In this candid discussion with Karthik Reddy of Blume Ventures, Sasha shares stories from the early days of Indian venture capital, including the legendary Starbucks meetings in Fort.
From raising Kae's first fund with Sequoia as an LP to learning crucial lessons about recycling and ownership, Sasha unpacks the evolution of both his firm and the Indian startup ecosystem.
Get insights on what makes great founders, why being an "all-weather partner" matters, and how the next generation of fund managers can build lasting institutions.
Key topics covered:
• The Mumbai Angels to Kae Capital journey
• Building Fund 1 with global LPs
• Lessons from missed opportunities (Ola, Freshdesk)
• The Porter success story
• Evolution of founder qualities
• Building the next generation of VCs
📥 Download The Omega Files Episode 2 here: https://bit.ly/BVTheOmegaFilesEp2.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Early Days
00:03:22 - Origins of Kae Capital
00:06:01 - Family Legacy and Early Influences
00:08:05 - Early Lessons from Fund I
00:13:02 - The Art of Fund Design
00:18:20 - The Ones That Got Away: Missed Unicorns and Portfolio Wins
00:27:03 - Investment Philosophy and Team Building
00:31:18 - Blueprint for New VCs: Navigating Today's Ecosystem
00:36:32 - Personal Reflections and Closing
Special thanks to IDFC First Bank, our annual partner, for their continued support of the Indian startup ecosystem.
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