STARTUP MIDAS TOUCH AWARD FOR BEST INVESTOR - The Ones With the Golden Touch
that Can Create Unicorns
Vani Kola boasts an enviable record of spotting
entrepreneurs capable of building large companies
...and the (ET) award goes to Vani Kola Kalaari
Capital
When venture capital investor Vani Kola meets
entrepreneurs for the first time, she typically shoots a rapid-fire round of
questions that helps her grasp how well they understand the problem they are
trying to solve. It was after one such encounter that a Wharton graduate felt
that Kola did not understand his business or was not interested. Then he got a
call from Kola with more questions. Soon a deal was signed, which was Kalaari
Capital's only new investment in 2009.
That entrepreneur was Kunal Bahl, who was then
running online couponing venture Moneysaver. His company has since morphed into
Snapdeal.
Kola's venture capital firm made the investment
at post-money valuation of $4-5 million in the company , which is now valued at
over $3 billion, making it one of her best investments. When it comes to
India's e-retailing sector, Kola boasts an enviable record of spotting
entrepreneurs capable of building large companies. Kola also bet on Mukesh
Bansal of Myntra, which was initially a gifts and merchandise website. Myntra
became an online fashion retailer and was acquired by Flipkart in 2014, giving
Kalaari stake in two of India's largest e-retailers. Her other investments are
online furniture retailer UrbanLadder, mobile app developer AppsDaily , and
lingerie e-retailer Zivame.
“We want to be part of disruptive ideas which
create high impact in India and work with entrepreneurs to build a lifelong
relationship,“ said Kola, whose investment firm Kalaari Capital is raising a
new $275-million fund.
The entrepreneur-turned-investor said that while
she was touched by ET's recognition of venture capital investors, the award is
reflected glory of what entrepreneurs are able to achieve after much struggle
and making difficult decisions.“I always think of awards in the context of
entrepreneurs and they are the real heroes. Having sat on the other side of the
table, it is a lot harder to be an entrepreneur than a VC,“ said Kola.
Born and educated in Hyderabad, Kola started her
bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Osmania University at the age of
16. She then left to get a masters degree from Arizona State University,
spending 22 years in the US. Kola cofounded Kalaari, after successfully
building and selling two companies--Certus and Rightworks--in Silicon Valley .
ET14AUG15
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