Ratan Tata is inclined towards startups that are brought to life by women entrepreneurs. This can be identified by his investments on the same however these investments aren’t easy. The Indian industries tycoon is known to only invest in a firm when there is an exciting idea behind the company and if the founders are able to make good first impressions.
Kyazoonga a Mumbai based e-ticketing startup was added to the list of 25 startups the business Mogul is already an investor in. Kyazoonga was able to raise an undisclosed amount of funding. With this funding, the company intends to expand into international markets which include, West Asia, US, Pakistan, and the Carribean Islands.
Kyazoonga is a major player in the ticketing industry. It was launched in 2007 by Neetu Bhatia who is an MIT graduate. The firm partners with sports franchises, event organizers, and music concert promoters. Previously the firm has sold tickets for domestic sporting leagues like Indian Premier League and the Pro Kabaddi League as well as international events such as the ICC Cricket World cup and the FIFA world cup.
Neetu with content on receiving funding states that they have their own IP and ticketing technology platform which helped them to scale up domestically. Their main focus is sporting and entertainment events and not really movies which makes them stand out from the existing players in the market.
The startups with female co-founders who have previously received funds from Ratan Tata are YourStory by Shradha Sharma, Zivame by Richa Kar, Ampere by Hemalath Annamalai and Kaaryah by Nidhi Agarwal to name a few.
What are the perks of receiving funds from Ratan Tata?
A startup that received funds from the business Mogul himself finds much more than just money and mentoring. It means free endorsement as the people are keen to know the startup that he was impressed enough to invest his money in. A startup stands out and received instant fame due to the name of Tata.
How to get funded by Ratan Tata?
You can just ask him. This worked for Nidhi Agarwal who is the founder of Kaaryah. She was rejected by 113 before being funded by Ratan Tata himself. She sent Ratan Tata a mail and after three months her startup got funded by Tata.
The procedure to approach him begins with the proposal being vetted by Venkataraman who just asks two questions to startups that seek for funding. The questions are about risks and opportunities. After the approval from Venkataraman, the entrepreneurs have 30 minutes to pitch to him and as the last funding round, the successful one will be valued.
(Photo credit: The Telegraph, iamwire, freepressjournal, thehindubusinessline)
