Last month, startup India saw a crossover that it was delighted with. Rajan Anandan, managing director of Google India, quit to join Sequoia Capital and lead its early stage investment program Surge. Anandan is among India’s most prolific angel investors with over 59 investments. He got a star’s welcome.
“Rajan is a true angel,” says Amarpreet Kalkat, co-founder, Frrole, an AI-powered social intelligence start-up that offers services to businesses. In an ecosystem where business-to- consumer has been the flavour of the season and deep tech-based start-ups a rarity, Frrole has had its share of rough times. So, when in 2017 Kalkat was desperately trying to raise a bridge round, Anandan came to his rescue.
“I met him at an event in Jaipur. He took 10 minutes to understand the need and write a cheque. Once he was in, obviously, everyone followed,” says Kalkat. That Rajan’s move represents a leg up for the ecosystem is a view that echoes far and wide in the start-up world
Source: Economic Times
