14 BANGALORE

Originally the intellectual capital of India, Bangalore, with its California feel, has become the startup capital of the subcontinent that has well over a billion people calling it home. The city has strong connections to the Valley, best exemplified in organizations like TiE and The Indus Entrepreneurs. Moreover, the amount of engineering talent in Bangalore is off the charts! Bangalore is proof that India is more than just a destination of outsourcing. Venture capital is there, and so are opportunities for networking. Huge incubators, accelerators, and workspaces are in the city, cultivating India’s stars of tomorrow. What Bangalore lacks is talent in the product management and sales side of things, as well as a reliable city infrastructure—the city is known for its chaotic life when compared to the Valley, with traffic, pollution, and uncleanliness all problematic. From corruption to poverty, the problems in India are aplenty, and Bangalore hopes to provide solutions.

VENTURE ACTIVITY Q4’15 - Q3’16

VC FUNDING: $1.8B

DEALS: 330

EXITS: 72

5 YEAR YoY FUNDING GROWTH: 65.3%

5 YEAR YoY DEAL GROWTH: 47.7%

Source: CB Insights

ANGELS

Krishnan + Meena Ganesh

Rajan Anandan

Sharad Sharma

Sunil Kalra

Vikas Taneja

VCs

Accel Partners

Brand Capital

DFJ India

Helion

Sequoia India

Tiger Global

ACCELERATORS

Angel Prime

Brand Capital/GSV

Khosla Labs

Kyron Accelerator

Microsoft Ventures Bangalore

tLabs

ENTREPRENEURSHIP EVENTS

Eximus IIM Bangalore

Startup Festival

Startup Saturday

TiE Bangalore

VCCircle Entrepreneurs Summit

Q4’15 - Q3’16 TOP FUNDING ROUNDS

Eurofins Scientific—$222M

BigBasket—$150M

Janalakshmi—$150M

Cafe Coffee Day—$51M

Byju’s—$50M

PARENTAL PRESSURE

Many of Bangalore’s innovators are pushed away from entrepreneurship by parents who prefer salary over equity and stability over risk. Here’s what not to tell your parents when you’re about to drop out of school to pursue that social networking site for dogs.

There’s a three percent chance this might be worth over a thousand rupees one day.

I’d rather marry this startup than the girl you have in mind for me.

I’m moving to Bangalore to work very hard, drink, and smoke instead of living close to you and coming to family dinners every weekend.

I don’t need a PhD to be a doctor. Look at Dr. Dre.

Your cooking is great, but not good enough to keep me in an eight-to-six job as an accountant.

THE INDUS ENTREPRENEURS

TiE, or The Indus Entrepreneurs, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing mentoring, networking, and education for Indian and Indian American entrepreneurs. Here are some quick facts:

Began in 1992 with a group of successful entrepreneurs originally from India but living in the Valley, including noted venture capitalist Kanwal Rekhi.

Is home to 13,000 members and 2,500 charter members. There are 61 chapters in 18 countries, with a sixty-second opening in India.

Annual TiEcon is the largest entrepreneurship conference in the world, held in Silicon Valley every May.

TiE International Startup Competition has two tracks that allow teams to compete against others from around the world, with winners coming to the Valley for guidance and investment.

Has youth entrepreneurship programs fostering creativity among high-school-age kids—they are planning to expand to the middle-school level as well.

14

BANGALORE

VENTURE ACTIVITY Q4’15 - Q3’16

BANGALORE AT A GLANCE

Power Breakfast

Coffee Shops to Start Up In

Deal-Closing Dinners

Local Beer

Offline Tinders

“Must Be At” Local Events