-Harshika Paliwal, Principal at Faad Capital.

Team 100X interviewed some of the top investors across the globe about their venture investing journeys, startups, and India.Here,Harshika Paliwal, Principal at Faad Capitalshares her responses.

Q1. What is your motivation to be in venture investing business?

- I work for an Angel Fund as our thesis is to invest at early stage startups we get to understand new spaces and sectors and back those enthusiastic entrepreneurs.

Q2. Describe your workday and leisure day, how does it look like.

-I start with my day at around 9:30 at office we have a team meeting around the agendas then I start my startup or VC/VD Partnership calls usually day at office ends at around 7, after this if we have any industry mate meeting or a get together or event that usually takes till 10pm.
-For me Leisure is nature that's my detox aswell so long walks in nature trails chirping birds and blooming flowers around is my leisure.

Q3. What is your view on the future of India as a market?

-India is just getting started, we have lot to achieve and the right talent staying back makes it even more achievable.

Q4. Help describe your investment thesis and ideas you would like to back.

We invest at early stage startups with MVP average ticket size of $150k-250k.
We are sector agnostic but don't invest in anything which could be potential competition to any of our portfolio startups.

Q5. What are your 5 key learnings from your experience as a venture investor?

Patience patience and patience this industry is is mine of knowledge and you can't understand everything in a day so learning every day and keeping yourself flexible enough to unlearn and relearn is the key.

Q6. Mention top 5 consumer/industry/technology trends in India and globally.

-Everyone is eyeing India for its deeptech startups we have the best talent and minds.
Snacking as an industry has evolved a lot and consumption patterns have changed and so had spending habits thus should keep array at Consumer focused brands.

Q7. Top 5 advice you would give to startup founder.

-Onboard an Advisor at early days and skip the trails of learning everything on your own, don't rush for giving out on Equity and raising capital, work on your moat.

Q8. How do you support your portfolio companies?

-We help them with partnership and bring in next round of Fundraising and business to them.

Q9. Which of your portfolio company you are very excited about and why?

Blusmart has been our early bet and we are really excited about it.

Q10. When you started your career what were your ambitions?

-When I started I was working for a family office and they invested only in Pipe deals I then had ambition to really work in the early stage startups and here I am working with them now.

Q11. What inspires you in life and what keeps you awake at night?

-The Entrepreneurs enthusiasm really inspires but nothing these days keeps me awake at night in fact with the structured day of VC it is really important to have a good night sleep.

Q12. Books or Blogs you would like to recommend entrepreneurism.

-Books- Moonshot game, World for sale