Good Morning,
As an investment banker, Raj Snehil Juneja got first-hand insight on how startups, in their eagerness to raise their next round of funding, were lacking in many areas or were just not prepared for the tough questions from investors.
It was then that Raj decided he could bring his skill sets and network to the table as a venture capitalist for early-stage startups to be part of their next phase of growth.
This led to the founding of Disruptors Capital in 2021, a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in tech startups at the pre-series A stage. The core focus of the VC firm will be on tech-focused startups in segments such as SaaS, fintech, edtech, Web3 Blockchain, and others.
“Investors wanted certain things in place, like product-market-fit, powerful business model, and demonstration of a strong competitive advantage, but many startups were just not ready,” Raj tells YourStory.
However, Raj was very clear from the beginning that Disruptors Capital would not be just another VC firm that makes investments, but he wanted to demonstrate its value to the startups before investing. Read more.
The Interview
Celebrating 75 years of independence, Day 2 of the IGF Annual Summit focused on conversations around New India Inc. Leaders from business, politics, and culture came together to discuss how Brand India can go global.
In a session, Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO of YourStory, and GlobalBees Co-founder and CEO Supam Maheshwari discuss what makes an Indian brand appeal to consumers abroad.
Editor’s Pick: 100X Entrepreneur Podcast
In this week’s 100X Entrepreneur Podcast, Satej Sirur, Founder of Rocketium, speaks about the platform’s B2B pivot that has helped retain $2 million in ARR, and its underlying hack of deeply knowing one’s users. Read more.
Startup Spotlight
When OYO Rooms, run by Oravel Stays Pvt Ltd, wowed the startup ecosystem in 2014 by raising huge funding rounds, budget hotels were touted as the next big thing. While many players entered this space – including Zo Rooms, FabHotels, and Treebo – only a handful of them were able to survive.
Started in 2018, SayRooms was hit by three waves of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the bootstrapped startup is banking on revenge travel to build its hospitality business. Read more.
Credit: YourStory Design
News & Updates
- WazirX Founder and CEO Nischal Shetty said the new 1 percent TDS deduction on cryptocurrency trades in India will cost the government a lot more as it will have to create the mechanisms to return up to $900 million to traders in tax returns next year.
- CoinDCX has partnered with BITS Pilani's Computer Science Department with the aim to train over 100 students in blockchain technology in the span of one year. The collaboration aims to counteract misinformation and drive awareness.
- According to London & Partners and Dealroom.co, venture capital investment into digital shopping in India grew by a whopping 175 percent from $8 billion in 2020 to $22 billion in 2021. India was second only to the US ($51 billion).
- An OkCredit report revealed that micro-enterprises have the highest non-performing assets (8.2 percent) in the informal BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) scheme, followed by small businesses (5 percent) and medium ones (4 percent).
- At the much-awaited Spring Event 2022 event, Apple finally announced a new iPad Air and iPhone SE 5G, along with a new M1 Ultra chip as well as new product lines in the Mac Studio and Studio Display.
Before you go, stay inspired with…
“One should have the ability to select the client and not the other way around.”
— Mahesh Singhi, Founder and MD, Singhi Advisors
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