The second skill/trait (not in order) I try to look for in entrepreneurs is if they are confident, but not arrogant. I actually dont think there’s a fine line as many people suggest. To me, most people clearly fall more into one bucket – lacking confidence, confident and over confident / arrogant. I first observe how… Continue reading Confident but Not Arrogant #Napkinstage #Entrepreneurtraits

Once a week, I get a panicked email from a founder who wants me to take a look at their startup and invest since they were looking to close a round, but a key investor or two decided to not participate. Most investors (buyers) don’t like to be rushed. Whether that’s you trying to make a big… Continue reading How to Survive a “Funding Round That Fell Through”?

Summary The Ultrasound market is a ~$7B global medical systems opportunity in 2020, growing to over $10B by 2025. The market has been long dominated by expensive cart systems from GE, Siemens and Phillips at expensive price points (>$50K). However newer disruptors in the segment of handheld systems, such as Butterfly Network are using AI and inexpensive handheld… Continue reading The Ultrasound Market Stock Recommendation

Should You Go for High Quality or High Quantity of Users Before Your Seed Round? I get this question fairly frequently from folks applying to the accelerator. Usually this comes from a team of 2-3 developers who have built an app and are looking to either a) raise a seed round or b) apply to… Continue reading High Quality or High Quantity

I was at a panel yesterday talking about the “Appification of India”. This was part of the Social Media Week event. I made a statement and tried in 2-3 min to clarify what I meant, but did a poor job of it. I thought it is better to detail my thoughts on this blog post.… Continue reading Why I Think Mobile Apps are Going to Die in 3-5 Years

In 2008 (before Angel List) there were roughly 1000 technology startups in India starting each year. of these about 50+ got funded by VC each year according to Thomson Reuters. The percentage of services (consulting, IT enabled services, BPO, outsourcing) companies was about 29% – those that started and 33% of those that got funded. The number… Continue reading Deal Flow Management is Now Harder than Fundraising

Today I had the opportunity to hang out with 1000+ student entrepreneurs from over 60+ cities and all states in India at the NEN #tatafirstdot event in RV College of engineering. The twitter buzz gives you an indication of the event’s energy. NEN has been promoting student entrepreneurship for over a decade now and this was my 3rd event.… Continue reading The Rise of Student Entrepreneurship in India #Tatafirstdot and Nen

I walked into a Reliance Digital store in Bangalore (Cunningham road) late Friday evening. This is the Indian equivalent of the chain Fry’s Electronics with some minor modifications. Most stores follow the same format apparently and are not located in malls. They sell books, music, appliances, electronics, the works. Unlike Fry’s prices are not very… Continue reading Bangalore Electricity and Fry’s Electronics

I have noticed that the biggest mistake most startups make when they are at an accelerator is that they focus on “Increasing their total surface area” instead of “accelerating their business”. This results in the “tail wagging the dog”, where the accelerator schedule, mentors and connections determine what the entrepreneur and the startup does each day.… Continue reading One Mistake Entrepreneurs Make When They at an Accelerator