This Angel Investor Looks At Clear, Focused Founders And Timing Before Investing In Start-Ups Getting the timing right and whether the founders are clear about what they want for their start-ups are some of the things that Dhianu Das looks at before investing.
By Debroop Roy
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Most start-ups have no numbers to show when angel investor Dhianu Das is looking to back them.
"Sometimes, you know, even the pitch deck is not there," he says.
The Delhi-based investor has invested in the likes of ClearDekho, GoMechanic and Cleansecar.
But it is important for Das to know how the founder first conceives an idea, and how passionate they are about it. According to him, the founder must have a clear focus. He says it doesn't matter to him if the entrepreneurs he backs are from IITs or IIMs, but the idea must resonate.
Getting the Timing Right
Other than the founders, Das gauges if the timing is right for an idea.
"In any business, if the timing is right, it's through," says Das, adding, "if you are selling umbrellas in the winter...it won't sell, you have to sell umbrellas in the rainy season."
Missing A Few
Although Das has his share of successful investments, he says he has missed out on some good opportunities in the fintech space.
The primary reason for such misses? "I don't have the time to talk to the founders sometimes, to go through their deck," he says.
Role After Investing
When Das invests in a company, he makes sure that it has an advisory person or an advisory board in place.
He also makes sure that the start-ups generate enough revenue to survive on their own, even if they struggle to raise new rounds of funding.
"I make sure that these start-ups do get a mentor and I keep on searching for collaborative efforts, wherein these start-ups can get acquired," he says.
