E77: Viral Jani (EVP & India Country Head, Times Bridge)

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Viral Jani has been the driving force behind several challenging projects in Consumer Tech, Television Broadcasting, Digital, Social Media and Media Planning. Armed with more than 15 years of experience in media and technology, Viral plays a key role in spearheading Investment Operations at Times Bridge.

A post graduate in Communications Management, Media & Brand Management from MICA, in his previous avatar, Viral has led strategy, television and entertainment partnerships for Twitter across India and worked with key strategic partners across sectors to drive innovation and monetization.

Prior to Twitter, he was the Head of Strategy and Social Media for Times Television Network. Viral has also been associated with several other major media houses in India like NDTV, Disney, Viacom and Mindshare.

In this episode we will cover:

1. Times Bridge and its unique structure (3:12)

2. When does a company approach Times Bridge (14:50)

3. How does the deal flow at Times Bridge work? (18:57)

4. Measuring success with Times Bridge business model (25:10)

5. How does Times Bridge view competition in its portfolio? (31:30)

6. The impact of the macroeconomic environment on today's investments (35:02)

7. Learnings from the Times Bridge portfolio and the impact of macro trends on their Indian businesses (40:21)

8. The hardest aspect about being an investor (42:42)

9. Managing relationships with portfolio startups and working on the India expansion story (47:18)

10. What should companies considering expanding into India know and be aware of before entering the market? (51:40)

11. words of wisdom for his younger self (56:16)