Pick a co-founder the way you would pick a spouse, a senior hire, and a long-term business partner combined: slowly, with references, written agreements, and a trial under stress. Do not choose your college friend because you get along. Choose someone whose judgement you trust, whose skills cover…
Revenue-based financing in India is not a clever substitute for product-market fit. It is a repayment contract against revenue you already have. If your startup has predictable collections, healthy gross margins and a clear use for growth capital, it can fund expansion without selling equity. If …
A down round in India is a funding round priced below your last round’s per-share price. It is not automatically a failure. It is a failure when you hide it, delay it, or accept terms that leave the company unfinanceable. A ₹100 crore valuation that cannot attract a rupee is worth less than a ₹40…
In India, a convertible note is not a clever way to avoid dilution. It is a loan that may become shares later. Equity is a direct sale of shares today. If you cannot explain the conversion price, valuation cap, maturity date, qualified financing threshold, and downside if the next round never hap…
Ola Electric’s business model is simple on paper: design electric scooters, sell them directly to Indian consumers, earn from the vehicle and software, and build a dense service network around the installed base. The hard part is not selling scooters. It is servicing hundreds of thousands of them…
Indian startup valuation is not a prize for having a large market slide. It is the price an investor will pay for a believable reduction in risk. The main startup valuation methods in India are the Berkus method, scorecard method, risk-factor summation, venture capital method, discounted cash flo…
A founder in Bengaluru recently told an investor, “I don’t draw a salary. I’ll take care of myself after the next round.” The next round took nine months. His savings ran out in month six. He started borrowing from family, became distracted, and quietly cut corners in the business. Here is the di…
Investor readiness is not a pitch deck. It is the condition of your business when an investor asks, “Show me the proof.” If your numbers live in WhatsApp, your cap table is a spreadsheet nobody trusts, and your next milestone is “grow faster”, you are not investor-ready. You are merely fundraisin…
Lenskart’s business model is not “selling glasses online”. It is a vertically integrated, omnichannel eyewear retail business: stores acquire trust and customers, the app captures repeat purchases, private labels protect gross margin, and owned manufacturing improves speed and control. The websit…
A good CAC payback period for an Indian startup is usually under 12 months for SaaS and subscription businesses . For a low-margin marketplace, commerce or fintech business, the acceptable number may be shorter—often 3 to 9 months—because your gross margin is thin and working capital hurts. Enter…
