Apr 21, 2020Keep the flame aliveWhile the skies are clearer now with no vehicles, pollution levels still not low due to relentless zoom calls with VCs on how to survive from the epidemic. And from conference call fatigue. In this climate of doom, many of you may feel like you just need to get some…Startups4 min readStartups4 min read
Dec 20, 20172018: Predictions for the Indian startup ecosystem-Anand Lunia It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, as Charles Dickens would have described. Some unicorns raised more money than anyone expected to, and some did not get even a bailout. …Venture Capital3 min readVenture Capital3 min read
Apr 17, 2017Game On!‘Happy birthday! Lets make India better again!’ Fareed messaged on Whatsapp, the app from the American startup that Indians can’t have enough of. It was one of the best greetings I have ever got. Whatsapp rocks, indeed! The love for doing something for our country is what unites an investor…Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
Apr 8, 2017What will your funding buy for you?A whole lot of consumer startups have shut down entirely in India, without creating any semblance of value, without solving any problem whatsoever, and without leaving any meaningful lessons for other entrepreneurs to use. Absolutely no salvage value came out of so many $3–20M investments. A host of local services…Startup4 min readStartup4 min read
Jan 31, 2017Reality check in the online lending space-Anand Lunia, with reply from Jayesh Ametha of Capital One There are about 20 odd funded online lending companies in India, and the market that was supposed be the big find of 2016 is now facing a reality check. Many of the funded companies are already pivoting and many others…Fintech5 min readFintech5 min read
Nov 21, 2016Has India’s startup story missed the capital efficiency bus?— Anand Lunia “A startup is a temporary organization used to search for a repeatable and scalable business model”. A great definition from Steve Blank, one of Silicon Valley’s well known educators. …Venture Capital4 min readVenture Capital4 min read
Nov 11, 2016Revenue per employee and metrics that matter in the long run-Anand Lunia Recently I trolled Shailendra Singh of Sequoia when he tweeted ‘Indian startups need to deliver so much more value per $ of rev than elsewhere, it’s why they can win abroad. big challenge & opportunity’ I said ‘but they are the least efficient in $ capital per $ of…Startup6 min readStartup6 min read
Nov 7, 2016The bar for startup CEOs is much higher now— Anand Lunia — Since 2015, all VCs in India have a fair idea of the good, the bad and ugly among their investments. The bridge rounds should not confuse an onlooker, because those are driven by a different set of compulsions. In 2014–15, the VC funding process was hacked, perfected by the IITian…Startup6 min readStartup6 min read
Nov 7, 2016What the Mary Meeker 2016 report tells us about the India OpportunityIndia internet opportunity is getting bigger, but not clearer The one peculiar thing about the Mary Meeker report is that is mentions India and its internet penetration very high up, as early as slide 5, and then gives internet growth data. …Internet6 min readInternet6 min read
Oct 19, 2016Capital-led companies stretch for their Patanjali moment-By Anand Lunia and Shailesh Vikram Singh In a world away from technology, Patanjali is the most interesting comeback of the Indian entrepreneur. Amazon is winning customers in India because it offers more discounts and not because of any secret sauce. ‘The Amazon of India will be Amazon and not…Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
