Rise of the India-US SaaS Corridor | Chanchal Bhoorani from WestBridge Capital
04/10/24 • 50 min
In this episode you will learn:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:31 - The US-India Saas Corridor
00:04:13 - Advantage of building Software in India
00:08:57 - Early GTM strategies for Companies
00:11:46 - How can Indian SaaS Companies compete in the US?
00:14:49 - Will the cost advantage of building software in India persist?
00:16:19 - Challenges faced by Indian Companies in the US
00:21:21 - VC’s expectations before investing
00:23:19 - When should SaaS companies target the US market?
00:28:15 - Finding Product Market Fit
00:32:38 - US Go-To Market Strategy
00:39:01 - Raising Funds in the US
00:42:06 - Building a Great Network in US
00:48:30 - Future of India-US SaaS Corridor
00:50:14 - Conclusion
About
Chanchal Bhoorani is an investor at WestBridge Capital, focusing on US-India Enterprise Software investments from their Silicon Valley office. WestBridge is a multi-stage investment firm with approximately $8 billion in evergreen capital.
Chanchal played a key role in sourcing Physics Wallah for their first round of financing, valuing the company at over $1 billion. She has also been instrumental in the firm's investment in Freshworks and other private deals.
Prior to WestBridge, Chanchal gained experience building large-scale B2B and B2C products. At Ola Cabs, India's leading ride-sharing company, she designed allocation and dynamic pricing algorithms as a product manager. She then led the product team for a fashion e-commerce marketplace in Southeast Asia during their high-growth period.
Chanchal holds a graduate degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an engineering degree from IIT Varanasi. When not working, she volunteers with organizations supporting female education and employment. She also enjoys cheering for underdogs in Formula One racing, hiking, and hosting game nights.
🔗 Follow us:
🏠Website : https://understandingvc.com/
🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/understanding-vc/
🎧 Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/1q7DxW3FEyP7EhH8m0VvAD
🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/understanding-vc/id1551524895
💌 Connect with Rahul:
🤝🏻 LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulthayyalamkandy/
📩 Email : [email protected]
🐣 Twitter : https://twitter.com/rahul0720
📍 About:
Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. Our goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.
In this episode you will learn:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:31 - The US-India Saas Corridor
00:04:13 - Advantage of building Software in India
00:08:57 - Early GTM strategies for Companies
00:11:46 - How can Indian SaaS Companies compete in the US?
00:14:49 - Will the cost advantage of building software in India persist?
00:16:19 - Challenges faced by Indian Companies in the US
00:21:21 - VC’s expectations before investing
00:23:19 - When should SaaS companies target the US market?
00:28:15 - Finding Product Market Fit
00:32:38 - US Go-To Market Strategy
00:39:01 - Raising Funds in the US
00:42:06 - Building a Great Network in US
00:48:30 - Future of India-US SaaS Corridor
00:50:14 - Conclusion
About
Chanchal Bhoorani is an investor at WestBridge Capital, focusing on US-India Enterprise Software investments from their Silicon Valley office. WestBridge is a multi-stage investment firm with approximately $8 billion in evergreen capital.
Chanchal played a key role in sourcing Physics Wallah for their first round of financing, valuing the company at over $1 billion. She has also been instrumental in the firm's investment in Freshworks and other private deals.
Prior to WestBridge, Chanchal gained experience building large-scale B2B and B2C products. At Ola Cabs, India's leading ride-sharing company, she designed allocation and dynamic pricing algorithms as a product manager. She then led the product team for a fashion e-commerce marketplace in Southeast Asia during their high-growth period.
Chanchal holds a graduate degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an engineering degree from IIT Varanasi. When not working, she volunteers with organizations supporting female education and employment. She also enjoys cheering for underdogs in Formula One racing, hiking, and hosting game nights.
🔗 Follow us:
🏠Website : https://understandingvc.com/
🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/understanding-vc/
🎧 Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/1q7DxW3FEyP7EhH8m0VvAD
🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/understanding-vc/id1551524895
💌 Connect with Rahul:
🤝🏻 LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulthayyalamkandy/
📩 Email : [email protected]
🐣 Twitter : https://twitter.com/rahul0720
📍 About:
Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. Our goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.
Previous Episode
Investing Together: How Oded Hermoni’s VC Strategy is Changing the Game
In this episode you will learn:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:00:52 - About J-Ventures
00:02:57 - J-Ventures' VC Model in comparison to Traditional VCs
00:11:56 - Process of Onboarding LP’s
00:19:16 - Managing the community of LPs
00:20:29 - J-Ventures unique approach in VC
00:26:06 - J-Ventures’ investment mandate
00:30:50 - Value-based Investing in Companies
00:32:12 - Sourcing Companies for Investing
00:38:38 - Criteria for Evaluating Founders
00:42:06 - LP representation on Company Boards
00:46:36 - Needing Support v/s Being Self-Reliant
00:50:01 - Importance of Dialogue and Learning for first time founders
00:59:29 - Community led Model v/s Traditional VC Model of Investing
About
Oded Hermoni is an investor, entrepreneur and journalist. Since 2005, he has invested in over 70 companies (5 of which became Unicorns), as is currently the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of the J-Ventures Fund (a "Capitalist Kibbutz") in Silicon Valley. Oded is active in philanthropic organizations and has been a Board Member at the Jewish Federation SF, JFCS, Friends of Hebrew University, ICON, Intro, and more.
🔗 Follow us:
🏠Website : https://understandingvc.com/
🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/understanding-vc/
🎧 Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/1q7DxW3FEyP7EhH8m0VvAD
🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/understanding-vc/id1551524895
💌 Connect with Rahul:
🤝🏻 LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulthayyalamkandy/
📩 Email : [email protected]
🐣 Twitter : https://twitter.com/rahul0720
📍 About:
Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. Our goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.
Next Episode
Inside a Pitch Meeting w/ Michael Blakey & Aleks Farseev | PitchMeNot Ep.5
In this episode of PitchMeNot, host Rahul, alongside guest VC Michael Blakey, delve into the pioneering world of SoMin, an AI-powered SaaS marketing platform founded by Alex Farseev. SoMin distinguishes itself by optimizing digital advertising and competitor monitoring through advanced data analytics, aiming to significantly reduce costs and boost sales for its clients. The podcast covers SoMin's journey, it's product offerings (SoAds and SoMonitor), market fit, and the challenges it aims to address within the ad tech space, highlighting the annual wastage in ad spend and inefficiencies in ad targeting. Alex shares insights on SoMin's traction, revenue models, funding history, and future aspirations, including potential for IPO or acquisition, driven by a passion for transforming the advertising industry through technology. The episode concludes with a VC debrief, evaluating SoMin's pitch, the clarity of the problem statement, the strength of the founding team, product differentiation, and strategic growth plans.
00:00 Welcome to Pitch Me Note: The Startup Pitch Podcast
00:12 Introducing Today's Guests and Startup Focus
00:42 Diving Deep into SoMin: The AI-Powered Ad Tech Platform
01:25 Exploring the Core Problem SoMin Solves
01:51 Target Customers and Product Offerings
02:44 SoMin's Traction and Funding Journey
04:14 The Founder's Journey: From Developer to CEO
05:52 Achieving Customer Savings and Business Metrics
07:50 Customer Acquisition Strategies and Sales Cycle Insights
09:36 Leveraging Technology for Competitive Advantage
10:53 Funding Goals and the Vision for Growth
14:44 Transforming the Advertising Industry: A Visionary Goal
16:46 Staying Ahead in the Fast-Paced Ad Tech Landscape
19:31 Navigating Data Challenges in Marketing
19:45 The Importance of Staying Relevant and Innovative
20:19 Addressing the Rising Costs of Customer Acquisition
21:12 Strategic Ad Scaling and Performance Marketing Insights
21:58 Post-Pitch Debrief and Analysis
22:09 Evaluating the Problem Statement and Market Fit
25:54 Investor's Perspective on Ad Tech and Team Dynamics
35:20 Final Thoughts and Investment Considerations
🔗 Follow us:
🏠Website : https://understandingvc.com/
🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/understanding-vc/
🎧 Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/1q7DxW3FEyP7EhH8m0VvAD
🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/understanding-vc/id1551524895
💌 Connect with Rahul:
🤝🏻 LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulthayyalamkandy/
📩 Email : [email protected]
🐣 Twitter : https://twitter.com/rahul0720
📍 About:
Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. Our goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.
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