Mumbai Angels Network partners with EO Pune’s Accelerator Program

December 5, 2018:  Mumbai Angels Network (MA Network), India’s early stage investment platform,is proud to be a ‘knowledge partner’ for Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Pune Accelerator program.        EO is a global network for entrepreneurs that supports learning and personal growth through peer-to-peer learning, creative experiences and connections to experts. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, the network consists of 13,000+ leading entrepreneurs in 181 chapters across 57 countries.   The EO Accelerator program aims to empower entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and connections they require to accelerate their businesses.  It is a unique program that encourages entrepreneurs to share experiences and knowledge in a structured way so that others can benefit from shared learning.   Through the partnership MA Network will work closely with EO Accelerator Pune in curating the list of promising startups who will have the opportunity to enroll in the 12-month program.  EO Accelerator Pune will share their expertise, knowledge, skills, and support to nurture these ambitious startups during the course of the program.  Shortlisted startups will further be eligible for the EO Care program propelling them for growth. (From Left to Right) Sajid Sundrani, Director - Investments, MA Network ;  Ashok Singh, Vice President - Investor Relations, MA Network ; Nandini Mansinghka, CEO and MD, MA Network ; Badal Saboo, EO Accelerator & EO Cares Chair, Pune ; Vikram Bhartia, EO President, Pune ; Vishal Vohra, EO GSEA Chair, Pune ; Manav Ghuwalewala, EO Learning Chair, Pune ; Vivek Shrivastav, Associate - Investor Relations, MA Network  BadalSaboo, Chairperson, EO Accelerator, Pune said, “In our continuous endeavor to share best practice and provide the much needed impetus to early stage entrepreneurs and boost the start-up ecosystem, this partnership shall play a catalytic role.”   VikramBhartiya, President, EO Pune, said, “The two partners will bring together a wealth of experience and opportunities that selected start-ups can access to grow their nascent ideas into viable businesses.”   “With this unique partnership we will be able to help entrepreneurs beyond investments.  We are thrilled to be associated with EO Pune for the program and build value in the Indian startup ecosystem, said, MA Network CEO & MD, Nandini Mansinghka.

About EO Accelerator program:  The EO Accelerator program which was founded in 2005 is a learning program for entrepreneurs who want to grow their business and join EO through direct learning, access to mentors, leaders, peers and experts and the opportunity to take control of their business. EO Accelerator aims at empowering entrepreneurs with the tools, accountability and community to aggressively grow and master their business. About EO Cares program: The EO Cares program enables leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow, thus leading to greater success in business and beyond. The Cares stands for Customers, Achievements, Recognition, Education & Social. About Mumbai Angels Network: Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels Network (The MA Network) is India’s premier investment platform focused on investments in new ventures. The MA Network is today 300+ members strong across 7 chapters (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Goa and Pune). We have built a strong investment framework through which we showcase 60-70 highly curated investment opportunities to our member base, chosen from a funnel of 4500-5000 companies we review every year. The network now has a 125+ strong portfolio with 30+ exits. several of whom were at multiples comparable with global benchmarks in new venture investing.

Why spend a day with us at the Angel Miniversity?

Nowadays I am asked the same question wherever i go: Why we have launched the Angel Miniversity?

It’s because we take our responsibility as India’s premier venture investment platform very seriously.

We understand and accept our responsibility is to build angel investing in the country, both in its breadth (number of people who understand what it means) and depth (ensuring both investors and founders understand what it takes to make an investment successful)

Through our years of investing we have come across one common theme: People join the network because they want to invest and quickly realise that they actually want to learn the art and craft of angel investing. Hence the birth of the format.

This is our effort at distilling the deep experience of the most fertile minds in venture investing ecosystem, in a crash course format, for both investors and founders to understand how angel investing works

The one day course has been designed in line with how an investment actually takes place: right from finding a investible deal (our ratio is 2% of deals that apply to us) to deciding on the investment terms, managing the relationship and portfolio through its investment journey and finally exits for the investors.

The sessions are conducted by me and my colleague Sachin Karnik along with seasoned angel investors and partners at funds. In the past we have had accomplished investors as speakers like Dr Aniruddha Malpani , Jitendra Panjabi , Anand Lunia, Sanjay Mehta, Gita Nayyar

The 3 sessions that we have conducted in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai have seen more than 100 participants and the feedback is consistent: in a single day the participants learnt more about angel investing than they could have through months of reading through text books, newspapers or courses.

We are looking to build this one day session as a regular format that will travel across cities and soon across countries, with a vision of 10,000 people attending this session over the next 2 years.

The next single day Miniversity is scheduled in Delhi on 7th December. If you a founder wanting to understand how angels think or an investor who has been planning to start investing, spend the day with us. This might just be the most fruitful day you have spent in a long time!

MA Network launches Growth Capital Series

                                    

Same rigour that MA Network is known for

• Highly curated companies
• Structured investment process through the deal
• Strong portfolio management
• Active search for next level exits

Talk to us if you are

• A niche venture fund looking for strong, innovative deal flow
• A family office looking to invest in growth companies through a structured platform
• Existing MA Network members looking to invest in growth companies

Snackible Raises funding from Mumbai Angels Network

Mumbai, October 1, 2018: Snackible, a company an exclusive, healthy snacks, consumer company, raises  funding from Mumbai Angels Network (MA Network), India’s leading early stage investment platform.  The FMCG startup was founded in 2015, by Aditya Sanghavi.  The company is focused on building brands in the healthy snacks vertical, which is one of the fastest growing verticals in the FMCG space. They offer a range of highly differentiated snacking options which provide an equitable balance between taste and health and are sold at competitive price points. The two latest brands in the portfolio are Snackible and Dipster.                    21 Investors from the MA Network are investing in the company including Kishore Ganji, Akshay Chudasama, Hemant Sood and Pradyumna Dalmia. The round is also co-invested by 1crowdangels and 1crowd fund. ‘We are excited to welcome Snackible to our portfolio. The india consumer startup scene is buzzing and we are looking forward to investing in other innovations within the sector.We see increased interest from the next level investors, both VC Funds and the next level strategic players in companies innovating in products and services focusing on the India growth story”. said MA Network CEO Nandini Mansinghka. About Mumbai Angels Network Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels Network (The MA Network) is India’s premier investment platform focused on investments in new ventures. The MA Network is today 300+ members strong across 7 chapters (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Goa and Pune). We have built a strong investment framework through which we showcase 60-70 highly curated investment opportunities to our member base, chosen from a funnel of 800-1000 companies we review every month. The network now has a 120+ strong portfolio with 30+ exits. several of whom were at multiples comparable with global benchmarks in new venture investing.

Vahdam Teas, a Mumbai Angels Network Portfolio Company Raises Series B

Mumbai, October 9, 2018: Vahdam Teas, a leading online premium tea brand, raises Series B funding from Mumbai Angels Network (MA Network), India’s leading early stage investment platform, alongside Fireside Ventures. Vahdam, an existing portfolio company of the MA Network, had raised their first round of funding from the network in 2016. The Delhi based firm was founded by Fourth Generation tea entrepreneur, Bala Sarda, in 2015 with a vision to providing garden fresh teas directly to consumers across the world.  The brand procures fresh tea from over 150 plantations across Darjeeling, Assam, Nepal and other areas in India, and ships over 100 million cups within 24-72 hours of production to over 85 countries through their online portal. Vahdam Teas  raised  two investment rounds previously which included key investors, Balvinder S Kalsi, Jatin Aneja, and Kishore Ganji of the MA Network. Vahdam Teas will use the additional funding to expand their presence in the US, explore new markets, build their brand, and focus on customer acquisition.  As part of their expansion plans they’ve opened an office in New York and warehouse in Indianapolis; where a majority of their revenues come from. Bala Sarda, Founder, Vahdam Teas, said, “We are excited to take the next steps in the growth journey at Vahdam Teas. MA Network has been one our earliest supporters and we are glad to have them back with us in this round as well. We have received tremendous customer appreciation for our teas and plan to keep building on the momentum. With more investment in our infrastructure, we plan to achieve our vision of making freshest Indian teas available to consumers worldwide, under a home-grown brand which is socially conscious too” “We are thrilled one of our portfolio companies has raised another institutional round and that we are able to continue supporting them.  We believe Vahdam Teas is building an exciting and innovative company through their supply chain of providing fresh teas worldwide. Globally consumers are taking more interest in where their teas come from, how they are manufactured and grown, how the product is supporting local farmers, and how environmentally friendly the product is.  The estimated tea market in the US alone is $12.5 Billion, which is Vahdam’s current largest market, providing a fantastic growth opportunity. Fresh teas also resonate with today's health-conscious millennial consumer; allowing them to stand out, said, MA Network CEO & MD, Nandini Mansinghka.

About Mumbai Angels Network Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels Network (The MA Network) is India’s premier investment platform focused on investments in new ventures. The MA Network is today 300+ members strong across 7 chapters (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Goa and Pune). We have built a strong investment framework through which we showcase 60-70 highly curated investment opportunities to our member base, chosen from a funnel of 800-1000 companies we review every month. The network now has a 120+ strong portfolio with 30+ exits. several of whom were at multiples comparable with global benchmarks in new venture investing.

Spoofin, raises bridge round from Mumbai Angels Network

Mumbai, September 28, 2018:  Spoofin, a video-based social network that allows users to create and share parody videos, raises a bridge round funding fromMumbai Angels Network (MA Network), India’s leading early stage investment platform. Spoofin had raised its first round of funding from the MA Network and several other individual investors in 2017. The Delhi based startup was founded by Siddhant Sahni, Vallari Bhardwaj , Swati Sharma, Mritunjaya Sharma. On the fundraise, co- Founder Siddhant Sahni said “We plan to use freshly raised capital towards growth and fuelling expansion in customer acquisition and technology. We are also planning to launch new versions over the next three to four months. Happy to partner with Mumbai Angels again for the bridge round.” 5 Investors from the MA Network have invested in the company including Jatin Aneja, Mridul Upreti and Purple Patch Ventures. “We are excited to partner with Spoofin as they build their business out as a leading video based social networking platform. We see tremendous potential in the team and the product they are building and are happy to invest in them in this bridge round” said Jatin Aneja, Lead Investor, MA Network. “We are excited to invest in this bridge round for Spoofin. As a network, our key strength is to be able to partner with our portfolio companies as they build out their businesses and raise subsequent rounds of funding, through our curated investor network. The video content startup scene is buzzing and we are looking forward to investing in this sector. We see ourselves as the partner of choice for the next level investors, both VC Funds and the next level strategic players looking to invest in this innovative space” said MA Network CEO Nandini Mansinghka.

Docturnal Raises funding from Mumbai Angels Network

Mumbai, September 25, 2018: Docturnal,a company focused on non-invasive screening solutions for Tuberculosis, raises  funding from Mumbai Angels Network(MA Network), India’s leading early stage investment platform. The Hyderabad based startup was founded in 2016, by Rahul Pathri, Balakrishna Bagadi, Arpita Singh & Vaishnavi Reddy. Docturnal screens & detects Tuberculosis using their flagship product "TimBre" using aural/acoustic inputs (cough), clinical and demographic variables. The solution uses a third party Microphone Array & is extensible to screen other Lung based ailments such as Asthma, COPD & others that have cough as a symptomatic condition. “ On the fundraise, Rahul Pathri, Founder of Docturnal said "We are excited to partner with MA Network in our journey for building a solution that is looking to revolutionize how Tuberculosis is screened and detected in the country. With the funding we looking to build the team, technology and deploy the product for clinical trials across several hospitals in the country.” 11 Investors from the MA Network are investing in the company including Akshay Mittal, Abhijeet Birewar and Shantanu Agarwal. "Non-invasive, real-time, and cost-effective diagnostic solutions will do a great deal to improve the health of our population, specially for widespread diseases with expensive solutions, leading to the risk of going undiagnosed. The first step is most important, of providing screening access to health providers. Docturnal has built a great and innovative product and we are very happy to join Rahul in this journey. We hope to help build a cutting-edge, artificial intelligence, machine learning based, medical diagnostic company that helps both patients and health-providers across the world." said Akshay Mittal, Deal Lead, MA Network. "We are excited to welcome Docturnal to our portfolio. The medtech and healthtech startup scene is buzzing and we are looking forward to investing in other innovations within the sector.We see increased interest from the next level investors, both VC Funds and the next level strategic players in companies innovating in the medical and healthcare space using technology." said MA Network CEO Nandini Mansinghka.