I worked in venture capital from 2006 to 2010, and over time, noticed an increasing presence of core finance professionals and Chartered Accountants in top roles at VC firms. It seemed concerning to me, though I probably couldn’t initially figure why, given they were right where they should be, predicting explosive growth and chewing through…
Common problems startups face – A Design thinking outlook I have been directly associated with startups since 2006. That’s when I started my career as a member of a venture capital investment team. All the way to my recent years consulting them and young businesses, I have heard a multitude of problems that startups face….
Venture Realty Capital Back when I worked in the venture capital space, startups always came seeking a lot of investment. Often far more than they needed. We would sit with ventures we thought had some potential, and during the process, break down the investment needs. Eventually, we would arrive at a number that was close…
Venture Capital Elevator Pitches I left my job at a venture capital (VC) firm in 2010. After freelancing for a bit I then worked with a high-technology company in the robotics space. I then started my own strategy consulting practice, which over the years has matured into an interesting blend of design thinking, management strategy…
The Entrepreneur in a Venture Capital World Imagine a food connoisseur has a vision of opening a restaurant. Selling a carefully crafted list of delicacies, whose preparation has taken years to refine. This aficionado has thought of everything. The cutlery that would highlight the preparations, what the entrance to the restaurant would be like, the…
What’s Your Profession? Did You Bring More Soldiers? In 1970s, according to the TV series Mindhunter at least, the FBI was filled with accountants & lawyers instead of more relevant experts in areas that mattered. That is, in place of behavioral analysts. That seems to have been the case with the Indian Venture Capital industry…
Interesting article by Jason Rowley on the lack of a correlation b/w venture capital fund sizes & fund returns. https://mattermark.com/venture-capital-just-another-boring-asset-class/ *** Look forward to your views. And if you liked this one, consider following/subscribing to my blog (top right of the page). You can also connect with me on LinkedIn and on Twitter.
Startup Service Aggregators Image: source Startups with business models revolving around aggregating services might have their days numbered. Unless they offer a significant additional benefit (than the underlying services they aggregate) to end consumers. Because without it, they’re just tech-backed middlemen looking for their share of the pie for connecting parties. This might be a…
Think A-Team: For the Design & Strategy needs of Young Businesses Image: link Hi, all you enterprising entrepreneurs, I am pleased to give to you, ‘Think A-Team’, a growth partnering service for all your business strategy needs. The intention behind it, is to help you make your business challenges a little less challenging. And to…
Bubble Telescope Is there a bubble forming in the Indian startup scene? The Hubble Space Telescope Is the Indian startup space fast becoming a bubble? Let’s take a closer look and find out. At the Goldman Sachs technology conference earlier this year, leading venture capitalist of Benchmark, Bill Gurley expressed concerns to attendees, of a possible bubble, caused by some over-valued startups…