The Desi VC with Akash Bhat

Abhishek Prasad is the Managing Partner at Cornerstone Venture Partners (CSVP), an early-stage fund focused on backing startups that are ‘technology enablers’ in India and abroad. A few of the companies within their portfolio include Intelligence Node, Wizgo, Credit Nirvana and Smart Ship.Abhishek is an IIM-B alumnus, committee member at NASSCOM and has previously spearheaded the Investment team at GenNext Ventures Fund (part of Reliance Industries Ltd.)Follow both, Abhishek Prasad (@abhishek_csvp) and host, Akash Bhat (@bhatvakash) on Twitter.. . .Glossary of terms:1. NPA: NPA or Non-Performing Assets is defined as a credit facility in respect of which the interest and/or installment of principal has remained 'past due' for a specified period of time. In simple terms, an asset is tagged as non-performing when it ceases to generate income for the lender.. . .In this episode we will learn about:1. Abhishek’s experience investing as a CVC and then now as a traditional VC fund2. India’s value proposition to investors3. Qualities in a startup/founding team that attracts CSVP4. How involved an investor should be in an early stage startup5. Areas where CSVP makes investments in6. What is impact scaling and why is that the thesis for success at CSVP7. False positives and false negatives with respect to investing in technology startups8. What customer diligence is all about

Sajith Pai is the Director at Blume Venture. Sajith is a long-time media executive turned VC. At Blume, Sajith supports investments in media, edtech and e-commerce, while simultaneously helping Blume building a research and knowledge platform. Before Blume, Sajith worked at The Times of India Group, across roles in strategy, business development and marketing.Sajith has an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and a BA in Economics from Chowgule College, Goa.You can follow him on Twitter (@sajithpai) and read his blogs on Indian VC on Medium (@sajithpai). You can also follow host Akash Bhat (@bhatvakash).. . .Glossary of terms:1. PMF: Product Market Fit or PMF is the degree to which a product satisfies a strong market demand. . .In this episode we will cover:1. Why Sajith calls himself ‘the accidental VC’2. The opportunities and challenges within the different tiers in India3. Product Market Fit in the context of different markets and businesses in India4. Why Indian founders lack the storytelling capability5. Network Effects for founders (e.g. how to get in touch with top VCs)6. How can startup founders stand out / create a brand for themselves?7. That one lie that VCs tell founders

Rama Bethmangalkar is the Director at Qualcomm Ventures. He joined Qualcomm with 17 years of experience spanning technology investing, R&D and product management. Previously, he was Principal at Ventureast, a premier VC firm in India. His current interests include enterprise software, IoT, and machine learning among the emerging technologies.Prior to venture capital, Rama was with Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley for close to 7 years, initially as a systems programmer and later as a senior product manager. Rama holds an MBA from Cornell University, M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Rhode Island, and B.Engg in Computer Science from University of Mysore, India.Follow Rama on Twitter (@Ramab323) and while you’re at it you can also follow our host, Akash Bhat (@bhatvakash).…In this episode we cover:1. What corporate venture capital (CVC) is?2. How does corporate venture capital differ from traditional venture capital?3. What is the value proposition of a corporate venture capital?4. What is the investment thesis of QualcommVentures India?5. The thought process behind portfolio construction from a CVC perspective6. Challenges that corporate venture capital presents in general and in a country like India7. What are metrics CVCs look out for while investing in companies

Karan Mohla is Executive Director and Head of Consumer Media & Technology sector at Chiratae Ventures where he heads the sector focus and strategy on Consumer Media & Technology investments. He has been investing in Indian companies since 2009 and has over 15 years of experience in the technology industry across India and the US.Prior to Chiratae Ventures, Karan worked with QVT Finance LP, a US based hedge fund and was a founding member of their Asia-Pacific practice. He earlier worked in the technology banking group at Jefferies & Company (formerly Broadview International) in Silicon Valley, where he advised several technology companies in Internet, Mobile and Enterprise Software on capital raising, M&A as well as strategic partnerships.About Chiratae Ventures: Chiratae Ventures, formerly known as IDG Ventures was founded in 2006 by Sudhir Sethi and T.C. Meenakshisundaram, and has so far backed 76 companies including Flipkart, Myntra, FirstCry, XpressBees, Newgen, Lenskart, Manthan, NestAway, PolicyBazaar, and Yatra, among others. The firm rebranded itself in 2018 to signify its focus on staying agile and sharp, like a ‘Chiratae’, or leopard, in the ever changing startup ecosystem.You can follow Karan on Twitter (@KaranMohla) and while you’re at it you can also follow our host, Akash Bhat (@bhatvakash)…In this episode, we cover:1. Covid-19 Impact on Investments and Venture Capital2. Karan’s Background and Journey in VC3. Evolution of Venture as an Asset Class in India4. Exit Scenarios for VCs in India5. Evolution of Business Models in India6. Shift from Ad-based Model to Subscription-based Model7. Rise of Digital Media Marketplaces in India8. Purchasing Trends in Consumer Markets – Media, e-Commerce, Finance9. Learnings from within Chiratae Ventures’ Portfolio10. Where is the Next Big Innovation in Consumer Market going to come from?

Dheeraj Jain is the Founder and Managing Partner at Redcliffe Capital, an investment firm focusing on innovative, technology businesses in global markets. Dheeraj has invested in over 32 startups including PeeSafe, LifCare, The Man Company, Drivezy, Coho, Coutloot and Qdesq, among others. He’s also had some notable exits along the way, namely Innov8, Burger Singh & Supr Daily.You can follow host Akash Bhat on Twitter (@bhatvakash) and visit us at thedesivc.com to know us better.…In this episode, we cover:1. How Dheeraj’s journey in Venture Capital began2. What special situation investment firm is?3. How venture capital has evolved as an asset class in India4. How Dheeraj builds his investment thesis5. What Redcliffe Capital looks for in the founding team during investment6. Consumer market in India and why Dheeraj is bullish about it7. How Redcliffe Capital thinks about false positives/false negatives during an investment8. Reasons why investors fall in love with startups in the consumer sector9. Possible exit scenarios for consumer brands – what it could look like, what might be the cycles and when can VCs expect brands to give them returns10. Redcliffe Capital’s Investment timeline – from first conversation to transfer of funds