SeedToScale | Curated by Accel

In this episode of #INSIGHTSPodcast Series, we focus on Cross-Border startups - particularly software startups that are cross-border in nature from early days. Dinesh Katiyar, our Accel India partner who is based in Silicon Valley shares some of his key learnings from working initially as a cross-border entrepreneur and now as a VC who focuses on this sector.  There is a range of important topics we cover in this podcast: Sub-sectors in cross-border startups: What are the various sub-sectors within Enterprise Software that Dinesh is excited about? What are some of the nuances of each sub-sector and developing and scaling cross-border startups in these sub-sectors? India advantage: Is there an India advantage while building Enterprise Software products out of India for the globe?  Product Market fit for cross-border startups: Does building a product for India first and then scaling to international markets make sense? What else startups need to think about in the early days while talking to potential customers of cross-border companies. Enterprise customers: How can you service Enterprise customers sitting out of India. What can you do differently for these large enterprise customers vs. small-to-medium customers? Getting the team right: Right hires in the US for an early stage startup with a majority of the team is based in India? Does it make sense to find a co-founder in the US? Multi-cultural team: How do you build a multi-cultural team and why is that super important for a cross-border company? World class products out of India: Israel is seen as a hub for tech startups that go global- is there a scope for India to build such a hub and if so how? Some examples of world-class software products built from India.

We continue with the #INSIGHTSPodcast Series and in this episode, we focus on the healthcare sector and discuss opportunities and the market landscape using examples from the Accel portfolio. To talk about this exciting topic, We have Barath & Radhika, Principal & Sr Associate at Accel whose core focus investment areas are in Life sciences, Medtech and digital health. On this podcast, we discuss the healthcare landscape in India using examples from the Accel portfolio and what to look for while building out a healthcare company from India : Examples from Accel portfolio on problems being solved in healthcare for global markets Lifesciences What is life sciences - the model of an IP led lifesciences company solving global problems Mitra Biotech - Why did they choose to start in India? The solution to an age old problem - How do you understand the effects of drugs on tumors without bombarding a patient with the drugs Zumutor Building a platform to develop molecules for improving drug delivery to cancer cells Healthcare Delivery The problems with the healthcare delivery in India Moving care back to the home - counter intuitive insight and how Portea plugs the gaps in the delivery space Digital health Onco.com - using digital distribution to disrupt the current value chain and deliver better care for patients Using AI to deliver healthcare in the diagnostics space - How sigtuple uses digital distribution and AI to deliver healthcare and diagnose correctly. The Indian Advantage - Why healthcare is attractive in India Capital efficiency from being in India 3x-5x advantage in capital required from building from India Talent, Infrastructure arbitrage from India - The Indian pharma story for next wave of lifesciences Speeding things up - How India helps speed up development The regulatory advantage - lesser regulations for initial development of drugs Using the initial momentum and taking the drugs to more regulated markets for trials - the difficulty of trials in the Indian market Examples where the thesis on cost and time plays out The estimates from Axio - getting to market with 1/10th the capital and 60% of the time to get to market with a great product Setting the standards in India so the product goes global - no compromise on quality The healthcare business - things to consider while getting into the healthcare sector The trust process - building trust, and the time and effort it takes to build trust Importance of IP - having a good IP and using peer-reviewed publications for validation and marketing Patent portfolio and defensiblity of patents - defending incremental IP and not infringing existing patents, and filing patents to get it out in the world The team - building a team as the company grows, and the expertise required; the differences between life sciences, and non-life science businesses The Indian story - shift from communicable to chronic disease, infrastructure gap, mobile first country and the advantage technology provides in such an environment.

We continue with our discussion on building for India in the #INSIGHTSpodcast Series and in this episode, we focus on selling to manufacturing SMEs. To talk about this important topic, we have Narayan, Co-founder of Power2SME, a "buying club" for SMEs. Narayan is a serial entrepreneur and before starting Power2SME, he was the founder & CEO of Denave, India's largest technology powered sales enabling services company. Previously he held various leadership positions in companies like Oracle and Microsoft. On this podcast, we discuss the need for a “buying club” for the Indian SMEs, the role of credit in the economy, the life of a few and inescapable market effects: Identifying a value proposition that can scale Solving the right problems - choosing a problem which is a real pain point for customers Importance of aligning with the interests of all players in the ecosystem Building out the marketplace Building out a marketplace for large sellers and small buyers How is the market structured, and the quality of supply in India Onboarding small unorganized players onto an organized marketplace Turning Skeptics to believers - getting your first large seller to take you seriously Working capital for SMEs Challenges with getting credit for SMEs and the challenges for banks to underwrite and service SMEs Why is working capital a big issue for SMEs? Potential for innovation Taking on risk with NBFCs to enable credit for SMEs The ILFS, liquidity crunch and how the credit system operates Lessons learnt from running a startup The ups and downs of running a startup - dealing with market effects Effects of policy and regulation on business and SME Diversification of portfolio of customers and lenders Advice for startup founders - the importance of building a strong leadership and mentorship network

We continue with our discussion on building for India in the #INSIGHTPodcast series and in this episode, focus on building an eCommerce company for Industrial India. To talk about this important topic, We have Rahul, Co-founder of Moglix, a B2B marketplace for MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operating Supplies). Before starting Moglix, He has held various leadership positions at Google in Asia Pacific and is a graduate of ISB and IIT Kanpur. On this podcast, we discuss building a B2B marketplace for the Indian Industry: Choosing the problem — How do you think about the problem to go after? How do you evaluate B2B market opportunities? Importance of market size and, conversely in especially large markets figuring out what is the value proposition and the market-segment you can address with this value proposition The chicken and egg problem — what comes first in a marketplace — solving for what comes first on your platform — identifying the size of buyers and sellers and determining the build-out of your marketplace Contrasting between B2B and B2C — buying behavior and differences in customers The difference in the decision-making process of B2B and B2C customers and ticket size changes and the way the product must be built out Cash flow — B2B runs on credit while a B2C is on cash being paid upfront; rethink cash cycles for your business Winning in the space — How Moglix is building a well-loved and resilient business Building a tech-first marketplace to handle scale in the future Surviving the initial few years and emerging as a leader in the space Hiring the right talent for the team, and hiring for B2B B2B businesses are not glamorous —  finding the right talent means finding people with a passion for the business and the problem you are trying to solve Hire a diverse group of people who bring complementary skill sets to your team — juggle responsibilities till you find the right hire for the role In the next few podcasts, we will dive deeper into startups in the Indian Business Sector. If there is any feedback on this podcast or questions for the next set of episodes, please do share as a comment below or tweet us at @Accel_India

We continue with the #INSIGHTSpodcast Series and in this episode, we focus on tackling the Indian market, why selling to Indian businesses is an exciting untapped opportunity and how one can build for India. To talk about this important topic, we have Prayank, a Principal at Accel who invests in B2B, Consumer Brands and Fintech. He has invested in multiple startups solving problems specifically for Indian Businesses across sectors. On this podcast, we discuss building for the Indian Business and how to go about building it out: Indian Business Sector — Why it is an exciting space to build technology enabled startups Picking a sector — What to look for and things to be wary about while picking a sector Handling capital in a B2B business — payment cycles, working capital and managing your finances Dynamics of a marketplace — Building supply, demand and building robust marketplaces

We continue with the #INSIGHTSPodcast Series on importance of execution and in this episode, we focus on the myriad problems and decisions founders face while scaling. To talk about this important topic, we have Dhruv Agarwala, a successful serial entrepreneur who has built companies across multiple Industries. On this podcast, we discuss what to expect when we scale, and potential conflicts that arise and how to resolve them: Early days - the thesis for Proptiger and figuring out the core value proposition for the business, and the focus areas Achieving product market fit quickly - The importance of MVPs and integrating feedback into a scrappy, yet functional product Scaling the business - What is the right time to scale your technology and refine processes, how did the org structure evolve with the business Acquisitions - How do you look at acquisitions and achieve synergies. Importance of being prepared and timing your acquisitions Strategic investments vs financial investments - How and when do you choose a strategic investor vs financial investor. Dealing with problems as a founder - How do you deal with exits of leaders and co-founders, tips to manage emotional volatility If there is any feedback on this podcast or questions for the next episode, please do share as a comment below or tweet us at @Accel_India

We continue diving deeper into the importance of execution in an early stage startup and how to get it right. We discussed this topic with Srikanth Iyer, co-founder and CEO of HomeLane in Episode #14. In this episode, we dive into the Education industry and look at execution from the lens of an experienced EdTech entrepreneur Vamsi Krishna, Co-founder and CEO of Vedantu. In the first part of the podcast we dive into the following questions regarding execution in an EdTech startup: Challenges of execution in early days Importance of Minimum Viable Product and speed in execution Focusing on one product and nailing it and the importance of that Customer delight - to get to Product-market fit - what metrics did Vedantu use to achieve this What changes after product-market fit? When do you bring in specialists for specific roles? Role of founders as specialists are brought it to take their roles In the second part of the podcast, we dive into the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) approach that startups can use to stay focused on what matters for the company in the near to medium term. This methodology is very clearly articulated in the book "Measure What Matters" which is a great read for startups founders. Measure what matters What are OKRs and why does it matter? How many OKRs at a company level and how do you roll it out? Stretch OKRs vs Committed OKRs What are the benefits of rolling out OKR process? What are the challenges to watch out for? Next episode will be the last on the series "Importance of execution" and how to get that right as a startup founder. If there is any feedback on this podcast or questions for the next episode, please do share as a comment below or tweet us at @Accel_India

We continue the #InsightsPodcastSeries and in this episode, we focus on the importance of Execution and how to get it right in the early stage of a startup. To talk about this important topic, we have Srikanth Iyer a successful serial entrepreneur who has built large companies across multiple industries. Initially in Education with Edurite (sold to Tutorvista/Pearson) and currently founder and CEO of fixed furniture eCommerce startup HomeLane. On the first part of the podcast, we discuss the importance of execution and specifically the following topics: What is execution and why is it important? Early days — how to get things started, how to figure out must-haves vs nice-to-haves and focusing on must-haves Speed vs. getting things right — what is more important? Customer delight — to get to Product-market fit — how to go about it? Role of product/tech — how important in early stage vs once you are focusing on scale Launching with a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) and then continue refining the product/tech Why scaling prematurely can hurt your startup? We also discuss a book that has really inspired Srikanth to deliver outstanding service to his customers. The book is “Uncommon Service” and highly recommended for founders —  particularly startups that involve services. Here are some of the key takeaways from the book and we discuss a couple of them in the podcast in the context of Srikanth’s experience. Uncommon Service — key tenets: Tenet #1: You CANNOT be good at everything — to be great at something its ok to be bad at something else — how do you decide on what to be good at as CEO? Tenet #2: Someone has to pay for it — what does that mean? Tenet #3: It’s not your Employee’s fault — but they are the ones executing? Tenet #4: You must Manage your customers — how do you do that? Tenet #5: Now multiply it all by Culture — talk to us about the importance of this one? In the next few podcasts, we will dive deeper into the importance of execution and how to get that right as a startup founder.

In this final episode on fundraising, we hear from a master story-teller — Ashish Hemranjani, co-founder and CEO of BookMyShow, India’s leader in entertainment ticketing. Ashish recaps his journey from founding the company in 1999 all the way to 2018 and the various phases of the business ups and downs he has seen over this time period. In particular, we discuss the following topics in great details: Early days of BookMyShow including launching India’s first cash on delivery (COD) service The tough years post the 2001 dotcom bust and how they survived those tough years How to pick your investment partner — and the importance of that in the battle called entrepreneurship How to think through valuation while fundraising Hiring bankers or not while fundraising How to become a good story teller as a founder Difference between building a good company vs a great company Having an empty chair that represents your consumer in every meeting Why Ashish appreciates being known as a mongrel more than being a Unicorn And most importantly how to run this marathon called a startup while still enjoying your life and coming back every Monday energised to build your startup!

Today, we are looking at the same topic from an entrepreneurs’ perspective. We are chatting with Abhiraj Bhal, co-founder and CEO of UrbanClap, a path-breaking company in the Home Services space which has grown from zero to over 300K transactions per month in just over 3.5 years and still growing at a phenomenal pace (3–4x per year). We are again going to divide the topic into two sub-topics — 1) picking who to raise funds from and 2) the process of fundraising. Key topics covered in this short 30 minute podcast are outlined below. Picking who to raise funds from What are the factors to consider before picking who to raise funds from? How did Abhiraj connect with his Angel Investors and VCs? Importance of having an experienced Angel as an investor Avoidable mistakes while picking your initial source of capital Tips on the fundraising process How long should someone budget for fundraising? Tips on preparing your investor pitch — the What, How and Why methodology Importance of story-telling as a founder and how to practice that and get feedback Being completely open with the investor and why that is important Best way to connect with the investor Initial pitch to term-sheet — the process from an entrepreneurs’ perspective In the next episode, we are going to hear from an entrepreneur who is a master at Story-telling — a very essential skill for fundraising as well as for recruiting and retaining employees. If there are any specific questions that are top of mind for you, please do share as a comment below or tweet us at @Accel_India