Strategies for Successful Tech Startups

I started my first venture when I was in college. I bootstrapped it to over $1 million in annual revenue and sold it to a large company for millions of dollars when I was 26. I am now onto my new venture GreyLabs AI, and six months ago, I raised $1.6 million for assembling the best AI team for Financial Services in India. Here are some of my key learnings about building and leading teams:  1. Hire generalists in the early days. In a startup’s early stages, you need people who can wear multiple hats and figure things out. As Mark Zuckerberg says, “Hire people who are generally smart.”  2. Hire smart people and trust them. Once you’ve hired smart individuals, empower them. Focus on the "outcomes" you want, and let them decide "how" to achieve them. 3. Don't micro-manage. Smart people thrive on autonomy. Micro-management not only wastes your time but also demotivates them. Instead, set clear goals, define weekly or fortnightly milestones, and sync up regularly to track progress. 4. Communicate the bigger picture. Keep sharing your company's vision and larger goals. The more your team understands the big picture, the better they’ll align their work to achieve it. 5. Understand individual strengths. Spend time learning what each team member is great at. Creative individuals often excel in product and design, while great storytellers might shine in sales. Play to their strengths. 6. Build a culture of trust. Trust your team members. If someone breaks that trust, part ways respectfully and kindly. Offer a severance package and help them find a new role if possible. 7. Simplify job profiles. Avoid creating too many job profiles. Each one needs a well-defined description, salary band, objectives, appraisal criteria, etc., which can complicate things. Keep roles focused and meaningful. 8. Encourage experimentation and accept failures. Innovation comes from genuine experiments. Create a culture that encourages moonshot thinking and embraces failure when efforts are genuine. Penalizing failure kills creativity. 9. Support your team holistically. Help your team not just succeed in their roles but also grow in their careers and lives. When you take care of your people, they’ll take care of your customers - and your business. Building great teams is an art, and I’m still learning every day. What are some of your biggest learnings about leading a team? Let’s share and learn together in the comments! 👇 #startups #business #entrepreneurship #leadership #teamBuilding

Criticizing Indian Startups for "Convenience Tech" Misses the Point!! The recent debate sparked by Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s remarks on Indian startups prioritizing food delivery apps and lifestyle products over deep tech has ignited a crucial conversation. But framing this as a failure of founders is not just unfair—it overlooks the structural realities of India’s startup ecosystem and the market forces shaping it. 1. Startups Build What the Market Demands India’s consumer-tech boom—from hyperlocal delivery to fintech—is a response to real demand in a rapidly digitizing economy with 1.4 billion people. Companies like Zepto, Swiggy, and Paytm are solving immediate needs: affordability, accessibility, and convenience for millions. These ventures create jobs, attract FDI, and generate tax revenue, laying the groundwork for future innovation. Critics argue this focus lacks ambition, but even global giants like Amazon and Alibaba Group started as consumer platforms before scaling into cloud computing or AI. Innovation often begins with solving today’s problems to fund tomorrow’s moonshots. 2. The Ecosystem Drives Startup Priorities—Not Founders’ Imagination Comparing India’s startup landscape to China’s is like comparing apples to spaceships. China’s deep-tech dominance was built over decades through: - State-backed funding: $1.4 trillion in tech investments (2015–2025) vs. India’s $150 billion. - Policy consistency: Tax cuts ($361B in 2024 for R&D) and financial incentives. - Patient capital: 35% of China’s startup funding goes to deep tech vs. India’s 5%. India’s ecosystem, meanwhile, grapples with regulatory friction, limited R&D spending (0.6% of GDP), and investor preference for quick returns. 3. Deep Tech Needs Time, Talent, and Trust Building foundational technologies like AI, EVs, or semiconductors requires: - Long-term capital: Most Indian VCs seek exits in 5–7 years, while deep tech needs 10+. - Skilled talent: China has 2.2M R&D professionals vs. India’s 900K. - Academia-industry collaboration: China’s state-backed labs and universities drive research; India’s education system stifles creativity. The good news? India’s deep-tech startups are rising—4,000 today, projected to hit 10,000 by 2030. But expecting them to match China’s scale overnight ignores systemic gaps. 4. Consumer Tech Fuels the Engine for Future Innovation Dismissing food delivery or fintech as “trivial” ignores their role as innovation springboards: - Data & scale: Consumer apps generate vast datasets critical for AI/ML development. - Profit recycling: Successful exits fund R&D. 5. The Way Forward: Collaborate, Don’t Criticize Instead of polarizing debates, stakeholders must boost patient capital, fix policy bottlenecks, and celebrate incremental wins. Final Thought India’s startup journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Consumer tech isn’t the enemy—it’s the first lap. Let’s build bridges, not blame games.

There's a question I keep coming back to when I look at India's startup ecosystem. We talk a lot about capital formation, how much is being raised, how many unicorns exist, and what the funding numbers look like. But the more interesting question is about the second-order effects. What happens 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 value gets created? Here's the loop I find nascent and yet to scale up. Founders build companies. Some of those companies generate exits. ESOPs vest. Early employees and founders, many of them in their 30s, suddenly have meaningful liquidity for the first time. Some of that goes into lifestyle. A lot of it flows back into the ecosystem, as angel investments, as co-founder capital for the next venture, as the seed check that makes an early-stage deal possible. We have already seen some of the notable founders do this in a big way - the floodgates open when this cycle starts extending beyond the founders. In markets like the US, this recycling of startup-generated wealth has been one of the most durable drivers of the venture ecosystem. The PayPal Mafia is the famous example, but it happens at every level, every cycle. India is now entering that phase. The last decade built the infrastructure, founders, operators, product thinking, go-to-market muscle. The next decade will be defined by how much of the capital created by this first wave finds its way back into the next one. And whether the domestic VC ecosystem matures fast enough to intermediate that capital well. From where I sit, the seed stage is where this recycling matters most. It's where the bet is almost entirely on judgment, on the founder, the problem, the early signal. And it's where patient, experienced capital with genuine skin in the game makes the biggest difference. The flywheel is just getting started. PeerCapital | Ankur Pahwa | Rohit M A #VCleadership #Indianstartupsecosystem #VCecosystem

Two headlines from the past week capture the mood of India’s startup ecosystem: 1. OpenAI opening its first Indian office in New Delhi - a choice that signals how central policy alignment has become to global tech expansion. NCR is fast emerging as a tech hub, not only for founders but also for global companies who see influence and access as critical to scaling here. 2. The blanket ban on real-money gaming (#RMG) - wiping out a sector that had absorbed nearly $700 Mn in VC funding and contributed ₹9,000 - 10,000 Cr annually to digital advertising. The move has left startups, investors, and the entire value chain scrambling to reset business models overnight. Both stories point to one truth: policy influence looms larger than ever over India’s startup economy. For founders, this means resilience isn’t just about product-market fit or distribution. It also means designing with regulatory foresight, diversifying early, and engaging with policy from day zero. India is a $4Tn+ economy in the making. The opportunity is massive, but the rulebook can change fast. Founders who succeed will be those who not only build for users and markets - but also for the regulatory environments their companies must operate in.

If your pitch deck can't pass the 30-second test, you've already lost the investor. I've sat through hundreds of pitch meetings over the past 20 years, and the pattern is clear: An investor decides in 30 seconds whether your deck is worth their time. No second chances. No mercy. Here's how to make those crucial 30 seconds count: 1. Lead with undeniable pain Investors care about problems first, not your technology. What urgent issue are you solving? Why is this a billion-dollar problem? "1 in 4 patients in rural areas lack access to diagnostic imaging, leading to preventable deaths." 2. Your one-line solution Explain what you do in plain English. No jargon. How is it 10x better than existing solutions? "Our portable AI scanner delivers hospital-grade imaging at 1/10th the cost in under 10 minutes." 3. Prove founder-market fit Why you? Why now? What makes you uniquely qualified to solve this problem? "I spent 8 years building healthcare systems that serve 2 million+ patients and personally experienced this problem when my mother couldn't get a timely diagnosis." 4. Show the scale Investors aren't just backing products. They're backing markets. How much money can they make once you scale? "$15B global market, growing 12% annually. Targeting 500 rural hospitals in year one." Look, storytelling is good. It's important. But your pitch won't get attention without PROOF. Proof of a burning problem Proof your solution works Proof you're the right team Proof the market is massive If you can't establish this in 30 seconds, no one will read past slide 3. What's the biggest challenge you've faced when pitching to investors? #funding #investors #startups #founders

One of the defining traits of the US startup ecosystem, even since the 1950s, has been the ability of investors to look beyond individual companies and immediate business opportunities. They invest time and resources to understand how a particular technology or solution can open up opportunities for other startups and even create entirely new industries down the road. US venture capitalists see their role as funding innovation, not just profitable businesses. They relentlessly back technologies that can serve as platforms for future entrepreneurship, and they foster a culture that celebrates risk-taking and accepts failure as a necessary part of progress. Even unsuccessful ventures often generate valuable knowledge, talent, or technology that seeds the next wave of startups. For India, the next step seems the need to build an ecosystem that looks beyond short-term gains and cultivate enablers to constantly seed new ideas and innovation. At Rainmatter by Zerodha, we keep trying to take a long-term view of every company we invest in, envisioning how their learnings and networks can inspire and support future startups. We recognize that building this mindset is a constant chase, and we are committed to playing our part in nurturing a truly innovative ecosystem. The best part is that over the past couple of years, VCs in the ecosystem I have spoken to also have voiced out this ambition. Let's hope this shift happens quickly. :)

As an investor who sees multiple pitches and investor decks every week, here’s what I would do if I was raising money right now. The old method: focus on “the vision” with the goal was of capturing the investor’s imagination. Now, AI and software is enabling founders to build faster and cheaper than ever - investment indicators are evolving too. The "new" method: Go-to-market, revenue momentum, and customer traction are center stage. To adjust, here’s what I would do if I were raising now: 0. Don't "need" the investor. I've talked about Seed-Strapping many times. Be ruthlessly efficient with your spending: outsource overseas; get startup software credits; etc Paradoxically, the less you need an investor, the more they will want you. 1. Build relationships first. I invest in “lines” not “dots”. Every meeting or interaction we have is a “dot” of information. Tell investors what you are going to accomplish in the near term and then the next time you chat with them - demonstrate how you met or exceeded those goals. Over time as we interact, I can connect those information dots into a “line” that has a trajectory. If that trajectory is up and to the right - then I’m much more likely to invest. 2. Focus on customer traction. Depending on what stage you are at that may be a different metric (user growth, revenue growth, product usage, etc). But - note that no one cares about “vanity metrics” any more. 3. Find an “anchor investor”. The unfortunate truth is that investors are lemmings. They follow each other because they inherently trust the instincts of other "smart" investors and there is some safety in herds. The best thing you can do is find one “true believer” first and then leverage them to get the next one and on and on. Referrals are so key here. Never leave a positive investor call without asking for a referral. 4. Create a buzz. It’s always impressive when a founder can create their own demand through inbound social. It’s not easy to do and it will absolutely have a positive impression if you can demonstrate that you are a respected thought leader in the space. It’s also a great indictor that you will be able to drive organic inbound customers which will lower your CAC. 5. Raise less money. Sadly, FOMO is real and generating it is a key psychological tool needed to drive a yes. The best and safest way to do this is to run your business in a way that you really don’t need the investor. The less money you raise - the faster the availability to invest will run out. That will create a need for the investor to make a decision because you should be able to fill that round faster than a larger round. Founders - what's worked for you?

I’ve worked with 10 venture-backed founders. Three exits later, these are the traits that stand out. 1. Deep in the weeds Great founders know the details cold. When something breaks, they don’t just delegate, they dive in. My experience: One founder I worked with could tell me exactly how many virtual gifts a livestream creator earned during his last stream on our app, and how much revenue we likely missed by not having a product feature live in time. That level of awareness and knowledge builds trust across the org. 2. Decisive under pressure They don’t wait weeks to gather consensus. Once they have sufficient context, they make the call, and the whole company sprints. My experience: At one company, a founder made a critical pivot decision overnight after an investor meeting, and set the a thoughtful and robust roadmap in motion by the next morning. 3. Zero patience for politics The best founders want the right person in the role, full stop. My experience: I once flagged to a founder that I was being blocked on a launch (my former company has just been acquired by theirs and I hadn’t been fully integrated into the new team). The founder immediately pulled me into the exec standup that morning and told the team to clear the path. He didn’t care about hierarchy games, just results. Of course, there are more traits that make great leaders. But across my career, these three are the most consistent through-lines for founders who drive successful outcomes. If you’re working for leaders who operate like this, my advice is simple: stick around. You’ll learn a ton! If you’re a founder, startups are hard, but you’ll exponentially increase your chance of success if you mirror these traits. ---— 👋🏾 Want more startup advice and tech news? Follow me here: Justin Gerrard And check out my podcast: Rush Hour Podcast ♻️ Repost if you think someone in your network would benefit! #startups #founders

If you didn’t start investor outreach by now, you’re behind. Most founders underestimate what it takes - roughly 21 steps between “hello” and money in the bank. And with summer holidays coming, the clock’s ticking louder than ever. 1. Investor Outreach (Cold/ Warm/ Backchanneled) 2. Following Up & Chasing 3. Investor(s) requests your Pitch Deck 4. First Meeting (many Founders give their pitch then, but I’d suggest to wait until the Investor gives a green light to do this) 5. Send an email after to thank the Investors for their time and send over Pitch Deck file 6. Chasing again (usually) 7. If interested, the Investor will request your Financial Model 8. If approved, the Investor requests access to your Data Room or schedules a Follow-Up meeting 9. Set up Data Room and request a bilateral NDA before sharing sensitive documents 10. The Investor signs your NDA 11. Review of the Data Room and Due Diligence (DD) comes next 12. You might have additional meetings at this point and/or requests for more information/ documents 13. The Investor may involve external consultants or advisors for in-depth due diligence (esp if your business is highly technical) 14. If Due Diligence is successful, the Investor will issue you with a Term Sheet 15. Review Term Sheet with your Lawyers 16. If necessary, term sheet negotiations follow next (founders most often negotiate valuation) 17. Sign the Term Sheet 18. Legal Teams Draft and Finalize Investment Agreements 19. Both Parties Sign Final Agreements 20. Investor Transfers the Money 21. Send a Thank You and Begin Regular Investor Updates and Communication #capitalraising #startupfunding #fundraisingplaybooks

On 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐃𝐚𝐲, it’s worth pausing—not to celebrate unicorns or valuations—but to reflect on 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚. India’s startup story is often told in numbers: funding rounds, exits, rankings, global headlines. But beneath the surface lies a quieter, far more powerful truth. Startups in India are not just businesses. They are 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 against constraint. They are built in environments where capital is scarce, networks are uneven, and failure carries social cost. They are shaped by founders who choose uncertainty over comfort, long nights over linear careers, and purpose over predictability. Having been a founder, investor, board advisor, and policy practitioner across global markets, I’ve seen one pattern repeat itself. Sustainable startups are not built on speed alone. They are built on 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥. 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲—of the problem being solved, of the customer being served, and of the value being created. Without clarity, scale only amplifies confusion. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭—to ecosystems, mentors, markets, and institutions. No founder succeeds alone. Startups that endure are those that learn how to collaborate, not just compete. And finally, 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥—not just funding, but patient capital that understands cycles, risk, governance, and long-term value creation. What truly distinguishes India’s startup ecosystem is not speed. It is 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. Our founders don’t merely chase markets—they solve for access. They don’t just build products—they engineer workarounds for broken systems. But National Startup Day should also be honest. Not every startup will succeed. And that’s not a failure of ambition. Failure is not the opposite of entrepreneurship. 𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬. The next phase of India’s startup journey will not be defined by how many companies we create—but by how many 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞. Institutions anchored in clarity. Ecosystems strengthened by connection. Growth supported by responsible capital. To the founders still building quietly—learning, iterating, holding on—my deepest respect. India’s startup story is far from finished. Its most important chapters will be written not in valuations, but in 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.