How can a VC demonstrate value to a startup?

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

The OYO of Northeast India

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