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Five instances when debt is a good funding choice for startups

With a good strategy in place, debt can be a powerful tool for growth. Explore five scenarios where debt can boost business.

Angel Investors

LetsVenture AIF Information

LetsVenture today has a Cat-1 Angel AIF license, approved in 2018. We have close to 4.5k investors who have invested across 900 schemes. As we were the early pioneers of the AIF, we had created the PPM with certain cost structures in mind.

February 21, 2024

LetsVenture Debt

The importance of debt in a changing startup funding environment

Alternative forms of funding like debt as well as a combination of debt and equity are likely to become a strong funding instrument in the coming years for emerging businesses.

February 8, 2024

Private Market Investment

The Great Metamorphosis: LetsVenture’s Private Market Investing Outlook, Insights & Projections 2023-24

From our qualitative research and interviews with leading VCs and investors, the report outlines 10 key trends that point to a maturing startup ecosystem.

January 23, 2024

Angel Investors

Private Market Investment

Perks of running LetsVenture is front-seat view of the ecosystem

Our vision remains intact: To ensure that investors (angels, UHNIs and family offices) have access to the best entrepreneurs and to make fundraising and liquidity easy and transparent for founders.

January 23, 2024

Dive deep into the Angel Tax and its crippling impact on Indian startups

How does the angel tax and the valuation methods prescribed under it affect startups operating in a highly unpredictable market? Find out more.

December 8, 2023

Five instances when debt is a good funding choice for startups

With a good strategy in place, debt can be a powerful tool for growth. Explore five scenarios where debt can boost business.

LetsVenture AIF Information

LetsVenture today has a Cat-1 Angel AIF license, approved in 2018. We have close to 4.5k investors who have invested across 900 schemes. As we were the early pioneers of the AIF, we had created the PPM with certain cost structures in mind.

February 21, 2024

The importance of debt in a changing startup funding environment

Alternative forms of funding like debt as well as a combination of debt and equity are likely to become a strong funding instrument in the coming years for emerging businesses.

February 8, 2024

Perks of running LetsVenture is front-seat view of the ecosystem

Our vision remains intact: To ensure that investors (angels, UHNIs and family offices) have access to the best entrepreneurs and to make fundraising and liquidity easy and transparent for founders.

January 23, 2024

The Great Metamorphosis: LetsVenture’s Private Market Investing Outlook, Insights & Projections 2023-24

From our qualitative research and interviews with leading VCs and investors, the report outlines 10 key trends that point to a maturing startup ecosystem.

January 23, 2024

Dive deep into the Angel Tax and its crippling impact on Indian startups

How does the angel tax and the valuation methods prescribed under it affect startups operating in a highly unpredictable market? Find out more.

December 8, 2023

Rise of founders as angels and what they do better

November 27, 2023

A deep dive into building and scaling a company with equidebt at LetsIgnite 2023

November 27, 2023

Power law's ability to make investors lazy and other insights on building a successful portfolio at LetsIgnite 2023

November 27, 2023

Building a foundation of trust, the board’s fiduciary responsibility, and other top takeaways on navigating startup governance

Delve into the many facets of startup governance with Quotient Partner Kanika Agarrwal, Tracxn Co-founder and CEO Neha Singh, Aulerth Founder and CEO Vivek Ramabhadran, Aeka Advisors Partner Abhishek Goenka.

November 22, 2023

Inside the minds of young titans of family offices and their approach to startup investment

Take a closer look at how and why family offices are allocating capital to private markets in a candid conversation with leaders from four family offices at LetsIgnite 2023.

November 9, 2023

LetsIgnite 2023: Recognising ‘equidebt’ as a funding instrument, an honest decoding of angel tax, LIVE startup pitches, and more

Here’s a quick look at the action-packed day at LetsIgnite 2023, which brought together close to 250 investors to discuss the nuances of startup investing.

October 16, 2023

Four reasons why you should attend LetsIgnite 2023

We are pleased to announce the ninth edition of our flagship event LetsIgnite, India’s largest conclave for startup investors. Here are four reasons why you should not miss LetsIgnite 2023.

September 12, 2023

[Portfolio Watch] GIVA closes Rs 200 Cr in Series B, actor Parineeti Chopra invests in Clensta, and more

An investor is no longer just a suit-clad professional. They could very well be your next-door neighbor, or as we’ve seen, your landlord or a celebrity customer.

August 14, 2023

LetsVenture partners with HSBC to enable startups build sustainable businesses

Shanti Mohan, Co-founder and CEO, LetsVenture, advised founders on the need to be self-aware about how one is building their company and the intent behind their actions.

Three reasons to invest in an early-stage startup

One in every three deals in the Indian startup ecosystem takes place on LetsVenture. Join our investor community to discover the most promising early-stage startups.

Pushing for sustainable mobility: Are electric vehicles the future of India?

India is charging towards achieving its goal of sustainable mobility. Amid a strong push from the government and new innovations from the private sector, the electric vehicle market in India is growing at its own pace. In this edition of Compass, we explore the current electric vehicle market, its opportunities, and challenges.

Why should investors look at impact investing today

Impact investments are often confused with philanthropy. But like any other investor, impact investors also invest to achieve financial gains and make an impact in society.

LetsVenture partners with XLRI to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship

The partnership aims to encourage entrepreneurship and mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Women Investor Network (WIN) Alumni Invest Rs 7.5 Cr in 200 Startups So Far

WIN also continues to thrive as a community of women angel investors with access to exclusive deals as well as online sessions with industry practitioners.

The secret sauce of sourcing good startup deals

What is the secret sauce of sourcing good startup deals that will make an angel investor’s private market investing journey rewarding?

LetsVenture: 10 years of building value and wealth

For over a decade, LetsVenture has been working to make startup fundraise easy for founders and investors. Over 10 years, we have built solutions for both investors and founders to ensure fund accessibility and organize the private markets.

A decade of democratizing the Indian private market

Though hard, it has been gratifying and humbling. If I were to use words to express our journey, it would be fun, joy, passion, gratitude, hard work, love, disappointment, and anguish.

Five things all lead investors should know about running a syndicate

A lead investor must inevitably be an influencer. Here are five things to note before starting your syndicate.

[Portfolio Watch] Doqfy gets a funding boost to simplify legal ancillary, Zypp Electric and The Energy Company’s drive towards sustainable mobility and more

In Portfolio Watch, LetsVenture takes a closer look at the winning activities and milestones in our portfolio.

How to ensure investor-founder fit while raising funds

Finding the right investor takes a lot of time and effort but it is a crucial step to complete before raising funds. The right investor and their partnership with the founder can be a major contributor to the success of the business.

LetsVenture investors offer 6 LOIs to iStart startups at Rajasthan IT Day

LetsVenture joined hands with iStart Rajasthan, a state-backed initiative, to promote entrepreneurship in the state. Six promising iStart startups received letters of intent from LetsVenture leading investors.

Five ways angel investors can support startups in their portfolio

As the funding winter drags on and the collapse of banks in the US signals a tough economic environment, it is time for angel investors to stay alert on their mentoring duty.

How to achieve product-market fit by understanding your customer

A great product is one which can solve the consumer’s problems and add value to their lives.

February 27, 2023

LetsVenture signs MoU with iDEX-DIO to accelerate investment in deeptech startups with defence and civil use cases

As a part of the partnership, LetsVenture will commit Rs 100 Cr co-investment into iDEX startups and will collaborate to support the current and future initiatives of iDEX programs.

February 20, 2023

Five things to remember while preparing your pitch for early-stage funding

Fundraising is always challenging and, now, more so with investors becoming more cautious about their deals. Here are five things to keep in mind while preparing your pitch to raise early-stage funding.

February 17, 2023

Four ways to structure your angel investment deals

There is no one structure that fits all kinds of investment deals. Here are some common deal structures that investors adopt when investing in startups.

February 14, 2023

Budget 2023-24: Rural entrepreneurship for agritech innovations, an eco-friendly push, and more

Highlights and top announcements relating to the startup and private market ecosystem from Union Budget 2023.

February 1, 2023

[Portfolio Watch] Three startups bag National Startup Awards, BankSaathi seals funding deal, and more

In Portfolio Watch, LetsVenture takes a closer look at the winning activities and milestones in our portfolio.

January 31, 2023

Five Shark Tank India deals that prove ambitious founders should be an angel investor’s real bet

In angel investing, an investor’s first and final bet has to be the founder more than any other factors. Five Shark Tank India deals proves that.

January 23, 2023

Zillionaire’s 19-yr-old founders and their backstage banter on Shark Tank India

Zillionaire raised their first-ever funding from Anupam Mittal on Shark Tank India Season 2. Zillionaire is one among the many startups sourced by LetsVenture to pitch on the Shark Tank Season 2 stage. Here's a peek into their backstage adventures with the Sharks.

January 20, 2023

Young Entrepreneurs in India! Apply for U-30 Founders Challenge and bag funding up to $250K

The U-30 Founders Challenge seeks to identify young entrepreneurs solving unique India-specific problems across sectors. It is open for founders under 30 years of age.

January 17, 2023

Questions to ask startups when evaluating deals the Shark Tank India way

While it is a treat to watch entrepreneurs at Shark Tank India present their passion, negotiate hard for their equity and wow the investors, the reality show also offers valuable lessons in angel investing.

January 10, 2023

Angel investing 101: How you can get started and invest like the ‘Sharks’

Angel investors play a key role in helping startups enter the market and grow. Here’s how you can become one.

January 2, 2023

2022: Top trends in a year of extremes for private market ecosystem

This year marked the onset of a global recession that is expected to hit tech businesses. Let’s take stock of all that went down this year.

December 30, 2022

From betting big on SaaS to diving into the depths of gaming and metaverse, LVInsights’ top AMA sessions of the year

A look at the year through our AMA sessions where we dive deeper into the hot sectors and understand the underlying trends and technology.

December 26, 2022

2022: The year of Yin and Yang!

A reflection of the year that was.

December 24, 2022

Top 5 things to know before locking in on a startup valuation

Angel investors must get the startup valuation right as they are mostly investing in early-stage businesses. Here are five tips to abide by.

December 19, 2022

The perfect way out: Exit strategies angel investors must know before investing

A smart exit strategy is as important as evaluating investments deals because an exit ultimately opens the doors to gain the returns. Explore tips and different ways of scoring an exit from your investments.

December 12, 2022

Vivek Khare on the need to stay ahead of the curve and the nuances of angel investing

In the seventh edition of LVInsights AMA, angel investor Vivek Khare shares his journey of helping startups in their zero-to-one journey and the huge wealth creation opportunities in private markets.

December 8, 2022

Agnikul Cosmos launches India’s first private launchpad, Spintly’s smart building solution, and Buyofuel makes purchase of alternative fuel easy

In Portfolio Watch, LetsVenture takes a closer look at the winning activities and milestones in our portfolio companies.

November 30, 2022

What is an AIF and how you can join the LetsVenture AIF

Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) provides a structured way to invest in the Indian private market ecosystem. Here’s a guide on how angel investors can get started with LetsVenture AIF.

November 28, 2022

Carry on LetsVenture public platform reduced from 20% to 10%

As the largest AIF fund in the country, we would like to ask the right questions and challenge business models that have existed for 30 years. It is almost like a ‘Zerodha moment for private equity'.

November 28, 2022

LetsVenture, ISB to encourage investments into Indian startups, build India-UK corridor

LetsVenture and I-Venture @ ISB announced its partnership at London Conference 2022: Building the India-UK Startup Corridor where close to 30 ecosystem stakeholders from India and the UK discussed the best ways towards building a global startup corridor between the two countries.

November 25, 2022

Hearing out founders, empathy, and other lessons from Titan Capital’s Kunal Bahl

Here are the top six unfiltered lessons from Kunal Bahl’s successful journey as an angel investor for over a decade.

November 21, 2022

Five key strategies to build a steady deal flow as angel investors

There is more to angel investment than what meets the eye and ensuring quality deals is an important aspect of investing in startups. Explore five key strategies to build a steady deal flow.

November 14, 2022

How to decide if angel investment is the right way forward for you

Angel investment requires the investors to back promising early-stage startups. In case you are looking to foray into this segment, here is a guide on knowing when and how to become one.

November 9, 2022

PM Modi intrigued by AjnaLens, Biggies Burger’s big dreams, and cruising into the EV convenience with EMotorad

In Portfolio Watch, LetsVenture takes a closer look at the winning activities and milestones in our portfolio.

November 2, 2022

5 important things to keep in mind as a budding angel investor

Taking a leap into the exciting world of private markets in India? Here are five key points to hold dear throughout your journey as an angel investor.

October 31, 2022

LVInsights AMA: Angel investing as much about investing in the people as in the business

Deepali Nangia, partner at Speedinvest, emphasizes the need for investment thesis and networking to score the best deals as an angel investor.

October 26, 2022

LetsVenture announces the much-anticipated startup reporting feature on the platform

An angel investor's work does not end with cutting the check. LetsVenture introduces an easy way to track startup performances and know where they need help and future plans to raise fund.

October 19, 2022

LVInsights AMA: Big money, big data, and how to fish for the right deals in a pool of AI startups

Rahul Agarwalla, Managing Partner, SenseAI Ventures, speaks on identifying businesses with real use cases for artificial intelligence (AI) to tap the growing global market expected to reach $450 billion this year.

October 10, 2022

Early-stage deal evaluation is all art, no science and other key takeaways from the lead investor’s masterclass

Blume Ventures director Arpit Agarwal and Pivot Ventures partner Vikas Choudhury discuss beginner angel investors getting cold after the first few failures and what it takes to be a lead investor.

September 7, 2022

Do not forget to keep your eyes on building a credible business in the process of fundraising

Crises can be the ultimate test that segregates entrepreneurs from founders. While there is no one-size-fits-all practice to success, founders and angel investors talk about the values and underlying opportunities that can keep one going.

September 7, 2022

In the business of investing, the cost of omission is higher than the cost of commission, says Anupam Mittal

In a freewheeling conversation at LetsIgnite 2022, founder-investor Anupam Mittal speaks on the cost of not investing, weighs in on founders actively investing in startups, and – we’re happy to add – his bias towards LetsVenture for democratizing access to private market.

September 6, 2022

Rohit MA, Managing Partner, Capier Investments, on keeping up with culture as startups scale

Seasoned investor and entrepreneur Rohit MA spoke on the gap that Scalix addresses amplifying founder’s abilities to focus on their core job as startups scale and importance of culture to sustain growth.

September 5, 2022

In India’s startup ecosystem, decoding the ‘slow’ in slowdown, growing opportunities and an equal amount of dreaming of what a company can be

At FoundersFirst 2022, investors discuss sectors of promise, decode funding focus shifting towards early stage investment, and how despite everything, founders continue to carry lofty ambitions with an equal amount of dreaming of what a company can be.

September 5, 2022

Learning wide-eyed in Web 3, Bigspoon’s big moves, and other updates from LetsVenture portfolio startups

Amid talk of funding winter and an impending recession, here’s a look at LetsVenture portfolio startups clinching milestones in funding, customer acquisition, and business expansion.

August 22, 2022

Anupam Mittal gets candid, recalls early days of angel investing, and lauds fintech transforming into desirable sector

At Unplugged with Anupam Mittal by LetsVenture, the founder-investor recalls his first angel investments and entry to the private market investment as well as the fintech sector becoming desirable.

August 19, 2022

LetsVenture launches 2 new products, announces partnership with IDFC First Bank, Early-stage Startup Awards winners, and more at LetsIgnite 2022

At the eighth edition of LetsVenture's flagship conference LetsIgnite in association with IDFC First, the early-stage investment platform launched two new products and announced eight winners under its first edition of Early-stage Startup Awards.

Startup Awards and funding galore at LetsIgnite 2022. Apply by July 15, 2022

At LetsIgnite 2022, LetsVenture stages unique fundraising opportunities and will host the first-ever startup awards recognising entrepreneurs across sectors and stages, from bootstrapped success and lifetime achievements to category creators.

LVInsights AMA: Investing in SaaS and not ‘SmaS’, Services masquerading as software

At the third session of LVInsights AMA, Bhavish Sood and Sameer Kanwar delved into the nuts and bolts of sustainable SaaS companies and the metrics to evaluate and spot one as the software as a service industry grows.

This week in LetsVenture: mCaffeine ropes in Alia Bhatt and Zypp Electric revs up big plans for the year

This week, LetsVenture celebrated the best kind of milestones of its portfolio startups with data and numbers on ground. While mCaffiene sets a healthy tone for its retail strategy with presence in 5,000 stores, Delhi-based HYPD remains on a steady curve of enabling more than 500 creators.

Here's why economic slowdown makes for the best time to build and invest in startups

At LetsRaise with Peyush Bansal, investors deliberated on ways to navigate the current economic downturn, getting the valuations right, and the dos and don'ts when raising funds.

PMaps, Siply, and Rooba raise funding

Adding to an eventful week, our portfolio companies made it to the headlines as well. FunctionUp was featured as one of the 30 startups to watch out for by INC42, and PMaps, Siply, and Rooba Finance raised funding rounds to fuel the next stage of growth.

LetsRaise with Peyush: An event fit for the sharks, 7 startups raise follow on rounds

LetsVenture’s LetsRaise with Peyush Bansal, in association with IDFC First Bank, was aimed at showcasing the progress of Shark Peyush Bansal’s portfolio companies from the popular television show Shark Tank.

This Week in LetsVenture: sugar rush and we went pum pum pum

This week, we completed nine years of creating value and wealth for our stakeholders. We are also kickstarting our annual flagship event LetsIgnite 2022 with an exclusive curtain-raiser in New Delhi on June 11.

9 years of LetsVenture, 9 years of creating value & wealth

Nine years of building LetsVenture. That is what will mark 31st May at the LetsVenture office in Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai. While it feels like a significant milestone in the startup space, for me as a founder, it is another year as we now inch towards being a decade in the business.

This Week in LetsVenture: BluSmart and Almo make news

It was action-packed at LV this week. But we are not complaining. We basked in the glory of our portfolio startups that made news in the media. We also learned a lot from an illuminating LVInsights session on impact investing.

This Week in LetsVenture: Melorra shines, raises Series D

This week in LetsVenture, our portfolio startup Melorra raised Series D from some of the industry's biggest names.

LVInsights AMA: Gaming in the metaverse

The first AMA session under LVInsights got off to a great start. Sameer Pitalwalla and Arvind Neelakantan did a deep dive into the metaverse. Here are the highlights. Watch the full session in the video recording below.

This Week in LetsVenture: Win for fintech & healthtech portfolio startups

This Week in LetsVenture brought good news from our portfolio companies. The startups, especially the ones in fintech and healthtech, had a lot of attention from investors this week.

LegalPay raises fund from Hedonova as part of pre-Series A round

LegalPay, an alternative-investments platform specializing in insolvency, legal and debt financing within insolvency, has raised an undisclosed amount from US-based Hedonova as part of its pre-series A funding round.

February 2, 2022

Airmeet bags $35 million funding from Prosus Ventures, Sistema Asia, others

Airmeet raises $35 million funding from a clutch of investors including Prosus Ventures, Sistema Asia Fund, RingCentral Ventures, KDDI Open Innovation Fund, DG Daiwa Ventures, and Nexxus Global.

February 8, 2022

[Funding alert] Fleetx.io raises $19.4 mn funding led by Indiamart, others

AI-Driven Freight Movement Platform Fleetx.io has raised a $19.4 million funding round led by Indiamart, with existing investors IndiaQuotient and Beenext also participating.

February 22, 2022

ClaimBuddy raises $3 mn in pre-series A round of investment

ClaimBuddy, a healthtech startup, has raised $3 million (INR 21 crore) in a pre-series A round co-led by Chiratae Ventures & Rebright Partners. Existing investors like Titan Capital & Relentless Ventures, including other private investors, also participated in the round.

February 28, 2022

Exclusive: CityMall raises $75 Mn in Series C round led by Norwest

Social commerce platform CityMall has raises Rs 574 crore ($75 million) led by Norwest Venture Partners and participated by other new and existing investors. This is the third funding round for the Gurugram-based firm in a year.

BlackSoil Invests In Blu-Smart Mobility, BigHaat, And LoanTap

Blu-Smart Mobility, a ride-sharing platform which only has electric cars in its fleet, becomes one of 3 startups funded in NBFC Blacksoil's $4.5 million investment

India’s Classplus raises $70 million to help teachers and creators expand their reach

Noida-based startup Classplus raises Series D round of $70 million co-led by Alpha Wave Global and Tiger Global with participation from Abu Dhabi-based Chimera Ventures and RTP Global.

D2C Personal Care Startup mCaffeine Raises $31 Mn To Fuel International Expansion

Single-ingredient D2C personal care startup, mCaffeine has raised more than $31 Mn (INR 240 Cr) as part of its Series C funding round led by Paragon Partners with participation from VC firms Singularity Growth Opportunities Fund, Sharrp Ventures, Amicus Capital Partners and RPSG Capital Ventures.

EVET expands EV fleet in Mumbai and Chennai

EVET by Magenta, plans to roll out over 500 EV Fleet in the next 3-4 months across Chennai and Mumbai. The startup plans to enter the new markets with its electric three-wheelers in L5 categories.

February 22, 2022

Donatekart: Building the ecommerce of giving

Donatekart founders Anil Kumar Reddy, Sandeep Sharma, Sarang Bobade talk to Forbes India about solving one of the biggest problems of giving—bridging the gap between donation and what's actually required on the ground

February 21, 2022

EV platform Accelero pockets funding from Social Alpha, LetsVenture

Accelero Vehicles India Private Ltd, which runs electric vehicle (EV) startup Accelero Vehicles raises seed funding of Rs 1.75 crore (around $233, 000) from Social Alpha and LetsVenture.

February 24, 2022

[Funding alert] Bebe Burp raises $280k in seed funding

Bebe Burp has gets $280k in a seed funding round from Lead Angels and Lets Venture with participation from Ivy Growth Associates, Jaydeep Deshpande, Navika Ventures, Mandar Pramod Dixit and more!

Taqanal Energy raises Rs 9.50 crore in a pre-series round

Taqanal Energy has raised Rs 9.50 crore in a pre-series round. The company’s investors include JITO Angel Network along with KITVEN, Lets Venture, and Wellingdon Advisors.

Jewellery startup Aulerth raises $1.1 mn seed funding from investors

Aulerth raises $1.1 million as seed funding from different investors such as M Venture Partners, designer Tarun Tahiliani, Taro Nordheider (former CEO of Swarovski Professional), LV angel fund, and a network of McKinsey partners.

February 15, 2022

Bharat Focussed TABLT Pharmacy raises $1.5 million

TABLT pharmacy raises pre-series A round of 1.5 million from investors like JITO Angel Network, Tech Innovation Chennai based, Lets Venture, Seeders Syndicate Kolkata based, Angel Bay and other angel investors.

February 28, 2022

Seekho.ai raises $3 Mn in pre-Series A round

AI-enabled upskilling and career development platform Seekho.ai has raised $3 million in a pre-series A round from JM Financial Group, LetsVenture, Trica, Super Morpheus, Yuj Ventures, Sequoia Capital India’s Surge as well as angels like Varsha Rao and Amit Ranjan.

LetsVenture In The News Feb 7-13

Kristnam, Aumhum and more news and updates about the Indian startup ecosystem.

February 14, 2022

LetsVenture In The News(Jan 31-Feb 6)

Legalpay, Eunimart, Animall, DonateKart & BharatX.

February 8, 2022

2022 Budget Recap: Impact on the startup ecosystem

February 2, 2022

LetsVenture In The News (Jan 24-30)

The latest funding & startup news from LetsVenture featuring BHIVE, Minko, HYPD & more.

January 31, 2022

LetsVenture In The News(Jan 17-23)

The latest news & updates from from Scripbox, Epigeneres, LegalPay.

January 24, 2022

Younger investors & seasoned founders drive the early-stage startup ecosystem boom in 2021: LetsVenture Startup Outlook Report

Younger investors & seasoned founders drive the early-stage startup ecosystem growth in 2021.

January 13, 2022

How much money do you need for angel investing?

Can you start angel investing with a small sum? How should you budget for angel investing?

December 28, 2021