Startup investing has become mainstream in India. More Indians will invest in early-stage startups once the ecosystem further matures.

VC investments are illiquid with 5 to 8 years lock-in depending upon the fund. Thus, it requires a higher return than most investments.

Nine big startups came up with IPOs in Q2 2021. All are technology companies except Oatley (Oat milk maker) and Didi (Ride hailing company).

Out of the 10 biggest startup investors in H1 2021, 9 were traditional PE/Growth funds.

In the first 4 months of 2021, more Indian companies became unicorns (startups with at least $1 Bn valuations) than in the entire of 2020.

The biggest startups will become more global with time. Then more global unicorns will come to India & Indian unicorns will expand outside.

The top 3 reasons behind startup failures are running out of cash, building a product without any real demand and industry competition.

An investor deck is the marketing document of your startup. Invest time in building a deck if you want to raise capital.

Most startups hire a banker for Series C onwards because raising so much capital is a lot of work.

VCs love big opportunities. They invest in startups with big TAMs or rapidly growing TAMs.

VCs are supposed to encourage innovation. But now they just pump money and want companies to grow at all costs.

Paul Graham, the founder of Y Combinator, says ideas don't have any inherent value. If you think otherwise, try selling them.

The best bankers collaborate with founders to achieve their goals. Their incentives are tied to those of the firms they are advising.

Product Market FIT (PMF) is the cornerstone of all successful startups. You achieve it by testing the value hypothesis of your product.

The Indian co-living industry has a place for multiple players because of its size. One company can't capture the entire market.

In the immortal words of Paul Graham of Y Combinator fame, "A startup is a company designed to grow fast".