Indian is fast becoming the blue eyed baby in the eyes of the global entrepreneurial world. With intra & cross nation funding transactions on a consistent rise, the start-up fervour is no longer confined only to India. Given this scenario, it goes without saying that the number of start-up investment deals cracked is skyrocketing. India, for a very first time, is witnessing a substantial surge in not only in the number of entrepreneurs burning with a passion to make a difference but also an equivalent rise in the number of investors ready to sow the monetary seeds in these start-ups.
Entrepreneurs looking for investors, who would be a good fit for their company is something our ears are accustomed to hearing but investors actively looking for entrepreneurs and enterprises they can invest their money in, is something that startles us now, doesn’t it ?
Although the Indian start-up scenario is worth celebrating, it is still in an extremely nascent stage and hence it is all the more necessary for the players to have a sound two way communication for yielding best results. And this is what gives rise to the concept known as Reverse Pitching.
As the name suggests, Reverse Pitching is when the tables are turned and instead of the entrepreneurs pitching to the investors, it is the other way around. A platform is provided to the investors, wherein they participate to pitch to the entrepreneurs and the enterprises of their choice. Although at the onset this structure might seem to be something that is beneficial only to the entrepreneur, as it gives him/her the leverage to take the calls, it actually is of greater value to the investor. By being a part of such a reversed process, the investor can only pull and truly be involved in those start-ups he thinks he is the best fit for. The guidance and the mentorship provided by the investor is, with his core content, focused towards the start-ups of his choice. With 100s of startups born everyday, it’s next to impossible for investors to dedicate time to listen to so many pitches and then part ways because the investor-investee philosophy, approach and thesis don’t quite match. A concept like Reverse Pitch allows the stakeholders involved to thoroughly understands the strengths and capabilities of each other thus forging a stronger and a more fruitful partnership.
Given this high efficacy of the process and the need for a change in today’s investment mindset, STARup 2016, a summit focused towards bringing together the best of the innovative minds together, has consciously included Reverse Pitch as one of its core events. The event entails investors from various realms pitching to entrepreneurs from various sectors like FinTech, EmergingTech, HealthTech and Platforms & Aggregators among others. The investor would be allotted five minutes to share his/her funding approach, operational experience, sector focus, investment thesis, portfolio, etc which would then subsequently lead to further funding discussions with relevant startups.
The brain behind the event is that of the core team at ah! Ventures, a full spectrum funding platform and investment network that works as a growth catalyst bringing together promising businesses and investors by creating wealth creation opportunities for both. In the past 4 years, ah! Venture has invested 90+ Cr in over 27 startups across India and abroad. In the coming years ah! envisages to take its flagship summit STARup pan India and also to Middle East and South East Asia.
The STARup 2016 summit is scheduled to be on the 17th of September, 2016 at IIT Bombay.
For more information, visit www.ahventures.in/STARup