Where Angels Tread
Forbes India|March 03, 2017

Wealthy Individuals With an Appetite for Risk Are Increasingly Viewing Startups as a Viable Asset Class
 

- Varsha Meghani
Where Angels Tread

I magine investing Rs 10 lakh in Paytm back in 2010. Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s then freshly launched service merely offered mobile phone recharges. It was only a few years later that he started the digital wallet—a service that has seen a mega-boost in business since the government announced the demonetisation of high-value notes in November. Today, that Rs 10 lakh would be worth around Rs 2 crore.

As lucrative as this may be, startup investing is in equal measure risky. What if you had, instead, invested Rs 10 lakh in Flipkart? Sure, you would have seen outsized returns had you exited when the ecommerce player’s valuation peaked at $15.5 billion in 2015. But it has since lost almost 65 percent of its value, having been marked down by various investors. Or, say, you had put your money in a startup that later folded up, like PepperTap, an on-demand grocery service? You’d have lost every penny.

“Startups are seen as opportunistic investments,” says Vrinda Mahadevia, who heads private wealth management at DSP Merrill Lynch. According to her, since the global financial meltdown of 2008, traditional asset classes like debt, equity and real estate have given “sub-optimal” returns. Simultaneously, the startup space has been abuzz with activity. “People are excited about startups and want to know more,” she says.

Data mined by Nasscom corroborates: There are about 350 active angel investors in India today, a figure that has been growing by a significant 20 percent year-onyear. Alongside marquee investors like Google India chief Rajan Anandan, serial entrepreneur K Ganesh or former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai, India is increasingly seeing less famous but moneyed individuals jump onto the startup bandwagon. This is the HNI (high networth individual) class.

この蚘事は Forbes India の March 03, 2017 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Forbes India の March 03, 2017 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

FORBES INDIAのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
Forbes India

Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued

The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients

time-read
8 分  |
May 21, 2021
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
Forbes India

Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years

As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years

time-read
10+ 分  |
June 4, 2021
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Forbes India

THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN

Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse

time-read
8 分  |
May 21, 2021
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Forbes India

LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE

Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment

time-read
7 分  |
May 21, 2021
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Forbes India

PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST

Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground

time-read
9 分  |
May 21, 2021
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
Forbes India

INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR

While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term

time-read
8 分  |
May 21, 2021
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
Forbes India

DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION

As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India

time-read
8 分  |
May 21, 2021
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Forbes India

Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?

Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent

time-read
10 分  |
June 4, 2021
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Forbes India

EV Dream Still Miles Away

Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure

time-read
6 分  |
June 4, 2021
Living Waters
Forbes India

Living Waters

A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet

time-read
4 分  |
June 4, 2021