Comments on: Entrepreneurship in India : Understanding the VC world

By: dr frank morgan

dr frank morgan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:21:07 +0000

I am a private investor based in the United Kingdom. I focus on seed capital, early-stage, start-up, ventures, LLC and all round completion and expansion of investment projects that need funding. I am interested to invest in your company on a long-term business relationship. If this is alright with you kindly get back to me with more details about your company.

Dr. Frank Morgan.
(Individual/Angel investor)morganfm5@yahoo.com

By: gaic

gaic — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:13:24 +0000

Hello,

Interesting article.

We building a free Entrepreneurs Investors community. Our idea is to bring to entrepreneurs advice that will help them in the growth process. It ll be great if you can join us!

I leave you the decision to publish the address of the website (thestreetmarket.com).

Thanks and good work!

By: Leo

Leo — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:50:11 +0000

Few of the government funding options could be found here, though the list is not exhaustive.
http://startonomics.blogspot.com/2008/02/lesser-known-govt-seed-funds-for.html

By: Leo

Leo — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:22:46 +0000

Well articulated post and as usual very much practical ! Kudos.

I would like to add a point to the freshers out there to improve their “so called” reputation while pitching to VCs. Try to admit urself to an incubator. Use that as a source of seed funding and also develop critical networks through them. There are few incubators in the country which offers both. Filter them down.

Another option for funding are the govt. funds. Am not sure how much of it is relevant to internet startups. But definitely there are funds available through schemes like Tepp, NRDC, SBIRI where which they provide grants (not just loans..) and also angel funds. Check it out in govt. websites. This might help you to sustain till you become VC ready.

Leo

By: korde

korde — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:34:22 +0000

Great post!! I have a basic qn – when is the rgt time to worry about biz model?
Lets say, I have built a product, acquired customers and now I am approaching a VC. the product is, in the typical web2.0 way – free (while the incumbents charge certain fee for the same stuff).

In this case, should biz model focus on ‘being acquired’? (which I am fine with!) or $$ (which is dependent on online advertising, in my case).

Korde

By: Kartik

Kartik — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:11:39 +0000

Hi Vivek,

Thanks for the comment. I happen to be from the camp that thinks that entrepreneurs are the customers of the VCs.

However, not every VC likes to have their phone ring non-stop with “customers” asking for money. Thats why I wrote “might not be comfortable” rather than suggest that this is an absolute no no. It is a part of the VCs job to talk to entrepreneurs, but that does not mean the job must involve them talking to every entrepreneur who calls. Otherwise VCs would never get off the phone and get any work done. You can choose how you want to do your job. And some VCs make the choice that they don’t want to take phonecalls, they’d rather receive email or referral introductions. Nothing wrong in that.

As for insurance agents, they are probably likely to be more helpful when you are dead rather than alive, but thats a different story.

By: Vivek Rajan

Vivek Rajan — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:22:19 +0000

>> Just like you don’t like receiving unsolicited phone calls from pesky insurance sales agents, VCs might not be comfortable receiving an unending daily flood of calls from entrepreneurs selling them yet another world changing idea. >>

Helpful blog post, except for this. I hope you take this criticism in the right spirit.

Even if Indian VCs are being flooded with such an “unending daily flood of calls” , they should not look upon the callers in the same way as we would pesky insurance agents. We would not be irked by insurance agents if they were part of our job and we counted on some of them making us incredibly rich (and being alive) .