[ad_1]
Sequoia India and Southeast Asia said it has launched a new program to help its portfolio’s early-stage founders connect with global operators as the venture capital firm scales up its offerings in key regions.
In addition to providing mentoring, networking and support to founders, the operators will also invest in startups that are part of the program, according to Pathfinders, a storied venture firm. The launch of the program comes at a time when the number of Indian startups, especially in the SaaS space, is expanding into the US, UK, Europe and other international markets. Startups including Byju’s, Freshworks, Chargebee and Clevertap count the US and Europe as some of their biggest markets today.
The program opens up the portfolio of most venture firms, but Sequoia expects early-stage startups — seed and Series A levels — to find it particularly useful, Harshjit Sethi, managing director at Sequoia India, said in an interview.
“The companies we see in seed and Series A rounds are companies that want to expand into the US and immediately start honing their first clients in the new market and who they hire. They have strong brands in India, but many of the names are not well known in the US,” he said.
Pathfinders operates a two-way feedback system, where any of the stakeholders can submit their ideas, he said.
The firm, which launched $2.85 billion in funds for India and Southeast Asia earlier this year He said he found the Pathfinders idea in 2020 a way to provide more help to companies looking to expand overseas. Marketing and Communications Executive in the company.
“We want our companies to do better and be the best in the world. We have very smart founders with deep domain knowledge. But when you start building for a market you’re not in, we feel it’s not a structured field. That’s the genesis of creating Pathfinders,” said Sethi, adding that the right set of operators brings years of learning to startups.
More than two dozen operators are registered with Pathfinders. They include Amit Singh (President of Palo Alto Networks), Oliver Jay (former CRO of Asana), Param Calhoun (CPO at UIPath), Prasana Sankar (Founder of Ripple), Pratyus Patnaik (Senior Director of Engineering at Okta), Sandeep Johri (Senior Director of Engineering). former CEO of Tricentis).
“The entire enterprise software market is being disrupted by the next generation of SaaS, built using cloud, AI and mobile-first design principles. To be successful, Indian disruptors must clearly understand Western buyers, their needs and user expectations, and design products that suit them effectively. Pathfinders connects entrepreneurs with experienced operators based in these countries, who have built decades of understanding of Western rulers,” Palo Alto Networks’ Singh said in a statement.
Pathfinders is the latest in Sequoia’s attempt to increase its value to beginners. The company launched Arc this year in London and the US, funding each with $1 million to find and lead idea-stage startups. Sequoia’s highly influential venture capital firm’s approach differs from many of its peers, many of whom are generally hands-on, handing over the check but unable to actually be there as startups embark on their journey.
[ad_2]
Source link
