The Lifecycle of India Focused Funds is an annual conference hosted by Nishith Desai Associates (NDA,) bringing together top fund managers, LPs and thought leaders to discuss existing and emerging issues in the investment milieu in India, along with takeaways executives need to understand the Indian fund industry.
The event, annually establishes India’s significance as a substantial market for VC, private equity and big ticket mergers & acquisitions
In 2019, the conference focused on aspects to consider while setting up India-focused funds and recent developments that affect the industry. In light of the upcoming general elections, the discussions gauged the international perception of India and offer the opportunity to chart a course for the future.
There were some amazing talks and some that were particularly interesting were the ones on how venture capital is transforming and building up momentum towards explosive growth. There is more interest on the enterprise side with the power that Indian has. A lot of international investors are getting into Indian sass plays.
Here are a few takeaways from one of their panels talking about Tech deals
Capital on the buyout & corporate side in various opportunities
Automated software technologies developed in India are getting pulled by customers across other countries for various deals and unique types of structures
The normal hold period is usually 6 years in tech investments. We can’t hold on much longer
As a proxy to the SPV, LPs want to coinvest
Sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and pension funds all have various expectations & conflicting views etc so it’s important to have a strong investment thesis and make the right partnerships appropriately when it comes to specific deals
Series B: When looking at a company, the entry threshold for a series B is $4M ARR. Other things to look at although it’s a cliche is the team. When it comes to team, they need to have grit. Knowing that the team is resilient in an unpredictable world is massively important.
Late Stage: They look at massive scale risk and it still comes back to the team
QUESTION: Do you prefer unique ip & a new business model vs just growth & licensing? “Every company we invest in is a unique product & tech company”. This helps to create a higher bar when it comes to competition and valuation.
Genesis Block Holdings is a blockchain venture capital, digital currency, & mining fund focused on investing in technology that supports how the world will change in the future. Visit our website here: http://www.genbvc.com and listen to our podcast here: Apple , Spotify, Google