Transforming Smart CEO from a traditional magazine for leaders to something fun, amazing and truly differentiated. Yet to figure out what exactly!
Chennai, India
Joined December 2009
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- Following2.5K
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Smart CEO retweeted
In India, fundraising is hard.
For @ReferRush I spent months building a list of 5,000 verified Indian investors of angels, VCs, and funds — with names, emails, and contacts.
It took us weeks to create and I’m giving it away for free!
Comment “investor list”, like, and repost and I’ll DM you the link.
[You must be following me to receive the DM]
Smart CEO retweeted
Lovable just raised $200M at a $1.8B valuation led by Accel.
This all started unexpectedly with me calling my friend at 6AM to go for a walk.
I've never shared this story before: (thread)
Smart CEO retweeted
Naukri was launched on April 1, 1997. Today is the 28th anniversary of the launch of the first internet business at Info Edge. Indiamart was launched a year earlier on April 1, 1996 and Makemytrip three years later on April 1, 2000 if I remember correctly. It is Makemytrip’s twenty fifth anniversary - congratulations @Naukri @IndiaMART @makemytrip
Smart CEO retweeted
What would it take to produce a really good Mahabharata with the help of today’s AI? What do you think should be the budget and who should direct it?
Smart CEO retweeted
Just heard from a friend who’s been at a FAANG for the past few years: “we are in a much better financial standpoint than before joining them”.
This statement underscores a basic truth. While startups might be great from a culture and impact perspective, working for a handful of years at one of the Magnificent 7 is the absolute best, near-riskless way in tech to get to a level of financial security that allows you to feel comfortable taking significantly more risks in your career.
If you have significant upcoming financial liabilities, consider the FAANG : Mag7 path, if just for a few years. It might not be the most exciting and fulfilling option (though many friends say the work is great) but it’s definitely the most pragmatic. Don’t blindly drink the kool aid; instead do what’s right for your personal situation.
Smart CEO retweeted
Vara and I welcome @warburgpincus and thank SoftBank Vision Fund 2 for their participation.
We are excited to revolutionize DAP with innovation and expansion into DAP Adjacent offerings.
Thanks to our investors, customers, partners, and Whatfixers!
@varakumar
Whatfix has secured $125 million in Series E! 💥
Welcome @warburgpincus as our lead investor for this round and thank you SoftBank Vision Fund 2 for participating in it.
Thanks to our customers, partners, and team!
🔗bit.ly/3ZBnVLw (1/3)
Smart CEO retweeted
Whatfix continues to go from strength to strength. @KhadimBatti and @varakumar_n have built an execution juggernaut.
The story of building @whatfix when told, will be a master-class in innovation, first-principles, and ambition.
Welcome @warburgpincus
@peakxvpartners
Smart CEO retweeted
Beyond excited to have received my author copies of AI Snake Oil (w/@random_walker)!
The book is out in 2 weeks, but the entire intro (30+ pages) is now available online: press.princeton.edu/books/ha…
Read a summary of all chapters in our latest post: aisnakeoil.com/p/starting-re…
Smart CEO retweeted
We are delighted to launch our newest Bluprint, or report, on the Eldercare space.
First, what is a Bluprint? Well, Bluprints are how we make sense of emerging sectors or spaces, at @blumeventures.
Each Bluprint dissects a sector, maps out the landscape in one or many 2x2s, understands rubrics for success, and attempts to identify and rank promising startups on their distinct right to win across these rubrics. Bluprints help us sensemake sectors and track interesting opportunities. It helps us initiate conversations and spur serendipity.
That said, a Bluprint is not the final word or answer on any sector. Rather it is an endeavour to ask the right questions. It is the beginning of an exploration, and publishing Bluprints and making it public, allows us to get feedback on the Bluprint, learn from founders and practitioners, and thereby refine our thinking. Hopefully, it will also help aspiring founders and observers garner an outside perspective.
Our latest Bluprint is on the eldercare space.
My ex-colleague @radhika_agar and then intern @simran_malik_ cowrote the Eldercare Bluprint for us. Post their departure, my colleagues @mar_kodi & @llnachull did the final touches.
In the Eldercare Bluprint, We have identified five broad categories of opportunities linked around various seniors' pain points, including health, lifestyle, safety, and financial well-being. We believe that children, particularly those living overseas while their parents reside in India, often play a crucial role in deciding to pay for eldercare services.
Our findings highlight several areas with high willingness to pay, such as nutrition supplements, concierge services, senior homes & assisted living, fitness, social & entertainment, mobility aids, senior tourism, and insurance. We believe that a full-stack approach may well emerge as an effective way to serve elders' needs, as they are more likely to adopt a single, trusted channel for all their requirements.
We are excited to release this to the world.
Link to the Bluprint, following twitter tradition(!), in the first comment / threaded tweet.
Smart CEO retweeted
In my work i meet a lot of very ambitious people, and take great pleasure in figuring out the source of their hunger.
Some are endearing: the desire to prove your worth to a parent or a partner; others pedestrian, like keeping up with your batchmates from college. /1
Smart CEO retweeted
I've never spoken to a founder that regretted selling too soon.
I've spoken to many founders that regretted selling too late.
Smart CEO retweeted
Fantastic interview where @BKartRed gets my dear friend @SachetiMithun to open up on his phenomenal @Caratlane journey. youtu.be/g2Z1IYcDlZg?si=5MUv… Thoroughly enjoyed the session with so many great insights. Don’t miss the trick on how to keep the attention of important mentors when they are tired and sleepy😊😊
Smart CEO retweeted
Startup Sales Tip: When communicating with enterprise executives ...
Keep all correspondences in plain text and in the body of an email.
It forces you to think, be specific, and pithy. And, allows them to easily add their comments in reply OR forward to colleagues.
Do not add a video, presentation, link to X, etc. If the answer requires it, grab 15-30min and review live.
Brochure pushing is for order takers 🙃
Smart CEO retweeted
Congratulations @rpragchess on a fantastic performance as runner up of FIDE World cup!! You made Tamilnadu and India proud!! As Thalaivar said - “ஒரு தடவை தான் தவறும்!!” Next time பார்த்துக்கலாம்!!
Smart CEO retweeted
We’re stoked to kick off a fresh chapter at Together! Today, we’re launching our 2nd fund, a larger $150M fund , set up to boost early-stage SaaS & AI startups.
Two years back, Together was just a brainstorm between @manav_garg , @shubg , and me. We wanted to build @scaletogether as a firm that really gets founders, helping India step up its game in the product world. Now, with 20 awesome startup teams in the mix, our dream’s turning into reality.
This first closing of Fund II is a huge thumbs up from our portfolio companies, our investors, and, of course, the hard-working Together team. A massive shoutout to everyone involved.
We’re all-in on the Indian SaaS story, especially when it comes to Gen AI. We can’t wait to invest more in this space, stoking the fires of growth and innovation. The future’s looking bright, and we’re all set to dive in - Together!
Read more about the raise & our plans for fund II here: tinyurl.com/TGFFund2
#GenAI #SaaS #startups
Smart CEO retweeted
I made 65 startup investments between 2010-2020
I have made another 65 new startup investments between 2020-2023
Here is summary of my first 65 investments:
40/65 failed…angel investments aren’t for faint hearted. 🤣
12/65 gave 1-5X return.
Top 12 have generated 15-500X return and counting.
It all started with my first exit when Little Eye Labs was acquired by Facebook.
Viki acquired by Rakutan
IMGN acquired by Warner Music
Dailyrounds acquired by M3, Japan
Pokkt acquired by Anymind, Japan
Zapr acquired by Samsung
Slintel acquired by Sixth Sense
SilverPush and Whatfix are well on their way to do IPOs in 2024-2025
Quizizz, Medibuddy and Citymall are soonicorns leaders in their respective categories.
In the last 3 years, I have stepped up my startup investments. Here is the portfolio of the latest 65 investments.
Let’s see if this younger cohort outperforms the previous cohort
Smart CEO retweeted
DON’T BE JUMPY
Got this message from a CEO about a candidate: “I don't think they'd be a good fit. We have a pretty hard rule on no jumpy folks and their background looks like a alot of 1.5 years and then gone”.
Current and future job seekers: don’t be jumpy. Accomplish something meaningful at each company before considering a new role. Making an impact (and ideally showing increased scope over time at the company) takes 3-5 years, not 1-2 years. Jumpiness at multiple companies is viewed negatively by recruiters and founders alike. It shows an inability to stick around and see things through.
Smart CEO retweeted
Just hired a 21yo for their first job. What basic professional advice do they need? Here's what I tell all my new staff, but perhaps you can add. I'll start small.
1/ Use an online calendar. Have a foolproof system of reminders, so you never forget a deadline or obligation.
