How startup founders and their VCs think growth occurs

Software Engineer

How startup founders and their VCs think growth occurs- Grapevine

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

Kya dikat hai bhai, udane do paisa. Tumhare thodi hai. 

Good firms genuinely perform well and return money. The ecosystem is not forgiving -- you don't survive very long if you don't create any big wins. It's an extremely high stress job with very little WLB. You do make money but it comes at a cost.

Layoffs are sad but at least those jobs existed in the first place? They wouldn't without VC money. India's VC scene is extremely young and it'll take time before we produce a Google. Entrepreneurs are not always right, they are not always nice either; but they definitely are courageous.

Unpopular Opinion: VCs get a lot of crap for no reason

Product Manager

𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱.

Investor

Welcome to Personal Finance's Private Community

"I wonder how Jefferies has given a target price of Rs. 520/share on Mamaearh - on the listing day, it was already at 93.5 times EBITDA" -> Need more people like this on LinkedIn!

Welcome to Business Roles's Private Community

Hey everyone. 

Thought I could do an AMA. A bit about me - have 4 years of work experience and graduated from a non engineering college. Was at a startup before (from Series B to Series D) before becoming a VC

Personally look at consumer and B2B investments here 

Happy to answer any questions around life as a junior VC, startup ecosystem, career growth etc.

AMA: I work at a large VC Fund focusing on early stage investments

Investment Associate

AMA- 15 yrs exp across consulting, VC & Growth stage company. Now a founder

Founder

Girish Mathrabootham of Freshworks run Together Fund.
Rohit Bansal and Kunal Bahl run Titan Capital
Many Series A founders are spending time angel investing than focussing on their companies. Have they lost interest in their startup or given up?

Why are so many Founders running VC funds and angel investing? Have they lost interest in running their business

Program Manager

Of late, with Koo shutting down, Unacademy in the rafters, I've seen really intelligent, logical folks stand behind the founders of such moronic companies. Is the act of building shit, money burning companies with no use , more important than not building something in today's time?

Why do we lose common sense when it comes to successful founders?

Hi! 
Trying to understand the role of marketers in a VC. Trying to make a transition from startup into the vc game; other than employee branding and marketing, how closely do the marketers get to work with portfolio companies; if at all. What else do they do?

Marketing in the VC domain

Brand marketing manager

Looking to find startups that may not have even started operations. Theses that you guys find interesting. People you know who are building. Would be helpful to know 🙏🏻

Interesting early stage teams/startups?

Asking this on behalf of many founders like myself, wanted to collate across multiple inputs: what is it that VCs really want to hear/see from a startup? 

Would love to get inputs from VCs and other founders alike - basis your experience on what has worked what hasn't worked.

The usual suspects: obviously the founder credentials, TAM, insights, metrics. But, what else? 
Look forward to informed answers.

What do VCs really look for in startups? How do they evaluate?

I’m looking for startup ideas VC would be interested in.

Dear VCs which HOT idea spaces are underserved ?

Senior product manager

willl try my best to be honest, ask me anything

AMA - I work at a VC fund

Analyst

Can someone here share first hand experience as an founder or as a core member, the experience they had when they approached a venture capitalist/investor to raise funds for their business? I have scanned a lot online but couldn't find any valuable post where people shared their experience trying to raise funds for the first time in India!

Share your experience raising money for the first time for your startup/MSME

Another consumer tech startup bites the dust :/

https://entrackr.com/2023/10/ex-myntra-ceos-startup-virgio-shuts-down-after-raising-37-mn/

Virgio shuts down a year into raising $37Mn

Corporate Strategist

Know a cousin who is a founder. Tells me with experience that VCs in India only operate in FOMO. Unless you tell them another VC is looking to invest in you, they will NEVER invest in you. 

They need fomo to operate 

Only exception is ex CXO founders (high profile), where they know they'll get funded so it's fastest fingers first!!

People should call this out more. What are examples around you where VCs have done something bad to a startup?

Growth and strategy

Want to build a AI startup. Finding it impossible as 
1) Incumbents with distribution and data will easily build AI to their products
2) I don’t have PhD to build something truly innovative.
3) For consumer space, I don’t think it’s possible to build a new device or a OS etc (Incumbents again!)

I seriously wonder how startup founders start something! Do they just BS VCs about nice ideas and raise money? Any tips *from actual founders*  will be useful

Can’t think of good startup ideas!

How’s the job market scenario in India? Not getting any calls from recruiters despite having a decent profile and good pedigree colleges? Any comments from HR professionals or recruiters would be insightful. Would like to know what firms (big, small, startups, MNCs) are thinking about recruiting.

How startup founders and their VCs think growth occurs

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