/
•
•
Spices to ceiling fans: The non-tech pursuit of A91 Partners
The three-year-old venture capital firm has a very different idea of what constitutes “tech” and what makes for a good investment. We take a look at where it is headed.
13 January, 2022•12 min
0
13 January, 2022•12 min
0
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Why read this story?
Editor's note: The two men seem amused, one even laughs out loud. And this writer, for what isn’t more than a couple of seconds but definitely seems longer, wonders if the question is really that absurd. In the age of everything tech, how does a venture capital fund invest in a company that makes fans? But chuckles follow. And then finally, the two men practically talking over each other, echo the same answer: “It was the easiest decision.” VT Bharadwaj, sitting across the room with his classic chirpy temperament, says it first. His colleague Gautam Mago doesn’t even have to look up from his phone to concur. The two men, general partners at venture capital firm A91 Partners and long-time friends, are as much in sync today as they say they were when they started the firm a little over three years ago. *** In one of the many meeting rooms on the tenth floor of a high-rise building in South Mumbai, there are three cups of coffee and chatter. It is the last working week of 2021, a Thursday, and Bharadwaj …
More in Internet
Internet
Exponent Energy's next test is business, not tech
The Bengaluru-based startup has expanded into EV retrofitting and lending after trying to make it as a pure-play charging company. Can it find any takers this time around?
You may also like
Internet
A high-risk, unfinished, cash-guzzling Zepto comes to public markets
SEBI has lowered the bar for loss-making startups to list. In that context, a company like Zepto redefines the meaning of risk in public market investing.
Internet
Wingreens’ house of brands strategy failed, but it just won’t give up
The 15-year-old company has bought one brand after another in the hope of growing fast. That plan has fallen flat on its face, but there’s no stopping Wingreens.
Business
The Gulf Report: IMF slashes growth projections for Mideast amid Iran war
The regional economy is expected to take a big hit in 2026, venture capital activity is starting to show signs of strain, and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund has a new investment strategy.