E48: Pearl Agarwal (Founder & Managing Director, Eximius Ventures)
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Pearl Agarwal is the Founder and Managing Director of Eximius Ventures, micro venture fund looking to create a thriving global entrepreneurial community and nurture young talent in India. Prior to founding Eximius, Pearl has spent time in PE and Investment Banking in the US and UK, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Corporate Finance from The University of Texas at Austin – The Red McCombs School of Business.
You may follow Pearl and Eximius on Twitter.
In this episode we will cover:
Experience raising capital and managing a fund during two different phases of Covid lockdowns in India (2:54)
Learnings from conversations with portfolio startups (10:10)
Covid impact on a fund’s investment thesis? (14:29)
Why did Pearl decide to launch her own fund (19:20)
What does a young emerging fund manager today need to know about the investing landscape in India before thinking about setting up a fund (28:36)
How welcoming is the ecosystem to new comers? (32:19)
What does Pearl mean when she says Eximius is an agile micro fund? (36:00)
How do you be agile in VC? (41:35)
Why does Eximius have a dedicated HR person on their portfolio support team? (51:53)
What kind of support should founders provide so as to maximize their VC’s efforts? (59:48)
Advice to founders when fundraising (1:08:01)