Private Equity

Product Manager

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

finally a VC fund that will actually support fraud openly 👏🏻

Software Developer

finally a VC fund that will actually support fraud openly 👏🏻- Grapevine

Welcome to News Discussion's Private Community

Lots of new VC funds coming up + existing funds raising lots of capital

VCs have been caught with their pants down in the number fudging scandals and now trying to wash their hands off from it. Impossible to execute without VC blessings. Investigation should be done and strict action taken on rogue VCs.

Finance Consultant

Great to see VCs getting creative :)

Investment Associate

I have evaluated a lot of startups as part of my work. My approach has changed from being optimistic to being suspicious of a lot of founders, even before the process starts. 

The sheer number of founders that I come across that try to game metrics/play around with data to make the startup look good. 

Most commonly:
1) Completely changing the definition of margins, repeat rates, etc. and never clarifying that they are using different definition. 
2) Often giving rebates/discounts to key stakeholders but finding ways to hide it from their P&L so that it’s not visible. THIS IS SO COMMON - lot’s of them start showing revenues, and then you will see another cost item rising at the same pace, and lot’s of times it will just be money moving around
3) Sometimes completely giving the wrong picture of how their product works on ground. You then speak with their customers, and they describe something completely else.

Things like these are eating up the ecosystem. These founders also end up fooling some VCs, and then capital get’s kept away from actually good founders who have good intentions.

There was a recent major investment in the commerce space, and that is another one such example of a startup doing this. Needs to stop.

RANT: Founders who fake metrics

Product Owner

Been spending way too much time on Grapevine lately - absolutely loving it @Micheal_Scott!

Posted the Prosus report takeaways yday - lots of you DMed asking questions. Then I saw NewsAnchor break down the entire Prosus Annual Report - great stuff.

I was an Associate at one of the largest VC funds in India, so I enjoy going through new reports and summarising them - found my notes from Bain's India Venture Capital Report 2024. Thought of sharing the unedited summary that I shared with the Partners at the fund, have a bunch of these - can share more if of value to any of you here (ofc removing the confidential parts)

Notes:
1/ India's maintaining its gravitational pull despite the global funding crunch. Sure, overall funding nosedived 63% to $9.6B, but we're still the #2 destination in Asia-Pacific. Might not necessarily be a crash, it's a necessary course correction.
2/ Early-stage investing is showing remarkable resilience. Seed deals now comprise 70% of all deals, up from 60%, with average check sizes holding steady at $1.4M. Smart money is quietly positioning itself for the next wave of innovation.
3/ The tech-only playbook is being rewritten. While consumer tech, fintech, and SaaS still command 60% of funding, traditional sectors like BFSI are gaining ground, with average deal sizes jumping from $8M to $15M. We're witnessing the birth of tech-enabled, not just tech-centric, growth stories.
4/ The unicorn factory has hit pause, with only 2 new billion-dollar valuations vs. 23 in 2022. Mega-rounds ($100M+) plummeted from 48 to 15. This isn't a drought; it's a return to fundamentals. The era of grow-now-profit-later is firmly behind us.
5/ Generative AI isn't just hype; it's reshaping the landscape. Funding exploded from $15M to $250M, with 80% flowing to existing companies integrating AI. India's quickly becoming a laboratory for practical AI applications, not just speculative moonshots.
6/ Electric mobility is rewiring itself. While overall funding dipped slightly to $600M+, charging infrastructure investment surged 50%. The real opportunity isn't just in vehicles; it's in building out the entire EV ecosystem.
7/ Exits are defying gravity, leaping 1.7x to $6.6B. Public market sales led the charge at 55%, even as IPOs cooled. LPs are getting liquidity, and the secondary market is proving surprisingly robust. There's still appetite for quality assets.
8/ PE is no longer just watching from the sidelines. These players doubled their share to 25% of investments, going toe-to-toe with traditional VCs. The lines between growth equity and venture capital are blurring, and it's changing the game for late-stage rounds.
9/ We're watching natural selection in real-time. Yes, 35,000+ startups shuttered and 20,000+ layoffs hit the headlines. But companies like Groww and Indifi turned profitable. This isn't a bubble bursting; it's an ecosystem strengthening its foundations.
10/ Domestic VCs are coming of age. While overall fund-raising halved to $4B, homegrown VCs led 90%+ of raises. They're not just following; they're specializing, with thematic funds like Omnivore's $150M agritech vehicle. The ecosystem is bootstrapping its own future.
11/ Regulation isn't just tightening; it's evolving. Angel Tax expanded and lending norms got stricter, but we're also seeing innovative policies like UPI for foreign travelers. India's crafting a uniquely balanced approach to fostering innovation while maintaining stability.

Topics we can discuss during our standup:
1/ Can India produce global tech giants if it's primarily adopting rather than pioneering in areas like AI? How do we enable this?
2/ How will the shift towards profitability impact India's ability to foster truly disruptive innovations? Implications for us, how should we be evaluating deals differently?
3/ With domestic VCs leading the charge, how will this change India's startup narrative on the global stage?
4/ Is this maturation setting the stage for more resilient, globally competitive Indian startups, or are we risking our innovation edge? How do we look at thesis driven investing v/s fomo investing?

Link to Bain's report - https://www.bain.com/insights/india-venture-capital-report-2024/

P.S. Do note that this is 6+ months old - data points mostly look diff now but sharing it anyways. Will post more as and when I get time :)

My notes on Bain's 2024 VC report as a VC Associate

Investor

- Accel gearing up for eighth India fund, aiming for $600-700M by end of 2024
- First major VC fundraise after 2022's funding winter, signaling potential market thaw
- Firm's stable team and strong track record expected to attract significant LP interest
- Accel known for early bets on Flipkart and Freshworks, seeks to maintain early-stage edge
- Company culture praised for alignment and handling of failures, but some sector gaps noted 

 Source: [The Arc](https://thearcweb.com/article/accel-india-fund-flipkart-freshworks-venture-capital-1lhpqpT5OmDbBxTs)

Accel Targets $700M India Fund, Largest Yet Amid VC Landscape Shifts

Journalist

Even as Matrix was one of the most active startup investors, the VC firm halved its investments in 2022 from a year earlier, when the VC participated in 22 rounds, data by Tracxn Technologies showed. This year, the VC has not participated in a single deal yet

Matrix Partners expands India-focused fund to $525M amid funding winter

More capital with another top VC as we continue to go through a bear market, interesting

Tiger, Elevation and Matrix backed fintech startup has started layoff.  CTO has left and they have started firing in business roles with the largest cuts in tech. 

- Bad product fitment and loses money on every account
- Core team has started leaving
- Even got an opportunity to see their office space available for rent
- Classic case of poor culture and no actual product
- Founders travel to USA/london on trips
- Horrible place to work as a girl

Got this from one of their devs.  


STAY Away!!

JODO - Silent layoffs Started!!!

Krutrim has become a unicorn after securing $50m in funding, making it the first Indian AI startup with a valuation of $1bn. It seems like an extremely overvalued company being built yet again. Thoughts?

India's 1st Unicorn in 2024

Are we going back to good golden days of insane salaries. I am really curious on how was the valuation decided. On what basis? Did this platform earned a single penny yet.

Software Engineer

Program Manager

Let's thank the VCs

Business Analyst

Most of the startups are in loss and have no clue whether they would be able to make it to IPO, I've always been wondering how come so they get the funding in hundreds of millions?

Even though the early investors seek to make money off the next funding round but still!

It looks like a 21st century's quick rich scheme for founders!

How come all these startups get funding in hundreds of millions?

Opening a VC fund has become kind of a cool side hustle

With all these influencers trying to dabble with Early Stage Venture Capital- there's Shikhar Dhawan with his own sports fund. Tanmay bhatt announced one on his linkedin a few months ago. Even Mini Linkedin Influencers are doing this. 

Then there's a ton of founders who in the name of "giving back to the community" have started opening a syndicate/or even a fund. Angel investing is different. Common you are an active CEO of a company. Go fnking build it. Grow you income not your savings. There's a long list. Dont want to pin point people. The whole Mojocare fiasco was Because the founder was using fake revenues/inventory to angel invest!

What are your thoughts? I dont think they will survive more than a cycle.

Influencer VCs

Venture Capital

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?

Founder

This is super interesting. They had a small footprint in India so far, but the move indicates another big gun coming into India in a serious way. 
After many VC exits and shutdowns, this one is a breath of fresh air. 

By any chance does anyone know which fund it is?

General Catalyst, one of the largest U.S. venture capital firms, is in talks to acquire an India-focused VC as part of efforts to expand its presence in General Catalyst, one of the largest U.S. venture capital firms, is in talks to acquire an India-focused venture fund, sources told TechCrunch.

General Catalyst eyes VC deal in India push | TechCrunch

General Catalyst looking to acquire an Indian VC and invest more in India!

Reason given by investors on Mojocare sounds very fishy. At one end they are blaming the founder for embezzlement while on other end they are blaming market conditions and unsustainable business model for the layoff of employees. Doglapan?

Project Manager

Welcome to Fintech India's Private Community

Seeing the S&P500 witness a spectacular "short" rally before popping, and then it becoming decidedly clear that even if the rate hikes were unlikely it was still going to be a long time before rates come down. Becoming much more clearer that the impact on various asset classes and securities is going to be muted for the time to be.

Unless interest rates come down, I can't possibly imagine that the VC funding will pick up again, their LPs can't put in more money unless interest rates come down. Cheap capital fuels the VC ecosystem, if capital isn't cheap then allocation in VC Funds goes down to adjust to a newly adjusted risk appetite of investors.

[Opinion] How JPow's misadventure affects me and you...

Second meeting with the guy, thought his outlook might improve because we had better numbers than the first meeting (few months ago). Didn't even remember the first conversation, or our business, didn't do any research on our startup or industry before the meeting. Kept forcing opinions on me instead of listening, same as the first meeting.

Extremely rude and a waste of time. He said many things no founder should say, that too for another founder.

(Pitching is difficult as is, rejection is common and it's very easy to get demotivated)

When I said I'll share my experience with other founders and startups so they don't engage with that platform, got a reply saying they'll send me a defamation notice if I do, and will also tell other investors in the community that we are doing this startup as a "hobby" and no investor will come onboard.

It's amazing to see the kind of arrogance some people have, especially in the investor and VC network. Would have loved to name and shame him but I have better things to do than to get into petty court cases with assholes. 

Fellow founders, please be very careful and choosy with who you talk to about your startup's fundraise. Indian VC ecosystem is mostly a circlejerk and a shitshow. You're better off raising from friends and family and even individual angel investors than trying to bargain with devils in disguise.

I will most likely stop pitching for investment altogether and focus on growing my profitability than waste time convincing idiots who'd rather throw money on pitch decks without an MVP and startups without PMF, revenue or profitability.

/endrant

Defamation notice threat: Pitching in India

Fuck the defamation notice. Don’t take shit from anyone, if someone crosses their line, reply to them then and there, so that you never think about that again. 
  
 VC and angel market is big in India now. No one has full control of the full ecosystem.  
 This is not Bollywood and there is not Salman khan and Karan Johar. 
  
 Here even fraudsters are getting second chance. Keep building.

finally a VC fund that will actually support fraud openly 👏🏻

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