. Just when it seems like there could be a dip, a slew of startups raise...

Hiring 'experienced' sales managers can ruin your startup

There is an old saying in sales, “The worst salespeople are the best interviewers”. However, this saying is even more applicable for sales managers,...

8 ways to improve your fundraising narrative

Behind every successful fundraise is a strong narrative. That is the honest answer to a question that investors repeatedly ask when they get bewildered by sky-high valuation and moonshot venture ideas.

Is your low-ball pricing strategy driving customers away?

Yesterday, I had an odd conversation with a founding team. They were addressing an important, critical, and an absolutely need-to-solve problem with a lifestyle intervention solution.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W28)

Last week 29 startups raised $209 million; the base of 25+ deals a week is firmly set now, and the Zomato & PayTM IPOs led-liquidity...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W27)

Last week 27 startups raised $847 million; the impressive number streak continues with 113 startups raising in the previous 28 days!

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W26)

Last week 36 startups raised $761 million! The number of deals taking place continued climbing, and...

A book I have gifted over 1000 times

Bhavesh Kothari invited me to join the United Book Lover’s Club (UBLC) with several esteemed members of the literary...

A simple MVP is the key to disrupting a market & introducing my next guest on #DamaniTalks!

There is clear evidence that many of the most recognized technology companies in the world (and in India) started wit...

4 Reasons Behind My Bearish Stance on EV Charging Startups

I have looked closely at the EV space for the better part of the last decade. While I have not made any investments in...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W25)

Last week 30 startups raised $293 million; while the total funding amount fell, most heartening is the number of deals...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W24)

Last week 20 startups raised $740 million; that once again reassured that the demand for Indian startups ...

Episode XLii- Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip

Prashant graduated from IIT Madras worked with HSBC and Capital One in the United States before coming back to...

Why I discourage early-stage founders from pursuing 2 business models?

Yesterday, I was eagerly waiting to see a startup's pitch as it was creating a name for itself in a niche space growing...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W23)

Last week 19 startups raised $46 million; the numbers indicate a dip, but it just a temporary lull. This fire burns...

Witnessing blockchain's AI/ML moment & introducing the next guest on DamaniTalks!

I am a huge believer in the applicability of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in the real world. I am incredibly confident...

Episode XLi- Ganesh Sonawane, Co-founder of Arcatron Mobility

Arcatron Mobility builds the next generation of innovative physical aid devices to enhance people's lives with limited...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W22)

Last week 25 startups raised $638 million; as expected, the number of deals and the amounts raised continue trending...

How to score a gig, a job, or an internship

There was a time when a degree from a top college guaranteed a prosperous life. But, because the knowledge taught...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W21)

Last week 16 startups raised $403 million, marking a trend of improving deals and amounts raised. The good news...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W20)

Last week 19 startups raising $285 million showed a steady revival in the number of deals closed and the aggregated...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W19)

Last week 13 startups raised $9 million, indicating a drop in funding in terms of the total amount raised and the number...

My Funding Picks For Last 5 Weeks (Week 14 - 18)

A bug in my blog led to a critical error that stopped me from posting a new blog. Therefore I missed out on sending my...

Leverage PR for your fundraising efforts

I am a strong advocate for my founders to allocate a PR budget to get utilized only in the last 9 months of their seed...

Episode VII - Pranav Maheshwari, Co-founder of Vista Rooms

Vista Rooms provides experiences to customers at exquisite properties across India. They started as a budget hotel platform like OYO Rooms but decided to pivot their strategy, branding themselves as a luxury homestay brand. 

My Funding Picks for Last Week (W10)

The surge in COVID19 cases did not dampen the VC ecosystem's investment spirits as 10 startups raised...

Let's encourage them to start early!

An exciting read forwarded to me by my team inspired the blog for today.Tauseef Shahidi goes into depth about how...

Episode V – Ashutosh Valani, Co-founder of Beardo

Beardo is a retailer of men’s grooming products. Offers products such as beard oil & growth oil, beard wax, face wash,...

Episode VI - Pankaj Aswani, Co-founder of Coolberg

Coolberg launched the first non-alcoholic beer in India with a vision of catering to a new category of drink that is...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W7)

Last week, 17 startups raised $157 million, therefore continuing a strong revival in our ecosystem's funding interest.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W1)

Last week, 20 startups raised $612 million, starting 2021 on the right track as the previous few weeks' slowdowns get...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W6)

Last week, 28 startups raised $300 million, and the most heartening statistic to track here is that the number of ...

Video of the Week: Lessons from the relic of a 30-year-old floating hotel rotting in North Korea!

It is a well-known fact that I love the water. My friends and family claim that I am a wasted companion on trips if ...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W54)

Last week, 9 startups raised $20 million. The first few days of a new year are usually slow; therefore, I expected the lo...

There is genius in giving limited choices

The 1st was a piece of advice I received from the owner of a leading Mumbai based bakery brand. He was sampling th...

What is founder-friendly?

Sanjay shared this article over WhatsApp last night, How venture capitalists are deforming capitalism. I guessed that it...

Episode IV - Avik Ashar, B2B Division Head at Zilingo

Zilingo is a technology and commerce platform in the fashion industry. The Singapore headquartered startup was...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W46)

Last week, 16 startups raised $32 million. Another week that saw the deal value oscillate below $100 million, but there...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W44)

13 early-stage startups raised $20 million last week. Although the numbers are a little lower, the recent surge in IPOs is...

What it means to become an Executive Assistant

I have known Anil for over 8 years, and I credit him for introducing me to angel investing. He raised the flag for angel...

You don't raise venture capital to play it "safe"

Yesterday, I was on a pitch call with a consumer brand creating a niche in a mass-market commodity with strong...

Let's celebrate failures

Yesterday, an icon in the sports entertainment space – where I have innumerable memories with family, friends, team,...

Hiring & Payraise: Is It Time To Ramp Up?

Two contrasting events took place yesterday. First, as we got to the end of a board meeting, the founders initiated a...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W30)

Last week, the ecosystem breached the 2 deals/day average yet again with 15 startups raising $168 million. The recen...

Negative gross margins can bury your startup

In my last blog on gross margins, I had written about the importance of gross profits for a startup to survive in any...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W29)

It has been several weeks since our ecosystem breached the 2 deals/day average with 17 startups raising $106 million...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W34)

Last week, the ecosystem dropped below the 2 equity deals/day average, with 9 startups raising $12 million. It is the...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W28)

For the past several weeks, the ecosystem is plateauing at barely double-digit transactions per week with 10 startups...

Flashback Friday: BrandIdea Consultancy

BrandIdea is a business intelligence tool for marketing and sales information. They offer a SaaS-based business ...

Flashback Friday: Squeakee Media (OffersOn)

Squeakee Media Private Limited was a provider of cloud-based ecommerce store builder on a subscription model...

Flashback Friday: Triggero

Triggero was an enterprise rewards and recognition services platform. Triggero worked on a SAAS model and was a...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W27)

Last week 27 startups raised $847 million; the impressive number streak continues with 113 startups raising in the...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W26)

Another week where we maintain the 2 deals a day average with 18 startups raising $31 million. There are green shoo...

Flashback Friday: BookMyCab (Live Minds Solutions)

BookMyCab is an on-demand taxi service with options to rent metered city taxis as well as from their own fleet of cabs...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W25)

While the funds raised by India’s startup ecosystem (barring Jio) fell, it was heartening to note that we continued to...

Episode I - Harsh Shah, Co-founder of Fynd

Fynd is an online retailer of multi-category fashion products. Fynd's product catalog includes apparel, footwear,...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W24)

As most of India reopened, so did the funding lords! There was a marked increase in the number of startups that raise...

Flashback Friday: Rolocule Games

Rolocule Games is a game development studio creating realistic, casual, and social video games for tablets and...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W22 & 23)

Every Monday, I sit with my team to review the funding activity of the previous week. Then, I pick out a few companies...

6 Learnings after 60 days of WFH - for Founders

Yesterday was the 60th day since we shut down our office, but it feels much longer. Partly because of the roller coaste...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W21)

Last week 16 startups raised $403 million, marking a trend of improving deals and amounts raised. The good news...

Flashback Friday: Exotel

Exotel is a cloud telephony(IVR, missed call management.)service provider offering various products for a hassle-free ...

Entrepreneurial lessons from 36,000 feet under the sea!

Entrepreneurship is an inspired action. Many people equate entrepreneurs as business people, and that assumption ...

Be The Best Of Whatever You Are

It is increasingly clear that India will get back to work in the next 2-4 weeks. However, it won't be business as usual...

My Funding Picks for Last Week (W20)

There is a slow recovery in the funding of early-stage startups.

Are gross profits the key to bulletproofing your startup?

6 months ago, I wrote about the real cost of customer acquisition after visiting the offices of a prospective startup that we were evaluating.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W18)

Fundraising activity continues to slow down; therefore, my team and I had a tough time shortlisting our favorite picks...

21 Point Action Plan to Corona-Proof Your Startup Dream

Calling the shutdown caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, an economic crisis is a gross understatement.

Flashback Friday: United Mobile Apps

United Mobile Apps (UMA) developed and published mobile applications software.

A Pleasant Surprise on the Upside!

While redoing our website, I accidentally stumbled upon an interesting piece of information.

Flashback Friday: CarveNiche Technologies

As I approach my personal goal of personally investing in 100 startups within 10 years...

Help us help you get that business partnership you want!

During my door to door salesman days, I could go through a wall if that meant I would get a referral to a potential sale.

Finding silver linings

The history of sports and wars is replete with moments of inspiration.

My Favorite Funding News of Last Week (W16)

After a lull in funding to gauge the impact of the Covid19 pandemic, the fundraising activity is starting to pick up.

Founder Playbook: Getting ahead of Covid-19

The aftermath of the pandemic spread of the Covid-19 virus has hit financial markets where it hurts the most – their...

Lets talk about entrepreneurial stress

It has been fourteen days since VG Siddhartha took his life.

How Did You Die

Siri tells me that it took 1,347 days from my first blog post, Dropping Out Of The Rat Race… to my 100th blog post.

Magnum Ice-cream Ingredients!

As I pulled open the wrapper for an essential part of my movie-going experience ie the Almond Magnum ice-cream, ...

Desperation is the Name of the Game

If all things are equal between two candidates that want me to be their mentor, what would be the difference...

The Funded Entrepreneurs Group

I just got back from my trip to Kolkata which was planned in order to introduce the founding team of an upcoming investment to...

When Should I Pull the Plug?

When is the right time for an investor to give up working with a venture?

The One Thing I Couldn't Relate to in Padman!

I finally saw Padman on Thursday night and I’ve got to confess, I absolutely loved it!

A Sunday Treasure Hunt, for a Good Cause

I am the Vice-Chairman of Mumbai One Round Table 221 (M1RT221) which is part of Round Table India.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W4)

Last week Indian startups raised $1.55 billion compared to $433 million in the comparable previous week period.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W2 & W3)

Last 2 weeks, 73 startups raised $843 million year-to-date, the month of January has seen a steady funding momentum as Indian startups have raised more than $1.50 billion in total capital.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W1)

Last week 27 start-ups raised $567 million. Given the record-breaking year of 2021 in terms of fund inflow and the emergence of unicorns for the Indian start-up ecosystem, the early signs of 2022 give hope that this momentum may continue. 

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W41)

Last week 28 startups raised $705 million; the slowdown in China has only increased the confidence in India!

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W39 - W40)

Last two weeks 68 startups raised $2.3 billion; our ecosystem is on a sustained bull run now. Just when it seems like there could be a dip, a slew of startups raise...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W27)

Last week 27 startups raised $847 million; the impressive number streak continues with 113 startups raising in the previous 28 days!

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W25)

Last week 30 startups raised $293 million; while the total funding amount fell, most heartening is the number of deals...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W24)

Last week 20 startups raised $740 million; that once again reassured that the demand for Indian startups ...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W23)

Last week 19 startups raised $46 million; the numbers indicate a dip, but it just a temporary lull. This fire burns...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W22)

Last week 25 startups raised $638 million; as expected, the number of deals and the amounts raised continue trending...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W21)

Last week 16 startups raised $403 million, marking a trend of improving deals and amounts raised. The good news...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W20)

Last week 19 startups raising $285 million showed a steady revival in the number of deals closed and the aggregated...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W19)

Last week 13 startups raised $9 million, indicating a drop in funding in terms of the total amount raised and the number...

My Funding Picks For Last 5 Weeks (Week 14 - 18)

A bug in my blog led to a critical error that stopped me from posting a new blog. Therefore I missed out on sending my...

My Funding Picks for Last Week (W10)

The surge in COVID19 cases did not dampen the VC ecosystem's investment spirits as 10 startups raised...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W7)

Last week, 17 startups raised $157 million, therefore continuing a strong revival in our ecosystem's funding interest.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W1)

Last week, 20 startups raised $612 million, starting 2021 on the right track as the previous few weeks' slowdowns get...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W6)

Last week, 28 startups raised $300 million, and the most heartening statistic to track here is that the number of ...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W54)

Last week, 9 startups raised $20 million. The first few days of a new year are usually slow; therefore, I expected the lo...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W50)

Last week, 23 startups raised $118 million. The ecosystem is striking back!

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W49)

Last week, 23 startups raised $501 million. While we are finally back to funding happening more frequently (almost a...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W46)

Last week, 16 startups raised $32 million. Another week that saw the deal value oscillate below $100 million, but there...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W45)

Last week, 18 startups raised $225 million. Although we’re bouncing above and below the $100 million mark every ...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W44)

13 early-stage startups raised $20 million last week. Although the numbers are a little lower, the recent surge in IPOs is...

My Funding Picks for last week (W43)

13 early-stage startups raised over $20 million last week, with the overall funding boosting up to $172 million, accordi...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W35)

Last week, the ecosystem bounced back with over 3 equity deals/day average, with 19 startups raising $70 million. It i...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W30)

Last week, the ecosystem breached the 2 deals/day average yet again with 15 startups raising $168 million. The recen...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W29)

It has been several weeks since our ecosystem breached the 2 deals/day average with 17 startups raising $106 million...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W34)

Last week, the ecosystem dropped below the 2 equity deals/day average, with 9 startups raising $12 million. It is the...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W28)

For the past several weeks, the ecosystem is plateauing at barely double-digit transactions per week with 10 startups...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W26)

Another week where we maintain the 2 deals a day average with 18 startups raising $31 million. There are green shoo...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W25)

While the funds raised by India’s startup ecosystem (barring Jio) fell, it was heartening to note that we continued to...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W24)

As most of India reopened, so did the funding lords! There was a marked increase in the number of startups that raise...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W22 & 23)

Every Monday, I sit with my team to review the funding activity of the previous week. Then, I pick out a few companies...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W21)

Last week 16 startups raised $403 million, marking a trend of improving deals and amounts raised. The good news...

Summarizing my exit interview with a venture capital intern

Two interns finished their learning cycle with Artha this week. One of them wanted to speak to me and get my feedbac...

My Funding Picks for Last Week (W20)

There is a slow recovery in the funding of early-stage startups.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W18)

Fundraising activity continues to slow down; therefore, my team and I had a tough time shortlisting our favorite picks...

My Favorite Funding News of Last Week (W16)

After a lull in funding to gauge the impact of the Covid19 pandemic, the fundraising activity is starting to pick up.

My Funding Picks of Last (Two) Weeks (W13 & 14)

After the turbulence of the last few weeks, I finally carved out the time to share my funding picks of Week...

My funding picks from last week (w05)

There were 15 deals in week 5 of 2020 that were available on Traxcn, Inc42, and YourStory...

My funding picks from last week (w03)

There were a lot of excellent deals last week for me to choose my picks. After shortlisting 15 deals from Traxcn, Inc42, and YourStory...

My Funding Picks from Last Week (W01)

The first week of 2020 was understandably slow for deal announcements with Yourstory reporting a 73% drop in funding from last week.

My funding picks of the last week (W49)

Most funds are winding down their operations in December;...

My Funding Picks for Last Week (W47)

Every Monday, I will share my favorite early-stage startups that have raised money (i.e., <Series C) in the last week.

My Funding Picks from Last Week (W48)

I am back with my favorite funding news of last week!

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W1)

Every Monday, I sit with my team to review the funding activity of the previous week.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W2 & W3)

Every Monday, I sit with my team to review the funding activity of the previous week.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W4)

Every Monday, I sit with my team to review the funding activity of the previous week.

LinkedIn’s Inmail Credit: An Example for Other Businesses to Follow

The 5 things I wish for from next week's budget

In India, the focus shifts to the Budget 2022 to be presented next week. India has been the biggest beneficiary of the COVID-related Quantitative Easing and...

How my Propstack sales call can teach you about gaps in your sales strategy

Propstack Sales Guy (PSG): Hello, is this Anirudh Damani? Me: Yes, who is this? ...

A simple MVP is the key to disrupting a market & introducing my next guest on #DamaniTalks!

There is clear evidence that many of the most recognized technology companies in the world (and in India) started wit...

4 Reasons Behind My Bearish Stance on EV Charging Startups

I have looked closely at the EV space for the better part of the last decade. While I have not made any investments in...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W24)

Last week 20 startups raised $740 million; that once again reassured that the demand for Indian startups ...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W23)

Last week 19 startups raised $46 million; the numbers indicate a dip, but it just a temporary lull. This fire burns...

Isn't it time that ration cardholders get a home delivery option?

I learned about the need for reform in India's Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) scheme a year after Narendra Modi got...

How to score a gig, a job, or an internship

There was a time when a degree from a top college guaranteed a prosperous life. But, because the knowledge taught...

Let's encourage them to start early!

An exciting read forwarded to me by my team inspired the blog for today.Tauseef Shahidi goes into depth about how...

Management fees - Mutual funds vs VC funds

Yesterday, I pitched 3 family offices to invest in our fund. Oddly enough, I got the same question in each of those...

Profitable Angel Networks are a Paradox

I have (for a very long time) said that angel networks in India are in a deadly spiral. I had not (yet) discovered "why"...

Let's celebrate failures

Yesterday, an icon in the sports entertainment space – where I have innumerable memories with family, friends, team,...

Negative gross margins can bury your startup

In my last blog on gross margins, I had written about the importance of gross profits for a startup to survive in any...

Flashback Friday: Maximojo

Maximojo offers cloud-based tools that provide hotels the means to setup & manage their hotel inventory distribution...

Flashback Friday: Squeakee Media (OffersOn)

Squeakee Media Private Limited was a provider of cloud-based ecommerce store builder on a subscription model...

Flashback Friday: BookMyCab (Live Minds Solutions)

BookMyCab is an on-demand taxi service with options to rent metered city taxis as well as from their own fleet of cabs...

Episode I - Harsh Shah, Co-founder of Fynd

Fynd is an online retailer of multi-category fashion products. Fynd's product catalog includes apparel, footwear,...

Unlocking of Behavioural Changes

Several founders wait with bated breath as the Indian economy reopens after a 76-day hibernation. Many of them wait...

Is the Health vs Privacy Debate Reaching a Point of No Return?

Recently, I was on a weekly update call with one of our food delivery startup founders. They were restarting delivery...

Flashback Friday: Rolocule Games

Rolocule Games is a game development studio creating realistic, casual, and social video games for tablets and...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W18)

Fundraising activity continues to slow down; therefore, my team and I had a tough time shortlisting our favorite picks...

A Pleasant Surprise on the Upside!

While redoing our website, I accidentally stumbled upon an interesting piece of information.

My Funding Picks of Last (Two) Weeks (W13 & 14)

After the turbulence of the last few weeks, I finally carved out the time to share my funding picks of Week...

Founder Playbook: Getting ahead of Covid-19

The aftermath of the pandemic spread of the Covid-19 virus has hit financial markets where it hurts the most – their...

Lets talk about entrepreneurial stress

It has been fourteen days since VG Siddhartha took his life.

My funding picks from last week (w03)

There were a lot of excellent deals last week for me to choose my picks. After shortlisting 15 deals from Traxcn, Inc42, and YourStory...

My Funding Picks from Last Week (W01)

The first week of 2020 was understandably slow for deal announcements with Yourstory reporting a 73% drop in funding from last week.

My Funding Picks for Last Week (W47)

Every Monday, I will share my favorite early-stage startups that have raised money (i.e., <Series C) in the last week.

Catching Dragons

An LP who had read AVF’s monthly newsletter inquired why we had rejected one of the deals based on the fact that the..

Can a Good Leader be a Good Friend?

My Angle on the Union Budget 2019

I would rate the budget presented by FM Piyush Goyal, a solid 4 out of 5.

A VC's Analysis of the 2018 Box Office Results

The Indian Television industry is undergoing a massive change. Except for Shark Tank & Suits that are available on Ind...

3 Reasons Why I Believe OLA Has Lost Its Mojo

Just last year, I was writing praises of Ola’s product mix that allowed it to have the upper hand over Uber...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W41)

Every Monday, I sit with my team to review the funding activity of the previous week.

Hiring ‘experienced’ sales managers can ruin your startup

There is an old saying in sales, “The worst salespeople are the best interviewers”.

Narrowing the founder focus

I believe that founders are super-humans.

8 ways to improve your fundraising narrative

Behind every successful fundraise is a strong narrative.

4 Reasons Behind My Bearish Stance on EV Charging Startups

I have looked closely at the EV space for the better part of the last decade.

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W24)

Last week 20 startups raised $740 million; that once again reassured that the demand for Indian startups ...

Why I discourage early-stage founders from pursuing 2 business models?

Yesterday, I was eagerly waiting to see a startup's pitch as it was creating a name for itself in a niche space growing...

Witnessing blockchain's AI/ML moment & introducing the next guest on DamaniTalks!

I am a huge believer in the applicability of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in the real world. I am incredibly confident...

How to score a gig, a job, or an internship

There was a time when a degree from a top college guaranteed a prosperous life. But, because the knowledge taught...

Leverage PR for your fundraising efforts

I am a strong advocate for my founders to allocate a PR budget to get utilized only in the last 9 months of their seed...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W29)

It has been several weeks since our ecosystem breached the 2 deals/day average with 17 startups raising $106 million...

My Funding Picks For Last Week (W34)

Last week, the ecosystem dropped below the 2 equity deals/day average, with 9 startups raising $12 million. It is the...

Episode I - Harsh Shah, Co-founder of Fynd

Fynd is an online retailer of multi-category fashion products. Fynd's product catalog includes apparel, footwear,...

Silver linings: Lighting up a revolution (with a pair of binoculars)

I am continuing on the same thread upon which I wrote last week, i.e., Finding Silver Linings in this lockdown

Flashback Friday: CarveNiche Technologies

As I approach my personal goal of personally investing in 100 startups within 10 years...

The Hunt for a PR & Social Media Manager

Last year we outsourced our PR to an agency. Although it worked initially,...

Wowed by Wow! Momo

Over the past weekend I was a speaker & judge at the Odisha Startup Summit in Bhubaneshwar.

My atrocious car buying experience is a lesson in after sales treatment for all founders!

I am re-reading How to Sell Anything to Anybody by Joe Girard...

Would you rather hear me or read me?

Yesterday I was in Lucknow attending SIDBI’s first Investor Day in honor of their foundation’s 29th anniversary.

My PR Experiment

Yesterday was an interesting day. I started off by tasting different blends of single shot coffee made by a start-up that...

Video Of The Week: Vishal Krishna Interviews Confirmtkt Founders

A few days ago, I saw a Facebook live interview of Confirmtkt's founders, Dinesh & Sripad.

Aakash, Artha and Designer-as-a-Service

YourStory did a profile on one of Artha’s in-house companies Artha Creative Studio, led by Aakash Jethwani. He is a...

All that Glitter is NOT for a Startup Founder

I find it extremely hard to empathise with founders who want to “maintain” a certain lifestyle with a large team and a

Modern retail will choke the life out of (young) consumer brands

A speaker at a recent closed-door conference that I attended, made a presentation on the different kinds of business...

The Journey from 500k to 5 Billion Demolishes 5 long-held Startup Myths

It has been over a week now since the news of OYO’s $1 billion round and ascent to unicorn status became official. This..

Why did we Invest in Haazri?

There is a serendipity in deal-making once one summarises the events that lead to its closure...

3 Reasons Why I Believe OLA Has Lost Its Mojo

Just last year, I was writing praises of Ola’s product mix that allowed it to have the upper hand over Uber...

Are Capsule Hotels the Future of Indian Hospitality?

The horrendous experience travelling to Hyderabad was definitely salvaged by the quality of interactions....

4 Reasons Jet Airways Has Been Reduced to Ashes

I have been a loyal Jet Airways customer for the past couple of years. Unfortunately, that role made me a...

Is this fast food or chemicals acting as food?

My mom sent me the link to this video last night which just happens to flow perfectly with my post on the...

PSA: On the lookout for Consumer Brands

The Indian wallet is growing larger. A recent estimate predicts that the per capita income for India...

Hiring ‘experienced’ sales managers can ruin your startup

There is an old saying in sales, “The worst salespeople are the best interviewers”.

Narrowing the founder focus

I believe that founders are super-humans.