1947 Rise

Aditya Agarwal is the Partner at South Park Commons. SPC is a community of technologists and builders dedicated to helping each other explore, learn, and get from -1 to 0. Prior to SPC Aditya was the CTO of Dropbox and he was one of Facebook’s first engineers. 00:00 - Top moments 01:22 - Intro 02:41 - What is the founding story of South Park Commons? 13:26 - What is the thesis and the portfolio construction of the fund? 15:12 - What type of check sizes are these and what is the portfolio construction like? 16:30 -What are some examples of companies that have gone from -1 to 0 under SPC? 19:09 - What are some examples of companies that got incubated or took a bigger route? 23:03 - What has been the hardest thing about building SPC? 25:17 - What are your learnings from backing these top founders? What are some similar patterns? 28:45 - What is your relationship with India? What are your learnings from working with Indian founders? 31:36 - How can Indian companies apply for SPC? 32:35 - Are you looking to spend more time in India and what is your view on India? 35:44 - What's been making you smile these days? 36:22 - What's your relationship with health? 39:27 - What is that one hack, that you cannot live your life without? 40:01 - What's on your techno playlist these days 🔗 CONNECT WITH Aditya Agarwal 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/adityaag 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Nitin is the co-founder of Ofbusiness, a $6 billion dollar company and Pratham is the founder of Masters Union - A leading technology-focused b-school led by veteran leaders, offering an industry immersive PGP. 00:00 - Top moments 01:28 - Introduction 02:27 - How are you both sleeping these days? 06:38 - How is Nitin able to persist through everything and do it? 10:00 - What's the secret behind Pratham's energy and persistence? 16:13 - What is Nitin's framework to make it big in life? 20:47- What is Pratham's framework to make it big in life? 23:01- How does Nitin manage the relationship with his support systems while building the company? 26:00 - How does Pratham manage the relationship with his support systems while building the company? 29:33 - What's been making you smile lately, Nitin? 31:35 - What's been making you smile lately, Pratham? 33:05 - Your thoughts on the importance of support systems in life? 34:34 -To what extent Money should define us? 36:14 - The Importance of Work-Life Balance: Should we trade of personal life for work life? 39:27-How do people who work with/under you find break from work? 44:07 - How to tackle overworking and burnout? 46:26 - What are your food habits? 50:38 - If your company were a superhero what superpowers would it have? And who would be your arch nemisis? 56:45 - do you battle not having a sense of belonging? 58:45 - How to take breaks and manage them? 🔗 CONNECT WITH Nitin Jain 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-jain-17b82310/?originalSubdomain=in 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/njain351 🔗 CONNECT WITH Pratham Mittal 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/prathammittal/?originalSubdomain=in 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/prathammittal?lang=en 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Andreas Klinger is a former CTO of Product Hunt, CoinList, Head of Remote at AngelList, and CTO at On Deck He is also an investor via Remote First Capital. He has backed some amazing companies like Remote, Mainstreet, Clubhouse and more. Here are the topic we covered during our conversation 00:00 - Top moments 00:49 - Introduction 02:07 - What was the founding story of Remote First Capital? 05:18 - Did you have any mentors who helped you go about it? 06:11 - What's the portfolio construction like? And how did you arrive to that portfolio construction? 10:35 -What's your thesis around your global investing approach? 11:49 - What are 1-3 things that work well when raising capital from LPs? What are 1 or 2 things you did wrong while fund raising? 14:04 -Who was your first believer in Remote First Capital? 15:04 - What was the story behind Remote.com? 18:46 -What is that one thing that you know now, you wish you knew earlier? 22:22 -What is the hardest thing about building a fund? 27:45 -What was your reason for doing a trip to India and what has the experience been like? 30:09 -What has been the top take aways from this? What did you find intresting? 33:37-What do people get wrong about India? 36:00 -How can someone building from India reach out to you? 38:58 -What's been making you smile lately? 40:26 -Is there a hack you can't live without? 41:17 -If money was not needed anymore, what would you work on? 44:28 -Who are you outside of work? 🔗 CONNECT WITH Andreas Klinger 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasklinger 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/andreasklinger 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Sahil Lavingia is an entrepreneur, known as the founder and CEO of Gumroad, an investor, painter, and writer. Through SHL Capital he Invests $10 million a year into early-stage technology startups, mostly via $100K-$250K checks. 00:00 - Top moments 00:42 - intro 01:54- What was the founding story of SHL Capital? 05:40 - What's the portfolio construction like for SHL capital? 08:09 - Are there examples in your portfolio of weird investments that turned out to be very good? 14:15- Any investors in particular who have really helped you become a better investor? 19:27 - Have you seen a pattern across your successful investments? 24:03- What was your reason of visiting India and how was the trip like? 29:18- You recently tweeted saying, you know, "if you want to be a billionaire, move to India" Where did that come from? 40:05- I'm a founder looking to, you know, reach out to Sahil and kind of get a sense, would I be even fit to Sahil? What would that scenario look like? 44:06 - What's been making you smile lately, Sahil? 45:06 - What's your typical day like? 48:16- Is there a hack you can't live without? 50:58- Thank you 🔗 CONNECT WITH Sahil Lavingia 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahillavingia/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shl?lang=en 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Arjun Nair is the Co-Founder and President of Great Learning. Great Learning is India's leading provider for online professional & higher education. In 2021, BYJU’S Acquired Great Learning for $600 Million. Great Learnings was bootstrapped. Timeline: 00:00: Top Moments 00:38: Intro to pod 02:00: Early life and shaping moments 09:56: Return to India and founding Great Learning 16:03: Evolution of online learning and its future 22:44: Key issues in Indian education and solutions 28:55: Advice for diasporas for seizing opportunities in India 33:29: A glimpse into a typical day 35:52: Yoga practice 38:30: Alternative passions without constraints 40:34: Exploring the person beyond the professional persona

Fabrice Grinda is among the world’s leading Internet entrepreneurs and investors. Fabrice was named the #1 Angel Investor in the world by Forbes. Fabrice founded FJ labs, and today FJ labs is one of the most active investors globally. FJ labs has invested in companies like Alibaba, Airbnb, Instacart, Flexport, and many more. Timeline : 00:00: Top Moments 00:34: Intro for Pod with Farbrice 01:57 : FJ Labs founding story 04:57: Portfolio and fund model evolved through experience and learning. 07:59: Success factors for a $295 million fund 09:45: Potential changes for the third fund if starting a new fund. 12:15: LP relationship-building strategies 16:38: Effective pre-fundraising relationship building 18:31:Evolution in deal sourcing. 25:27: Challenges in building a venture fund 27:05: Investment thesis for India 31:08: Pros and cons of starting a fund 33:54: Importance of brand building for deal flow 35:17: Typical day routine 37:14: Non-work obsession 38:25: Recent personal mindset changes 41:32: Who is he outside of work?

Jeff Morris Jr. is the founder and Managing Director of Chapter One. Chapter One has invested in companies like Mercury, Supabase, Superhuman, Dapper Labs, and Pipe to name a few. Morris was previously the VP of Product, Revenue at Tinder. In the role, he led the revenue team to the #1 top grossing app in the App Store globally. Timestamps 00:00 Top Moments 02:27 - Entry into angel investing and Chapter One's founding story. 05:22 - Fundraising and portfolio changes between Fund 1 and Fund 2. 08:23 - Establishing a unique value proposition for Fund 2. 11:17 - Staying relevant in a rapidly changing industry. 13:23 - Recent insights from fund manager interactions. 15:13 - Pros and cons of starting a fund. 17:54 - Fundraising advice for aspiring fund managers. 21:16 - Early fundraising and investing insights. 24:32 - A typical day in the speaker's life. 25:55 - Personal interests and hobbies. 26:39 - Unexplored subjects or skills. 27:43 - Top three funds for LP investment. 🔗 CONNECT WITH JEFF 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmorrisjr/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/jmj 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Julia Lipton is the founder of Awesome People Ventures. Awesome People Ventures is an early-stage fund focused on Web3. She is one of the top web3 investors globally. Timestamps: 0:00 Top Moments 0029 Intro to pod with Julia Lipton 01:39 What led to founding Awesome People Ventures? 03:16 Fundraising journey and evolution of fund thesis? 05:13 Portfolio construction, check sizes, investment stages? 06:32 Mistakes in fund one and their influence on approach? 09:36 Future of Web3 in next 3-5 years? 11:09 LPs in fund one, key learnings, evolution in fund two? 13:15 Importance of brand building for fund managers? 15:04 Pros and cons of being a solo GP? 17:00 Advice for those starting a fund? 18:36 Early career insight for fund management? 19:33 What's your daily routine? 21:33 Current passions outside of work? 22:23 Recent diet changes or helpful products? 23:44 How do friends perceive you beyond your role as an investor? 🔗 CONNECT WITH JULIA LIPTON 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julialipton/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/JuliaLipton 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Ahana Gautam is the CEO & Co-Founder at Open Secret. India’s leading Food and Beverages company Through Open Secret she is looking to Unjunk India. 0:00 - Early Life & Shaping Ahana: Ahana's upbringing and influences. 03:17 - Mother's Values: Development of Ahana's mother's values. 05:44 - Learning in the US: Ahana's experiences and lessons abroad. 09:11 - Conviction to Return: What inspired Ahana to move back from the US. 12:39 - First Believer in Funding: Ahana's initial support in funding. 14:31 - Rise of Homegrown Brands: Why Indian consumers prefer local brands. 17:57 - Open Secret's Vision: The future plans for Open Secret. 19:43 - Key Turning Point for Success: Milestones in Open Secret's journey. 21:23 - Financial Independence: Implementing Ahana's mother's values. 24:36 - Advice for Returning to India: Guidance for those considering a move back to India. 26:19 - Passion Beyond Work: Ahana's interests outside of her career. 28:10 - Unlimited Resources & Purpose: Would Ahana still pursue this path with unlimited resources? 29:28 - Daily Routine: Ahana's typical day-to-day schedule. 30:43 - Focus on Health: How Ahana prioritizes her health. 32:12 - Desire to Learn Something New: What Ahana is eager to learn. 33:01 - Gym Playlist: Ahana's go-to music for workouts. 33:24 - Dream Dinner Guests: Three individuals, dead or alive, Ahana would invite and why. 🔗 CONNECT WITH AHANA GAUTAM 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahanagautam 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/GautamAhana 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Aakrit is the Co-Founder & CEO of Haptik. Haptik is one of the world’s largest Conversational AI companies. Aakrit is also one of the most founder-friendly angel in India. He has invested in companies like Unacademy, MPL, Indiagold to name a few. Timestamps : 02:15 Founding story of Peercheque 06:51 How does Peercheque operate? 11:12 Specific sectors Peercheque is focused on 14:32 Changes for the Indian Venture Ecosystem 19:04 Prospects for Founders Becoming Investors 20:14 Changes in Investment strategies and lessons learned 23:10 Why COCKROACH MENTALITY for entrepreneurs 25:09 Founding Story of TEAM 31:43 Aakrit's Typical Day 34:32 Aakrit's relationship with health 36:32 Benefits of staying active 38:21 The three invitees to dinner with Aakrit

Howard Lindzon has more than 20 years of experience in the financial community acting in both an entrepreneurial and investing capacity. As an entrepreneur he founded Stocktwits. As an investor, he founded Social Leverage. As an LP he recently founded the Social Leverage Access fund. A FoFs that backs emerging fund managers. Timeline: 02:00 Founding story of Social Leverage Access Fund. 06:20 Portfolio construction of Social Leverage Access Funds. 07:46 Focus on emerging fund managers. 10:43 Selection criteria for evaluating fund managers. 13:43 Check sizes and criteria for investments. 14:41 Common mistakes in fund manager pitches. 16:19 One thing to know earlier. 18:17 Three advice for emerging fund managers. 23:13 Evaluating operators transitioning into investors. 24:22 Venture outlook in the next five years. 26:00 Staying relevant as an emerging fund manager. 27:02 Obsession outside of work. 28:40 Working towards not working. 29:38 Insight into the daily routine. 31:03 The most undesirable part of the day. 31:18 Sleeping habits. 32:01 Relationship with health. 33:06 Experience with pickleball. 33:55 Unexpected benefits of blogging. 36:26 Dream dinner guests, dead or alive. 🔗 CONNECT WITH HOWARD LINDZON 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardlindzon/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/howardlindzon 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Sunil Chhaya is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Kearny Jackson. Kearny Jackson is an early-stage venture fund focused on backing SaaS, Infrastructure, and FinTech founders. Timeline : 00:00: Top Moments 00:33: Intro to Pod with Sunil 01:46: Influences and entering venture capital 03:22: Introduction to Sriram Krishnan 05:22: Decision to start a fund with Sriram Krishnan 07:02: Approach to portfolio construction 09:47: Portfolio construction for Kearney Jackson 10:41: Reaching out to LPs and raising capital 13:49: Insights on fundraising lessons learned 19:58: Advice for pursuing a path in venture capital 21:23: Perspective on the Indian tech ecosystem 23:04: A typical day's schedule 24:47: Most undesirable part of the day 25:41: What friends know him for 26:28: Preferred cuisine 26:55: Soccer team affiliations with Sriram Krishnan 27:40: Relationship with health 28:47: Recent focus on health 29:58: Guests for a dinner table discussion 🔗 CONNECT WITH SUNIL CHHAYA 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunil-chhaya/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/sunilchhaya 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Rohit Kapoor is the Chief Executive Officer of Swiggy, where he handles Food Marketplace. He is also an amazing Angel Investor. He has invested in companies like OfBusiness, Mosaic, Mokobara and 40 others. Timestamps: 00:00 Top moments 00:30 Intro to pod with Rohit Kapoor 01:37 Interest in angel investing, first investment? 02:51 His first angel investment? 05:09 Investing process and criteria? 14:31 Factors when evaluating founders? 15:48 Successful investments, missed opportunities? 21:17 Relationship building for college graduates? 27:45 His typical day? 31:01 Known for by friends? 32:27 Relationship with health? 35:37 Three guests for dinner? 🔗 CONNECT WITH ROHIT KAPOOR 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit-kapoor-99a30436/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/rohitisb 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Gaurav Jain is the Co-founder of Afore Capital Afore Capital is one of the largest venture funds ($300M AUM) dedicated to super early stage investments. Before founding Afore Capital. Gaurav was an investor at A VC fund called Founder Collective. And before that, he was one of the first Product Managers for Android. Timestamps: 00:00 Top Moments 00:49 Intro for pod with Gaurav Jain 02:18 Gaurav's angel investing journey and Afore's founding story 06:07 Gaurav's partnership with his co-founder Anamitra Banerji 07:45 Gaurav's strategies for engaging LPs and raising capital 13:52 Gaurav's advice on fund modeling for emerging fund managers. 23:58 Afore's approach to staying relevant and reinventing themselves. 29:49 Top mistakes made by first-time fund managers. 32:38 Gaurav's perspective on the Indian tech ecosystem 36:57 What is Gaurav obsessed about outside of work 38:31 Gaurav's approach to prioritizing health and well-being. 🔗 CONNECT WITH GAURAV JAIN 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjainvc/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/gjain 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/shivassangwan 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/1947Rise 👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-sin...

Boris is the founding partner of Version One and one of the top tech early-stage investors in North America. He is a former board partner with Andreessen Horowitz. Version one has backed iconic companies like Coinbase, AngelList, Dapper Labs and Shippo to name a few. Before becoming an investor, Boris built an online marketplace for used and out-of-print books in 1999 called AbeBooks, selling the business Amazon Timestamps : 00:00 Top Moments 00:36 Intro to pod with Boris Wertz 01:56 Reason for angel investing & Founding story of VersionOne's 03:06 LP fundraising approach evolution & past mistakes. 06:06 Reinventing for long-term compounding effects. 08:28 Importance of portfolio construction 11:32 Evolution of VC with solo capitalists & industry changes. 14:10 Similarities between Indian & North American VC ecosystems. 15:08 India's growth & tech's role in the coming decades. 18:59 Reasons for investing in other funds & considerations. 20:38 Investing in emerging fund managers & key factors. 23:10 VersionOne's criteria for determining investment fit. 26:22 What's his typical day? 28:17 Potential edge in a smaller ecosystem. 30:30 Obsession outside of work. 31:17 Interest in running and fitness 32:07 Memorable non-work experience in India. 34:20 Three dinner guests (dead/alive) he would like to invite and why.

Sheel is the GP at Better Tomorrow Ventures. Better Tomorrow Ventures is one of the top seed-stage fintech investors. They have backed companies like Unit, Chippercash, Flexport, Mercury, Ramp to name a few. Timeline: 00:00 Top moments. 00:48 Intro to pod with Sheel Mohnot 02:55 What led Sheel to angel investing and the founding story of Better Tomorrow Ventures? 06:15 How did Sheel determine the portfolio construction of his fund, including fund size and check sizes? 07:22 How was he able to source LPs, build relationships with them and close LPs? 11:58 How does Sheel decide when to start investing if he is unsure about reaching the target raise? 13:19 How does Sheel keep LPs updated and engaged during the fundraising process? 14:13 What were the lessons learned from fundraising for the first fund and their impact on subsequent fundraising? 16:13 What advice would Sheel give to an emerging fund manager when fundraising from LPs for their first fund? 19:56 Did Sheel iterate and make changes his your pitch deck based on the feedback he received over time? 22:10 What is his relationship with India, particularly in terms of investments? 26:49 What fascinates him about the Indian tech ecosystem, especially in the FinTech sector? 28:50 Do learning from the Indian tech ecosystem help you evaluate companies based outside of India? 30:36 If not at BTV and if money and attention are not needed any more who would Sheel aspire to be? 34:50 If he could invite three people dead or alive for dinner, who would they be and why? 35:35 Which Indian individual would he love to meet and socialize with over dinner or drinks?

Aditya Virwani is the promotor and COO of Embassy Group. Embassy Group is one of the top 10 largest real estate developers in India. Timeline : 00:00 Top Moments 00:17 Intro to pod with Aditya Virwani 03:23 How was Aditya's environment growing up, and how it shaped him? 07:49 How did Aditya choose Real Estate? 11:53 What has been Aditya's current focus and his future aspirations? 17:08 How does Aditya keep himself updated with technology? 18:46 Evolution of real estate in India, future opportunities, and how is Embassy Group preparing for them?25:28 What is Aditya's day like? 28:47 What is the most crucial lesson that took Aditya the longest to learn? 31:18 What is Aditya's approach to maintaining mental health? 34:10 How is the status of his tennis practice? 34:02 If Aditya could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would they be and why? 36:55 What do Aditya's friends know him for? 39:14 How does Aditya handle his ego and stay humble?

James Beshara is a founder, investor, and encourager. He has started a few startups, sold one (Tilt, acq by Airbnb), and has invested in a few multi-billion dollar companies in his career. He has written angel cheques into gusto, clubhouse, bolt, mercury, openAI, 50+. His portfolio companies have a market cap of $50Bn. Timeline : 00:00 Top Moments 00:38 Intro to pod with James. 02:18 How did James get into angel investing, and what made him do the fund? 05:44 What made James take such a bold and risky bet into Gusto? 08:55 How did James decide the fund size, cheques, and investment stages during the fund's inception? 14:14 What was James' strategy for differentiating from other investors, gaining access to deals, and targeting LPs for his first few funds? 20:39 What is James' deal sourcing process, his big wins and misses, and his learnings from that? 29:42 What is James' relationship with India? 35:27 If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would James work on? 38:08 What do James' friends know him for? 39:33 What is James most obsessed about lately, and what is draining him?

Ryan Hoover is the founder of the Weekend Fund. Weekend fund is an early stage fund that writes $100k - $300k cheques into early stage starups around the world across consumer and B2B. Weekend fund helps founders with product, community building, and GTM strategy alongside an LP collective of 350+ exceptional founders and operators. Ryan also founded ProductHunt.

Timeline : 02:02 How did Ryan get into angel investing and what was the thought process behind staring weekend fund ? 03:46 How did Ryan decide on portfolio construction? 07:05 How did his portfolio construction evolve? 10:57 What is Ryan’s fund raising process? 17:36 What is Ryan’s value proposition as a fund among the many in the US? 21:05 What is the optimal time to start investing after the first close according to Ryan? 24:31 What are the tactics used by Ryan to continue conversations with LPs who are interested to invest but prefer later funds? 26:28 When should one begin raising Fund 2? 27:39 What is something Ryan knows now he wishes he knew earlier? 30:36 What is Ryan most excited about of late? 33:21 How much of his success does Ryan attribute to luck? 34:54 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on? 35:45 What changes have Ryan made in his diet and fitness routine? 37:03 What do Ryan’s friends know him for? 38:03 How attentive is he to Suzy?

Ankit Mehrotra is the Co-founder and CEO of Dineout. He started Dineout in early 2012 and through multiple acquisitions over the last eight years, has grown Dineout’s portfolio to include both B2C & B2B services and has been successful in positioning it as the Largest Dining Out and Restaurant Tech Platform in India. Dineout was acquired by Swiggy, India's Largest On-Demand Delivery platform for $100M, in July 2022. Ankit also recently co-founded a celebrity-led fund called Da One Global Ventures with the star cricketer Shikhar Dhawan Timeline : 00:00 Top Moments 00:32 Intro to pod with Ankit 02:00 How did Ankit's upbringing and environment shape him? 04:00 What valuable experience did he gain from working in the UK? 05:54 What made Ankit move back to India and the founding story of Dineout? 13:14 How did Ankit launch Dineout without Internet, Angels or VC? 18:52 What is Dineout today after selling it for over $100 million to Swiggy? 26:13 What lesson does Ankit share with new entrepreneurs? 27:17 What is the investment thesis of Da One Global Ventures? 31:46 How much of his success would he attribute to luck and why? 33:10 Is it money or power for Ankit? 33:31 What is his relationship with money? 34:14 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on? 35:44 What do Ankit's friends know him for? 36:00 What is Ankit's day like?

Nitin Jain is the co-founder of OfBusiness and Oxyzo.

OfBusiness is a new-age b2b commerce and fintech startup that provides smart procurement and smart financing solutions to SMEs through its tech-enabled platform.

OfBusiness is currently valued at $5B. Timestamps : 00:00 Top moments 00:30 Intro to pod with Nitin Jain 01:49 How was your early life and what made you move back to India? 03:28 What was the founding story of Ofbusiness? 05:17 How did Nitin and his team navigate through the difficult phases? 07:12 What is the grand vision for all three ventures? 08:36 How is Nitin’s day like? 09:46 How does Nitin mentor founders? 11:18 What are Nitin’s strengths in Tennis? 12:33 Other than tennis players who inspires Nitin? 13:57 What framework would Nitin suggest to Indian diaspora looking at Indian Ecosystem in the long run? 15:50 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would he work on? 16:47 How much of his success does Nitin attribute to luck and why? 18:03 How was the feeling like after Zodius invested? 18:58 What is Nitin’s relationship with money? 20:19 Things that Nitin has changed about his health that is helping him. 21:39 Super Powers that Asish and Bhuvan have and they don't know about it. 22:35 What do Nitin’s friends know him for?

Harsh Shah is the co-founder of Fynd.  

Fynd is India's largest omnichannel platform helping retail businesses accelerate growth. 

Fynd was acquired by Reliance in 2019. Harsh is a prolific angel investor. He has made over 60 investments till date.  

Timeline: 

00:00 Top Moments 

00:13 Intro to pod with Harsh 

01:21 What drove Harsh to angel investing and what was his first angel investment? 

05:18 How does Harsh source, pick, and win deals? 

07:48 What triggers Harsh to invest? 10:21 What were his biggest wins and misses and learning from them? 

16:52 His advise to operators looking to start angel investing 

18:40 How would he go about constructing a cap table? 

22:25 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on? 

24:12 How much of his success would he attribute to luck and why? 

24:50 What is his relationship with money? 26:12 Who is Harsh outside of work? 

27:21 What’s his favorite country?

Ranjan Kant is a co-founder of Arthmate.  

Arthmate is enabling entrepreneurs of emerging Bharat. 

He also co-founded Ofbusiness. Currently valued at $5B. And Ranjan is also a prolific angel investor.  

Timeline: 

00:00: Top moments 

01:45: What drove Ranjan to angel investment and what was his first angel investment? 

03:33: How does Ranjan pick and win deals? 

07:24: What cheque sizes does he write and what sectors that Ranjan invests in? 

08:52: What are the biggest wins and misses for Ranjan and his learnings from them? 

12:26: Something Ranjan knows now he wishes he knew earlier. 

16:48 His advice to operator angels looking to start angel investing 

21:00 What was the founding story of Arthmate? 

25:30 Who was the first believer of Arthmate? 

26:14 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on? 

27:37 How much of his success would he attribute to luck and why? 

29:23 What is his relationship with money?

Rahul is Managing Director at Arkam Ventures, an early stage tech VC fund. Arkam portfolio includes incredible companies like SmallCase, Jaikisan, Jar, KrazyBee, Signzy, Jumbotail, BestDoc.

00:00 Top moments 

00:33 Intro to pod with Rahul Chandra 

02:20 Early life of Rahul and his move back to India. 

11:00 Founding story and thesis of Arkam Ventures. 

19:54 Some of Arkam’s investments and the thesis behind it 

29:35 Advise for those that are thinking about moving back to India 

32:20 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Rahul work on? 35:48 How is Yoga helping Rahul? 

38:37 What do Rahul's friends know him for?

Saurabh Garg is the co-founder of NoBroker.

NoBroker is a revolutionary real estate platform that makes it easier to buy, rent or sell a home without paying any brokerage. It's a One-stop shop for the entire Real Estate journey.

Saurabh is also a prolific angel investor

00:00 Top Moments

00:57 Intro to pod with Saurabh

02:20 What drove Saurabh to angel investing and his first angel investment.

06:24 Saurabh’s investing process.

09:56 Traits of a mediocre founder.

11:20 Industries that Saurabh invests in and cheque sizes he writes.

13:22 What is something that Saurabh knows now he wishes he knew it earlier ?

14:29 Founding story of NoBroker

17:44 First Angel investor at NoBroker.

20:11 Rationale behind having operators on cap table.

23:18 How much of his success would Saurabh attribute to luck ?

24:54 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Saurabh work on ?

25:29 Saurabh’s relationship with money.

26:25 What do Saurabh’s friends know him for?

27:28 The operator that Saurabh admires the most.

Anand is a Partner at General Catalyst. In this role, he is focused on early-stage investing and leading the India/US practice across consumer, climate/agri, healthcare, software and crypto/fintech.

00:00  Top Moments

01:03 Intro to pod with Anand Chandrasekaran

02:33 Anand’s journey of growing up in India and what made him move to the US.

07:08 Anand’s framework of moving back and his learnings while working at companies in India.

12:00 What drove Anand to angel investing and what was his first angel investment?

16:10 Something that Anand knows now he wishes he knew earlier about angel investing.

20:02 Anand’s transition to full-time venture capitalist and how did General Catalyst happen?

24:30 Thesis of GC for India.

29:34 What kind of change would Anand like to see in the Indian ecosystem?

32:32 Anand’s take on the layoffs happening in the US.

35:58 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Anand work on?

39:30 Who is Anand outside of work?

Arjun Vaidya is a D2C founder & investor. He built Dr. Vaidya’s to India’s largest Ayurveda brand online. Dr. Vaidya’s was recently acquired by RP Sanjiv Goenka Group – making it one of India’s first D2C exits.

He now leads venture investing for V3 Ventures in India.

00:45 Intro to pod with Arjun.

02:20 What drove Arjun to angel investing and his first angel investment.

04:45 Arjun’s investing process.

10:25 What are the traits of a mediocre founder?

12:40 What kept Arjun going after 70 investors said no to him?

16:07 What are Arjun's biggest wins and misses and his learning from them?

20:40 How is Arjun looking at India through V3 Ventures?

24:21 Advice of Arjun for someone who is starting to build a brand in VC.

27:12 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Arjun work on?

28:11 Money or Power?

28:15 What is Arjun’s relationship with money?

28:53 A founder that Arjun admires and why?

29:20 What is Arjun’s day like?

30:00 How much of his success does Arjun owe to luck?

Apaksh is the co-founder of One Impression. One Impression is helping over 250 Enterprises and Fast-growing startups drive influencer-led campaigns

Apaksh is also a prolific angel investor.

Show Notes

00:35 Intro to the pod with Apaksh Gupta

02:16 What drew Apaksh to Angel Investing and his first angel investment.

04:06 Investing process of Apaksh.

10:02 Traits of a mediocre founder

12:16 Apaksh’s advice to someone who is starting to Angel Invest.

17:38 Biggest wins and misses of Apaksh.

22:41 What is something that Apaksh knows now but he wishes he knew it earlier.

24:51 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would Apaksh work on.

26:45 Apakh’s relationship with money.

29:07 What do Apaksh’s friends know him for

Ankur is a tech entrepreneur, angel investor, author and one of India’s top content creators.

His aim through his content is to make sure all the choices you make in life come from a point of awareness and not ignorance.

00:00 Top Moments

00:42 Intro to pod with Ankur Warikoo

01:59 What drove Ankur into angel investing and what was his first angel investment

05:09 How Ankur does Ankur source deals and evaluates founders

07:52 What are the traits of a mediocre founder according to Ankur

07:53 Cheque sizes that Ankur writes and sectors that he invests in

14:56 Some of Ankur’s misses and his learnings from them

23:17 How should founders construct their cap table when raising the first round of funding

27:58 Advise on how to start angel investing

31:20 What would Ankur work on if money and attention are not needed anymore

31:45 How much of his success would Ankur attribute to luck

32:31 Ankur’s relationship with money.

34:08 What do Ankur’s friends know him for.

34:40 How to become a good listener.

Prabhu is the co-founder of M2P. M2P builds a stronger infrastructure for the financial world. They are backed by one of the best investors globally. The likes of BeeNext, Insight Partners, Tiger Global to name a few

00:00 Top Moments of the episode

00:14 Intro to the episode with Prabhu

01:33 What drove Prabhu to Angel Investing and his first angel investment.

06:19 How does Prabhu source deals and evaluate founders and his cheque sizes.

09:48 What are the traits of a mediocre founder according to Prabhu.

11:47 Biggest learnings from Angel Investing

15:24 Initiatives that Prabhu has taken to support founders from Tamil Nadu.

22:10 Prabhu’s advice to operator angels on Angel investing.

27:03 Entrepreneurs that Prabhu admires the most.

29:44 How much of his success does Prabhu attribute to luck.

31:10 What is Prabhu’s relationship with money.

34:59 Who is Prabhu outside of work.

Pratekk is an operator turned full-time operator-led fund manager.

He is a passionate entrepreneur and Fintech Expert with over 18 years of multi Industry expertise.

01:06 Intro to the pod with Pratekk Agarwaal

02:06 What drove Pratekk to angel investing and his first angel investment.

03:11 How does Pratekk build network and source deals.

05:08 Pratekk’s decision of either building one or enabling 100 others.

09:27 Prateek’s thought around high conviction of asset class.

12:50 Prateek’s investment process.

17:38 Something that Prateek knows now he wishes he knew earlier.

20:53 Cheque Sizes Prateek writes and industries of his interest.

24:48 Pratekk’s advice to operators on how to get started with Angel investing.

30:52 How much does Prateekk attribute his success to luck.

33:39 Operators and Investors Pratekk admires the most.

35:34 Who is Pratekk outside of work.