In October 2020, Chara Technologies Pvt Ltd approached IIMA Ventures, a leading start-up incubator in India, for seed funding of INR 50–60 million. Bhaktha Keshavachar and Ravi Prasad had founded Chara Technologies with the aim of producing a new electric motor that would be free of permanent magnets and would be built on the principles… Continue reading Chara Technologies Pvt. Ltd.: Seed Funding Challenges before the Investment Committee
Based on the journey of INFUSE – IIMA Ventures’ cleantech fund, this case study highlights the role of academic incubators and the public sector in fostering high-tech innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2010, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India,… Continue reading CIIE: Seeding a Cleantech Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
Relevant for startups at least at Series A stage About this toolkit Hiring and performance management is one of the most pressing pain points for startups in their growth journey. Through this interactive four module toolkit, we attempt to address the gap for startups in terms of a structured planning exercise for hiring or… Continue reading Startups’ Talent Planning Toolkit
First of its kind report providing an indicative landscape of deep tech startups in healthcare in India. In this report, we propose a framework to define the term ‘deep tech’. Using this framework, we scanned a sample set of 750+ healthtech startups in India with an intent to identify those that are developing deep… Continue reading Deeptech in Healthcare
This chapter dives into the present landscape and future pathways for legal tech in India. Summary: Globally, legal tech is a fast-growing sector. However, the worldwide patterns of growth and expansion of legal tech may not carry over to India; Sparse digitisation of records and processes is the biggest challenge for startups building solutions… Continue reading Startups as disruptors of legal tech in India
Value proposition and startup landscape in India
Undergraduate education generally adheres to the traditional or conventional method of teaching, which is predominantly the lecture method. As such, the lecture method is great for explaining complex concepts and theories to students, but the drawback is that it does not render itself a hands-on learning experience. Experiential learning or ‘learning-by-doing’ is a great way… Continue reading Enhancing Undergraduate Learning in Entrepreneurship Through Case Studies
Fintech for Women Dairy Farmers – Key Facts and Contours for Intervention
Abstract The gender gap in women’s access to financial inclusion persists at reprehensible levels. The world is designed for men, Caroline Criado Perez will tell you. More specifically, she’ll say “the design of our world is based on the assumption that men are the standard, and women are the exception”- the anomaly who must… Continue reading Value chains as a starting point to build for her
At IIMA Ventures, gaming has been a familiar space for us with past investments in game studios including Rolocule, Mech Mocha and Hashcube. Today, major tailwinds driving the sector are paving the way for mass adoption of gaming as an avenue for entertainment and beyond. To dive deeper into the space, we built an investment… Continue reading Sector Thesis: Gaming
Three stage process followed to unravel UI/UX design explorations that can be employed by fintechs to build trust with low and middle income users. Study included a survey of 170+ digital financial service app users from across five hindi speaking states, industry consultations with 28 fintech founders, industry leaders, financial services and inclusion policy… Continue reading Solving for Bharat Users’ Mistrust in Digital Financial Services
How can we design financial education in a way that makes it easier for people to detect hidden product features? This study conducted a randomized control trial with 3200 urban poor households across four regions in Delhi. The intervention was a video and an information sheet delivered in person to the households. Findings clarified… Continue reading Unshrouding Product-Specific Attributes Through Financial Education