Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend

By Pratik Agarwal|27th Jul 2016
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Your VC friends know their portfolio better than your research

You'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.

I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-1-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format\" data-alt=\"Image : Shutterstock\" data-caption=\" Image : Shutterstock\" style=\"width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents lazyimg\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&blur=500\" alt=\"Image : Shutterstock\" style=\"width: 100%; height:auto\" data-src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-size: 15px; color: #aaa; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px\"> Image : Shutterstock\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003cp>Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in \u003cem>real\u003c/em> trouble?\u003c/p>\u003cp>So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-2-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They know of secret opportunities \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.\u003c/p>\u003cp>And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?\u003c/p>\u003cdiv id=\"newsletter-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003cp>Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They can pump your search with steroids \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”\u003c/p>\u003cp>Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.\u003c/p>\u003cp>Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-4-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>“But I don't have any VC friends!” \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!\u003c/p>\u003cp>Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.\u003c/p>\u003cp>And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.\u003c/p>\u003cp>All the best!\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cem>(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-5-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003c/div>","paywalledPostContent":null,"layout":"DEFAULT","metadata":{"authors":[{"id":"96db8431-2d6b-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e","user_id":"96db8430-2d6b-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e","name":"Pratik Agarwal","username":"pratik-agarwal","bio":"Pratik is part of the SaaS investing team at SAIF Partners. In his previous roles, he has worked as Product Manager for Remind and Airbnb. He is a kaizen enthusiast and is currently working on his writing abilities","bioText":"Pratik is part of the SaaS investing team at SAIF Partners. In his previous roles, he has worked as Product Manager for Remind and Airbnb. He is a kaizen enthusiast and is currently working on his writing abilities","imageUrl":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/userphoto/34788.jpg","order":0,"visibility":true,"google":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":"https://twitter.com/harvarddesi","linkedin":null,"website":null,"path":"/author/pratik-agarwal"}],"brandSpotlight":null,"canonicalUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","category":{"id":99,"name":"Resources","slug":"resources","path":"/category/resources"},"facebook":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend"},"generic":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend","keywords":"Investment, VC, Startup, Private equity, Social Media, Networking"},"twitter":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend"},"banner":null,"parallaxBanner":false,"locale":"en_US","tags":[{"id":76091,"name":"Startup","slug":"startup","locale":"en_GB","order":2,"path":"/tag/startup"},{"id":80539,"name":"Investment","slug":"investment","locale":"en_GB","order":0,"path":"/tag/investment"},{"id":81119,"name":"VC","slug":"vc","locale":"en_GB","order":1,"path":"/tag/vc"},{"id":100599,"name":"socialmedia","slug":"socialmedia","locale":"en_GB","order":4,"path":"/tag/socialmedia"},{"id":100944,"name":"Private equity","slug":"private-equity","locale":"en_GB","order":3,"path":"/tag/private-equity"},{"id":215199,"name":"Networking","slug":"networking","locale":"en_GB","order":5,"path":"/tag/networking"}],"timeToRead":3,"plainText":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!Image : ShutterstockOr, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.THEY PROBABLY KNOW OTHER VCS' PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOU'D THINKYou might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.THEY KNOW OF SECRET OPPORTUNITIESAs I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.THEY CAN PUMP YOUR SEARCH WITH STEROIDSI've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.“BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY VC FRIENDS!”Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.All the best!(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)","hasInstagramEmbeds":false,"hasSoundCloudEmbeds":false,"hasTwitterEmbeds":false,"sponsoredStory":false,"storyUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","editors":[]},"brand":{"id":2,"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","internal":true,"path":"/"},"timeLapsed":"27th Jul 2016","path":"/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","reactions":{},"mounted":false,"brandPublisher":null,"loadingStatus":"LOADED","audioPlaying":false,"imported":true,"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"featured":false,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"Your VC friends know their portfolio better than your research\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"You'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.\nI've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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This Chennai-based startup builds unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army

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‘Problem finding comes before problem solving’ – 40 quotes of the week from Indian startup journeys

[YS Learn] It is life after each setback and not the failure that defines you, says upGrad co-founder Ronnie Screwvala

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How HackerEarth co-founder’s 7-month-old coding startup made it to Y Combinator’s Winter Batch ’21

[Product Roadmap] How a focus on simplicity and user experience got MoneyTap the scale it was looking for

[Startup Bharat] This Patna school dropout mentors aspiring entrepreneurs in small-town India

million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format","caption":" Image : Shutterstock"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"real"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" trouble?\nSo here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.\nEven if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They know of secret opportunities \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.\nAnd that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?\nNote: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They can pump your search with steroids \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”\nGood news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.\nMoreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"“But I don't have any VC friends!” \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!\nJust do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.\nAnd if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.\nAll the best!\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)"}}],"publishedDate":"July 27, 2016","hasAccessToRead":true}},"storyIdsList":[64122],"bannerData":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"}},"articleLatest":{"isLoading":false,"error":null,"stories":[{"id":192973,"title":"‘Problem finding comes before problem solving’ – 40 quotes of the week from Indian startup journeys","slug":"quotes-entrepreneurship-problem-innovation","type":"RICH","subtitle":"From idea to implementation, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these quotes, excerpts, and stories! 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Disruptive Startups","slug":"50-disruptive-startups-of-india-2019","path":"/awards/50-disruptive-startups-of-india-2019"},{"displayName":"Tech30","slug":"tech-30-2020","path":"/awards/tech-30-2020"},{"displayName":"YourStory's 100 Digital Influencers of 2020","slug":"yourstorys-100-digital-influencers-of-2020","path":"/awards/yourstorys-100-digital-influencers-of-2020"}],"displayLimit":3}}},"property":{"isLoading":true,"error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"hasErrored":false,"propertyInfo":{},"apiRoute":null,"showSpinner":true,"initialDataLoaded":false,"mounted":false,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"notification":{"count":0,"list":[]},"notificationsPage":{"list":[],"endOfList":false,"offset":0,"isLoading":null,"error":false,"errorResponse":false,"messageType":"","message":""},"newsletters":{"isLoading":true,"hasErrored":false,"error":null,"newsletters":[],"subscriptions":[],"newslettersData":null,"cities":[]},"dailyCapsule":{"data":{"id":193121,"title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination","slug":"cybersecurity-threat-covid19-vaccination-phonepe-moneytap","subtitle":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process.","publishedAt":"2021-03-03T00:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2021-03-03T00:31:33.558Z","type":"RICH","imported":false,"postContent":"\u003cdiv class=\"quill-content\">\u003cp>Bill Conner knew one thing that would be very important in the digital world — security. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Just before 9/11, he had briefed NATO, and said: “We’ve learnt how to win wars in the air, land, and sea, but the next war will be cyber, and we are ill-equipped.”  \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Today, as the \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19\">President and CEO of SonicWall, Bill’s work revolves around cybersecurity and malware\u003c/a>. The Princeton and Wharton alum is one of the most experienced security, data, and infrastructure executives in the world, having closely worked with governments, the White House, the Hill, and the NSA.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-1-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372241\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png\" data-alt=\"Bill Conner\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372241\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png\" alt=\"Bill Conner\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003cp>Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>He says cybercriminals are opening new cyberattack vectors on global deployment and recalibrating their attacks to target the “cold chain” — the supply chain that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines that need cold temperatures. \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19\">Read more\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003ch3>The Interview\u003c/h3>\u003cp>Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital and Manipal Global Education, believes that the Indian startup ecosystem can still grow amid the current challenges and have 100 unicorns by 2025. But how will India’s soonicorns overcome the current crisis and remain on their path to becoming India’s next unicorns? \u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-2-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>He lets in on a secret: “If you can create the image of growth, and show investors that you are the next big bet, the market and investors will both reward you. After all, every investor wants to know the next unicorn.”\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"externalHtml embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-val=\"\u003ciframe width="1022" height="574" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wbdIv_pXckE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\">\u003cdiv class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\">\u003ciframe width=\"1022\" height=\"574\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/wbdIv_pXckE\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003ch3>Editor’s Pick: Product Roadmap\u003c/h3>\u003cp>In early 2015, Bala Parthasarathy realised that India was at the cusp of a digital transformation. Consumers were getting familiar with apps and online shopping, but a gap persisted in the financial world. Most banks and NBFCs weren’t catering to the middle-class population that was increasingly going online. This pervasive problem led Bala and serial entrepreneurs Anuj Kacker and Kunal Verma to found MoneyTap in 2016. \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/product-roadmap-fintech-startup-moneytap\">Read more\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv id=\"newsletter-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372242\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a9efa9c02dd911e9adc52d913c55075e/PM1-1614692063719.png\" data-alt=\"Product roadmap - MoneyTap\" data-caption=\"\u003cp>Founders of MoneyTap\u003c/p>\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372242\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a9efa9c02dd911e9adc52d913c55075e/PM1-1614692063719.png\" alt=\"Product roadmap - MoneyTap\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003cp>Founders of MoneyTap\u003c/p>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003chr>\u003ch3>Startup Spotlight\u003c/h3>\u003cp>\u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles\">Building unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>The Indian government has been calling for innovators to leverage technology to build solutions for the defence sector. SRM University alumni M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar, and K.Abbhi Vignesh set out to build solutions for the Indian defence sector. In 2019, the trio launched Torus Robotics in Chennai to help the Indian Armed forces with modular Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) that could cater to diverse mission requirements. \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles\">Read more\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372243\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg\" data-alt=\"Torus Robotics founders\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372243\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg\" alt=\"Torus Robotics founders\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003chr>\u003ch3>News & Updates\u003c/h3>\u003cul>\u003cli>Starlink, a high-speed internet service led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, is now \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/elon-musk-ultra-fast-internet-starlink-pre-booking-india\">available in India for pre-booking\u003c/a>. The service will start functioning in the country from 2022 through SpaceX satellites that will be launched in orbit. \u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-4-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cul>\u003cli>\u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/fintech-giant-phonepe-billion-transactions-spun-off-flipkart\">PhonePe said it had recorded over 1.07 billion total transactions\u003c/a> in February, across UPI, cards, and wallets, helped by a rise in offline payments across lower-tier cities. It processed 970 million UPI transactions in February, continuing its steady rise over the last few months.\u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cul>\u003cli>India's first auction of \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/spectrum-auction-ends-jio-tops-buyer\">telecom spectrum in five years ended on Tuesday with Rs 77,814.80 crore \u003c/a>of airwaves being bought, mostly by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio. Over 2,250 MHz of spectrum was offered for bidding in the auction that began on Monday.\u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cul>\u003cli>\u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/karnataka-government-launches-engineering-rd-policy\">Karnataka state government launched its Engineering R&D (ER&D) Policy 2021\u003c/a>, a first-of-its-kind state-level policy to foster innovation. It is aimed at enabling the state to contribute about 45 percent of India's engineering R&D economy.\u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-5-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cul>\u003cli>Google has updated Google Workspace to \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/google-workspace-assistant-new-productivity-collaborative-features\">meet the challenges of an ever-developing work environment\u003c/a>. The new tools enable better management of time and attention and strengthening participation, enabling everyone to contribute equally regardless of their location.\u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003ch3>Before you go, stay inspired with… \u003c/h3>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372246\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Image6169-1614706863405.jpg\" data-alt=\"Saurabh Jain\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372246\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Image6169-1614706863405.jpg\" alt=\"Saurabh Jain\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003cblockquote>“Good startup founders are good storytellers. When you take the example of any successful politician or agency, you will see they have a good story. Unless you have a good story, you won’t be able to pique any interests.”\u003c/blockquote>\u003cp>— \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory-club.mn.co/posts/building-in-india-for-india-lesson-2-challenges-and-opportunities-when-building-a-tech-startup-in-india\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Saurabh Jain, Founder, Fun2Do Labs\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003cp>\u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/newsletters?utm_source=wesbite&utm_medium=dailycapsule\">\u003cem>Now get the Daily Capsule in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter today!\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-6-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003c/div>","layout":"DEFAULT","brand":{"id":2,"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","internal":true,"path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"id":"fdce4301-2d69-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e","user_id":null,"name":"Team YS","username":"webmaster","imageUrl":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/static/default-ys-image.jpg","order":0,"visibility":true,"google":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"linkedin":null,"website":null,"path":"/author/webmaster"}],"brandSpotlight":null,"category":{"id":1504,"name":"Daily Capsule","slug":"daily-capsule","path":"/category/daily-capsule"},"facebook":{"excerpt":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. ","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination"},"generic":{"excerpt":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. ","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination","keywords":"Indian Startup, Mohandas Pai, MoneyTap, Google Workspace"},"twitter":{"excerpt":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. ","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination"},"banner":null,"parallaxBanner":false,"locale":"en_GB","tags":[{"id":117224,"name":"Indian Startup","slug":"indian-startup","locale":"en_GB","order":1,"path":"/tag/indian-startup"},{"id":126529,"name":"Mohandas Pai","slug":"mohandas-pai","locale":"en_GB","order":2,"path":"/tag/mohandas-pai"},{"id":399759,"name":"MoneyTap","slug":"moneytap","locale":"en_GB","order":0,"path":"/tag/moneytap"},{"id":633433,"name":"Google Workspace","slug":"google-workspace","description":"google feature","locale":"en_GB","order":3,"path":"/tag/google-workspace"}],"timeToRead":4,"plainText":"Bill Conner knew one thing that would be very important in the digital world — security. \n\nJust before 9/11, he had briefed NATO, and said: “We’ve learnt how to win wars in the air, land, and sea, but the next war will be cyber, and we are ill-equipped.”  \n\nToday, as the President and CEO of SonicWall, Bill’s work revolves around cybersecurity and malware. The Princeton and Wharton alum is one of the most experienced security, data, and infrastructure executives in the world, having closely worked with governments, the White House, the Hill, and the NSA.\nNow, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. \n\nHe says cybercriminals are opening new cyberattack vectors on global deployment and recalibrating their attacks to target the “cold chain” — the supply chain that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines that need cold temperatures. Read more. \n\nThe Interview\nMohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital and Manipal Global Education, believes that the Indian startup ecosystem can still grow amid the current challenges and have 100 unicorns by 2025. But how will India’s soonicorns overcome the current crisis and remain on their path to becoming India’s next unicorns? \n\nHe lets in on a secret: “If you can create the image of growth, and show investors that you are the next big bet, the market and investors will both reward you. After all, every investor wants to know the next unicorn.”\n\nEditor’s Pick: Product Roadmap\nIn early 2015, Bala Parthasarathy realised that India was at the cusp of a digital transformation. Consumers were getting familiar with apps and online shopping, but a gap persisted in the financial world. Most banks and NBFCs weren’t catering to the middle-class population that was increasingly going online. This pervasive problem led Bala and serial entrepreneurs Anuj Kacker and Kunal Verma to found MoneyTap in 2016. Read more.\nStartup Spotlight\nBuilding unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army\n\nThe Indian government has been calling for innovators to leverage technology to build solutions for the defence sector. SRM University alumni M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar, and K.Abbhi Vignesh set out to build solutions for the Indian defence sector. In 2019, the trio launched Torus Robotics in Chennai to help the Indian Armed forces with modular Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) that could cater to diverse mission requirements. Read more.\nNews & Updates\nStarlink, a high-speed internet service led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, is now available in India for pre-booking. The service will start functioning in the country from 2022 through SpaceX satellites that will be launched in orbit. \n\nPhonePe said it had recorded over 1.07 billion total transactions in February, across UPI, cards, and wallets, helped by a rise in offline payments across lower-tier cities. It processed 970 million UPI transactions in February, continuing its steady rise over the last few months.\n\nIndia's first auction of telecom spectrum in five years ended on Tuesday with Rs 77,814.80 crore of airwaves being bought, mostly by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio. Over 2,250 MHz of spectrum was offered for bidding in the auction that began on Monday.\n\nKarnataka state government launched its Engineering R&D (ER&D) Policy 2021, a first-of-its-kind state-level policy to foster innovation. It is aimed at enabling the state to contribute about 45 percent of India's engineering R&D economy.\n\nGoogle has updated Google Workspace to meet the challenges of an ever-developing work environment. The new tools enable better management of time and attention and strengthening participation, enabling everyone to contribute equally regardless of their location.\n\nBefore you go, stay inspired with… \n“Good startup founders are good storytellers. When you take the example of any successful politician or agency, you will see they have a good story. Unless you have a good story, you won’t be able to pique any interests.”\n— Saurabh Jain, Founder, Fun2Do Labs\nNow get the Daily Capsule in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter today!\n\n\n","hasInstagramEmbeds":false,"hasSoundCloudEmbeds":false,"hasTwitterEmbeds":false,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"storyUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/cybersecurity-threat-covid19-vaccination-phonepe-moneytap","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","audioFile":"https://yourstory.com/content/audio/prod/193121/story.41996e33-71df-4d50-b37d-45e8f949062e.mp3","editors":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/03/cybersecurity-threat-covid19-vaccination-phonepe-moneytap","featured":false,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Bill Conner knew one thing that would be very important in the digital world — security. \n\nJust before 9/11, he had briefed NATO, and said: “We’ve learnt how to win wars in the air, land, and sea, but the next war will be cyber, and we are ill-equipped.”  \n\nToday, as the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19"},"data":"President and CEO of SonicWall, Bill’s work revolves around cybersecurity and malware"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". The Princeton and Wharton alum is one of the most experienced security, data, and infrastructure executives in the world, having closely worked with governments, the White House, the Hill, and the NSA.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. \n\nHe says cybercriminals are opening new cyberattack vectors on global deployment and recalibrating their attacks to target the “cold chain” — the supply chain that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines that need cold temperatures. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19"},"data":"Read more"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". \n\n"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"The Interview\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital and Manipal Global Education, believes that the Indian startup ecosystem can still grow amid the current challenges and have 100 unicorns by 2025. But how will India’s soonicorns overcome the current crisis and remain on their path to becoming India’s next unicorns? \n\nHe lets in on a secret: “If you can create the image of growth, and show investors that you are the next big bet, the market and investors will both reward you. After all, every investor wants to know the next unicorn.”\n"}},{"contentType":"html","value":{"html":"\u003ciframe width=\"1022\" height=\"574\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/wbdIv_pXckE\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"Editor’s Pick: Product Roadmap\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"In early 2015, Bala Parthasarathy realised that India was at the cusp of a digital transformation. Consumers were getting familiar with apps and online shopping, but a gap persisted in the financial world. Most banks and NBFCs weren’t catering to the middle-class population that was increasingly going online. This pervasive problem led Bala and serial entrepreneurs Anuj Kacker and Kunal Verma to found MoneyTap in 2016. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/product-roadmap-fintech-startup-moneytap"},"data":"Read more"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a9efa9c02dd911e9adc52d913c55075e/PM1-1614692063719.png","caption":"\u003cp>Founders of MoneyTap\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"Startup Spotlight\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles"},"data":"Building unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\nThe Indian government has been calling for innovators to leverage technology to build solutions for the defence sector. SRM University alumni M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar, and K.Abbhi Vignesh set out to build solutions for the Indian defence sector. In 2019, the trio launched Torus Robotics in Chennai to help the Indian Armed forces with modular Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) that could cater to diverse mission requirements. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles"},"data":"Read more"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"News & Updates\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Starlink, a high-speed internet service led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, is now "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/elon-musk-ultra-fast-internet-starlink-pre-booking-india"},"data":"available in India for pre-booking"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":". The service will start functioning in the country from 2022 through SpaceX satellites that will be launched in orbit. \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/fintech-giant-phonepe-billion-transactions-spun-off-flipkart"},"data":"PhonePe said it had recorded over 1.07 billion total transactions"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":" in February, across UPI, cards, and wallets, helped by a rise in offline payments across lower-tier cities. It processed 970 million UPI transactions in February, continuing its steady rise over the last few months.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\nIndia's first auction of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/spectrum-auction-ends-jio-tops-buyer"},"data":"telecom spectrum in five years ended on Tuesday with Rs 77,814.80 crore "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":"of airwaves being bought, mostly by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio. Over 2,250 MHz of spectrum was offered for bidding in the auction that began on Monday.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/karnataka-government-launches-engineering-rd-policy"},"data":"Karnataka state government launched its Engineering R&D (ER&D) Policy 2021"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":", a first-of-its-kind state-level policy to foster innovation. It is aimed at enabling the state to contribute about 45 percent of India's engineering R&D economy.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\nGoogle has updated Google Workspace to "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/google-workspace-assistant-new-productivity-collaborative-features"},"data":"meet the challenges of an ever-developing work environment"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":". The new tools enable better management of time and attention and strengthening participation, enabling everyone to contribute equally regardless of their location.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"Before you go, stay inspired with… \n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Image6169-1614706863405.jpg"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“Good startup founders are good storytellers. When you take the example of any successful politician or agency, you will see they have a good story. Unless you have a good story, you won’t be able to pique any interests.”"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"— "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory-club.mn.co/posts/building-in-india-for-india-lesson-2-challenges-and-opportunities-when-building-a-tech-startup-in-india"},"data":"Saurabh Jain, Founder, Fun2Do Labs"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/newsletters?utm_source=wesbite&utm_medium=dailycapsule","italic":true},"data":"Now get the Daily Capsule in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter today!"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"3rd Mar 2021","publishedDate":"March 03, 2021","hasAccessToRead":true},"pastStories":[],"header":"Today's Capsule","status":"LOADED"},"partnerEvents":{"loading":false,"error":null,"events":[],"isLoading":false,"hasErrored":false},"seriesList":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"data":{"stories":[]}},"series":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{},"stories":[],"path":null,"skip":0,"loadingMore":false,"showMore":false},"liveVideoPage":{"error":false,"errorResponse":false,"messageType":"","message":"","dynamicConfigLoading":true,"isLiveOn":false,"liveJwPlayerNode":null,"liveVideoTitle":null,"liveVideoDescription":null},"pageStatus":{"redirect":null,"notFound":false},"home":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"sections":[]},"author":{"isLoading":true,"error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"hasErrored":false,"propertyInfo":{},"slug":null,"showSpinner":true,"initialDataLoaded":false,"mounted":false},"customTopic":{"isLoading":true,"error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"hasErrored":false,"propertyInfo":{},"showSpinner":true,"initialDataLoaded":false,"mounted":false,"apiRoute":null},"preview":{"error":null,"pageStyle":"PageStyleDefault","data":{"id":null,"title":null,"slug":null,"publishedAt":null,"updatedAt":null,"type":null,"postContent":null,"layout":null,"metadata":{},"brand":{},"timeLapsed":null,"path":null,"reactions":{},"mounted":false,"brandPublisher":null,"audioPlaying":false},"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"date":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"showSpinner":true,"mounted":false},"edit":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","link":null,"error":null},"ystvlanding":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"sections":[]},"latestVideos":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[],"offset":0,"loadingMore":false,"noMore":false},"contactUs":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"userReactions":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"bookmarkedStoryIds":[],"likedStoryIds":[],"stories":[],"reactionType":"","skip":0,"showMore":false},"trending":{"stories":[{"id":192659,"title":"52 countries, 13M+ acres, 4M+ farmers later, how two Jharkhand-born entrepreneurs are building a global agritech giant","slug":"jharkhand-entrepreneurs-global-agritech-giant-cropin","type":"RICH","subtitle":"Indian SaaS-based agritech startup CropIn uses data, analytics, and AI to digitise tens of millions of acres of farmland in 52 countries. Its target market is the world and its 580 million farmers who feed 9.7 billion people.","publishedAt":"2021-02-28T08:21:42.513Z","updatedAt":"2021-03-01T15:03:44.964Z","brand":{"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"name":"Sohini Mitter","username":"sohini","order":0,"path":"/author/sohini"}],"category":{"id":464,"name":"In Depth","slug":"ys-in-depth","path":"/category/ys-in-depth"},"excerpt":"Indian SaaS-based agritech startup CropIn uses data, analytics, and AI to digitise tens of millions of acres of farmland in 52 countries. Its target market is the world and its 580 million farmers who feed 9.7 billion people.","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/604090802d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/scr-1614610933663.jpeg","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/79900dd0d91311e8a16045a90309d734/LKrishnaKumarCEO-RKunalPrasadCo-founder-1581591915859.JPG","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/79900dd0d91311e8a16045a90309d734/LKrishnaKumarCEO-RKunalPrasadCo-founder-1581591915859.JPG","brandSpotlight":null,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"timeToRead":8,"tags":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/02/jharkhand-entrepreneurs-global-agritech-giant-cropin","featured":true,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b3bfb136ab5e11e88691f70342131e20/Images7gb-1600008907205.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"In India’s much-talked-about startup ecosystem and its relatively new innovation-driven economy, if the late-2000s and early 2010s were about the rise of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"consumer internet"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and poster boys in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"ecommerce, foodtech, and mobility "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"in India, and the mid-to-late 2010s, especially post-demonetisation, about fintech explosion, then surely this decade could be about the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"rise of tech-enabled agriculture"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nOr so believe the two "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/100x-entrepreneur-cropin-founder-krishna-kumar-building-agritech-platform"},"data":"Jharkhand-born co-founders of Bengaluru-based "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true,"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/100x-entrepreneur-cropin-founder-krishna-kumar-building-agritech-platform"},"data":"CropIn"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":", "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"one of India’s oldest agritech (or agtech) startups.\n\nWhen CropIn was founded in 2010 by first-time entrepreneurs "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Krishna Kumar, Kunal Prasad"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Chittaranjan Jena"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" (who left the company in 2019), nobody in India — or even in the developed world — was using technology in agriculture.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/604090802d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/scr-1614610933663.jpeg"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Moreover, it was unheard of that someone could quit their cushy jobs in MNCs to get into the agriculture sector. But the CropIn founders did exactly that, soon building a robust \u003cb>SaaS-based farm management platform \u003c/b>that has now scaled to 52 countries and counting."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Today, CropIn, like many other agritech startups such as Fasal, AgNext, Intello Labs, Tartan Sense, Aigroedge, FarmERP, SenseGrass, and Plantix, among others, is at the centre-stage of this"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" sunrise sector"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", which is poised to be "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"worth $22 billion by 2025"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and see the birth of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"India’s first agtech unicorn"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nKrishna explains, “Billions of dollars have been poured into consumer internet and fintech over the years. But the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"next decade belongs to agtech because you need food,"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and if you have to feed 9.7 billion people across the world by 2050, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"farm efficiency must increase "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"by 35 percent to 75 percent.”\n\nAnd, that can only happen if decades-old, orthodox and ill-efficient farming practices are disrupted with new-age technologies and data science — something that CropIn does only too well.\n\n“We wanted to solve complex problems with tech, and build a company that could"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" create a large impact"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". We looked at various sectors and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"chose agriculture because nobody was building technology"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" for it even though farmers were taking their lives or throwing away their crops,” Krishna says.\n\n“So, CropIn began "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"more from an EQ than an IQ point of view "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"because we wanted to "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"transform lives at the bottom of the pyramid."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" We built the tech and offered it to agribusinesses that could improve the life of a farmer,” he says.\n\nAnd, impact and improve it did.\n"}},{"contentType":"html","value":{"html":"\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Zfpd6pqolA\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Impact of CropIn’s agritech solutions \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Ten years since its inception, CropIn has"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" digitised 13 million acres of farmland"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" across six continents and touched over"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" 4 million farmer lives"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Almost "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"60 percent of its annual revenues"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" today come from international markets.\n\nCropIn has worked on"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" 3,500 crop varieties "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"across climatic zones and predicted crop yields with over "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"90 percent accuracy"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". It has engaged with "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"220+ large agri enterprises"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", including agri input companies, commodity traders, seed production companies, agribusinesses, crop insurance providers, farm financiers, government advisories, and international development funds.\n\nIn 2020, CropIn grew by 3X despite the COVID-19 pandemic and is on course to hit "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$100 million ARR in the next five years"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". “We are "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"scaling 3X with existing clients "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"in what is repeat business. The "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"ARPU is doubling "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"gross margins are upward of 85 percent"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":", and we’ve expanded to 58 countries with very little capital. Very few agtech companies have managed to reach this scale,” says the founder.\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"CropIn’s mission is to \u003cb>maximise the per-acre value \u003c/b>of farmland by blending pixel-level satellite images, weather data, predictive analytics, and AI. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Data insights and advisory offered by its proprietary SaaS platforms — "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"SmartFarm"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"SmartRisk"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" — help improve "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"farm traceability and crop output predictability"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", prevent crop diseases, reduce weather damage, increase "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"farm-level efficiency"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and finally, impact the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"livelihoods of farmers"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nCropIn’s other product "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Acresquar"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"e is an a"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"pp for agri-enterprises "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"to connect to farmers, educate them, and share agriculture-related content.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/dc9aa1302d6c11e9aa979329348d4c3e/fc0506d4-8108-4e44-a7fb-55a447407fca-1609998194320.png"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"[Funding alert] Agritech startup CropIn raises $20M in Series C round led by ABC World Asia","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/11718bd02d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/Imagewf2p-1607509774638.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/agritech-startup-funding-cropin-abc-world-asia"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Global scale-up and Series C funding"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":" \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"At the outset, CropIn knew that to scale globally, it had to build a standardised, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"location-agnostic"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"crop-agnostic platform"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" that can manage farm data, and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"improve decision-making for agribusinesses"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" anywhere in the world.\n\nKrishna says, “If you choose a niche crop, you can’t scale. You’re restricted by geography. Our goal was to build a standard operating procedure and a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"global language for farming"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" across crops and climatic zones. As a SaaS company, we were never restricted by geography.”\n\nCropIn started going global in 2016. There were not many "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"B2B agtech platforms "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"at the time. Hence, agri enterprises lapped up CropIn’s offerings and became advocates for the Bengaluru-based agritech startup on a global stage.\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The founder shares, “We were \u003cb>in 13 countries even before raising capital.\u003c/b> If your product is delivering value, you don’t have to wait for money. We knew we had to work with large enterprises and not SMEs because they can build a story and help you go global. \u003cb>Taking the enterprise route really helped us in scaling up fast.\u003c/b> Now we are a global team and building feet on the street.”"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Recently, CropIn also opened an "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"office in Amsterdam"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and will be hiring local talent to drive growth in the European market.\n\nIn January, it raised a"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true,"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/agritech-startup-funding-cropin-abc-world-asia"},"data":"Series C round of $20 million"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/agritech-startup-funding-cropin-abc-world-asia"},"data":" led by PE fund ABC World Asia"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Existing investors "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Chiratae Ventures,"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Invested Development"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Ankur Capital "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"also participated in the round. Other new investors included "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"CDC Group "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"and Kris Gopalakrishnan’s family office Pratithi Investment Trust.\n\nThis round takes CropIn’s "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"total fundraise to about $35 million"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Prior investors are Beenext, Ankur Capital, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.\n\nThe startup will utilise the fresh capital to further "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"expand globally"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" while continuing to scale up its "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"machine-learning-based predictive analytics "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"platform, which has processed over 160 million hectares of land area, and has the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"potential to impact 70 million farmers globally"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in three to five years.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/79900dd0d91311e8a16045a90309d734/LKrishnaKumarCEO-RKunalPrasadCo-founder-1581591915859.JPG","caption":"\u003cp>(L) Krishna Kumar CEO - (R) Kunal Prasad Co-founder\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"This agritech startup by IIT and IIM alumni is bringing fresh produce to your doorstep","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a9efa9c02dd911e9adc52d913c55075e/Imagedx13-1595750071952.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2020/07/mumbai-agritech-farm-to-fork-startup-fraazo"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Team building is key \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"CropIn founders believe that team building is critical in the startup journey.\n\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Co-founder and COO Kunal"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" states, “One of the biggest factors in our success is the team we have built. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"We are 180 people now, going to 250 in the next three to four months"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". We are trying to build a best-in-class agri solution, but we are also looking out for "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"cutting edge talent in data science, product, and sales"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":".”\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Cropin has attracted talent from India’s top B-schools and engineering colleges, and from giant tech firms like Google, Microsoft, and Motorola."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“Before 2014, it was hard to make top talent"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" buy into the vision of CropIn "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"because they wouldn’t believe that something like agtech even exists,” Krishna reveals, “But now, we are flooded with resumés, and we’ve realised that "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"good talent looks to create impact "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"with their work that goes beyond the CTCs.”\n\n“Cropin still has a lot of room to get more new talent,” he adds. \n"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"Coronavirus: This agritech startup is fixing food supply chain with e-mandis","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/5/80396100-2d6d-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e/K_(2)1564671114666.png?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2020/04/agritech-startup-fixing-food-supply-chain-coronavirus-lockdown"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Learnings from the entrepreneurial journey"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":" \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"After a decade of building and growing a startup and taking it global, the founders have"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" learnings that can aid any first-time entrepreneur"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nKrishna recounts the time when he was hiring CropIn’s first employee. “"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"When you hire the first person, you are the HR"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". You’re sitting in an empty room and telling people that this is [potentially] a billion-dollar company,” he says.\n\nHe goes on to add, “When you sell your product to the first customer, you learn sales. When you sell your vision to investors that you’ll be at $100 million ARR in five years, you learn finance. You learn so much on this phenomenal journey."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" I was a tech guy, but I transformed into a sales and customer experience guy"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" — a journey that may not have been possible at GE [his past organisation].”\n\nCo-founder Kunal weighs in with his learnings — "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"‘talk less, listen more’"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", especially if you operate in a 100-year-old industry like agriculture.\n\nHe elaborates, “It is a continuous learning journey. This industry talks problems. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"So if you listen in, it gives you an insight into what you have to solve and translate those problems into products and services.”"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The other learning, Kunal says, is to \u003cb>sometimes go overboard with your customers and push for a product to make them see the business impact\u003c/b> it can create. “All our smart agri and climate products got adopted that way,” he says."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"But perhaps the real learning is in the age-old tip that all successful entrepreneurs swear by: believe in yourself. As Krishna aptly signs off by saying, “"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"We (CropIn) have reached the boardrooms of the world. The rest — capital, people, media attention — will follow."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" You just need to believe in the story you are building. And not give up too early.”\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"28th Feb 2021","publishedDate":"February 28, 2021"},{"id":191425,"title":"[The Turning Point] Why these sisters decided to launch an ecommerce startup for Made in India brands","slug":"why-sisters-launch-fashion-ecommerce-startup-made-in-india","type":"RICH","subtitle":"The Turning Point is a series of short articles that focuses on the moment when an entrepreneur hit upon their winning idea. Today, we look at Pune and Kochi-based Maneraa, which aims to shine the spotlight on small, unbranded fashion and lifestyle retailers.","publishedAt":"2021-02-19T23:45:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2021-02-20T17:04:15.621Z","brand":{"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"name":"Rashi Varshney","username":"rashi-varshney","order":0,"path":"/author/rashi-varshney"}],"category":{"id":394,"name":"Startup","slug":"ys-startup","path":"/category/ys-startup"},"excerpt":"The Turning Point is a series of short articles that focuses on the moment when an entrepreneur hit upon their winning idea. Today, we look at Pune and Kochi-based Maneraa, which aims to shine the spotlight on small, unbranded fashion and lifestyle retailers.","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/2020113017101621-1613719629424.jpg","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/2020113017101621-1613719629424.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/2020113017101621-1613719629424.jpg","brandSpotlight":null,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"timeToRead":3,"tags":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/02/why-sisters-launch-fashion-ecommerce-startup-made-in-india","featured":true,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Sometimes a problem leads to an idea, and that idea becomes a venture. This is what happened with "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"sisters Shabna Salam and Shaiba Salam"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and led them to launch their "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"lifestyle and fashion ecommerce platform Maneraa "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"in 2019. \n\nThe sister realised that fashion is no longer the domain of the urban elite, and decided to focus on youth in Tier II and III cities with their curated platform. The Pune-based ecommerce startup is "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"“made in India, made for India”. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n“Increased internet penetration and smartphone usage have led to a significant rise in first-time online shoppers, especially in the non-metros and Tier II and III cities. Maneraa is looking forward to extending its reach to those first-time online shoppers,” Shabna says.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"The eureka moment\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Shabna, a dentist by profession, and Shaiba, a commerce graduate, quit their jobs in 2019 when they got an opportunity to be a part of a Dubai-based online aggregator for Indian ethnic fashion. While working with that firm, the sisters came across "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"a lot of smaller brands and retailers from India that lacked market exposure despite the ecommerce boom in the country."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"\n\nShabna claims about 70 percent of the $100 billion Indian fashion retail space comprises unorganised and unbranded retailers, smaller brands, and unknown designers. They either have no online presence or get lost among the bigger names on large platforms.\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":" “We realised that there was an untapped opportunity in this space. We thought of creating a platform for these smaller brands and budding designers, and giving them an opportunity to display their unique collections and compete with bigger brands,” Shabna says. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The sisters immediately started figuring out the way forward. They knew they needed sophisticated technology to compete with the likes of Amazon and Myntra. They researched and spoke to family and friends, and finally joined hands with a family friend, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Prince Jose, their technology partner who helped build the Maneraa platform"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/2020113017101621-1613719629424.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>The two founders of Maneraa.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"[The Turning Point] How these two entrepreneurs are saving the planet with their clean energy startup ","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/TP2-1611915368348.png?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/the-turning-point-entrepreneurs-clean-energy-startup-safearth"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Plans for the future\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":" “Maneraa will craft a space in the ecommerce market, letting our buyers choose from hundreds of brands with new designs that have been created by talented yet unrecognised designers from around the country,” says Shabna, Co-Founder and Director, Maneraa. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"She says the idea is to recognise the potential of small, unbranded fashion and lifestyle retailers, to help them manage quality, and give them an opportunity to share their unique products with the India-wide market on an online platform."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"With its headquarters in Pune and an office in Kochi, Maneraa has a team of 15 people, working towards building a platform that bridges the gap between aspiration and access, for both buyers and sellers, and can stand tall amidst the likes of Myntra, Nykaa Fashion, Limeroad, Amazon Fashion, and others.\n\nThe ecommerce startup has "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"more than 80 sellers listed on its platform with over 9,000 stock-keeping units "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"(SKUs). In 2021, the company aims to onboard over 500 unique sellers to cater to more than two million buyers across India. In the last couple of months, it has "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"completed around 10,000 orders across cities "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"such as Kochi, Bengaluru, Pune, Trivandrum, Calicut, and others.\n\nThe sisters have bootstrapped the startup with seed investment of Rs 1 crore so far, but are now "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"looking for funding to scale operations "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"and support the growth they are planning in 2021.\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"20th Feb 2021","publishedDate":"February 20, 2021"},{"id":192337,"title":"How a small-town boy hustled his way to the US, became an entrepreneur\n","slug":"bits-pilani-alum-ashish-garg-journey-from-uttarakhand-to-california-startup-eltropy","type":"RICH","subtitle":"Growing up in Dehradun, Eltropy Co-founder, Ashish Garg, dreamt of going to the US, working with computers and having his own startup; all of which he realised. This is his story.\n","publishedAt":"2021-02-25T23:45:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2021-02-26T18:06:43.428Z","brand":{"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"name":"Ramarko Sengupta","username":"ramarko-1555424155","order":0,"path":"/author/ramarko-1555424155"}],"category":{"id":1104,"name":"Inspiration","slug":"inspiration","path":"/category/inspiration"},"excerpt":"Growing up in Dehradun, Eltropy Co-founder, Ashish Garg, dreamt of going to the US, working with computers and having his own startup. All of which he realised. This is his story.\n","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Imagece7s-1614252089978.jpg","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Imagece7s-1614252089978.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Imagece7s-1614252089978.jpg","brandSpotlight":null,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"timeToRead":7,"tags":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/02/bits-pilani-alum-ashish-garg-journey-from-uttarakhand-to-california-startup-eltropy","featured":true,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Ashish Garg"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" grew up in the small town of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Dehradun"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", in a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"middle class"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" household, where his father was a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"bank clerk"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and mother, a homemaker. Ashish’s parents wanted the best for their children, sending him and his sister to a private school in the city, Cambrian Hall. A bright student, Ashish was on top of his class throughout high school, graduating as the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"district topper"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":" “I always wanted to be a computer engineer and start my own company. I knew it from childhood, as early as ninth grade,” "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"he tells "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"YourStory"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" over a Zoom call, from his "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"residence on a hilltop in San Jose, California, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"where he has his own "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"tech startup"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" called "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Eltropy"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" today. \nHis love for computers started around the same time (Class 9), when his father gifted him his first computer, a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"‘Pentium x486’."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Image84fr-1614252522776.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Eltropy Co-founder Ashish Garg\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Outside his day job at the bank, Ashish’s father tried his hand at "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"several businesses"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" (five to be precise) on the side, none of which really worked out. Until one day, his sixth venture, a real estate business took off, around the turn of the millennium, when Dehradun became the capital of the newly formed state of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Uttarakhand"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". The significant milestone coincided with the time when Ashish was about to graduate from the prestigious "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS, Pilani"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", with a degree in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" This watershed moment reinforced Ashish’s belief in the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"spirit of entrepreneurship"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"perseverance"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". “23 years he stuck to it. Perseverance was the biggest lesson I learnt from seeing that,” Ashish says.\n\nThe other big influence came through "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Hotmail"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" Founder, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Sabeer Bhatia"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", also a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS, Pilani alum"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". \n“In ’97 when I joined BITS, Hotmail came out of nowhere. Within 18 months it got "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"sold to Microsoft for $500 million"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Sabeer Bhaita was a BITS alum. He founded the company in ’96 and by December ’97 it’s sold off. If he can do it, why can’t I?,” Ashish remembers telling himself back then.\n\nBut he knew that he’d have to start earning first, before taking the entrepreneurial plunge. In his fourth year at BITS, he took the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"CAT"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" (Common Admission Test) and got interview calls from all the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"IIMs"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", securing admission at six of them. Some of his classmates started preparing for "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"GRE"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":" (Graduate Record Examinations), a standardised test for admission to most graduate schools in the US. Ashish decided to give it a go. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“I was always fascinated with America, because it was looked at as the land of computers. Growing up, I had always wanted to go there, live there,” he says."}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"How a Kanpur boy built two billion-dollar startups out of India\n","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Imageol0v-1609842102536.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/how-a-kanpur-boy-built-two-unicorns-inmobi-glance-naveen-tewari-profile"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"The promised land\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Letting go of the IIMs, Ashish landed up at the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"University of California (UC), Santa Barbara "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"for an MS in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Electrical Engineering"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". He finished his two-year course in 12 months, but getting a job at that time proved to be difficult, as the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"dot com bust "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"had happened. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Hustling and not giving up were two things he had picked up from his dad early on. He was not ready to give up on his American dream yet."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"So he decided to come down to "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"San Jose"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", where three of his "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS classmates"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" were in graduate programmes at the hallowed "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Stanford University"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". He "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"struck a deal"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" with his former classmates. “I will be a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"house help"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" for you, cook and clean for you, just let me "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"stay rent-free"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Just let me be here, to be "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"close to Stanford"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", where there could be "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"recruitment opportunities"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":",” he told them.\n\nBut how would a non-Stanford alum attract recruiters who were eyeing talent from there? That’s where the big "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"American hustle"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":" came in. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"He asked his friends to pass on business cards of recruiters on campus, who they were not interested in. The idea was that he would get in touch and convince those recruiters to hire him. "}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Image7r6m-1614254604008.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Ashish became a house help for his friends to live rent-free, till he got a job.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Fortune favours the brave, as the adage goes, and a cold email to a semiconductor company did the trick. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Although his heart was in software, he got into hardware and started his career in customer support, answering tech questions. He "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"worked there for a decade"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" so that he could get his "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"green card"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", which states permanent residency in the US. While there, he rose in the ranks and the company even sponsored an "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"executive MBA "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"for him at the reputed "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n“As soon as I finished my MBA, I got my green card. I "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"quit my job and took up the riskiest option"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":". I had three options-- become a CXO at the company, get another job as a Wharton alum, or start up.” \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"His \u003cb>wife\u003c/b> who was an \u003cb>Engineering Manager\u003c/b> at \u003cb>SAP\u003c/b>, encouraged him to finally pursue his long cherished dream of entrepreneurship, taking on the financial responsibilities of the house herself."}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Ashish-Ranjeeta-1614255104559.jpeg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Ashish with his wife, Ranjeeta, during their early days in the US\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"And thus, he "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"co-founded Eltropy"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" with "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Chandra Bhople"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS super-senior"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" (23 years to be exact) in 2013. Eltropy is a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"global software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" that enables businesses to connect with their customers on SMS (short messaging service) and text messaging apps, such as "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"WhatsApp"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"iMessage"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", WeChat, Line, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Facebook Messenger"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", KakaoTalk, Telegram, and Viber. Within 18 months of launch, the startup landed a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"million-dollar deal"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"; in two years its annual recurring revenue (ARR) stood at $1.2 million.\n"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"Quit his job to start up with just 3 people, built a billion-dollar business\n","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Image92yw-1607518003161.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2020/12/rashesh-shah-profile-edelweiss-startup"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"The startup journey\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Eltropy enables "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"financial institutions"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" such as "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"banks"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"insurance companies"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" to communicate with their clients over text messaging in a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"secure"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)-compliant way. Using the startup’s SaaS platform, various verticals within financial institutions such as lending, collections, sales, marketing, service, risk management, and internal communications are able to leverage text messaging to "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"boost member engagement and enhance experience"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Eltropy also integrates with credit union software and technology solutions such as Symitar and Corelation, and uses analytics to provide "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"engagement insights."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n“The problem with using personal Whatsapp or other messengers is that sensitive and private data is not safe there. We give the banks an app that goes through a web browser, the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"employee can never copy or share any of the data"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" that’s being received from customers, there are privacy layers.”\n\nTo be sure, there is "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Whatsapp Business"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", but in the US, SMS is the more popular and the preferred mode of texting. Other competitors include the likes of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Zipwhip"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Shastic"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":". \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“The difference is that we are solving for financial services, which have unique requirements in terms of data privacy, regulation, and security,” says Ashish."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The 47-member Eltropy team services "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"158 clients"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", of which 150 are credit unions in the US, while the rest are banks and insurance companies in the other parts of the world. A credit union is typically a not-for-profit, member-owned financial institution, which provides traditional banking services, similar to a commercial bank.\n\nThe startup closed the previous calendar year at "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$5 million ARR"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and is on track to triple it to around "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$15 million by December"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" this year, according to Ashish. It "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"broke even"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"2018"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and has stayed profitable since. In 2015, it raised "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$1 million"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"angel funding"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" from "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS Sparks Angel Network"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", the highest so far from the alumni-backed network. As many as 25 BITS alumni participated in the round. Currently, Eltropy is actively talking to a number American funds to raise a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Series A"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in the range of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$15-18 million. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"26th Feb 2021","publishedDate":"February 26, 2021"},{"id":192924,"title":"This Chennai-based startup builds unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army\n","slug":"chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles","type":"RICH","subtitle":"Founded in 2019, defence tech startup Torus Robotics is designing, developing, and delivering fully electric unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army.\n","publishedAt":"2021-03-02T03:54:26.964Z","updatedAt":"2021-03-02T04:51:48.296Z","brand":{"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"name":"Shreya Ganguly","username":"shreya-1585037328","order":0,"path":"/author/shreya-1585037328"}],"category":{"id":394,"name":"Startup","slug":"ys-startup","path":"/category/ys-startup"},"excerpt":"Founded in 2019, defence tech startup Torus Robotics is developing and delivering fully electric unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army.\n","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/TOrus-1614610316408.jpg","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg","brandSpotlight":null,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"timeToRead":4,"tags":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles","featured":true,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The Indian government has been calling for innovators to leverage technology to build solutions for the defence sector. Earlier in February, at an industry event, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh revealed that the government is "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"aiming to bring down defence imports by at least $2 billion by 2022"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/TOrus-1614610316408.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Image Credit: Torus Robotics\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"While pursuing their mechatronics engineering degree, SRM University alumni "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar, and K.Abbhi Vignesh"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" set out to build solutions for the Indian defence sector. \n\nIn 2019, the trio launched Torus Robotics in Chennai to help the Indian Armed forces with "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"modular Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) that could cater to diverse mission requirements"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\n Co-founder and Director Vignesh M tells "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"YourStory "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"that the trio opted out of campus placements and decided to get into defence robotics solutions.\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“It was the same time when India and the Indian Armed Forces suffered its worst loss in 20 years when four heavily armed terrorists launched a grenade attack at a camp in Uri on September 18, 2016. This was our eureka moment and we decided to develop Unmanned Systems to aid and safeguard the lives of our Indian Armed Forces,” he says."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Torus was launched exactly three years after the Uri attack — post rigorous research and multiple interactions with the Indian Armed forces to understand their requirements.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/StartupSnapshot-1614610774595.png","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Illustration: YS Design\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"[Tech30] How marine robotics startup EyeROV is improving inspection of offshore assets\n\n","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/dc9aa1302d6c11e9aa979329348d4c3e/IMG2019042610135511-1603700478084.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2020/10/tech30-marine-robotics-startup-eyerov-offshore-assets"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Building solutions for defence\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Torus Robotics is involved in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"designing, developing, and delivering fully electric unmanned ground vehicles "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"for the Indian defence services equipped with a 6DOF (six degrees of freedom), a robotic arm for detection, identification, and disposal of life menacing unidentified objects.\n\nAccording to the co-founder, the startup has built "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Mobile Autonomous Robotic System (MARS) UGV for Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". \n\nTorus Robotics has been recognised by Startup India, and also "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"won the label of “Pioneer Defence Innovator” by IDEX-DIO"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Mars-1614610864990.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);\">Mobile Autonomous Robotic System (MARS) UGV. [Image Credit: Torus Robotics]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Apart from this, the startup offers lightweight and compact electric motors to the Indian Electric Automotive Sector to meet the demand for an indigenous powertrain. \n\n“At present, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"about 95 percent of powertrains are imported from China"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Unlike commercially imported electric motors in the market, Torus’s indigenous electric motors are 50 percent lighter, 15 percent more efficient, and 10 percent more cost-effective, making them highly suitable for Indian EV applications,” Vignesh adds.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Business and more\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Vignesh reveals that the founders "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"invested over Rs 50 lakh in Torus and also raised undisclosed capital"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" from Raghunandan Jagdish, MD and CEO of Nandan GSE Pvt Ltd, and received innovation grants from the Centre and Tamil Nadu government.\n\n“Raising funds for a hardware startup, especially with defence or government as the target market, is not so easy in India as it requires high upfront capital. We had to go through a lot of challenges in raising funds to build our prototypes,” he adds.\n\nThe co-founder explains that "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"a startup needs to have a prototype to raise funds while hardware startups need to raise funds for building the prototype"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in the first place due to high costs. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\u003cb>“So the hardware startups are stuck in this loop. While this is the case for regular hardware startups, defence hardware startups require even higher capital for prototype development. Grants are the only source, which we could find to develop the prototype, while even those could just satisfy 10 percent of the total prototype funding,” he adds.\u003c/b>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"While not revealing much about the startup’s clientele, Vignesh says that "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Torus Robotics recently signed an MOU with BEML (Bharat Earth Movers Limited) for developing AI-based UGV"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and also has pilot orders for its indigenous motors from leading electric vehicle manufacturers. \n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/powertrain-1614611199727.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Electric Powertrain [Image Credit: Torus Robotics]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"Self-reliance in manufacturing defence equipment crucial for India’s strategic autonomy: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a09f22505c6411ea9c48a10bad99c62f/Imageb0x2-1612528201741.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/02/self-reliant-manufacturing-defence-equipment-crucial-rajnath-singh"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"He claims that Torus is the first startup in India building UGVs for the armed forces and competes with foreign manufacturers. California-based SMP Robotics Systems Corp is also involved in building UGVs for outdoor security and inspection tasks.\n \nIndia has around "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"194 "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true,"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/republic-day-2021-startups-building-innovative-tech-supporting-defence"},"data":"defence tech"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" startups"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" that are building innovative tech solutions to empower and support the country’s defence efforts. While startups such as Torus are working to provide a security solution on the ground, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Kochi-based EyeROV"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"is "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true,"link":"https://yourstory.com/2020/10/tech30-marine-robotics-startup-eyerov-offshore-assets"},"data":"building"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for underwater inspection"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nMeanwhile, Mumbai-based ideaForge is involved in the manufacturing of drone for defence, homeland security, and industrial applications.\n\n“We offer"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" indigenous and modular UGVs to the Indian armed forces"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", which not only increases the self-reliance of the Indian defence, but also enables them to utilise the UGVs for various missions through its modular plug and play systems,” he adds \n\nVignesh also revealed that the company is"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" looking to commercialise its electric motors in the next three months."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\nSpeaking about the future, he adds “We are now "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"looking for strategic partners, capital allocators, and government grants to further develop our technology"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", expand our team and commercialise our products.”\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"2nd Mar 2021","publishedDate":"March 02, 2021"}],"status":"LOADED","error":null,"storiesList":{"0":{"isLoading":false,"error":null,"stories":[],"hasErrored":false}}},"companyLanding":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{"id":null,"name":null,"slug":null,"subtitle":null,"logo":{"url":null},"description":null,"vision":null,"website":null,"foundingYear":null,"closingYear":null,"employeeCount":null,"socialLinks":{}},"awards":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"people":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"fundings":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"stories":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"adjacents":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{}}},"influencerLanding":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{"id":null,"name":null,"username":null,"subtitle":null,"profilePicture":{"url":null},"bio":null,"website":null,"socialLinks":{},"banner":{"url":null}},"awards":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"stories":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"companies":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"adjacents":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{}}},"awards":{"data":null,"start":1,"end":20,"rankData":[],"isRankLoading":false,"showMore":null,"rankError":null,"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"companyProfile":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"data":{},"options":{"data":{"revenueStreamTypes":[],"geolocationTypes":[],"employeeSizeTypes":[],"milestoneTypes":[],"incomeTypes":[],"businessSizeTypes":[],"businessModelTypes":[],"fundingStatusTypes":[],"sectorTypes":[],"fundingRoundTypes":[]},"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"validation":{"data":{},"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null},"city":[],"isUpdating":false,"stories":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"relatedCompanies":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"latest":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{}},"isEdited":false,"updateSuccess":null,"updateFailed":null},"profilesLanding":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"sections":[],"bannerData":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"}},"webinar":{"registrationData":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null},"relatedStories":null,"isRegistered":null,"feedbackFormSubmitted":null,"feedbackForm":null,"questions":{"data":[],"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"submitStatus":"NOT_LOADED","webinarConfig":null,"upcomingWebinars":[]},"ystvLandingV2":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"sections":[],"userWebinarRegistrations":null},"ystvListing":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","webinars":[],"upcoming":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","webinars":[],"error":null},"skip":0,"showMore":false,"loadingMore":false,"error":null,"metadataInfo":{"data":{},"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"}},"header":{"showHeader":true},"companyConnect":{"connectReasonList":[],"updateStatus":"NOT_LOADED"}} million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!Image : ShutterstockOr, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.THEY PROBABLY KNOW OTHER VCS' PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOU'D THINKYou might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.THEY KNOW OF SECRET OPPORTUNITIESAs I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.THEY CAN PUMP YOUR SEARCH WITH STEROIDSI've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.“BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY VC FRIENDS!”Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.All the best!(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","url":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","inLanguage":"en","name":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend","datePublished":"2016-07-27T08:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2016-07-27T08:00:00.000Z","description":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://yourstory.com/#website","url":"https://yourstory.com/","name":"Yourstory","headline":"Yourstory","description":"YourStory | Stories from the Startups, Business, SMEs, Research, Entrepreneurs, Social, Women, Automotive and other sectors","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yourstory","alternateName":["YourStory","Yourstory Media Pvt Ltd","Yourstory Media"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/static/logos/publisher-logo.png","width":292,"height":60,"caption":"YourStory Media"},"url":"https://yourstory.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/yourstorycom","https://twitter.com/YourStoryCo","https://www.youtube.com/user/yourstorytv","https://instagram.com/yourstory_com","http://plus.google.com/111272339013288238153","https://in.linkedin.com/company/yourstory-com"]}}}}

Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend

By Pratik Agarwal|27th Jul 2016
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Your VC friends know their portfolio better than your research

You'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.

I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-1-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format\" data-alt=\"Image : Shutterstock\" data-caption=\" Image : Shutterstock\" style=\"width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents lazyimg\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&blur=500\" alt=\"Image : Shutterstock\" style=\"width: 100%; height:auto\" data-src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-size: 15px; color: #aaa; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px\"> Image : Shutterstock\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003cp>Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in \u003cem>real\u003c/em> trouble?\u003c/p>\u003cp>So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-2-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They know of secret opportunities \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.\u003c/p>\u003cp>And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?\u003c/p>\u003cdiv id=\"newsletter-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003cp>Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They can pump your search with steroids \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”\u003c/p>\u003cp>Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.\u003c/p>\u003cp>Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-4-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>“But I don't have any VC friends!” \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!\u003c/p>\u003cp>Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.\u003c/p>\u003cp>And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.\u003c/p>\u003cp>All the best!\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cem>(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-5-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003c/div>","paywalledPostContent":null,"layout":"DEFAULT","metadata":{"authors":[{"id":"96db8431-2d6b-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e","user_id":"96db8430-2d6b-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e","name":"Pratik Agarwal","username":"pratik-agarwal","bio":"Pratik is part of the SaaS investing team at SAIF Partners. In his previous roles, he has worked as Product Manager for Remind and Airbnb. He is a kaizen enthusiast and is currently working on his writing abilities","bioText":"Pratik is part of the SaaS investing team at SAIF Partners. In his previous roles, he has worked as Product Manager for Remind and Airbnb. He is a kaizen enthusiast and is currently working on his writing abilities","imageUrl":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/userphoto/34788.jpg","order":0,"visibility":true,"google":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":"https://twitter.com/harvarddesi","linkedin":null,"website":null,"path":"/author/pratik-agarwal"}],"brandSpotlight":null,"canonicalUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","category":{"id":99,"name":"Resources","slug":"resources","path":"/category/resources"},"facebook":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend"},"generic":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend","keywords":"Investment, VC, Startup, Private equity, Social Media, Networking"},"twitter":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend"},"banner":null,"parallaxBanner":false,"locale":"en_US","tags":[{"id":76091,"name":"Startup","slug":"startup","locale":"en_GB","order":2,"path":"/tag/startup"},{"id":80539,"name":"Investment","slug":"investment","locale":"en_GB","order":0,"path":"/tag/investment"},{"id":81119,"name":"VC","slug":"vc","locale":"en_GB","order":1,"path":"/tag/vc"},{"id":100599,"name":"socialmedia","slug":"socialmedia","locale":"en_GB","order":4,"path":"/tag/socialmedia"},{"id":100944,"name":"Private equity","slug":"private-equity","locale":"en_GB","order":3,"path":"/tag/private-equity"},{"id":215199,"name":"Networking","slug":"networking","locale":"en_GB","order":5,"path":"/tag/networking"}],"timeToRead":3,"plainText":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!Image : ShutterstockOr, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.THEY PROBABLY KNOW OTHER VCS' PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOU'D THINKYou might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.THEY KNOW OF SECRET OPPORTUNITIESAs I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.THEY CAN PUMP YOUR SEARCH WITH STEROIDSI've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.“BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY VC FRIENDS!”Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.All the best!(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)","hasInstagramEmbeds":false,"hasSoundCloudEmbeds":false,"hasTwitterEmbeds":false,"sponsoredStory":false,"storyUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","editors":[]},"brand":{"id":2,"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","internal":true,"path":"/"},"timeLapsed":"27th Jul 2016","path":"/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","reactions":{},"mounted":false,"brandPublisher":null,"loadingStatus":"LOADED","audioPlaying":false,"imported":true,"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"featured":false,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"Your VC friends know their portfolio better than your research\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"You'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.\nI've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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52 countries, 13M+ acres, 4M+ farmers later, how two Jharkhand-born entrepreneurs are building a global agritech giant

[The Turning Point] Why these sisters decided to launch an ecommerce startup for Made in India brands

How a small-town boy hustled his way to the US, became an entrepreneur

This Chennai-based startup builds unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army

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Read the full story

Latest

Updates from around the world

‘Problem finding comes before problem solving’ – 40 quotes of the week from Indian startup journeys

[YS Learn] It is life after each setback and not the failure that defines you, says upGrad co-founder Ronnie Screwvala

The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination

How HackerEarth co-founder’s 7-month-old coding startup made it to Y Combinator’s Winter Batch ’21

[Product Roadmap] How a focus on simplicity and user experience got MoneyTap the scale it was looking for

[Startup Bharat] This Patna school dropout mentors aspiring entrepreneurs in small-town India

million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format","caption":" Image : Shutterstock"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"real"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" trouble?\nSo here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.\nEven if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They know of secret opportunities \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.\nAnd that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?\nNote: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They can pump your search with steroids \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”\nGood news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.\nMoreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"“But I don't have any VC friends!” \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!\nJust do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.\nAnd if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.\nAll the best!\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)"}}],"publishedDate":"July 27, 2016","hasAccessToRead":true}},"storyIdsList":[64122],"bannerData":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"}},"articleLatest":{"isLoading":false,"error":null,"stories":[{"id":192973,"title":"‘Problem finding comes before problem solving’ – 40 quotes of the week from Indian startup journeys","slug":"quotes-entrepreneurship-problem-innovation","type":"RICH","subtitle":"From idea to implementation, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these quotes, excerpts, and stories! 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Disruptive Startups","slug":"50-disruptive-startups-of-india-2019","path":"/awards/50-disruptive-startups-of-india-2019"},{"displayName":"Tech30","slug":"tech-30-2020","path":"/awards/tech-30-2020"},{"displayName":"YourStory's 100 Digital Influencers of 2020","slug":"yourstorys-100-digital-influencers-of-2020","path":"/awards/yourstorys-100-digital-influencers-of-2020"}],"displayLimit":3}}},"property":{"isLoading":true,"error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"hasErrored":false,"propertyInfo":{},"apiRoute":null,"showSpinner":true,"initialDataLoaded":false,"mounted":false,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"notification":{"count":0,"list":[]},"notificationsPage":{"list":[],"endOfList":false,"offset":0,"isLoading":null,"error":false,"errorResponse":false,"messageType":"","message":""},"newsletters":{"isLoading":true,"hasErrored":false,"error":null,"newsletters":[],"subscriptions":[],"newslettersData":null,"cities":[]},"dailyCapsule":{"data":{"id":193121,"title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination","slug":"cybersecurity-threat-covid19-vaccination-phonepe-moneytap","subtitle":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process.","publishedAt":"2021-03-03T00:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2021-03-03T00:31:33.558Z","type":"RICH","imported":false,"postContent":"\u003cdiv class=\"quill-content\">\u003cp>Bill Conner knew one thing that would be very important in the digital world — security. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Just before 9/11, he had briefed NATO, and said: “We’ve learnt how to win wars in the air, land, and sea, but the next war will be cyber, and we are ill-equipped.”  \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Today, as the \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19\">President and CEO of SonicWall, Bill’s work revolves around cybersecurity and malware\u003c/a>. The Princeton and Wharton alum is one of the most experienced security, data, and infrastructure executives in the world, having closely worked with governments, the White House, the Hill, and the NSA.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-1-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372241\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png\" data-alt=\"Bill Conner\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372241\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png\" alt=\"Bill Conner\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003cp>Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>He says cybercriminals are opening new cyberattack vectors on global deployment and recalibrating their attacks to target the “cold chain” — the supply chain that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines that need cold temperatures. \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19\">Read more\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003ch3>The Interview\u003c/h3>\u003cp>Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital and Manipal Global Education, believes that the Indian startup ecosystem can still grow amid the current challenges and have 100 unicorns by 2025. But how will India’s soonicorns overcome the current crisis and remain on their path to becoming India’s next unicorns? \u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-2-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>He lets in on a secret: “If you can create the image of growth, and show investors that you are the next big bet, the market and investors will both reward you. After all, every investor wants to know the next unicorn.”\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"externalHtml embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-val=\"\u003ciframe width="1022" height="574" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wbdIv_pXckE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\">\u003cdiv class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\">\u003ciframe width=\"1022\" height=\"574\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/wbdIv_pXckE\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003ch3>Editor’s Pick: Product Roadmap\u003c/h3>\u003cp>In early 2015, Bala Parthasarathy realised that India was at the cusp of a digital transformation. Consumers were getting familiar with apps and online shopping, but a gap persisted in the financial world. Most banks and NBFCs weren’t catering to the middle-class population that was increasingly going online. This pervasive problem led Bala and serial entrepreneurs Anuj Kacker and Kunal Verma to found MoneyTap in 2016. \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/product-roadmap-fintech-startup-moneytap\">Read more\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv id=\"newsletter-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372242\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a9efa9c02dd911e9adc52d913c55075e/PM1-1614692063719.png\" data-alt=\"Product roadmap - MoneyTap\" data-caption=\"\u003cp>Founders of MoneyTap\u003c/p>\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372242\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a9efa9c02dd911e9adc52d913c55075e/PM1-1614692063719.png\" alt=\"Product roadmap - MoneyTap\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003cp>Founders of MoneyTap\u003c/p>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003chr>\u003ch3>Startup Spotlight\u003c/h3>\u003cp>\u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles\">Building unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>The Indian government has been calling for innovators to leverage technology to build solutions for the defence sector. SRM University alumni M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar, and K.Abbhi Vignesh set out to build solutions for the Indian defence sector. In 2019, the trio launched Torus Robotics in Chennai to help the Indian Armed forces with modular Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) that could cater to diverse mission requirements. \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles\">Read more\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372243\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg\" data-alt=\"Torus Robotics founders\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372243\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg\" alt=\"Torus Robotics founders\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003chr>\u003ch3>News & Updates\u003c/h3>\u003cul>\u003cli>Starlink, a high-speed internet service led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, is now \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/elon-musk-ultra-fast-internet-starlink-pre-booking-india\">available in India for pre-booking\u003c/a>. The service will start functioning in the country from 2022 through SpaceX satellites that will be launched in orbit. \u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-4-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cul>\u003cli>\u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/fintech-giant-phonepe-billion-transactions-spun-off-flipkart\">PhonePe said it had recorded over 1.07 billion total transactions\u003c/a> in February, across UPI, cards, and wallets, helped by a rise in offline payments across lower-tier cities. It processed 970 million UPI transactions in February, continuing its steady rise over the last few months.\u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cul>\u003cli>India's first auction of \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/spectrum-auction-ends-jio-tops-buyer\">telecom spectrum in five years ended on Tuesday with Rs 77,814.80 crore \u003c/a>of airwaves being bought, mostly by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio. Over 2,250 MHz of spectrum was offered for bidding in the auction that began on Monday.\u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cul>\u003cli>\u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/karnataka-government-launches-engineering-rd-policy\">Karnataka state government launched its Engineering R&D (ER&D) Policy 2021\u003c/a>, a first-of-its-kind state-level policy to foster innovation. It is aimed at enabling the state to contribute about 45 percent of India's engineering R&D economy.\u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-5-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cul>\u003cli>Google has updated Google Workspace to \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/google-workspace-assistant-new-productivity-collaborative-features\">meet the challenges of an ever-developing work environment\u003c/a>. The new tools enable better management of time and attention and strengthening participation, enabling everyone to contribute equally regardless of their location.\u003c/li>\u003c/ul>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003ch3>Before you go, stay inspired with… \u003c/h3>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372246\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Image6169-1614706863405.jpg\" data-alt=\"Saurabh Jain\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372246\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Image6169-1614706863405.jpg\" alt=\"Saurabh Jain\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003cblockquote>“Good startup founders are good storytellers. When you take the example of any successful politician or agency, you will see they have a good story. Unless you have a good story, you won’t be able to pique any interests.”\u003c/blockquote>\u003cp>— \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory-club.mn.co/posts/building-in-india-for-india-lesson-2-challenges-and-opportunities-when-building-a-tech-startup-in-india\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Saurabh Jain, Founder, Fun2Do Labs\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003cp>\u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/newsletters?utm_source=wesbite&utm_medium=dailycapsule\">\u003cem>Now get the Daily Capsule in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter today!\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-6-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003c/div>","layout":"DEFAULT","brand":{"id":2,"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","internal":true,"path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"id":"fdce4301-2d69-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e","user_id":null,"name":"Team YS","username":"webmaster","imageUrl":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/static/default-ys-image.jpg","order":0,"visibility":true,"google":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"linkedin":null,"website":null,"path":"/author/webmaster"}],"brandSpotlight":null,"category":{"id":1504,"name":"Daily Capsule","slug":"daily-capsule","path":"/category/daily-capsule"},"facebook":{"excerpt":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. ","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination"},"generic":{"excerpt":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. ","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination","keywords":"Indian Startup, Mohandas Pai, MoneyTap, Google Workspace"},"twitter":{"excerpt":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. ","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination"},"banner":null,"parallaxBanner":false,"locale":"en_GB","tags":[{"id":117224,"name":"Indian Startup","slug":"indian-startup","locale":"en_GB","order":1,"path":"/tag/indian-startup"},{"id":126529,"name":"Mohandas Pai","slug":"mohandas-pai","locale":"en_GB","order":2,"path":"/tag/mohandas-pai"},{"id":399759,"name":"MoneyTap","slug":"moneytap","locale":"en_GB","order":0,"path":"/tag/moneytap"},{"id":633433,"name":"Google Workspace","slug":"google-workspace","description":"google feature","locale":"en_GB","order":3,"path":"/tag/google-workspace"}],"timeToRead":4,"plainText":"Bill Conner knew one thing that would be very important in the digital world — security. \n\nJust before 9/11, he had briefed NATO, and said: “We’ve learnt how to win wars in the air, land, and sea, but the next war will be cyber, and we are ill-equipped.”  \n\nToday, as the President and CEO of SonicWall, Bill’s work revolves around cybersecurity and malware. The Princeton and Wharton alum is one of the most experienced security, data, and infrastructure executives in the world, having closely worked with governments, the White House, the Hill, and the NSA.\nNow, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. \n\nHe says cybercriminals are opening new cyberattack vectors on global deployment and recalibrating their attacks to target the “cold chain” — the supply chain that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines that need cold temperatures. Read more. \n\nThe Interview\nMohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital and Manipal Global Education, believes that the Indian startup ecosystem can still grow amid the current challenges and have 100 unicorns by 2025. But how will India’s soonicorns overcome the current crisis and remain on their path to becoming India’s next unicorns? \n\nHe lets in on a secret: “If you can create the image of growth, and show investors that you are the next big bet, the market and investors will both reward you. After all, every investor wants to know the next unicorn.”\n\nEditor’s Pick: Product Roadmap\nIn early 2015, Bala Parthasarathy realised that India was at the cusp of a digital transformation. Consumers were getting familiar with apps and online shopping, but a gap persisted in the financial world. Most banks and NBFCs weren’t catering to the middle-class population that was increasingly going online. This pervasive problem led Bala and serial entrepreneurs Anuj Kacker and Kunal Verma to found MoneyTap in 2016. Read more.\nStartup Spotlight\nBuilding unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army\n\nThe Indian government has been calling for innovators to leverage technology to build solutions for the defence sector. SRM University alumni M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar, and K.Abbhi Vignesh set out to build solutions for the Indian defence sector. In 2019, the trio launched Torus Robotics in Chennai to help the Indian Armed forces with modular Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) that could cater to diverse mission requirements. Read more.\nNews & Updates\nStarlink, a high-speed internet service led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, is now available in India for pre-booking. The service will start functioning in the country from 2022 through SpaceX satellites that will be launched in orbit. \n\nPhonePe said it had recorded over 1.07 billion total transactions in February, across UPI, cards, and wallets, helped by a rise in offline payments across lower-tier cities. It processed 970 million UPI transactions in February, continuing its steady rise over the last few months.\n\nIndia's first auction of telecom spectrum in five years ended on Tuesday with Rs 77,814.80 crore of airwaves being bought, mostly by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio. Over 2,250 MHz of spectrum was offered for bidding in the auction that began on Monday.\n\nKarnataka state government launched its Engineering R&D (ER&D) Policy 2021, a first-of-its-kind state-level policy to foster innovation. It is aimed at enabling the state to contribute about 45 percent of India's engineering R&D economy.\n\nGoogle has updated Google Workspace to meet the challenges of an ever-developing work environment. The new tools enable better management of time and attention and strengthening participation, enabling everyone to contribute equally regardless of their location.\n\nBefore you go, stay inspired with… \n“Good startup founders are good storytellers. When you take the example of any successful politician or agency, you will see they have a good story. Unless you have a good story, you won’t be able to pique any interests.”\n— Saurabh Jain, Founder, Fun2Do Labs\nNow get the Daily Capsule in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter today!\n\n\n","hasInstagramEmbeds":false,"hasSoundCloudEmbeds":false,"hasTwitterEmbeds":false,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"storyUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/cybersecurity-threat-covid19-vaccination-phonepe-moneytap","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png","audioFile":"https://yourstory.com/content/audio/prod/193121/story.41996e33-71df-4d50-b37d-45e8f949062e.mp3","editors":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/03/cybersecurity-threat-covid19-vaccination-phonepe-moneytap","featured":false,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Bill Conner knew one thing that would be very important in the digital world — security. \n\nJust before 9/11, he had briefed NATO, and said: “We’ve learnt how to win wars in the air, land, and sea, but the next war will be cyber, and we are ill-equipped.”  \n\nToday, as the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19"},"data":"President and CEO of SonicWall, Bill’s work revolves around cybersecurity and malware"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". The Princeton and Wharton alum is one of the most experienced security, data, and infrastructure executives in the world, having closely worked with governments, the White House, the Hill, and the NSA.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. \n\nHe says cybercriminals are opening new cyberattack vectors on global deployment and recalibrating their attacks to target the “cold chain” — the supply chain that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines that need cold temperatures. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19"},"data":"Read more"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". \n\n"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"The Interview\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital and Manipal Global Education, believes that the Indian startup ecosystem can still grow amid the current challenges and have 100 unicorns by 2025. But how will India’s soonicorns overcome the current crisis and remain on their path to becoming India’s next unicorns? \n\nHe lets in on a secret: “If you can create the image of growth, and show investors that you are the next big bet, the market and investors will both reward you. After all, every investor wants to know the next unicorn.”\n"}},{"contentType":"html","value":{"html":"\u003ciframe width=\"1022\" height=\"574\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/wbdIv_pXckE\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"Editor’s Pick: Product Roadmap\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"In early 2015, Bala Parthasarathy realised that India was at the cusp of a digital transformation. Consumers were getting familiar with apps and online shopping, but a gap persisted in the financial world. Most banks and NBFCs weren’t catering to the middle-class population that was increasingly going online. This pervasive problem led Bala and serial entrepreneurs Anuj Kacker and Kunal Verma to found MoneyTap in 2016. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/product-roadmap-fintech-startup-moneytap"},"data":"Read more"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a9efa9c02dd911e9adc52d913c55075e/PM1-1614692063719.png","caption":"\u003cp>Founders of MoneyTap\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"Startup Spotlight\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles"},"data":"Building unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\nThe Indian government has been calling for innovators to leverage technology to build solutions for the defence sector. SRM University alumni M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar, and K.Abbhi Vignesh set out to build solutions for the Indian defence sector. In 2019, the trio launched Torus Robotics in Chennai to help the Indian Armed forces with modular Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) that could cater to diverse mission requirements. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles"},"data":"Read more"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"News & Updates\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Starlink, a high-speed internet service led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, is now "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/elon-musk-ultra-fast-internet-starlink-pre-booking-india"},"data":"available in India for pre-booking"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":". The service will start functioning in the country from 2022 through SpaceX satellites that will be launched in orbit. \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/fintech-giant-phonepe-billion-transactions-spun-off-flipkart"},"data":"PhonePe said it had recorded over 1.07 billion total transactions"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":" in February, across UPI, cards, and wallets, helped by a rise in offline payments across lower-tier cities. It processed 970 million UPI transactions in February, continuing its steady rise over the last few months.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\nIndia's first auction of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/spectrum-auction-ends-jio-tops-buyer"},"data":"telecom spectrum in five years ended on Tuesday with Rs 77,814.80 crore "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":"of airwaves being bought, mostly by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio. Over 2,250 MHz of spectrum was offered for bidding in the auction that began on Monday.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/karnataka-government-launches-engineering-rd-policy"},"data":"Karnataka state government launched its Engineering R&D (ER&D) Policy 2021"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":", a first-of-its-kind state-level policy to foster innovation. It is aimed at enabling the state to contribute about 45 percent of India's engineering R&D economy.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\nGoogle has updated Google Workspace to "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/google-workspace-assistant-new-productivity-collaborative-features"},"data":"meet the challenges of an ever-developing work environment"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"list":"bullet"},"data":". The new tools enable better management of time and attention and strengthening participation, enabling everyone to contribute equally regardless of their location.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":3},"data":"Before you go, stay inspired with… \n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Image6169-1614706863405.jpg"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“Good startup founders are good storytellers. When you take the example of any successful politician or agency, you will see they have a good story. Unless you have a good story, you won’t be able to pique any interests.”"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"— "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory-club.mn.co/posts/building-in-india-for-india-lesson-2-challenges-and-opportunities-when-building-a-tech-startup-in-india"},"data":"Saurabh Jain, Founder, Fun2Do Labs"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"divider","value":{}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/newsletters?utm_source=wesbite&utm_medium=dailycapsule","italic":true},"data":"Now get the Daily Capsule in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter today!"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"3rd Mar 2021","publishedDate":"March 03, 2021","hasAccessToRead":true},"pastStories":[],"header":"Today's Capsule","status":"LOADED"},"partnerEvents":{"loading":false,"error":null,"events":[],"isLoading":false,"hasErrored":false},"seriesList":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"data":{"stories":[]}},"series":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{},"stories":[],"path":null,"skip":0,"loadingMore":false,"showMore":false},"liveVideoPage":{"error":false,"errorResponse":false,"messageType":"","message":"","dynamicConfigLoading":true,"isLiveOn":false,"liveJwPlayerNode":null,"liveVideoTitle":null,"liveVideoDescription":null},"pageStatus":{"redirect":null,"notFound":false},"home":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"sections":[]},"author":{"isLoading":true,"error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"hasErrored":false,"propertyInfo":{},"slug":null,"showSpinner":true,"initialDataLoaded":false,"mounted":false},"customTopic":{"isLoading":true,"error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"hasErrored":false,"propertyInfo":{},"showSpinner":true,"initialDataLoaded":false,"mounted":false,"apiRoute":null},"preview":{"error":null,"pageStyle":"PageStyleDefault","data":{"id":null,"title":null,"slug":null,"publishedAt":null,"updatedAt":null,"type":null,"postContent":null,"layout":null,"metadata":{},"brand":{},"timeLapsed":null,"path":null,"reactions":{},"mounted":false,"brandPublisher":null,"audioPlaying":false},"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"date":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"showSpinner":true,"mounted":false},"edit":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","link":null,"error":null},"ystvlanding":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"sections":[]},"latestVideos":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[],"offset":0,"loadingMore":false,"noMore":false},"contactUs":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"userReactions":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"bookmarkedStoryIds":[],"likedStoryIds":[],"stories":[],"reactionType":"","skip":0,"showMore":false},"trending":{"stories":[{"id":192659,"title":"52 countries, 13M+ acres, 4M+ farmers later, how two Jharkhand-born entrepreneurs are building a global agritech giant","slug":"jharkhand-entrepreneurs-global-agritech-giant-cropin","type":"RICH","subtitle":"Indian SaaS-based agritech startup CropIn uses data, analytics, and AI to digitise tens of millions of acres of farmland in 52 countries. Its target market is the world and its 580 million farmers who feed 9.7 billion people.","publishedAt":"2021-02-28T08:21:42.513Z","updatedAt":"2021-03-01T15:03:44.964Z","brand":{"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"name":"Sohini Mitter","username":"sohini","order":0,"path":"/author/sohini"}],"category":{"id":464,"name":"In Depth","slug":"ys-in-depth","path":"/category/ys-in-depth"},"excerpt":"Indian SaaS-based agritech startup CropIn uses data, analytics, and AI to digitise tens of millions of acres of farmland in 52 countries. Its target market is the world and its 580 million farmers who feed 9.7 billion people.","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/604090802d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/scr-1614610933663.jpeg","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/79900dd0d91311e8a16045a90309d734/LKrishnaKumarCEO-RKunalPrasadCo-founder-1581591915859.JPG","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/79900dd0d91311e8a16045a90309d734/LKrishnaKumarCEO-RKunalPrasadCo-founder-1581591915859.JPG","brandSpotlight":null,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"timeToRead":8,"tags":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/02/jharkhand-entrepreneurs-global-agritech-giant-cropin","featured":true,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b3bfb136ab5e11e88691f70342131e20/Images7gb-1600008907205.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"In India’s much-talked-about startup ecosystem and its relatively new innovation-driven economy, if the late-2000s and early 2010s were about the rise of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"consumer internet"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and poster boys in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"ecommerce, foodtech, and mobility "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"in India, and the mid-to-late 2010s, especially post-demonetisation, about fintech explosion, then surely this decade could be about the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"rise of tech-enabled agriculture"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nOr so believe the two "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/100x-entrepreneur-cropin-founder-krishna-kumar-building-agritech-platform"},"data":"Jharkhand-born co-founders of Bengaluru-based "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true,"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/100x-entrepreneur-cropin-founder-krishna-kumar-building-agritech-platform"},"data":"CropIn"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":", "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"one of India’s oldest agritech (or agtech) startups.\n\nWhen CropIn was founded in 2010 by first-time entrepreneurs "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Krishna Kumar, Kunal Prasad"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Chittaranjan Jena"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" (who left the company in 2019), nobody in India — or even in the developed world — was using technology in agriculture.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/604090802d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/scr-1614610933663.jpeg"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Moreover, it was unheard of that someone could quit their cushy jobs in MNCs to get into the agriculture sector. But the CropIn founders did exactly that, soon building a robust \u003cb>SaaS-based farm management platform \u003c/b>that has now scaled to 52 countries and counting."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Today, CropIn, like many other agritech startups such as Fasal, AgNext, Intello Labs, Tartan Sense, Aigroedge, FarmERP, SenseGrass, and Plantix, among others, is at the centre-stage of this"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" sunrise sector"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", which is poised to be "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"worth $22 billion by 2025"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and see the birth of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"India’s first agtech unicorn"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nKrishna explains, “Billions of dollars have been poured into consumer internet and fintech over the years. But the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"next decade belongs to agtech because you need food,"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and if you have to feed 9.7 billion people across the world by 2050, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"farm efficiency must increase "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"by 35 percent to 75 percent.”\n\nAnd, that can only happen if decades-old, orthodox and ill-efficient farming practices are disrupted with new-age technologies and data science — something that CropIn does only too well.\n\n“We wanted to solve complex problems with tech, and build a company that could"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" create a large impact"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". We looked at various sectors and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"chose agriculture because nobody was building technology"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" for it even though farmers were taking their lives or throwing away their crops,” Krishna says.\n\n“So, CropIn began "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"more from an EQ than an IQ point of view "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"because we wanted to "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"transform lives at the bottom of the pyramid."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" We built the tech and offered it to agribusinesses that could improve the life of a farmer,” he says.\n\nAnd, impact and improve it did.\n"}},{"contentType":"html","value":{"html":"\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Zfpd6pqolA\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Impact of CropIn’s agritech solutions \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Ten years since its inception, CropIn has"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" digitised 13 million acres of farmland"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" across six continents and touched over"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" 4 million farmer lives"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Almost "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"60 percent of its annual revenues"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" today come from international markets.\n\nCropIn has worked on"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" 3,500 crop varieties "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"across climatic zones and predicted crop yields with over "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"90 percent accuracy"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". It has engaged with "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"220+ large agri enterprises"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", including agri input companies, commodity traders, seed production companies, agribusinesses, crop insurance providers, farm financiers, government advisories, and international development funds.\n\nIn 2020, CropIn grew by 3X despite the COVID-19 pandemic and is on course to hit "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$100 million ARR in the next five years"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". “We are "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"scaling 3X with existing clients "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"in what is repeat business. The "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"ARPU is doubling "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"gross margins are upward of 85 percent"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":", and we’ve expanded to 58 countries with very little capital. Very few agtech companies have managed to reach this scale,” says the founder.\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"CropIn’s mission is to \u003cb>maximise the per-acre value \u003c/b>of farmland by blending pixel-level satellite images, weather data, predictive analytics, and AI. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Data insights and advisory offered by its proprietary SaaS platforms — "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"SmartFarm"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"SmartRisk"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" — help improve "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"farm traceability and crop output predictability"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", prevent crop diseases, reduce weather damage, increase "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"farm-level efficiency"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and finally, impact the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"livelihoods of farmers"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nCropIn’s other product "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Acresquar"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"e is an a"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"pp for agri-enterprises "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"to connect to farmers, educate them, and share agriculture-related content.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/dc9aa1302d6c11e9aa979329348d4c3e/fc0506d4-8108-4e44-a7fb-55a447407fca-1609998194320.png"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"[Funding alert] Agritech startup CropIn raises $20M in Series C round led by ABC World Asia","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/11718bd02d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/Imagewf2p-1607509774638.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/agritech-startup-funding-cropin-abc-world-asia"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Global scale-up and Series C funding"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":" \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"At the outset, CropIn knew that to scale globally, it had to build a standardised, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"location-agnostic"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"crop-agnostic platform"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" that can manage farm data, and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"improve decision-making for agribusinesses"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" anywhere in the world.\n\nKrishna says, “If you choose a niche crop, you can’t scale. You’re restricted by geography. Our goal was to build a standard operating procedure and a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"global language for farming"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" across crops and climatic zones. As a SaaS company, we were never restricted by geography.”\n\nCropIn started going global in 2016. There were not many "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"B2B agtech platforms "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"at the time. Hence, agri enterprises lapped up CropIn’s offerings and became advocates for the Bengaluru-based agritech startup on a global stage.\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The founder shares, “We were \u003cb>in 13 countries even before raising capital.\u003c/b> If your product is delivering value, you don’t have to wait for money. We knew we had to work with large enterprises and not SMEs because they can build a story and help you go global. \u003cb>Taking the enterprise route really helped us in scaling up fast.\u003c/b> Now we are a global team and building feet on the street.”"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Recently, CropIn also opened an "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"office in Amsterdam"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and will be hiring local talent to drive growth in the European market.\n\nIn January, it raised a"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true,"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/agritech-startup-funding-cropin-abc-world-asia"},"data":"Series C round of $20 million"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/agritech-startup-funding-cropin-abc-world-asia"},"data":" led by PE fund ABC World Asia"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Existing investors "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Chiratae Ventures,"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Invested Development"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Ankur Capital "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"also participated in the round. Other new investors included "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"CDC Group "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"and Kris Gopalakrishnan’s family office Pratithi Investment Trust.\n\nThis round takes CropIn’s "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"total fundraise to about $35 million"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Prior investors are Beenext, Ankur Capital, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.\n\nThe startup will utilise the fresh capital to further "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"expand globally"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" while continuing to scale up its "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"machine-learning-based predictive analytics "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"platform, which has processed over 160 million hectares of land area, and has the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"potential to impact 70 million farmers globally"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in three to five years.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/79900dd0d91311e8a16045a90309d734/LKrishnaKumarCEO-RKunalPrasadCo-founder-1581591915859.JPG","caption":"\u003cp>(L) Krishna Kumar CEO - (R) Kunal Prasad Co-founder\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"This agritech startup by IIT and IIM alumni is bringing fresh produce to your doorstep","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a9efa9c02dd911e9adc52d913c55075e/Imagedx13-1595750071952.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2020/07/mumbai-agritech-farm-to-fork-startup-fraazo"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Team building is key \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"CropIn founders believe that team building is critical in the startup journey.\n\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Co-founder and COO Kunal"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" states, “One of the biggest factors in our success is the team we have built. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"We are 180 people now, going to 250 in the next three to four months"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". We are trying to build a best-in-class agri solution, but we are also looking out for "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"cutting edge talent in data science, product, and sales"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":".”\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Cropin has attracted talent from India’s top B-schools and engineering colleges, and from giant tech firms like Google, Microsoft, and Motorola."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“Before 2014, it was hard to make top talent"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" buy into the vision of CropIn "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"because they wouldn’t believe that something like agtech even exists,” Krishna reveals, “But now, we are flooded with resumés, and we’ve realised that "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"good talent looks to create impact "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"with their work that goes beyond the CTCs.”\n\n“Cropin still has a lot of room to get more new talent,” he adds. \n"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"Coronavirus: This agritech startup is fixing food supply chain with e-mandis","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/5/80396100-2d6d-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e/K_(2)1564671114666.png?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2020/04/agritech-startup-fixing-food-supply-chain-coronavirus-lockdown"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Learnings from the entrepreneurial journey"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":" \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"After a decade of building and growing a startup and taking it global, the founders have"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" learnings that can aid any first-time entrepreneur"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nKrishna recounts the time when he was hiring CropIn’s first employee. “"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"When you hire the first person, you are the HR"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". You’re sitting in an empty room and telling people that this is [potentially] a billion-dollar company,” he says.\n\nHe goes on to add, “When you sell your product to the first customer, you learn sales. When you sell your vision to investors that you’ll be at $100 million ARR in five years, you learn finance. You learn so much on this phenomenal journey."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" I was a tech guy, but I transformed into a sales and customer experience guy"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" — a journey that may not have been possible at GE [his past organisation].”\n\nCo-founder Kunal weighs in with his learnings — "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"‘talk less, listen more’"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", especially if you operate in a 100-year-old industry like agriculture.\n\nHe elaborates, “It is a continuous learning journey. This industry talks problems. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"So if you listen in, it gives you an insight into what you have to solve and translate those problems into products and services.”"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The other learning, Kunal says, is to \u003cb>sometimes go overboard with your customers and push for a product to make them see the business impact\u003c/b> it can create. “All our smart agri and climate products got adopted that way,” he says."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"But perhaps the real learning is in the age-old tip that all successful entrepreneurs swear by: believe in yourself. As Krishna aptly signs off by saying, “"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"We (CropIn) have reached the boardrooms of the world. The rest — capital, people, media attention — will follow."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" You just need to believe in the story you are building. And not give up too early.”\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"28th Feb 2021","publishedDate":"February 28, 2021"},{"id":191425,"title":"[The Turning Point] Why these sisters decided to launch an ecommerce startup for Made in India brands","slug":"why-sisters-launch-fashion-ecommerce-startup-made-in-india","type":"RICH","subtitle":"The Turning Point is a series of short articles that focuses on the moment when an entrepreneur hit upon their winning idea. Today, we look at Pune and Kochi-based Maneraa, which aims to shine the spotlight on small, unbranded fashion and lifestyle retailers.","publishedAt":"2021-02-19T23:45:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2021-02-20T17:04:15.621Z","brand":{"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"name":"Rashi Varshney","username":"rashi-varshney","order":0,"path":"/author/rashi-varshney"}],"category":{"id":394,"name":"Startup","slug":"ys-startup","path":"/category/ys-startup"},"excerpt":"The Turning Point is a series of short articles that focuses on the moment when an entrepreneur hit upon their winning idea. Today, we look at Pune and Kochi-based Maneraa, which aims to shine the spotlight on small, unbranded fashion and lifestyle retailers.","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/2020113017101621-1613719629424.jpg","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/2020113017101621-1613719629424.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/2020113017101621-1613719629424.jpg","brandSpotlight":null,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"timeToRead":3,"tags":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/02/why-sisters-launch-fashion-ecommerce-startup-made-in-india","featured":true,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Sometimes a problem leads to an idea, and that idea becomes a venture. This is what happened with "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"sisters Shabna Salam and Shaiba Salam"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and led them to launch their "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"lifestyle and fashion ecommerce platform Maneraa "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"in 2019. \n\nThe sister realised that fashion is no longer the domain of the urban elite, and decided to focus on youth in Tier II and III cities with their curated platform. The Pune-based ecommerce startup is "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"“made in India, made for India”. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n“Increased internet penetration and smartphone usage have led to a significant rise in first-time online shoppers, especially in the non-metros and Tier II and III cities. Maneraa is looking forward to extending its reach to those first-time online shoppers,” Shabna says.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"The eureka moment\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Shabna, a dentist by profession, and Shaiba, a commerce graduate, quit their jobs in 2019 when they got an opportunity to be a part of a Dubai-based online aggregator for Indian ethnic fashion. While working with that firm, the sisters came across "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"a lot of smaller brands and retailers from India that lacked market exposure despite the ecommerce boom in the country."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"\n\nShabna claims about 70 percent of the $100 billion Indian fashion retail space comprises unorganised and unbranded retailers, smaller brands, and unknown designers. They either have no online presence or get lost among the bigger names on large platforms.\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":" “We realised that there was an untapped opportunity in this space. We thought of creating a platform for these smaller brands and budding designers, and giving them an opportunity to display their unique collections and compete with bigger brands,” Shabna says. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The sisters immediately started figuring out the way forward. They knew they needed sophisticated technology to compete with the likes of Amazon and Myntra. They researched and spoke to family and friends, and finally joined hands with a family friend, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Prince Jose, their technology partner who helped build the Maneraa platform"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/2020113017101621-1613719629424.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>The two founders of Maneraa.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"[The Turning Point] How these two entrepreneurs are saving the planet with their clean energy startup ","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/70651a302d6d11e9aa979329348d4c3e/TP2-1611915368348.png?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/the-turning-point-entrepreneurs-clean-energy-startup-safearth"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Plans for the future\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":" “Maneraa will craft a space in the ecommerce market, letting our buyers choose from hundreds of brands with new designs that have been created by talented yet unrecognised designers from around the country,” says Shabna, Co-Founder and Director, Maneraa. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"She says the idea is to recognise the potential of small, unbranded fashion and lifestyle retailers, to help them manage quality, and give them an opportunity to share their unique products with the India-wide market on an online platform."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"With its headquarters in Pune and an office in Kochi, Maneraa has a team of 15 people, working towards building a platform that bridges the gap between aspiration and access, for both buyers and sellers, and can stand tall amidst the likes of Myntra, Nykaa Fashion, Limeroad, Amazon Fashion, and others.\n\nThe ecommerce startup has "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"more than 80 sellers listed on its platform with over 9,000 stock-keeping units "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"(SKUs). In 2021, the company aims to onboard over 500 unique sellers to cater to more than two million buyers across India. In the last couple of months, it has "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"completed around 10,000 orders across cities "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"such as Kochi, Bengaluru, Pune, Trivandrum, Calicut, and others.\n\nThe sisters have bootstrapped the startup with seed investment of Rs 1 crore so far, but are now "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"looking for funding to scale operations "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"and support the growth they are planning in 2021.\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"20th Feb 2021","publishedDate":"February 20, 2021"},{"id":192337,"title":"How a small-town boy hustled his way to the US, became an entrepreneur\n","slug":"bits-pilani-alum-ashish-garg-journey-from-uttarakhand-to-california-startup-eltropy","type":"RICH","subtitle":"Growing up in Dehradun, Eltropy Co-founder, Ashish Garg, dreamt of going to the US, working with computers and having his own startup; all of which he realised. This is his story.\n","publishedAt":"2021-02-25T23:45:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2021-02-26T18:06:43.428Z","brand":{"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"name":"Ramarko Sengupta","username":"ramarko-1555424155","order":0,"path":"/author/ramarko-1555424155"}],"category":{"id":1104,"name":"Inspiration","slug":"inspiration","path":"/category/inspiration"},"excerpt":"Growing up in Dehradun, Eltropy Co-founder, Ashish Garg, dreamt of going to the US, working with computers and having his own startup. All of which he realised. This is his story.\n","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Imagece7s-1614252089978.jpg","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Imagece7s-1614252089978.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Imagece7s-1614252089978.jpg","brandSpotlight":null,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"timeToRead":7,"tags":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/02/bits-pilani-alum-ashish-garg-journey-from-uttarakhand-to-california-startup-eltropy","featured":true,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Ashish Garg"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" grew up in the small town of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Dehradun"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", in a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"middle class"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" household, where his father was a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"bank clerk"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and mother, a homemaker. Ashish’s parents wanted the best for their children, sending him and his sister to a private school in the city, Cambrian Hall. A bright student, Ashish was on top of his class throughout high school, graduating as the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"district topper"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":" “I always wanted to be a computer engineer and start my own company. I knew it from childhood, as early as ninth grade,” "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"he tells "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"YourStory"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" over a Zoom call, from his "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"residence on a hilltop in San Jose, California, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"where he has his own "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"tech startup"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" called "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Eltropy"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" today. \nHis love for computers started around the same time (Class 9), when his father gifted him his first computer, a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"‘Pentium x486’."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Image84fr-1614252522776.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Eltropy Co-founder Ashish Garg\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Outside his day job at the bank, Ashish’s father tried his hand at "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"several businesses"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" (five to be precise) on the side, none of which really worked out. Until one day, his sixth venture, a real estate business took off, around the turn of the millennium, when Dehradun became the capital of the newly formed state of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Uttarakhand"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". The significant milestone coincided with the time when Ashish was about to graduate from the prestigious "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS, Pilani"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", with a degree in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" This watershed moment reinforced Ashish’s belief in the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"spirit of entrepreneurship"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"perseverance"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". “23 years he stuck to it. Perseverance was the biggest lesson I learnt from seeing that,” Ashish says.\n\nThe other big influence came through "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Hotmail"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" Founder, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Sabeer Bhatia"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", also a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS, Pilani alum"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". \n“In ’97 when I joined BITS, Hotmail came out of nowhere. Within 18 months it got "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"sold to Microsoft for $500 million"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Sabeer Bhaita was a BITS alum. He founded the company in ’96 and by December ’97 it’s sold off. If he can do it, why can’t I?,” Ashish remembers telling himself back then.\n\nBut he knew that he’d have to start earning first, before taking the entrepreneurial plunge. In his fourth year at BITS, he took the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"CAT"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" (Common Admission Test) and got interview calls from all the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"IIMs"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", securing admission at six of them. Some of his classmates started preparing for "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"GRE"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":" (Graduate Record Examinations), a standardised test for admission to most graduate schools in the US. Ashish decided to give it a go. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“I was always fascinated with America, because it was looked at as the land of computers. Growing up, I had always wanted to go there, live there,” he says."}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"How a Kanpur boy built two billion-dollar startups out of India\n","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Imageol0v-1609842102536.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/how-a-kanpur-boy-built-two-unicorns-inmobi-glance-naveen-tewari-profile"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"The promised land\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Letting go of the IIMs, Ashish landed up at the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"University of California (UC), Santa Barbara "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"for an MS in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Electrical Engineering"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". He finished his two-year course in 12 months, but getting a job at that time proved to be difficult, as the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"dot com bust "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"had happened. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Hustling and not giving up were two things he had picked up from his dad early on. He was not ready to give up on his American dream yet."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"So he decided to come down to "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"San Jose"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", where three of his "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS classmates"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" were in graduate programmes at the hallowed "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Stanford University"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". He "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"struck a deal"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" with his former classmates. “I will be a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"house help"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" for you, cook and clean for you, just let me "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"stay rent-free"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Just let me be here, to be "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"close to Stanford"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", where there could be "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"recruitment opportunities"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":",” he told them.\n\nBut how would a non-Stanford alum attract recruiters who were eyeing talent from there? That’s where the big "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"American hustle"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":" came in. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"He asked his friends to pass on business cards of recruiters on campus, who they were not interested in. The idea was that he would get in touch and convince those recruiters to hire him. "}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Image7r6m-1614254604008.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Ashish became a house help for his friends to live rent-free, till he got a job.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Fortune favours the brave, as the adage goes, and a cold email to a semiconductor company did the trick. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Although his heart was in software, he got into hardware and started his career in customer support, answering tech questions. He "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"worked there for a decade"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" so that he could get his "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"green card"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", which states permanent residency in the US. While there, he rose in the ranks and the company even sponsored an "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"executive MBA "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"for him at the reputed "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n“As soon as I finished my MBA, I got my green card. I "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"quit my job and took up the riskiest option"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":". I had three options-- become a CXO at the company, get another job as a Wharton alum, or start up.” \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"His \u003cb>wife\u003c/b> who was an \u003cb>Engineering Manager\u003c/b> at \u003cb>SAP\u003c/b>, encouraged him to finally pursue his long cherished dream of entrepreneurship, taking on the financial responsibilities of the house herself."}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Ashish-Ranjeeta-1614255104559.jpeg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Ashish with his wife, Ranjeeta, during their early days in the US\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"And thus, he "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"co-founded Eltropy"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" with "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Chandra Bhople"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS super-senior"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" (23 years to be exact) in 2013. Eltropy is a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"global software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" that enables businesses to connect with their customers on SMS (short messaging service) and text messaging apps, such as "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"WhatsApp"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"iMessage"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", WeChat, Line, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Facebook Messenger"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", KakaoTalk, Telegram, and Viber. Within 18 months of launch, the startup landed a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"million-dollar deal"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"; in two years its annual recurring revenue (ARR) stood at $1.2 million.\n"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"Quit his job to start up with just 3 people, built a billion-dollar business\n","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/25e9e0e0605211e984534d4121ad4bb6/Image92yw-1607518003161.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2020/12/rashesh-shah-profile-edelweiss-startup"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"The startup journey\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Eltropy enables "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"financial institutions"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" such as "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"banks"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"insurance companies"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" to communicate with their clients over text messaging in a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"secure"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)-compliant way. Using the startup’s SaaS platform, various verticals within financial institutions such as lending, collections, sales, marketing, service, risk management, and internal communications are able to leverage text messaging to "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"boost member engagement and enhance experience"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Eltropy also integrates with credit union software and technology solutions such as Symitar and Corelation, and uses analytics to provide "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"engagement insights."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n“The problem with using personal Whatsapp or other messengers is that sensitive and private data is not safe there. We give the banks an app that goes through a web browser, the "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"employee can never copy or share any of the data"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" that’s being received from customers, there are privacy layers.”\n\nTo be sure, there is "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Whatsapp Business"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", but in the US, SMS is the more popular and the preferred mode of texting. Other competitors include the likes of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Zipwhip"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Shastic"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":". \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“The difference is that we are solving for financial services, which have unique requirements in terms of data privacy, regulation, and security,” says Ashish."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The 47-member Eltropy team services "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"158 clients"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", of which 150 are credit unions in the US, while the rest are banks and insurance companies in the other parts of the world. A credit union is typically a not-for-profit, member-owned financial institution, which provides traditional banking services, similar to a commercial bank.\n\nThe startup closed the previous calendar year at "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$5 million ARR"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and is on track to triple it to around "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$15 million by December"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" this year, according to Ashish. It "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"broke even"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"2018"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" and has stayed profitable since. In 2015, it raised "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$1 million"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"angel funding"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" from "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"BITS Sparks Angel Network"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", the highest so far from the alumni-backed network. As many as 25 BITS alumni participated in the round. Currently, Eltropy is actively talking to a number American funds to raise a "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Series A"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in the range of "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"$15-18 million. "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"26th Feb 2021","publishedDate":"February 26, 2021"},{"id":192924,"title":"This Chennai-based startup builds unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army\n","slug":"chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles","type":"RICH","subtitle":"Founded in 2019, defence tech startup Torus Robotics is designing, developing, and delivering fully electric unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army.\n","publishedAt":"2021-03-02T03:54:26.964Z","updatedAt":"2021-03-02T04:51:48.296Z","brand":{"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","path":"/"},"metadata":{"authors":[{"name":"Shreya Ganguly","username":"shreya-1585037328","order":0,"path":"/author/shreya-1585037328"}],"category":{"id":394,"name":"Startup","slug":"ys-startup","path":"/category/ys-startup"},"excerpt":"Founded in 2019, defence tech startup Torus Robotics is developing and delivering fully electric unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army.\n","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/TOrus-1614610316408.jpg","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Founders3-1614610194206.jpg","brandSpotlight":null,"removeAds":null,"sponsoredStory":null,"isRegistrationRequired":false,"timeToRead":4,"tags":[]},"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"path":"/2021/03/chennai-defence-tech-startup-builds-unmanned-underground-vehicles","featured":true,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"The Indian government has been calling for innovators to leverage technology to build solutions for the defence sector. Earlier in February, at an industry event, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh revealed that the government is "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"aiming to bring down defence imports by at least $2 billion by 2022"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/TOrus-1614610316408.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Image Credit: Torus Robotics\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"While pursuing their mechatronics engineering degree, SRM University alumni "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar, and K.Abbhi Vignesh"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" set out to build solutions for the Indian defence sector. \n\nIn 2019, the trio launched Torus Robotics in Chennai to help the Indian Armed forces with "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"modular Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) that could cater to diverse mission requirements"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\n Co-founder and Director Vignesh M tells "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"YourStory "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"data":"that the trio opted out of campus placements and decided to get into defence robotics solutions.\n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"“It was the same time when India and the Indian Armed Forces suffered its worst loss in 20 years when four heavily armed terrorists launched a grenade attack at a camp in Uri on September 18, 2016. This was our eureka moment and we decided to develop Unmanned Systems to aid and safeguard the lives of our Indian Armed Forces,” he says."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Torus was launched exactly three years after the Uri attack — post rigorous research and multiple interactions with the Indian Armed forces to understand their requirements.\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/StartupSnapshot-1614610774595.png","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Illustration: YS Design\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"[Tech30] How marine robotics startup EyeROV is improving inspection of offshore assets\n\n","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/dc9aa1302d6c11e9aa979329348d4c3e/IMG2019042610135511-1603700478084.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2020/10/tech30-marine-robotics-startup-eyerov-offshore-assets"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Building solutions for defence\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Torus Robotics is involved in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"designing, developing, and delivering fully electric unmanned ground vehicles "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"for the Indian defence services equipped with a 6DOF (six degrees of freedom), a robotic arm for detection, identification, and disposal of life menacing unidentified objects.\n\nAccording to the co-founder, the startup has built "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Mobile Autonomous Robotic System (MARS) UGV for Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". \n\nTorus Robotics has been recognised by Startup India, and also "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"won the label of “Pioneer Defence Innovator” by IDEX-DIO"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/Mars-1614610864990.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);\">Mobile Autonomous Robotic System (MARS) UGV. [Image Credit: Torus Robotics]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Apart from this, the startup offers lightweight and compact electric motors to the Indian Electric Automotive Sector to meet the demand for an indigenous powertrain. \n\n“At present, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"about 95 percent of powertrains are imported from China"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":". Unlike commercially imported electric motors in the market, Torus’s indigenous electric motors are 50 percent lighter, 15 percent more efficient, and 10 percent more cost-effective, making them highly suitable for Indian EV applications,” Vignesh adds.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":2},"data":"Business and more\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Vignesh reveals that the founders "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"invested over Rs 50 lakh in Torus and also raised undisclosed capital"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" from Raghunandan Jagdish, MD and CEO of Nandan GSE Pvt Ltd, and received innovation grants from the Centre and Tamil Nadu government.\n\n“Raising funds for a hardware startup, especially with defence or government as the target market, is not so easy in India as it requires high upfront capital. We had to go through a lot of challenges in raising funds to build our prototypes,” he adds.\n\nThe co-founder explains that "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"a startup needs to have a prototype to raise funds while hardware startups need to raise funds for building the prototype"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" in the first place due to high costs. \n"}},{"contentType":"blockquote","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\u003cb>“So the hardware startups are stuck in this loop. While this is the case for regular hardware startups, defence hardware startups require even higher capital for prototype development. Grants are the only source, which we could find to develop the prototype, while even those could just satisfy 10 percent of the total prototype funding,” he adds.\u003c/b>"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"While not revealing much about the startup’s clientele, Vignesh says that "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Torus Robotics recently signed an MOU with BEML (Bharat Earth Movers Limited) for developing AI-based UGV"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", and also has pilot orders for its indigenous motors from leading electric vehicle manufacturers. \n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/b094ec506da611eab285b7ee8106293d/powertrain-1614611199727.jpg","caption":"\u003cp>\u003cem>Electric Powertrain [Image Credit: Torus Robotics]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>"}},{"contentType":"alsoRead","value":{"title":"Self-reliance in manufacturing defence equipment crucial for India’s strategic autonomy: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a09f22505c6411ea9c48a10bad99c62f/Imageb0x2-1612528201741.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&h=100&w=100&crop=entropy&fit=crop","publishedUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2021/02/self-reliant-manufacturing-defence-equipment-crucial-rajnath-singh"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"He claims that Torus is the first startup in India building UGVs for the armed forces and competes with foreign manufacturers. California-based SMP Robotics Systems Corp is also involved in building UGVs for outdoor security and inspection tasks.\n \nIndia has around "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"194 "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true,"link":"https://yourstory.com/2021/01/republic-day-2021-startups-building-innovative-tech-supporting-defence"},"data":"defence tech"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" startups"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" that are building innovative tech solutions to empower and support the country’s defence efforts. While startups such as Torus are working to provide a security solution on the ground, "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"Kochi-based EyeROV"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"is "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true,"link":"https://yourstory.com/2020/10/tech30-marine-robotics-startup-eyerov-offshore-assets"},"data":"building"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for underwater inspection"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":".\n\nMeanwhile, Mumbai-based ideaForge is involved in the manufacturing of drone for defence, homeland security, and industrial applications.\n\n“We offer"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" indigenous and modular UGVs to the Indian armed forces"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", which not only increases the self-reliance of the Indian defence, but also enables them to utilise the UGVs for various missions through its modular plug and play systems,” he adds \n\nVignesh also revealed that the company is"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":" looking to commercialise its electric motors in the next three months."}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"\n\nSpeaking about the future, he adds “We are now "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"bold":true},"data":"looking for strategic partners, capital allocators, and government grants to further develop our technology"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":", expand our team and commercialise our products.”\n"}}],"timeLapsed":"2nd Mar 2021","publishedDate":"March 02, 2021"}],"status":"LOADED","error":null,"storiesList":{"0":{"isLoading":false,"error":null,"stories":[],"hasErrored":false}}},"companyLanding":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{"id":null,"name":null,"slug":null,"subtitle":null,"logo":{"url":null},"description":null,"vision":null,"website":null,"foundingYear":null,"closingYear":null,"employeeCount":null,"socialLinks":{}},"awards":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"people":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"fundings":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"stories":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"adjacents":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{}}},"influencerLanding":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{"id":null,"name":null,"username":null,"subtitle":null,"profilePicture":{"url":null},"bio":null,"website":null,"socialLinks":{},"banner":{"url":null}},"awards":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"stories":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"companies":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"adjacents":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{}}},"awards":{"data":null,"start":1,"end":20,"rankData":[],"isRankLoading":false,"showMore":null,"rankError":null,"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"companyProfile":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"data":{},"options":{"data":{"revenueStreamTypes":[],"geolocationTypes":[],"employeeSizeTypes":[],"milestoneTypes":[],"incomeTypes":[],"businessSizeTypes":[],"businessModelTypes":[],"fundingStatusTypes":[],"sectorTypes":[],"fundingRoundTypes":[]},"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"validation":{"data":{},"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null},"city":[],"isUpdating":false,"stories":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"relatedCompanies":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":[]},"latest":{"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","data":{}},"isEdited":false,"updateSuccess":null,"updateFailed":null},"profilesLanding":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"sections":[],"bannerData":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"}},"webinar":{"registrationData":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null},"relatedStories":null,"isRegistered":null,"feedbackFormSubmitted":null,"feedbackForm":null,"questions":{"data":[],"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"submitStatus":"NOT_LOADED","webinarConfig":null,"upcomingWebinars":[]},"ystvLandingV2":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","error":null,"sections":[],"userWebinarRegistrations":null},"ystvListing":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","webinars":[],"upcoming":{"status":"NOT_LOADED","webinars":[],"error":null},"skip":0,"showMore":false,"loadingMore":false,"error":null,"metadataInfo":{"data":{},"error":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"}},"header":{"showHeader":true},"companyConnect":{"connectReasonList":[],"updateStatus":"NOT_LOADED"}} million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!Image : ShutterstockOr, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.THEY PROBABLY KNOW OTHER VCS' PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOU'D THINKYou might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.THEY KNOW OF SECRET OPPORTUNITIESAs I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.THEY CAN PUMP YOUR SEARCH WITH STEROIDSI've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.“BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY VC FRIENDS!”Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.All the best!(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","url":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","inLanguage":"en","name":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend","datePublished":"2016-07-27T08:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2016-07-27T08:00:00.000Z","description":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://yourstory.com/#website","url":"https://yourstory.com/","name":"Yourstory","headline":"Yourstory","description":"YourStory | Stories from the Startups, Business, SMEs, Research, Entrepreneurs, Social, Women, Automotive and other sectors","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yourstory","alternateName":["YourStory","Yourstory Media Pvt Ltd","Yourstory Media"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/static/logos/publisher-logo.png","width":292,"height":60,"caption":"YourStory Media"},"url":"https://yourstory.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/yourstorycom","https://twitter.com/YourStoryCo","https://www.youtube.com/user/yourstorytv","https://instagram.com/yourstory_com","http://plus.google.com/111272339013288238153","https://in.linkedin.com/company/yourstory-com"]}}},"@type":"Article"}

Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend

By Pratik Agarwal|27th Jul 2016
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Your VC friends know their portfolio better than your research

You'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.

I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-1-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format\" data-alt=\"Image : Shutterstock\" data-caption=\" Image : Shutterstock\" style=\"width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents lazyimg\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format&blur=500\" alt=\"Image : Shutterstock\" style=\"width: 100%; height:auto\" data-src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-size: 15px; color: #aaa; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px\"> Image : Shutterstock\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003cp>Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in \u003cem>real\u003c/em> trouble?\u003c/p>\u003cp>So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-2-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They know of secret opportunities \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.\u003c/p>\u003cp>And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?\u003c/p>\u003cdiv id=\"newsletter-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003cp>Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.\u003c/p>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>They can pump your search with steroids \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”\u003c/p>\u003cp>Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.\u003c/p>\u003cp>Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-4-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>“But I don't have any VC friends!” \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\u003cp>Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!\u003c/p>\u003cp>Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.\u003c/p>\u003cp>And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.\u003c/p>\u003cp>All the best!\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cem>(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-5-64122\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003c/div>","paywalledPostContent":null,"layout":"DEFAULT","metadata":{"authors":[{"id":"96db8431-2d6b-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e","user_id":"96db8430-2d6b-11e9-aa97-9329348d4c3e","name":"Pratik Agarwal","username":"pratik-agarwal","bio":"Pratik is part of the SaaS investing team at SAIF Partners. In his previous roles, he has worked as Product Manager for Remind and Airbnb. He is a kaizen enthusiast and is currently working on his writing abilities","bioText":"Pratik is part of the SaaS investing team at SAIF Partners. In his previous roles, he has worked as Product Manager for Remind and Airbnb. He is a kaizen enthusiast and is currently working on his writing abilities","imageUrl":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/userphoto/34788.jpg","order":0,"visibility":true,"google":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":"https://twitter.com/harvarddesi","linkedin":null,"website":null,"path":"/author/pratik-agarwal"}],"brandSpotlight":null,"canonicalUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","category":{"id":99,"name":"Resources","slug":"resources","path":"/category/resources"},"facebook":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend"},"generic":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend","keywords":"Investment, VC, Startup, Private equity, Social Media, Networking"},"twitter":{"excerpt":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your port...","media":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","title":"Why you must begin your startup job search by emailing your VC friend"},"banner":null,"parallaxBanner":false,"locale":"en_US","tags":[{"id":76091,"name":"Startup","slug":"startup","locale":"en_GB","order":2,"path":"/tag/startup"},{"id":80539,"name":"Investment","slug":"investment","locale":"en_GB","order":0,"path":"/tag/investment"},{"id":81119,"name":"VC","slug":"vc","locale":"en_GB","order":1,"path":"/tag/vc"},{"id":100599,"name":"socialmedia","slug":"socialmedia","locale":"en_GB","order":4,"path":"/tag/socialmedia"},{"id":100944,"name":"Private equity","slug":"private-equity","locale":"en_GB","order":3,"path":"/tag/private-equity"},{"id":215199,"name":"Networking","slug":"networking","locale":"en_GB","order":5,"path":"/tag/networking"}],"timeToRead":3,"plainText":"YOUR VC FRIENDS KNOW THEIR PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOUR RESEARCHYou'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.I've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!Image : ShutterstockOr, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.THEY PROBABLY KNOW OTHER VCS' PORTFOLIO BETTER THAN YOU'D THINKYou might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.THEY KNOW OF SECRET OPPORTUNITIESAs I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.THEY CAN PUMP YOUR SEARCH WITH STEROIDSI've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.“BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY VC FRIENDS!”Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.All the best!(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)","hasInstagramEmbeds":false,"hasSoundCloudEmbeds":false,"hasTwitterEmbeds":false,"sponsoredStory":false,"storyUrl":"https://yourstory.com/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","thumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","defaultThumbnail":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg","editors":[]},"brand":{"id":2,"name":"YourStory","slug":"yourstory","locale":"en_GB","internal":true,"path":"/"},"timeLapsed":"27th Jul 2016","path":"/2016/07/begin-your-startup-job-search-by-emailing-your-vc-friend","reactions":{},"mounted":false,"brandPublisher":null,"loadingStatus":"LOADED","audioPlaying":false,"imported":true,"snippets":null,"trailers":null,"featured":false,"mobilePostJson":[{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"Your VC friends know their portfolio better than your research\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"You'll be surprised how often people get this very wrong.\nI've had lots of folks reach out to me, saying, “Dude! I didn't realise your portfolio Startup C already raised '$ million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!

Image : Shutterstock
Image : Shutterstock

Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in real trouble?

So here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.

They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think 

You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.

Even if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.

They know of secret opportunities 

As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.

And that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?

Note: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.

They can pump your search with steroids 

I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”

Good news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.

Moreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.

“But I don't have any VC friends!” 

Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!

Just do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.

And if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.

All the best!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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52 countries, 13M+ acres, 4M+ farmers later, how two Jharkhand-born entrepreneurs are building a global agritech giant

[The Turning Point] Why these sisters decided to launch an ecommerce startup for Made in India brands

How a small-town boy hustled his way to the US, became an entrepreneur

This Chennai-based startup builds unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army

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Read the full story

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Updates from around the world

‘Problem finding comes before problem solving’ – 40 quotes of the week from Indian startup journeys

[YS Learn] It is life after each setback and not the failure that defines you, says upGrad co-founder Ronnie Screwvala

The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination

How HackerEarth co-founder’s 7-month-old coding startup made it to Y Combinator’s Winter Batch ’21

[Product Roadmap] How a focus on simplicity and user experience got MoneyTap the scale it was looking for

[Startup Bharat] This Patna school dropout mentors aspiring entrepreneurs in small-town India

million! I love their idea but I took another job because I thought they were still at seed stage!” Well...most funding rounds aren't announced for a few months and some even up to a year!\n"}},{"contentType":"image","value":{"src":"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/wordpress/2016/04/yourstory-venture-capital.jpg?fm=png&auto=format","caption":" Image : Shutterstock"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Or, how about this one, “Hey! Your portfolio Startup C has such a sleek website; can you introduce me?” Well...sure it has a polished product but don't you want to know whether it has product-market fit? Or if it's in "}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"real"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":" trouble?\nSo here are the reasons you must speak to your VC friends before when you want to send out your resume to startups.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They probably know other VCs' portfolio better than you'd think \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"You might wonder, “But my VC friend wouldn't know much about other VCs' portfolio right? Even if they did, wouldn't they be biased?” Wrong! For all you know, your VC friend might be considering your startup of interest for a future round and think highly of it. Moreover, it's possible they tried to get into that deal but missed out.\nEven if your VC friend is sceptical, at least their concerns will give you something to think about.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They know of secret opportunities \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"As I mentioned earlier in the post, most top-tier VCs often don't announce deals for a long time. Say, there are five top-tier VCs and each has three unannounced deals. Imagine how many hot secret opportunities you are missing out on.\nAnd that's not all. Even if the investment is public news, what if one of the top portfolio startups is recruiting for a leadership role in a new secret business unit? Would you want to miss out on that?\nNote: Don't expect your VC friends to tell you confidential stuff, but just remember they're actively looking for solid talent for secret opportunities as well.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"They can pump your search with steroids \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"I've first-hand experience in the stressful job of breaking into top startups several times. It's painful to email your LinkedIn connections only to get this reply, “Dude, I only met this founder once, don't know them enough to drop an intro...”\nGood news is that you might be just one send-email-to-my-VC-friend click away from warm introductions to top startup founders.\nMoreover, your VC friends can help you evaluate between multiple offers. It's their full-time job to evaluate startups, so just give them some credit.\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"header":1},"data":"“But I don't have any VC friends!” \n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{},"data":"Don't be shy to email any top-tier VCs, if you don't know any personally. They're always looking for excellent talent for their portfolio startups. If anything, you're helping them do their job!\nJust do them a favor and send them a blurb about roles that interest you, and include a copy of your resume/your LinkedIn URL.\nAnd if you're one of those cool kids who has already used this hack to land your startup job, please leave your story in the comments below to inspire the masses.\nAll the best!\n"}},{"contentType":"text","value":{"formats":{"italic":true},"data":"(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)"}}],"publishedDate":"July 27, 2016","hasAccessToRead":true}},"storyIdsList":[64122],"bannerData":{"data":null,"status":"NOT_LOADED"}},"articleLatest":{"isLoading":false,"error":null,"stories":[{"id":192973,"title":"‘Problem finding comes before problem solving’ – 40 quotes of the week from Indian startup journeys","slug":"quotes-entrepreneurship-problem-innovation","type":"RICH","subtitle":"From idea to implementation, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these quotes, excerpts, and stories! 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Disruptive Startups","slug":"50-disruptive-startups-of-india-2019","path":"/awards/50-disruptive-startups-of-india-2019"},{"displayName":"Tech30","slug":"tech-30-2020","path":"/awards/tech-30-2020"},{"displayName":"YourStory's 100 Digital Influencers of 2020","slug":"yourstorys-100-digital-influencers-of-2020","path":"/awards/yourstorys-100-digital-influencers-of-2020"}],"displayLimit":3}}},"property":{"isLoading":true,"error":null,"stories":[],"skip":0,"showMore":false,"hasErrored":false,"propertyInfo":{},"apiRoute":null,"showSpinner":true,"initialDataLoaded":false,"mounted":false,"status":"NOT_LOADED"},"notification":{"count":0,"list":[]},"notificationsPage":{"list":[],"endOfList":false,"offset":0,"isLoading":null,"error":false,"errorResponse":false,"messageType":"","message":""},"newsletters":{"isLoading":true,"hasErrored":false,"error":null,"newsletters":[],"subscriptions":[],"newslettersData":null,"cities":[]},"dailyCapsule":{"data":{"id":193121,"title":"The cybersecurity threat to COVID-19 vaccination","slug":"cybersecurity-threat-covid19-vaccination-phonepe-moneytap","subtitle":"Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process.","publishedAt":"2021-03-03T00:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2021-03-03T00:31:33.558Z","type":"RICH","imported":false,"postContent":"\u003cdiv class=\"quill-content\">\u003cp>Bill Conner knew one thing that would be very important in the digital world — security. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Just before 9/11, he had briefed NATO, and said: “We’ve learnt how to win wars in the air, land, and sea, but the next war will be cyber, and we are ill-equipped.”  \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Today, as the \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19\">President and CEO of SonicWall, Bill’s work revolves around cybersecurity and malware\u003c/a>. The Princeton and Wharton alum is one of the most experienced security, data, and infrastructure executives in the world, having closely worked with governments, the White House, the Hill, and the NSA.\u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-1-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cfigure class=\"image embed\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-id=\"372241\" data-url=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png\" data-alt=\"Bill Conner\" align=\"center\">\u003cimg class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" id=\"372241\" src=\"https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/a0bad530ce5d11e9a3fb4360e4b9139b/Imagebikc-1614576982290-1614705915972.png\" alt=\"Bill Conner\" height=\"auto\" width=\"100%\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"disableEmbedPointerEvents\" align=\"left\" style=\"\n font-family: aktiv-grotesk;\n font-size: 1rem;\n font-style: italic;\n font-weight: normal;\n line-height: 1.625rem;\n color: #191A1B;\n padding-top: 1rem;\n padding-bottom: 1rem;\n opacity: 0.5;\n text-align: center;\n\">\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\u003cp>Now, during the pandemic, Bill has been deeply involved in helping governments, municipalities, etc., to uphold the security of the vaccine distribution process. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>He says cybercriminals are opening new cyberattack vectors on global deployment and recalibrating their attacks to target the “cold chain” — the supply chain that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines that need cold temperatures. \u003ca class=\"link\" href=\"https://yourstory.com/2021/03/sonicwall-ceo-bill-conner-tech-journey-digital-cybersecurity-covid19\">Read more\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003chr>\u003ch3>The Interview\u003c/h3>\u003cp>Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital and Manipal Global Education, believes that the Indian startup ecosystem can still grow amid the current challenges and have 100 unicorns by 2025. But how will India’s soonicorns overcome the current crisis and remain on their path to becoming India’s next unicorns? \u003c/p>\u003cdiv class=\"in-article-ad\">\u003cdiv id=\"in-article-ad-2-193121\">\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003cp>He lets in on a secret: “If you can create the image of growth, and show investors that you are the next big bet, the market and investors w