"Go Back to the Drawing Board, Build Real Start-Ups" Receiving funding without a plan for growth may actually be harmful for start-ups

By Sneha Banerjee

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Entrepreneur India

With a galore of start-ups around him at SURGE 2016, Subrata Mitra of Accel Partners stressed on the need to build real start-ups.

What investors are looking for

"I think this whole branding start-up and funding in one brush is not the right way to look at it. What we do is when a startup comes before us we look at the validity of the idea and how big can it get and is the team good enough to execute it and based on that we make funding calls" said Subrata.

Receiving funding presently doesn't mean an insured future

"I think for the right companies funding will continue to happen but if you are only in the business of going from Series A, to series B, to Series C without having the accelerated value proposition those companies might get into more trouble. Therefore the my two cents to entrepreneurs would be go back to the drawing board, build real start-ups which has the potential for real revenues, show us how it is going to be built out, what are the differentiators when you guys put together. Those very basic fundamentals things if you put together, I think good companies will still get funding."

Adapting for the market

"Entrepreneurs are very sophisticated people, they have done their homework and when the markets were going crazy they were actually taking advantage of it. So when the markets are not so crazy they have to learn how to live with it"

Sneha Banerjee

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Staff, Entrepreneur India

She used to write for Entrepreneur India from Bangalore and other cities in South India. 

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Branding

Creating a Brand: How To Build a Brand From Scratch

Every business needs good branding to succeed. Discover the basics and key tips to building a successful brand in this detailed guide.

Innovation

It's Time to Rethink Research and Development. Here's What Must Change.

R&D can't live in a lab anymore. Today's leaders fuse science, strategy, sustainability and people to turn discovery into real-world value.

Marketing

How to Better Manage Your Sales Process

Get your priorities in order, and watch sales roll in.

Business News

AI Agents Can Help Businesses Be '10 Times More Productive,' According to a Nvidia VP. Here's What They Are and How Much They Cost.

In a new interview with Entrepreneur, Nvidia's Vice President of AI Software, Kari Briski, explains how AI agents will "transform" the way we work — and sooner than you think.

Starting a Business

Passion-Driven vs. Purpose-Driven Businesses — What's the Difference, and Why Does It Matter?

Passion and purpose are both powerful forces in entrepreneurship, but they are not the same.