Amrit Pal

At BlackInk Capital & Management, we’re on a mission to revolutionise the startup ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir. My vision is to cultivate an environment where innovation thrives, and entrepreneurial dreams are realised. I believe that Jammu and Kashmir, with its rich potential and untapped talent, is poised to become a hub of groundbreaking startups. Our goal is to provide early-stage support to visionary founders and ambitious startups, helping them scale from pre-seed to Series A and beyond. By offering sector-agnostic investments and a robust support network, we aim to: 1. Empower Local Talent: Foster a thriving community of entrepreneurs by providing the resources, mentorship, and funding necessary to turn ideas into successful ventures. 2. Stimulate Economic Growth: Create job opportunities and drive economic development by nurturing startups that can contribute to the region’s growth. 3. Build a Supportive Ecosystem: Collaborate with local stakeholders, industry experts, and investors to build a cohesive ecosystem that supports innovation and business success. 4. Promote Sustainable Development: Encourage startups that focus on sustainable and impactful solutions to address local and global challenges. As we embark on this exciting journey, I invite you to join us in shaping the future of Jammu and Kashmir’s startup landscape. Together, we can unlock new possibilities and drive meaningful change.

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India’s Oyo, once valued at $10 billion, is finalizing new funding at a $2.5 billion valuation. This marks a steep decline from its $10 billion valuation in 2019. The startup, which has raised over $3 billion from backers like SoftBank, Peak XV Ventures, Lightspeed, Airbnb, and Microsoft, has struggled to attract institutional investors. In recent months, it has aggressively pitched to high-net-worth individuals after withdrawing its IPO application twice in the past four years. Once a red-hot Indian startup active in markets including the U.S. and Europe, Oyo has now scaled back its international presence. #venture #downround https://lnkd.in/gE2GjYnM

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It was truly a wonderful experience chatting with Shrishti Sahu, Managing Partner of Swadharma Source Ventures - SSV, on the SenseAI Ventures podcast show! I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation, delving into her first-hand experiences in private investing. Shrishti stands out as one of the most promising young tech investors in the ecosystem, and her insights were both inspiring and enlightening. If you haven't already, check out the full episode where we explore more about her journey and investing perspectives!

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How quick commerce, often abbreviated as Q-comm, is revolutionizing the investment landscape by creating new opportunities across a range of categories. This innovative model, characterized by rapid delivery and on-demand services, is not only transforming consumer expectations but also opening up avenues for investment in sectors like logistics, technology, and retail. As Q-comm continues to evolve, it presents investors with fresh prospects to capitalize on emerging trends and technologies that support faster, more efficient delivery systems. #weincapital #zitsoo

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Celebrating One Year at Elev8 Venture Partners! What started as humble beginnings at co-working spaces like Axilor and WeWork, has finally culminated into our second home at Elev8 VP. Exactly one year ago, we inaugurated our new office on 12th Main in Indiranagar, marking a significant milestone in our journey. Initially, I was hesitant about large offices or high rentals, especially on the high street. However, thanks to Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Anuj Golecha, and Gaurav Jain, Anil G Jain, we took the plunge. We secured an office space that was more than I initially thought we could afford. Today, I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions for Elev8 Venture Partners. In the world of venture capital, office location and décor surprisingly play a crucial role, especially for a first-time fund. It's not about extravagance or lavish spending but about creating a welcoming, professional environment. Our beautifully done office, complete with lush plants, has greatly contributed to building a positive external perception. This perception & vibe, is our reality. Home is not built by bricks but by memories. Over the past year, we've made incredible strides. Our investments in IDfy and Astrotalk have been pivotal, marking the beginning of our journey to support high-quality tech companies at the growth stage. This journey wouldn’t have been possible without my incredible team, whose dedication and hard work have turned our office into a second home. Here’s to many more years of growth, innovation, and impactful investments. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey with Elev8 Venture Partners. #Elev8VP #Anniversary #VentureCapital #Investment #TechStartups #GrowthStage #Teamwork #Innovation #Success Divy Chopda, Ashwini Khemka, Aman Ahmed, Abhisekh Shah, Parth Doshi, Mayank Jajoo, Komal Vichoor, Zaveria Mohammad, Mitali Rai, Eric (Jung Ho) Yoo, Donghyun Kim

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✨ Chet Kapoor ✨ is quite the Silicon Valley legend. Three-time founder and currently the CEO of DataStax his wisdom for founders is incredibly spot-on ✅ and timeless ⏰ ! In this most recent and probably best-ever episode of The Enterprise GTM podcast, Chet discusses what it takes to build enduring tech companies. Some 🎤 soundbites 🎤 from our conversation: 👩‍🏫 The quality of people influences the outcome of your startup the most. 🔥 You do not need smart people who sit around and pontificate. ☄ Momentum is everything. Never underestimate it. 🌟 Having complete clarity of thought at any given time is very important--who are you doing this for, and how will it change their lives? 🌈 One of the best ways to create a large company is to create a parade or join one. ☝ Know who you are. There's a high likelihood that the company will become more like who you are rather than who you want to be. 🛑 Don't make the mistake of hiring sales execs too soon. Be extra cautious about partnerships. 📣 Tune in to hear about what he has to say about AI startups getting started today, the future of the data layer, the evolving importance of data roles (data science, data engineering), and so much more! #devtool #founder #startup #data #ai https://lnkd.in/gW-58nvE

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Interesting article by ET Prime on Softbank’s evolving investment strategy based on The Arc scoop on the Ultrahuman deal Thanks for citing us, Manu P Toms 🙏 More on what’s working for Ultrahuman and the round here - https://lnkd.in/gcQimTAS

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Funding Alert! Exciting developments at Artha Venture Fund as we announce InstaAstro’s successful raise of ₹18.50 crores ($2.30m) in a Pre-Series A funding round that we led with amazing co-investors including @logX Ventures, Singularity Ventures, IR Capital Partners, Blume Ventures Founders Fund, and Aloke Bajpai of Ixigo.   Why InstaAstro? Nitin Verma's brainchild, InstaAstro has rapidly ascended as a leader in the online astrology market. With a robust user base engaging in over 50,000 minutes of consultations daily and consistently growing to a $5M ARR, their trajectory is nothing short of stellar.   What’s Next? InstaAstro is not just scaling—they're innovating. With the new funding, they're set to unveil an expansive suite of spiritual e-commerce and Reiki healing services. These initiatives aim to deepen user engagement and expand InstaAstro's reach into comprehensive spiritual guidance.   👉 https://bit.ly/4dG1Yj9   #arthaventurefund #funding #VentureCapital Artha Group

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{New pod 🎤} "𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗠 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗜 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘆" Was super-fun to record this with Rohini Pandhi - Product Lead at Mercury and ex-Product Lead at Square/ Block. The first half of this episode covers best practices and frameworks used by best-in-class fintech companies like Square and Mercury to build products and drive go-to-market.  In the second half, we discuss insights and learnings for PM career planning in fintech, including ways to prepare for the potential impact of AI on product jobs. Some great learnings here for fintech product leaders, young PMs, and founders. Let me know what you think! Spotify - https://lnkd.in/dJQMM9sB Apple Podcasts - https://lnkd.in/dyDaCDk7 An Operator's Blog - https://lnkd.in/dREtbx9n

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Given the changing paradigms in technology and media, we know that the next 10 years will look nothing like the last 10 years. Thanks to The Economic Times for capturing our interactive media thesis for the years ahead. As we crystal ball gaze into the future, there has been no better time to invest in India. In the last few years, we have seen the market mature across key vectors - propensity to pay, quality of talent, capital inflows, and exits. This represents meaningful upside for founders and investors in this space over the coming decade. With the incredible shifts in tech, media and gaming, there are some exciting times ahead! 🚀 https://lnkd.in/gTfYa3Kw

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HSBC's recent assessment values Byju's at $0, along with other unicorn startups like Meesho, Pharmeasy, and StackOverflow Valuation down from previous round. This highlights the importance of focusing on value creation over valuation in the startup ecosystem. An exemplary case is Zoho, which revolutionized the software as a service market without external funding, emphasizing customer success. #startup #funding #valuation [Read more](https://lnkd.in/dPk7i8Jh)

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Now to India

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Thanks Bismah and Inc42 Media for the insightful coverage and deep dive into the vital role of operator VCs! Bismah's thoughtful analysis underscores the growing need for operator VCs in today's startup landscape. As an operator VC , I've witnessed firsthand how founders increasingly value more than just capital. They seek partners who bring operational expertise, strategic guidance, and an extensive network to the table. These elements are crucial for driving sustainable growth and navigating the complexities of scaling a business. At GrowthCap Ventures , we understand the unique challenges faced by early-stage startups, which is why we prioritize offering not just funding, but also hands-on support and access to our extensive network. Together, we're empowering founders to realize their vision and build transformative businesses. #OperatorVC #StartupEcosystem #Gratitude

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V3 Ventures Deal Announcement: Creme Castle - A tech first driven assembly line bakery for Bharat! 🔥 While I was evaluating this file, a lot of people said - bakery? There are 100s of home bakers. How is this scalable? I would have agreed, until I met Pranjay Mittal, who brought innovation from IIT-D, FMS and CarDekho Group to his mom’s humble bakery in Noida. You might remember their Shark Tank episode where his mom famously said, “Main neend mein baking kar sakti hu” 😊 That passion is exactly what we want in founders! From a small bakery in Noida to now clocking monthly sales of over 1 Cr, Creme Castle is disrupting the $12.6 billion Indian bakery industry. 🎂 Here is why we invested… ✅Changing consumer behavior from mithai → cakes & desserts India is a land of festivals and no festival is complete without mithai. However, cakes & desserts are now taking center stage in these celebrations. as the Gen Z takes over. We all know India is trading up. So, there's a growing demand for Tiramisu in Tier 2 and 3. But, we’re lacking a player. ✅The Assembly Line Model: And, we need a player that’s standardized. The biggest problem with F&B is that when you order from the 2nd and 3rd outlet - the product isn’t as good. This is the most unique part of Creme Castle. Cakes are made in 3 components in a central kitchen - base (sponge), icing and customization. At spoke kitchen it’s only about putting these parts together - thus ensuring quality! ✅This industry is regionalized and heavily fragmented: Think about it, growing up, we all had cakes from our favorite local bakery. Every city has one, but when we moved for college or work - it wasn’t there. Cakes have a nostalgia factor associated with it and so making this change is hard. With all of this Creme Castle is can offer something India hasn’t seen before: - 100% customized cakes in just 2 hours - World's highest # of flavor profiles to choose from They have >10 Lakh loyal customers with a 60% repeat rate and we’re all geared up to expand from NCR to Jaipur and Chandigarh! We’re excited to back the mother-son duo of Veena and Pranjay to disrupt India’s cake market 🎂 What’s do you order cake? PS: Delhi-NCR folks, give us a try. Even available on Blinkit! #india #investment #startup #investor #entrepreneur

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⏩ ⏩ Antler is coming to Mumbai: October 25, Friday Announcing the 24-hour Fastrack to the Antler India Residency for AI founders on the sidelines of the NVIDIA summit in Mumbai The Why and What? In line with our commitment to investing $10M in 20+ startups by the end of the year, we are doing a fast-track option to bring exceptional founders (individuals or teams) into the Antler India Residency within 24 hours of us meeting you, with the potential of investing in 4 weeks or less. The Who? We are living through a generation-defining technology wave. With the unprecedented pace of AI breakthroughs changing consumer behaviours and disrupting a wide range of industries; here are some of the themes we’re particularly excited about: * Vertical SaaS, especially in industries with low digitization * Agentic automation for complex workflows in industries such as BFSI and Healthcare * Modern AI stack such as testing and monitoring of AI models, model security, retrieval infra, agent infra, specialized small language models and edge AI * Developer productivity in SDLC using AI * Models for new ‘languages’ such as robotics, genetics and material science * Differentiated consumer plays in education, health, media, gaming and personal AI hardware * Startups ‘selling outcomes, not software’ Over the past two months, via Fastrack, we have met over 150 founders and accelerated 13 of them into Residency. We have some exciting new investments from this to be announced soon! The Perks: Antler is the best place to start your company. Besides the capital commitment of up to $500K, we are uniquely positioned to help companies ‘build from India for the world’. Visit us to learn how we support our companies from inception to scale. We also provide a host of perks; some relevant ones for AI founders include up to $25K AWS credits, up to $250K GCP credits, $150K worth of perks from Microsoft, preferred pricing from NVIDIA, $100K of cloud solution credits from OVHcloud and $3K credits from OpenAI and Anthropic. The How? Send us your working demo link on the form in the first comment. Bonus: To strengthen your chances, you can also get someone in our network to refer you to me or any of our team members over email with a strong, specific, warm intro All shortlisted founders will get a direct slot with Antler India on Oct 25 to meet us IRL in Mumbai. The location will be conveniently located just a few minutes from Jio World Convention Centre incase you are attending the NVIDIA summit. You will get a decision to get into the Antler India Residency (through which we commit up to $500k for each early-stage startup) over the weekend. The deadline for being referred or sending us your demo is Oct 21 With Nitin Sharma Gowri Shankar Nagarajan Ishavasyam Dash

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Eternal source of confusion in India SaaS. Terms like SMB, mid-market and enterprise are used pretty casually. Putting out a version here and inviting opinions from founders & investors on how they see the breakpoints between segments. US: SMB (upto $250mm in annual revenue), mid-market/commercial ($250mm-$1B), enterprise ($1B+). India: S (upto 10cr), MB (upto 250cr/$30mm in annual revenue), mid-market (250cr-1000cr, upto $150mm), enterprise (1000cr+/$150mm+) (note the breakpoints between segments are much lower in India and not comparable to the US)

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This hard reset is required for all AI founders from India building global B2B products: Product Innovation > GTM muscle Product innovation is happening at a rapid pace in each of your categories, valley competitors are building thought through features that can help them win customers mid-long term, GTM muscle alone without product differentiation wont help you win in the first half of this AI decade. We are doing this hard reset within BoldCap on what we are looking for in AI founders. Ping us if you are tinkering in global AI B2B products. Shiv Tayal Pratham Chadha Aditi Gera

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