Meet Rajan Anandan, an unhurried man out to mentor young start-ups

He ensures that the idea he invests in has the room and opportunity to grow

A few years ago, Rajan Anandan turned up late at an event in Bengaluru. As he rushed to take his seat among fellow invitees, he found time to crack a joke about the city’s traffic that’s in a mess. By the end of that evening, Anandan made time to hear out and impart lessons to young entrepreneurs — not usual for on- the-move top executives.
 
That, in a way, characterises the man who is the head of Google in India — unhurried, no-nonsense and keen to hear new ideas.
 
Anandan is all set to join Singapore-based Sequoia Capital's early-stage start-up investment programme, Surge. People who know him see the move as a natural fit.

 

The tall Sri Lankan with salt and pepper hair is often described as sharp, quick to grasp concepts and a great leader. Over the past eight years, in addition to building the internet-led story at Google, Anandan has funded anywhere between 60 and 80 early-stage start-ups.
 
He is very clear about how and where he wants to put in his money — team-led start-ups with a strong tech backbone. "In India, from an angel investing standpoint, I invest in only tech firms, and the first thing I look for is the technical capability. Very, very rarely would I invest in a single-founder company. I also look for a team that has been at it for at least some period of time, which shows that they can work together," he had told this reporter in 2016.

 
An avid cricket lover, Anandan is known in tech circles for his no-nonsense approach to the idea of expanding India's internet ecosystem. And, he has been a vocal supporter of businesses that solve problems that are unique to India.
 
"He has the rare ability to see a version of the future and break it down into digestible bits at a multidisciplinary organisation like Google. He was able to not only formulate ideas but also break them down into a relatable form," said former Googler Naman Pugalia, founder & CEO of First WalkIn Technologies.
 
Co-workers sometimes marvel at Anandan’s ability to do all that he does and still be full of energy. "He is focused and to the point. He will be ready to fund even the most obscure ideas if he is convinced about the scalability of the project," said a person who has worked with Anandan on some of his investments. 

He also ensures that the idea he invests in has the room and opportunity to grow. “In a great way, he is obsessively focused on product experience. When we met him for the first time to raise funds, he was focused more on the demo and less on the deck. He didn’t like our initial design very much but loved the product’s potential. Also, he helped us in quite a few introductions to venture capitalists and large players for our sequential funding round,” said Rohit Taneja, co-founder Mypoolin (acquired by Wibmo), in which Anandan had an initial investment too.
 

Anandan also heads the Delhi chapter of non-profit The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), which helps start-ups raise funds and network. "Knowing Rajan’s deep commitment to supporting young tech start-ups, this seems like a perfect union. Sequoia and entrepreneurs in their network will find immense value," said Geetika Dayal, Executive Director, TiE Delhi-NCR.
 
From making the internet accessible to Indian language users, to helping technology bridge the gender divide (through their Internet Saathi initiative), Anandan saw it all. In the past five years, Google has solved uniquely Indian problems, making India the launch pad for several features that were later rolled out globally.

 
“The good thing about India is we truly have a billion problems that need to be solved,” he had said earlier. His role at Surge will certainly be one he would enjoy.