IVCA appoints Rajan Anandan of Sequoia India as chair of new VC council

The apex industry body for alternative assets, the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA), has announced a new VC Council for 2022-24, led by Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Sequoia India and Southeast Asia and Surge. The council will be co-chaired by Rahul Khanna, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Trifecta Capital.

The eight members constituting the new VC Council also include Manish Khetarpal (WaterBridge Ventures), Priyanka Chopra (Bharat Innovation Fund), Ruchi Khajanchi (A91 Partners), Sehraj Singh (Prosus Ventures), Anil Joshi (Unicorn India Ventures), and Sameer Brij Verma (Nexus Venture Partners).

As per an official release, the council envisages to engage more than 120 VC Member Funds of IVCA and engage with other domestic and global funds at large to work on important industry initiatives and issues.

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“The startup ecosystem and the venture capital industry in India are entering a new phase. India is already the third largest startup ecosystem in the world and has become a preferred destination for investors from around the world. Our mandate as the VC Council is to ensure that we continue to build on these strong foundations while addressing a range of areas such as attracting more domestic capital, improving governance, and encouraging new funds in emerging sectors,” said Rajan Anandan, Chair, VC Council, IVCA.

The council is a permanent sub-committee under the aegis of the IVCA Executive Committee. The new VC Council aims to drive government engagement by advocating policies that encourage innovation, which contributes to capital creation, nation building, and knowledge dissemination. To achieve the same, the council is looking to support young and first-time fund managers, all the while working with a gender-agnostic approach to further the cause of diversity and inclusion in the Indian VC community.

“It’s a privilege to co-lead the VC Council of the IVCA. My aim in the new role will be to support the maturing of this asset class by providing access to best practices in capital formation, portfolio management, governance, and reporting. This should particularly benefit my peers in the venture capital community especially, the emerging local managers who are helping fund growth and innovation in the Indian economy,” said Rahul Khanna, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Trifecta Capital and Co-Chair, VC Council, IVCA.