Inc42’s ‘Angel Rajasthan’ Workshop Brings Together 150+ HNIs, VCs And Angel Investors

To foster community building and impart essential knowledge of startup investing among aspiring investors, Inc42 hosted the second edition of its angel investing workshop, Angel Rajasthan, on February 22, in collaboration with the Rajasthan government’s Department of Information Technology & Communication and iStart Rajasthan. 

The invite-only workshop was attended by 150 participants, including HNIs, founders and aspiring angel investors. The participants were imparted with the essential skills to excel in angel investing in the workshop. 

Banking on the success of last year’s workshop, this year Inc42 hosted the likes of Rukam Capital founder Archana Jahagirdar, Artha Venture Funds managing partner Anirudh A. Damani, Log9 Materials founder Akshay Singhal, Anup Jain a leading early stage VC; Shiprocket cofounder Vishesh Khurana, Dineout cofounder Ankit Mehrotra, V3 Ventures cofounder Arjun Vaidya, and OfBusiness cofounder Nitin Jain as the speakers for the event.

Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, minister of information and technology in the Rajasthan government, also attended the second edition of Angel Rajasthan.

Key Highlights From The Second Edition 

The angel investing workshop provided the attendees with funding perspectives from seasoned players and a platform to connect with peers with similar interests. The attendees gained the nuances of developing strategies to manage risks effectively and understood the emerging trends.

During the workshop, the attendees engaged in interactive sessions with the experienced speakers to gain a deep understanding of various aspects of startup investing. The workshop also hosted a startup showcase, wherein three startups from the state pitched their ideas and showcased their innovative solutions. 

From a masterclass on building an investment thesis by Anil Joshi from Unicorn India Ventures to one on the rise of the cleantech opportunity by Anup Jain and Akshay Singhal, the workshop included several masterclasses and panel discussions to help attendees understand various sectors and the nuances of startup investing. 

While Artha Venture Fund’s Damani held a masterclass on what investors should look for while investing, the workshop also featured a panel discussion on how founders-turned-investors like Vishesh Khurana, Ankit Mehrotra, Arjun Vaidya, and Nitin Jain are fuelling the startups in India.

In a fireside discussion with Inc42 cofounder Vaibhav Vardhan, Col. Rathore said, “Angel investors must look beyond knowledge and tap into a founder’s drive. You must spot the madness and the willingness to make it through. You need to see whether these budding entrepreneurs are committed or not, and if they are ready to go all in.”

Commenting on the learnings from the event, Anurag Bhatnagar, an attendee, said, “From getting investments for your business to the entry and exit, the event covered A-Z of the entire process.” 

Bolstering The Startup Ecosystem In Rajasthan

Metropolitan cities no longer have a monopoly on the country’s startup ecosystem as tier-II, III and beyond cities are also seeing rise of startups. Jaipur ranked fifth among the emerging startup hubs, with a funding of $1.2 Bn across 92 deals between 2014 and 2023, as per Inc42’s India Tech Startup Funding Report 2023. 

Home to 3.7K+ DPIIT-recognised startups, Rajasthan was recognised as one of the top-performing states in the ‘State Startup Ranking’ by Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

The state government has also taken a number of initiatives to promote startups in Rajasthan, including the launch of iStart Rajasthan, which provides funding, mentorship and infrastructural support to startups. 

For instance, iStart Nest is a centralised incubator that provides free incubation to emerging startups. It is present in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Churu, Pali, Ajmer, Udaipur, Kota and Bharatpur and offers a diverse range of resources and mentorship from industry veterans to help businesses across the state nurture their business acumen.

In 2018, the state government also launched an INR 500 Cr startup fund as a part of its “Techno Hub” initiative. Techno Hub was launched to help early-stage startups refine their business pitches, connect them with prospective investors and provide them with comprehensive support. The state government has also established RCAT (Rajiv Gandhi Centre of Advance Technology) to impart IT skills to students and mid-career professionals and create career opportunities, steering an innovative model in IT education. 

As per Inc42’s ‘State of Rajasthan Startup Ecosystem Report 2023’, the venture capital inflow rate in the state grew at 46% during the year, surpassing the growth rate of Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Mumbai. As such, the state seems well poised to take huge strides when it comes to startups.