Managing director of exporter Everest Flavours Ltd, Anand Ladsariya was introduced to India’s angel investment circuit three years ago. So far, Ladsariya has bet on 27-30 start-ups across India, Singapore and the USA, and is actively exploring investments in more countries. He is a part of Indian Angel Network (IAN) and the Planning Commission’s Committee on Angel Investment and Early Stage Venture Capital.
Just like other angel investors, Ladsariya has some advice for start-ups. “The opportunities in India are immense at this stage. So start-ups should work for the long run, and keep good ethics and growth in mind,” he says.
According to his son Siddharth, who helps with all investment decisions, start-ups should concentrate on team-building and
continuous fundraising. They should focus on growth and more importantly, on sales. But the business model must not be based on funding plans. Be self-sufficient, that’s his bottom line.
Investment DNA
Preferred Sectors: Sector-agnostic. He has invested across education, mobile, telecom, IT, consulting, branding, defence and retail space. Does not prefer hi-tech companies and only co-invests in them if another investor is ready to lead the round.
Preferred Location: Prefers Mumbai-based companies which are actively mentored, but funded start-ups in other locations.
Involvement: Mostly ‘hands-off’ mode – writes a cheque and forgets about it. Ladsariya has two people working on investments and start-ups. Of the 27-30 companies he has invested in, 3-5 are actively managed.
Key Investments: Around 27-30 companies, such as Onward Mobility, Reverse Logistics Corporation, Exclusively.in, Asiatic Serial Innovation, Talent Bridge, Wild East, No Paper Form, Mobiquest, Algorhythm and Svasti Microfinance.
Hits & Misses: Onward Mobility, Exclusively.in and Reverse Logistics Corp were hits in terms of exits. For the rest, there has been no exit yet.
