India is possibly the only market in the world where there might be more Venture capitalists doing the round than entrepreneurs and there and very few platforms as well which help showcase entrepreneurs and give them access to VC’s. One such platform is Proto.in which is happening next month.
But back to my point of increasing VC’s.. Inventus Capital has joined the bandwagon of the long list of foriegn VC’s entering in India. Inventus Capital Partners is a US based venture firm which will look to invest US$ 1-10 million in 15-20 early-growth companies over the next few years.
The team at Inventus include Kanwal Rekhi and John Dougery are based in Silicon Valley, while Samir Kumar and Parag Dhol are based in Bangalore. In addition, Inventus has several prominent Venture Advisors including Saurabh Srivastava (successful entrepreneur and early venture capitalist in India), Prof. Rajeev Motwani (Stanford University professor, and start-up advisor to the Google & Yahoo! Founders), B. V. Jagadeesh (successful serial entrepreneur), and Dr. Sridhar Mitta (former President of Wipro’s R&D).
The investor scene in India hasn’t looked as bright ever before. Even Internet firms like Rediff and Naukri seem to be taking interest and investing in startups. It seems like it shouldnt be too tough for an entrepreneur to get in touch with a VC/Angel/Investor. But before you start selling stake to a VC just do a bit of googling and researching on an interesting venture capital review site called thefunded.com.
Chances are that you might just get to read reviews by those entrepreneurs who have dealt with the VC. A couple of points to keep in mind while dealing with them:
1) Don’t Waste Their Time Or You Will Lose Them
2) Be Very Prepared and Clear of WHAT YOU WANT?
3) Be Firm On Valuation and Timelines For Investment!
4) Set A Deadline By When You Would Need A Term Sheet (Incase the VC agree’s To Fund You!)
Well thats it.. More pointers at liesure later!
