Puneet Sharma

New Delhi-based venture capital firm growX ventures, focused on B2B and DeepTech, has launched Fund II with a target of ₹400 crore ($47.1 million). The firm plans to support both early-stage and early-growth-stage companies such as semiconductors, defence-tech, spacetech, alternate materials and advanced manufacturing, fintech, healthtech, and supply chain/logistics over the next two to three years. The first investment will be up to ₹10 crore in seed rounds and ₹20-30 crore in Series B rounds. Ashish Taneja To share your startup information write us on - startup@viestories.com For Startup funding reach out us at: https://lnkd.in/gqwTnHME Join Our Whatsapp Channel To Get The Latest Updates & News: https://lnkd.in/esJEFzan #GrowXventure #news #startup #funding #fundraising #venturecapital

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{New pod 🎤} "𝐆𝐓𝐌 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐒-𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐁2𝐁 𝐒𝐚𝐚𝐒 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬" This episode explores GTM strategies and learnings for US-India B2B SaaS startups. We cover everything from finding design partners in the US, scoping MVPs, figuring out what ICP to focus on, navigating the unique challenges of early PMF, GTM hiring in the US, and finally, working towards creating M&A exit options. Joining me for this discussion is Satya Ganni, an experienced SaaS founder and operator who has successfully built and sold five companies and led two acquisitions as a buyer. He is currently serving as CEO of Beamer and Userflow. Beamer is developing a cutting-edge product-led growth toolkit tailored to product leaders at SaaS and digital-first companies. They recently acquired Userflow to augment the business. TIME STAMPS: (01:15) Satya’s journey as a repeat US-India SaaS founder and operator (04:38) [Case Study: 0-to-1] Finding US design partners (11:09) Scoping B2B SaaS MVPs (15:42) [Case Study: $10k-100k ARR] Identifying which ICP to focus on - SMB vs mid-market vs enterprise (22:23) [Case Study: $100k-$1Mn ARR] Navigating the unique challenges of early PMF (27:18) [Case Study: $1-5Mn ARR] Building a US leadership team post-PMF (34:33) [Case Study: $5-20Mn ARR] Working towards creating M&A exit options  (38:46) Learning to become a proactive relationship builder YouTube - https://lnkd.in/guGQeBwA Spotify - https://lnkd.in/gAg7XeF4 Apple Podcasts - https://lnkd.in/gkYEDpED An Operator's Blog - https://lnkd.in/ggGbzSKY

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Indian venture market has exploded. Someone reported that there are 800+ funds/networks/syndicates/ accelerators active in Indian venture market now. Not sure, if that number is correct but if you are an early stage tech founder on your fundraise journey, chances are, you would meet hundreds of people. While majority of the fund houses are doing incredible work and shaping the ecosystem. There are certain kinds of investors you need to identify & avoid to save time and stay focused: Sharing from my personal experience, top 5 such cohorts to avoid and the takeaways for the founders: 1. Data collectors: At early stage, you don't have historical data to present. Your projections are just that, Projections. I wasted one whole week discussing with a prospective angel investor on why the CLTV to CAC ratio is x, and not y. Takeaway: Discuss high level strategic numbers only without going into the details. None of the projections would be accurate anyway when rubber hits the road. 2. Document collectors: Met few folks, who would watch from the fences and ask for n number of documents, data rooms, statements without sharing the purpose of the ask or even revealing their investment intent. Takeaway: It is supposed to be a bi-directional conversation. Say 'no' often, till the time, an official relationship is established. 3. Valuer (! investor): At early stage, valuation is a function of multiple parameters, the opportunity itself, the team, or anything else except steady cash flows, because you don't have much. I wasted another week with a prospective investor trying to justify valuation, had to shut down that conversation, after both of us started quoting Aswath Damodaran and his valuation principles. Takeaway: Too much content on the internet for both parties anyway. Shouldn't be a bone of contention at early stages. 4. Facilitators posing as investors: Met numerous people, who would go to any lengths to pose themselves as serious investors, even buying paid media articles. Only to reveal at the last: The success fee. Takeaway: Avoid facilitators until Series A 5. Brokers posing as market makers: People posing as market makers sharing tons of gyaan on LinkedIn but are actually deal brokers looking to make quick %. Personal experience: Two rounds of conversation happened and then out of blue, they added a third party in the mail trail, someone who facilitates mergers & acquisitions. There wasn't even a single instance in the past conversations where we indicated any such intent. Takeaway: Avoid name & shame in public but at least share within founder communities. #venture #fundraise #startups #investing

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AI-powered blue-collar recruitment platform Vahan.ai has raised $10 Mn (INR 83.7 Cr) in a Series B funding round led by existing backer Khosla Ventures.  The round also saw participation from Y Combinator, Gaingels and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma among others 👇 The latest round takes the startup’s cumulative funding to $18 Mn till date, including $8 Mn and an undisclosed amount raised in 2021 and 2019, respectively. Vahan seeks to use the fresh money to develop its AI recruitment technology, which will support eight major Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Bangla and Gujarati. Currently, Vahan’s AI recruiter conducts interviews in English and Hindi. However, within the next year, the platform will expand into other languages To read the in-depth article, click here: https://lnkd.in/gSrziXGT #news #AI #startup #funding

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STARTING THE YEAR WITH A ROCKING NEWS!! Faad Capital is on the list of India's top startup investors of 2024 by Inc42 Media . 🙌 With 42 investments and over 50 CR deployed last year, we have continued our journey to support many notable companies and entrepreneurs.✅ Also, the year saw eight successful exits, strengthening our quest to create high-value capital for our LPs and stakeholders. 💰 All this would not have been possible without the support of rockstar partners, investors and stakeholders. 🙏 At 110+ portfolio companies now, we are all set. 2025, here we come! 💪 #startups #india #investors Karan Verma Dr.Dinesh Singh Neha Mourya Sanyam Jain Vatsal Lunawat Shivani Khare Abhilash Gupta Vansh Mittal

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Venture capitalists and BizDateUp co-founders Jeet Chandan and Meet Jain have acquired an undisclosed stake in IPO-bound foodtech giant Swiggy through an off-market secondary deal. Founded in 2020, BizDateUp allows angel investors to invest in Indian startups with a minimum of INR 1 lakh and recently launched a INR 200 crore fund for technology investments. The firm raised over $10 million from more than 1,000 angel investors in FY24. This move comes as several celebrities, including cricketers Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan, tennis player Rohan Bopanna, director Karan Johar, and actor Ashish Chowdhry, have also invested in Swiggy ahead of its IPO. Notably, Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit have previously acquired stakes in the company. Read full story here: https://lnkd.in/gM8sEWSZ #foodtech #startups #ipo #swiggy #foodindustry #news #latestnews LinkedIn News India Linkedin News Ashu Agrawal

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From Swiggy to Zomato: VC Exits Hit $4.06 Billion—Is This Sustainable? Now we understand why everyone’s rushing to list their startups—because VCs are eyeing hefty exits. In 2024, VCs scored a massive $4.06 billion in exits, primarily from the IPO market. Key Exits in 2024 • Swiggy: $750M from IPO • FirstCry.com (BrainBees Solutions Ltd.):$227M • Zomato: $909M • Policybazaar.com (PB Fintech): $291M Year-wise VC Exits - 2020: 7 deals, $113M - 2021: 18 deals, $3.3B - 2022: 13 deals, $1.5B - 2023: 32 deals, $2.06B - 2024: 44 deals, $4.06B VCs are the real 'sharks', making massive profits by offloading shares to the public through IPOs. But who’s really winning in startup exits? The founder? The VC? The retail investors? Looking at the current wave, it’s clear—VCs are the real winners. But here's the flip side: while VCs are cashing in on their early exits, it’s also important to remember the crucial role they’ve played in scaling and funding these companies. Without their backing, these companies might never have seen the light of an IPO. Retail investors, though they may not always see quick wins, help fuel market liquidity and contribute to the longer-term growth of these businesses. They sustain these ventures even beyond the exit event. So, are VCs merely playing a funding game, or are they shaping the long-term future of startups? (follow - Aradhya Varyani) P.S. VC firms know the game—get in early, exit through IPO, and enjoy the rewards. But are they true architects of success, or just out for the payout? #VentureCapital #Investments #Startups #MarketTrends #IPO #VCExits Elevation Capital | Goldman Sachs | Norwest Venture Partners | Accel | DST Global | Alpha Wave Global | Hillhouse Capital Group | Tencent | Harmony Partners | Barons Capital Partners | Naspers Ventures BV | Alibaba Group | Temasek | TPG | SoftBank Investment Advisers

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Revenue to valuation multiple is useless for private startups. You invest now for future growth expectations in 1-2yrs.

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Top News of the Week in Indian Startup Ecosystem: 1. The week saw the first mega funding deal materialise for an Indian startup in the form of healthtech unicorn Innovaccer’s $275 Mn Series F fundraise. 2. On the back of this, healthtech emerged as the most funded startup sector this week. Besides Innovaccer, BrainSinghtAI and Zoplar also raised $5 Mn and $3.4 Mn this week. 3. Fintech, cleantech and ecommerce all saw three funding deals materialise this week, leading to fresh capital infusion of $48.9 Mn, $14.2 Mn and $13.3 Mn respectively. 4.  After months of speculations, Ritesh Agarwal increased his stake in his startup OYO with a capital infusion of $65 Mn via his venture capital firm Redsprig Innovation Partners. This funding round made travel tech the second most funded sector this week. 5. This week’s most active investor was VC firm Alteria Capital, investing in BrainSightAI’s $5 Mn pre-Series A funding round and Pratilipi’s $1.2 Mn funding round. 6. Eyewear major Lenskart is said to have initiated talks with bankers for a $1 Bn IPO that could value it in the range of $7 Bn to $8 Bn. Its IPO could hit the Indian bourses toward the end of the next financial year. Read the full post on link below Stay up do that with the Indian startup ecosystem on Medial.

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Sujith Nair, Beckn's WhatsApp-averse, badminton-loving chief mover and shaker, gave us a peek into the world's first # e-commerce protocol. Imagine if Colgate wanted to sell a lot of toothpaste, would it open separate exclusive stores on every street? NO! Instead, it ensures its products are available in all stores where people come to shop, and not just toothpaste. Similarly, Beckn is a way for an online business to make its products and services available on other stores (popular daily-use consumer apps) instead of setting up its own store (its own consumer app) and waiting for customers to come in droves! The Beckn Protocol underpins Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) and is a universal translator for e-commerce platforms. We would normally call it the Rosetta Stone for digital services, but now we have BHASHINI 😉 . It allows disparate systems to "speak" to each other seamlessly. The Beckn Protocol has become a verb in the tech world. "Just Beckn it!" has become a common phrase among developers when discussing open-source solutions for digital commerce. In fact, we like it so much that we are using Beckn use cases as our episode artwork (instead of our normal groovy cover art) to spread the word in our own little way. Some may even argue that the yellow and black in the artwork denote open mobility networks (read taxis) 😀. The even more nerdy might catch the movie reference in the title 🎬. So, is it an app? Is it an aggregator? Is it a platform? No. It is a Super Capability - #decentralised and #open. Listen, learn and use. sujith nair | Pramod Varma | Sanjay Purohit | Shankar Maruwada | Shireesh Joshi | T Koshy | Namma Yatri | FIDE | Antler | Bingepods (Ideabrew Studios) | OpenExO | Thinkers360 | IBM Alumni | Microsoft Alumni Network | The RSA (The royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce) | World Economic Forum | Digital India Corporation | nasscom | Abhishek Singh | Nilesh | Sheetal https://lnkd.in/dydrjnbU

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BizDateUp! Co-founders Jeet Chandan and Meet Jain have acquired an undisclosed stake in IPO-bound foodtech giant Swiggy through an "off-market" secondary deal. This investment showcases the growing confidence in Swiggy's innovative approach in the food delivery sector. Jeet Chandan shared, "As an entrepreneur since the age of 13, I have always been driven by a passion for creating businesses that showcase disruptive potential and significantly impact consumers' lives. Swiggy's innovative approach and leadership in the food delivery sector align perfectly with my investment philosophy." Founded in 2020, BizDateUp enables angel investors to support Indian startups with investments starting at just INR 1 Lakh. In April 2024, BizDateUp also announced the launch of a new INR 200 Cr fund aimed at investing in technology startups. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/gqf8ekp2 #bizdateup #swiggy #angelinvesting #foodtech #startupfunding #investment #techstartups #startupstory

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VC is not rocket science but the high volume of information and the constant context switching makes it extremely difficult to manage efficiency & time. For this, I have realized that the right technology stack can be a game changer. Below are the key tools we have been using to streamline operations - sourcing, evaluation, and portfolio management. I would love recommendations on tools that might have helped others improve efficiency. 📰 Sourcing & Evaluation:- ▶ LinkedIn - Linkedin Premium & Sales Navigator are a must have to identify new founders building. ▶ Tracxn (Research Database) - With an increasing number of features, Tracxn has become the quickest go-to research tool. ▶ Taghash (CRM) - An easy to use and comprehensive CRM can save at least 1-2 hours a day. ▶ Otter.ai (Notetaking) – Seamless note taking and summary tool helps keep information organized. ▶ Phantom Buster (Lead Gen & Management) – For mass reach outs and streamlining reach outs based on key words. 📩 Communication & Co-ordination:- ▶ Calendar – I am obsessed with calendar management. While Calendly or another tool can be helpful, I use a simple google calendar to plan and colour code each day carefully. ▶Zoom – Has been instrumental in reducing travel time at least for initial due diligence. ▶ Substack – We use it for our fortnightly newsletter for mass communication and sharing industry insights. ▶ Intuit Mailchimp – More intimate communication and reporting requires carefully curated contact list. We have found mailchimp to be helpful here. 🗃 Reporting:- ▶Dropbox DocSend – Has helped in avoiding multiple email threads with different attachments while still ensuring transparency.

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"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together" GalaxEye announced investment by MountTech Growth Fund - Kavachh, a $60 million Category-II AIF, has made its inaugural investment in GalaxEye’s $10 million Series A fundraising round. GalaxEye, founded by a dynamic and skilled team from IIT-M, is on a mission to revolutionize space-based surveillance with cutting-edge, multi-sensor (SAR and MSI) fusion technology. With the first LEO satellite launch slated for mid-2025, GalaxEye aims to meet critical security and commercial needs, showcasing the power of innovation driven by purpose and precision. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to supporting trailblazing solutions that address pressing challenges in surveillance and security. GalaxEye’s ambition to leverage SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and MSI (Multispectral Imaging) fusion for space-based surveillance aligns well with the evolving demands of both defence and commercial sectors. Their innovative approach with LEO #satellite constellations promises to address critical security and monitoring needs with unmatched precision and real-time insights. Backing a driven and skilled team like GalaxEye, rooted in a legacy of innovation like Avishkar Hyperloop, speaks volumes about the fund's dedication to fostering groundbreaking technology. This partnership not only reflects the fund's commitment to advancing national security infrastructure but also highlights a forward-looking vision that appreciates the convergence of innovation and practical impact. The anticipated satellite launch in mid-2025 is set to be a milestone in this collaborative journey, and it will be exciting to witness the tangible outcomes of this strategic alliance! #space #venturecapital #investment #india #strategic https://lnkd.in/ggZuW2xs

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💲💲 If you are a D2C Consumer Brand Startup you should know this VC that invests in pre-revenue stage Startups! 💰 VC Background: Meet Sauce VC a Cat II VC that launched their first fund in 2019 with a modest corpus of INR 60 Cr and since then launched 3 more funds and made 33 investments. Their recent INR 365 cr Fund launched in Aug'24 plans to invest in 20-25 consumer brands. They pick 6-7 selective investments annually out of 3000+ deck they get. However, their Fund I has a success rate of 50% (not a bad idea to invest in the fund if you are a UHNI). Infact their Fund IV was oversubscribed 3 times. 💰Notable Investments: Mokobora, Hocco Ice cream, Supertails, Innovist, The Whole Truth etc 💰Stage at which they invest: They invest even at pre-revenue stage to early traction stages. Ideally this VC invests at pre-seed to Series A. 💰What do they look for: Taking call at pre-revenue stage is really tough, especially in Consumer Brand segment. Hence, they look for founders who have deep experience in the segment either by the family background or by the founder's professional background. However, if the founder is not well-versed with the D2C game, they are cool with it. But the founder should know the segment, scope for new brands and plan to differentiate the brand. 💰Ideal cheque size: $ 1 Mn. But can go up to $ 5 Mn. 💰Investment Style: Sauce VC prefers working along with the founders to ensure the success of the Startup. They lead the rounds at pre-seed and Series A stages. Once the Startup is into Series B, they take a back seat and only participate in the following rounds. 💡 Hope this helps. Share it with some great founder of a consumer brand who is at early stages and needs to know this. If you want a warm-introduction, DM me or let me know in the comments. Bhavesh K Jatania Raunaq JaisinghaniAshish SharmaMohit Kanjwani

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📊 Is pricing the answer to fragmenting the UPI App market? 📊 📈💡NPCI has extended the 30% market cap deadline because the top 3 UPI apps have ~92% market share. Phonepe, Paytm & Gpay capitalized on the early mover advantage. New apps don’t have incentives to compete for UPI volumes because it is a “free product.” And while this was why it grew, it has now also hindered entry of new players ✅ Global real time payment (RTP) equivalents are usually free for the customer while merchants are charged. Ex: 🇧🇷 Pix: Merchant: 0.22 - 0.3% / txn, free for user 🇨🇭 Twint: Merchant:1.3% / txn, free for user 🇵🇱 Blik: Merchant: $0.1 - $0.75 / txn, free for user 🇸🇪 Swish: Merchant: $0.09 / txn, free for user 🇸🇬 PayNow: Merchant: 1.3% / txn, free for user 📈💡 If we want to keep RTP free for the end user, the constraint is free P2P payments. Only P2M can be charged. Is that feasible? Let’s look at the data: 📌 UPI Value (in Cr): From April ‘23 to ‘24, grew by 39.6%. P2P grew from 10L Cr to 14L Cr, at ~32% growth YoY. And P2M grew from 3.2 L Cr to 5.3 L Cr, at~65% YoY. 📌 UPI Volume (in B txn): From April ‘23 to April ‘24 UPI volume grew by 62%. P2P grew from 3.8B to 4.9B, at YoY 29%. P2M grew from 5B to 8.3B at YoY 65%. And proportionally: 📌 April ‘24 Value: Total: INR 19L Cr, P2P: 72.97%, P2M: 27.03% 📌 April ‘24 Volume: Total: 13.3B, P2P: 37.5%, P2M: 62.5% ✅ The constraint of only being able to price P2M transactions is not a blocker, P2M seems to have significant volumes. But that’s the overall P2M market: There is a big segment that falls within P2PM (unorganized merchants), that NPCI will not charge 📈💡Let’s assume that P2PM majorly consists of low value transactions of AoV less than Rs 2000. If we look at AoV > 2000 bucket of P2M transactions, this constitutes for 4.50% of txn numbers, and 68.36% of P2M txn value. ✅ So even excluding P2PM this still leaves a significant~68% of P2M monthly value or 4.5% of P2M txns that can be monetized So what’s the ideal pricing model? ❗Well, the cost of a UPI transaction is ~Rs 0.4. At 13.3B UPI txns that is a monthly cost of Rs 532 Cr. Which is Rs 6384 Cr per annum to maintain the UPI ecosystem! The pricing needs to generate atleast this much❗ 1️⃣ Option 1: Fixed fee / txn: If only AoV > Rs 2000 txns are charged, then to break-even, the fee per txn needs to be Rs 15, which is high. If ALL the P2M txns are charged, then a per txn cost of Rs 0.67 would be enough to break-even. But the P2PM merchant would be impacted 2️⃣ Option 2: % of txn value: If only AoV > Rs 2000 txns are charged, then the break-even fee is 0.15%. If the total P2M value is charged, the fee needs to be 0.10%. Seems to make more sense But even if pricing comes, while it incentivizes new apps it also incentivizes incumbents to keep their market share. Enter: the 30% UPI market share cap To read the full article and other pieces like this, click here: https://lnkd.in/gSPm49aq #fintech #UPI #NPCI

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my thoughts on this: i think lightspeed's report was dumb because while the facts and numbers they pulled were true and great to know, their conclusion slide (slide 2 or 3) showed that ultimately they don't actually believe in the region's potential. it concluded "SEA companies should be regional since day 1" instead of "global since day 1". they simply overfit to the past decade's data, and have a subconscious inferiority complex that prevents them from believing any SEA founder/company can do better than the past decade's SEA unicorns and become a *globally* important startup with great unit economics. they forgot that VC is about what is possible first and foremost, then what is probable. that's how you benefit from the power law. lightspeed report is all about probability. so disheartening to see it, and more disheartening to see gojek cofounder signing off on it. the bitter truth: the SEA tech startups that are unicorns mostly rushed to copy US or Chinese unicorns within months of the US/Chinese companies' breakout days, without doing the first principle thinking on "does this create $X in value in SEA and can we capture Y% of X and do X and Y, 2 independent variables, look attractive?" in other words, first gen SEA tech unicorn are built by founders who are great doers but not great thinkers. Travis Kalanick of Uber is a great think and a great doer. pardon me but the founders of Grab/Gojek were just doers. im sure they are capable thinkers, but they haven't applied it yet to creating anything massively valuable and original from the ground up. sad but true. the Lightspeed report looks at this truth and concludes SEA will fail to ever have thinker/doers, because it failed to have billion dollar thinker/doers in the past decade. i think this will further push away the talent that is indeed billion dollar thinker/doer but just needs an environment that doesn't doubt it every day. for the record, i absolutely believe it's possible to build a global tech giant from SEA today. it does not defy the laws of physics. to say this is impossible is to say nobody here will ever be great enough. the truth is, people who think that are the ones who are not great enough.

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Establishing a deep-tech focused VC fund would greatly benefit entrepreneurs at the idea, seed, pre-Series A, and Series A stages. Moreover, startups also require grants, joint investment opportunities with deep-tech vendors (both public and private), mentorship, orders, timely payment of invoices, prompt approvals, and access to a global knowledge-sharing platform. These supports enable them to build upon existing foundations rather than starting from scratch. Indian entrepreneurs are currently emphasizing the development of consumer-centric products such as food brands and cosmetics, rather than investing to build deep-tech assets that could enhance production capabilities. We anticipate that this will change with the backing of all stakeholders. Startup India | Invest India | Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India | MeitY Startup Hub | SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd | SiriusOne Capital | Angel Scions | O2 VC Fund (fund under process)| o2 Angels Network https://lnkd.in/dtfBpWUF?

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