THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Venture capitalists who attended Huddle Kerala, the two-day startup conclave that concluded in Kovalam on Saturday, said that the investment ecosystem in India is improving and there is huge potential for foundational technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain.
Rainmaker Ventures co-founder Atul Hegde said that investors can bring in tremendous value to the startup team. He was speaking at a panel discussion titled ‘Funding and Investment: How and When?’
“A founder should seek funding only when he or she is convinced that they are about to hit revenue stage. Seeking an investor is like a marriage, as the selection is very vital,” he said.
On the kind of startups that attract investor attention, YourNest Venture Capital director (technology) Satish Mugulavalli said their eye was on whether new horizontal technologies like AI and blockchain could be built up as a platform.Anil Joshi of Unicorn India Ventures said his firm does not get into the day-to-day operations of startups, but gives strategic help to open the right doors for networking.
Sea Fund co-founder Manoj Kumar Agarwal, managing partner Mayuresh Raut and Asianet News Media CEO Amit Gupta were among the panellists. Inc42 magazine founder and CEO Vaibhav Agarwal was the moderator.Startups, investors, academicians and industry leaders attended the event organised by the Kerala Startup Mission in association with Internet and Mobile Association of India and IAMAI Startup Foundation.