VCs are from Venus, entrepreneurs from Mars, argues new book

Author Shubhankar Bhattacharya has seen both sides of the coin, reports Tech in Asia

Shubhankar Bhattacharya became a partner at Kae Capital, a leading Indian venture capitalist (VC) firm investing in early stage start-ups, at the start of 2015. It turned into a year of irrational exuberance with VC funds, hedge funds, and even corporations all chasing the next “hot” start-up in India.

Shubhankar soon found himself wading through thousands of pitches, ranging from full-fledged presentations to social media chats. Over time, he had many whirlwind romances that did not last. He noticed a pattern in the strains that develop between investors and entrepreneurs. Finally, he concluded: VCs are from Venus, entrepreneurs are from Mars.

That’s the title of his book that released today. His purpose is to reduce the misunderstandings that arise between VCs and entrepreneurs.

Shubhankar has seen both sides of the coin. Before turning VC, he was a failed entrepreneur.

His start-up Yaqsh wanted to carve out a niche for itself in the $60 billion Indian jewellery market in 2013. But Yaqsh lost its way without the required funding support.

For Shubhankar, it has been a bitter-sweet experience. Many of the investors who had rejected him when he was trying to raise funds for Yaqsh are today his peers. Today, as a VC, he relates more to those investors who had been supportive even while rejecting his pitch. A little understanding and respect goes a long way.

“So the next time you are frustrated with the opposite side, remember that entrepreneurs are from Mars and VCs are from Venus,” writes Shubhankar. “Appreciating the fact that the two sides are naturally different will help you to be more respectful of the differences and allow you to be more loving.” This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here