Sohini Mitter
Sohini Mitter
In an exclusive interview with The CapTable, veteran Silicon Valley investor Kanwal Rekhi says that Brand Sequoia’s exit from India could set a precedent for other foreign VCs. Known for his distinct candour and sharp takes, Rekhi also weighs in on Byju's, SoftBank and other key players
June 27, 2023
10 MINS READKey Takeaways
Kanwal Rekhi does not mince words. The Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor, who made history in 1987 after becoming the first Indo-American founder to list a venture-backed company on the NASDAQ, closely follows the developments unfolding in India’s startup and VC ecosystem. Rekhi, who co-founded Inventus Capital Partners in 2007 and continues to serve as its MD, has been a staunch critic of hypervaluations and the ‘unicorn’ rat race that has gripped the ecosystem.
“High valuations are bad for entrepreneurs, and bad for investors. Unicorns with private valuations are never real,” the septuagenarian told The CapTable in an exclusive virtual interview from his Los Altos, California residence.
Over the course of an hour-long conversation, the 78-year-old weighed in on a gamut of issues, from Brand Sequoia’s recent exit and turmoil at Byju's to SoftBank’s big money “inculcating bad habits” and why cashflows are the only real profits.
Here are the edited excerpts:
Kanwal Rekhi: I expect most foreign VCs to pull out of India now...
Don't have an account?
Sign Up
Forgot Password?
By signing up for The CapTable you agree to the
We report on the latest and most important developments in India’s biggest tech companies and disruptive startups so you can make better decisions.
Know the key decision-makers with Org Charts. We thrive on decoding boardroom conversations so we can bring you a 360° view of what's happening at India's high-growth companies.
Tracking the highs and lows of India’s biggest internet companies over the past decade has given us access to the right decision-makers to interpret the latest state of play.
We thrive on inside scoops and decoding boardroom conversations so we can bring you a 360° view of what’s happening at India’s high-growth companies.
Policy
Premium Reads
By Team Captable
Mobility
Premium Reads
By Pranav Balakrishnan
6 Min Read
By Team CapTable
8 Min Read
By Pranav Balakrishnan
9 Min Read
By Raghav Mahobe
11 Min Read
By Sohini Mitter
12 Min Read
By Team CapTable
6 Min Read
By Team CapTable
Copyright 2023 © The CapTable
v1.0.31
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy