Rukaiya (Kanchwala) Rangwala

SCOOP: Urban Company has turned profitable at PBT level (profit before tax) on a consolidated basis in the last month. The development will potentially smoothen its public listing plan which is likely to happen in 2025. My story:

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The One That We Had To Back. It is rare in venture to find a team so complete. As the former leadership team of NDTV, an iconic Indian media powerhouse - Suparna Singh Arijit Chatterjee and Kawaljit Singh Bedi have been battle-tested in ways that most of us can't even imagine. With over 3 decades of experience in digital media, broadcasting and media tech - the team has seeded ventures, scaled them, and navigated a publicly listed company from turnaround to profitability (stock price went up 27x and was voted Asia's Best Media Company under Suparna's leadership). Miraculously, they have the hunger and drive to do it all over again. As a VC, it is rare to come across complete teams at the seed stage with the perfect blend of business acumen, domain expertise and technical prowess.Those tend to get built over time. Compounded by unanimous positive feedback on leadership ability + startup drive and hustle - that's the rarest of the rare. We simply had to back them. Frammer AI is building on a thesis that we have long harboured. The world of media is changing so fast, eyeballs are moving digital and most importantly to social media. Formats are becoming shorter but yet brands, publishers, enterprises were using the same ol' means of content creation and targeting. Manual, tedious and imprecise. Frammer AI makes the entire process of short form video creation faster, cheaper and most importantly monetisable. And unlike other prosumer solutions - Frammer's AI is trained on some of the smartest and premium data sets available in the world - news content which is complex, dense, multi-faceted as opposed to low quality Youtube shorts. In a span of 8 months since launch, they are already integrated with several large global clients from the US, Europe, and MENA with leading domestic clients like India Today, ZEE, Acko and several others. Big Tech is already talking to them to collaborate on enterprise projects. Given the demand for the round globally, it's a privilege to be part of their journey. Lumikai Fund We can't wait for what lies ahead. Onwards and upwards! 🚀 🚀 🚀

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Interesting read on Kirana vs Qcommerce. Key summary points: 1. Short orders/smaller SKUs/loose items/local brands drive lot of grocery orders where Qcommerce is not effective 2. Qcommerce is eating more market share of super markets than Kiranas. So it is more a threat to Dmart than Kiranans 3. Qcommerce is costly and appeals to a certain (middle class+) persona of customer 4. Kiranas will continue to thrive despite Qcommerce (similar threat was cited wrt super markets vs Kiranas a decade back) https://lnkd.in/gEUaPBrP

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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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"We bought a 13-acre piece of land in a village called Sikra in Kutch which is enough for us to reach a revenue of 500 crores." 🔥 Ep#08 of The India Opportunity Podcast with Aditya Aagare from Thermoflyde is out now! 🔥 Watch here: https://lnkd.in/g6JjrGq6 We talk about: > The market opportunity in the refractory space - north of $30 Billion USD globally > How Thermoflyde is aggressively growing its market share by taking on RHI Magnestia (a $3 Billion revenue-generating, publicly listed business) and has grown 100% year-on-year in terms of REVENUE > How starting up in college taught Aditya lessons about entrepreneurship the hard way > Focusing on customer service as a competitive advantage > Building an IPO-able, cash-flow-positive business > 500 Crores revenue in sight with current capacity and potential to grow much bigger > Aditya's goal of positively impacting 1000+ lives > How traditional manufacturing businesses can be multi-baggers over decades in the public markets > How kindness from angels helped them survive in the first 2 years Great episode for founders looking to build IPO-able businesses, with key insights into how to prepare your business at the earliest stages if IPO is an outcome you're working towards. Thermoflyde Industries Private Limited is destined to be a big success story emerging in the traditional manufacturing space and we're early backers via Swadharma Source Ventures - SSV. Thrilled to share Aditya's story with the world. #india #manufacturing #makeinindia #rhimagnestia #refractory #steelplants #ipo

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Sales is not glamorous But it is glorious In the FMCG space, the salesman is a true warrior - braving inclement weather, pressure from seniors, and a not-so-glamorous pay package to keep his brands front and center of the customers. As Sunil Pudi, CEO of Kores Stationery Business puts it, “The FMCG business is something which gives you a multifaceted viewpoint of any business because there you are handling multiple stakeholders. You have a push from the brand manager. You have to take care of the distributor’s ROI. Your boss keeps pushing you for sales. And then you have the whole host of retailers with whom you have to fight for shelf space. So in a B2C brand, when you go to the market and work with 20 retailers, and at least for those 20 minutes you are in his shop and able to generate an order, it's a huge learning cycle that gives you a complete understanding of how you can run a business.” Sunil is what people call a salt-of-the-earth kind of CEO. Starting his career in frontline sales more than 20 years years ago, Sunil kept climbing the ladder within the FMCG industry, working with consumer goods brands like HUL, Pepsi, Pidilite, Bilt, and now Kores. On the latest episode of WHAT THE F….mcg! the podcast from FieldAssist, Sunil lets us in on some interesting snippets from his life in FMCG – from getting yelled at by a retailer, to getting to finding the devil in the details. Catch him as he talks about 80+ Years Strong: A Legacy Consumer Brand's Revival in a $4 Billion Industry. It's worth every second! Do share your sales stories; each one has something to learn. Find the link to the complete podcast in the comments section.

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How does one define "Value" created by startup & its founders? Isn't this the most asked question and most often this gets answered in form of valuation {"Soonicorn"/ "Unicorn"/ "Decacorn" so on & so forth} and we all know that the valuation driven "status" is akin to the "flickering flame in a stormy night". I believe that: In the world of startups, where data holds sway, performance is the compass that shows the way. Real life stories tell the tale, revealing what's true, success should be measured by what startups can do. A startup's true value is felt when it's gone & its absence revealing what once shone. We are still very early in our pursuit of creating a long lasting positive impact in the life of millions of gamer's across the global south. However, we are pleased that KGeN has not only enabled the much needed recognition for gamers in their own homes & their immediate social circles but also delivered the first brush with financial independence to more than 500k gamers via their association with KGeN. Sharing few real life stories of our community members here for all the well wishers and you can view more stories on https://kgen.io/ P.S.: For those who think KGeN doesn't have data to show—stay tuned for the next post on Q1 performance. Shoutout to team KGeN Paranjay Agarwal Ishank Gupta Amit Hardi Tamoghna Biswas Akshey Aggarwal Girijesh J. Anita Srinivasan Tarun Satish Sandeep Shetty Debashish Ghosh Apurv Shrivastava

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When Karthik, Rohit, and I were laying down the foundation of PeerCapital, the most important question we asked was: “Why are we doing this?” The answer didn’t just appear out of thin air; it took work. The thing is you cannot invent your why. You cannot manufacture it. You only discover it by curiously observing what is dysfunctional in the world and how you can uniquely contribute to making it better. I meet tons of founders who often aren’t madly in love with the problem but are somewhat mildly convinced about solving it. But to play for the long haul, the calling must come from within. External motivation runs out. And that's where the why is important. Gravity wasn’t invented—it was discovered because someone dared to ask “why?” This led humanity to build foundations of advanced physics and engineering. Because innovation is an action, and ‘the why’ is the intention that drives the action. Some questions we asked ourselves that helped surface our why: • What’s a niche/industry/idea I cannot stop thinking about?  • How do I envision changing my world? Where can I contribute the most with my current skill set and passion?  • What are my key motivations in life?  • Which problem pushes me to enter my flow and makes me feel alive? How connected a founder is to their purpose is the most underrated success-determining factor. Dare to ask - “why?”

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9 out of 10 Startup are failing currently. 20% within 1st Year 30% by end of 2nd Year 50% by end of 5th Year 70% by end of 10th Year Why? Company Vision GTM Strategy Dynamic Market Fierce Competition Market fit products Legal Compliances Financial projection Be unique and don’t enter into the club of 90%. Startup owners' brand is your own baby. Let’s grow it together. #startup #success #failure #Startups

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Frugality & Startups. Is being frugal an important part of an organization at the early stage? That's what we believed when we started, because we knew that resources were limited and we needed to prolong our runway. Subsequently, after a few years, we also learned there will be too many mistakes on the way and the only way to survive is that mistakes can't be costly. My growing up helped a lot in making this change, during graduation my nickname was “Pishukkan pattar”( miser Brahmin in Malayalam, for context I am not a Brahmin). Though that wasn't a nice name then, after starting up I have worn that as a badge of honor and lived every day. We came from a corporate life of flying whenever required and designated car for 7 plus years. Still, when we started up, Puru and I have always taken the train between Mumbai - and Delhi for the initial 4 years and to date only take a cab in between Pune - Mumbai when more than one person is traveling. Bla bla is my default mode of travel and I use those trips to convert co-passengers as True Elements consumers.  Coming from a middle-class household, the biggest benefit one has is we aren't scared about ZERO. We started there and if need be going back there won't be an issue. This doesn't mean failures don't scare us it does but still we are ready to take risks. When the hunger to excel and resilience is coupled with being frugal, then nothing will knock you down. You will have bruises and stitches but you won't be out of the game. Frugal is a subjective word, even Ambanis find this word relevant. The only difference between a commoner and them would be the number of zeros they are comfortable putting on the desk. So don't judge yourself with my frugality and it has to be defined by you and you only. Earlier i used to judge a fresher buying an iphone 15, though i still pass a comment but i dont judge :). In a startup biggest cause of conflict between old-timers and new members is this, who is more frugal? When frugality becomes a culture and every new member is judged on that, it becomes difficult for people joining from big corporations. But freedom for these new members is pivotal so as to check the tensile strength of frugality.  All organization needs to be frugal throughout their journey. The degree of frugality varies depending on their stage and that needs to be challenged and calibrated now and then. Ps: When we raised our first angel, we bought Google Chromebooks because that doesn't need a MS OS & Office and used to come at 17K. The image here is of my desk with my refurbished HP 14-inch with i5 and OS bought for 19k. Yes we are still frugal :)

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It is fabulous to see the growing interest in Angel Investments in Startups.. The news of Mamaearth stocks and also those of Zomato, Policy Bazar etc doing so well and making many new millionaires is definitely helping the cause. Some of these angel investors are beneficiaries of exits and esops and hence believe in this asset class, while others are looking to build such breakout events in their lives. Yet there are others who thrive in the ecosystem and enjoy riding the wave while making profits or losses from it. Whatever is the motivation, this space needs to be tread with caution. As a lead investor of our syndicate VG Angels at VentureGarage and having over a decade of experience in this space, I often advice my fellow angel investors the following: 1. Angel Investment is probably the riskiest asset class and requires patience. If you want to be one, then invest in 7-8 cos in 3 years or so and then expect a breakout in the 4th year from one of them. 2. There are over 20000 startups registering in the country every year, it is almost impossible for you to source and then invest in one of the top 20 of those. Follow a syndicate lead investor or a curated angel network for the deal flow and evaluation. 3. Founders are not looking for your mentorship. Invest in them first and then maybe you can mentor them. Definitely do not invest in founders who need your active guidance. 4. Learn about the future opportunities and build your thesis around some sectors. Learning new stuff is one of the big requirements and motivators of angel investments after all. Invest in those sectors which you are bullish about. Happy investing! https://lnkd.in/g2xx3zBX

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$3 Million Can Buy You… a 4BHK in Gurgaon or a Penthouse in NYC? Management consultant Gurjot Ahluwalia’s post is sparking debates on X (formerly Twitter): What does $3 million (around ₹25 crore) really get you in real estate? When you realize $3 million (about ₹25 crore) could get you either: ➡️ A spacious 4BHK in Gurgaon with premium amenities (pool, gym, green spaces) OR ➡️ A six-room penthouse in NYC with iconic Manhattan views ...you have to ask: Is Indian real estate in a league of its own, or just a league of its own kind? Gurgaon pricing almost feels like buying beachfront in Manhattan—minus the beach, and, well, minus Manhattan! One user joked, "For that budget, I could own a villa in Dubai or a bungalow in Washington D.C." It’s almost as if India’s real estate market is hinting, “Why pay for logical pricing when you can pay for luxury… and then some?” Thoughts? Would you put $3M into a penthouse in NYC or a luxury flat in Gurgaon? #RealEstate #GurgaonVsNYC #Investment

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Two years ago, we met Ritesh Srivastava, who had a vision of establishing a Debt Relief and Debt Consolidation platform for India. Essentially, he aimed to create a platform that would assist people in overcoming financial delinquency and escaping the debt traps they often find themselves in. Why was this so exciting to us at Multiply Ventures? With India witnessing increased and easier access to credit through various channels such as credit cards, BNPL, and personal loans, it became evident that many individuals would struggle to repay these debts, leading to delinquency. For those who haven't experienced this firsthand, it's a challenging and unpleasant journey, marked by persistent reminders, calls, and even threats. This is where Ritesh and his team introduced FREED, a platform designed to work closely with individuals in financial distress, helping them create payment plans, negotiate with creditors, and ultimately resolve their financial burdens. Over the past two years, FREED has made a significant impact, working with thousands of individuals and settling or in the process of settling loans totaling over 500 crore rupees. This initiative is not only a promising business venture but also one that has a profoundly positive impact on people's lives. And this is just the beginning; the team has plans to introduce several products to help people manage their credit more effectively. We are excited to announce our increased investment in FREED in partnership with Sorin Investments and Piper Serica. Bhushan Patil Sanjay Ramakrishnan Naveena Pallavi Sanjay Nayar https://lnkd.in/gahzm45x

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Challenging the Traditional "Right to Win" Narrative in Startups 🤔 The startup world often talks about a founding team's "right to win" - typically measured by domain expertise in the industry. But I wonder if this is a narrow view. Consider these examples: 🏨 Ritesh Agarwal built OYO without any hospitality experience - just a deep understanding of budget travelers' pain points as one himself 💄 Falguni Nayar created Nykaa at 50 with no direct experience in beauty/retail - but she understood the Indian woman consumer deeply 🍲 Deepinder Goyal Kalra built Zomato after noticing long lines for food services while working at Bain. The "right to win" can come from multiple sources: - Deep personal experience as a consumer - Pure passion to solve a problem - Obsession with product excellence - Fresh perspectives unburdened by industry assumptions This hits close to home for me. As I build Elfina Health, I often get asked on my "right to win". But my personal mental health journey has given me something equally valuable - authentic user perspective and an unwavering commitment to solving this problem. Sometimes, being too entrenched in an industry can blind you to innovation. The most disruptive ideas often come from outsiders who see problems with fresh eyes and aren't constrained by "how things have always been done." Yes, there are domains like deep tech where technical expertise is crucial. But for many problems, especially in B2C, understanding your users' pain points intimately and being relentlessly focused on solving them can be your strongest "right to win." What's your take on this? Does every founder need domain expertise to win? #Startups #Entrepreneurship #RightToWin #Innovation #StartupIndia

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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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Mental wellness is the need of the hour, not just for people but also for the businesses. I am glad that I was able to talk about it in my chat with Mayashree Paul for Project Leaders Magazine. Do watch the interview and let me know your take on this topic. #idanim #mindulness #meditation #mentalhealth

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