EP#67 Anjali Bansal – Investing in climate and sustainability, the importance of having a strong board and building longevity as an investor

The VCpreneur: Startups | Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Fundraising

In this episode, Anjali Bansal, Founding Partner @Avaana Capital, joins our host Digjay, to talk about her path leading up to Avaana Capital, investing in process & product innovation, key headwinds & tailwinds in the current climate tech cycle, innovative sustainability startups from Avaana’s portfolio, the role of the board at early stages of a startup, importance of having a diverse board, how can founders draw maximum value from their board, and what to overindex on to build longevity in one’s career.

Avaana is an early/growth stage fund that invests in technology and innovation-led start-ups catalysing climate solutions and sustainability. Some of its marquee portfolio startups include the likes of Terra.do, Farmart, Eeki Foods, Animall and Praman among others.

Anjali has also invested in and mentored various successful start-ups including Delhivery, UrbanClap, Nykaa and Lenskart. Previously, Anjali has been the Non-Executive Chairperson of Dena Bank, appointed by the Govt. of India to steer the resolution of the stressed bank. Prior to that, Anjali was a Global Partner and Managing Director with TPG Growth PE.

She also serves as an independent director on several leading boards including Tata Power, Bata, Kotak AMC, and Piramal Enterprises. Anjali is also a member of the Advisory Council for the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and serves on the CII National Committee on Corporate Governance. You can connect with her here on Linkedin

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Show notes –

1. (02:17) Anjali’s background & path leading up to Avaana Capital
2. (06:37) Identifying the scale-up potential of startups
3. (10:28) Investing in process & product innovation
4. (14:30) Climate tech – Key headwinds & tailwinds in the current climate tech cycle
5. (18:43) Cutting through the noise and staying focused when investing in a hot market/theme
6. (21:37) Full-stack support that Avaana brings to startups
7. (23:40) Innovative climate tech startups that are part of Avaana’s portfolio
8. (26:02) Role of the board at early stages of a startup and how does that evolve as the startup matures in it’s lifecycle
9. (30:08) Importance of having a diverse board and how to draw maximum value from your board
10. (33:35) Reflecting on a multi-decadal career - What to overindex on to build longevity in one’s career?
11. (35:25) Advice for first time GPs
12. (38:04) Rapid fire and closing remarks

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