Start-ups require funding at various stages of their growth. They may need initial funding at the seed stage for go-to-market and later for development of new products, hiring resources, marketing and sales expansion.

They tend to operate either alone, as individuals, or as groups (syndicates or networks of some kind). In India, networks can be those like Indian Angel Network (IAN), The Chennai Angels (TCA), Mumbai Angels and so on. India has a distinct shortage of Angels; the total number will barely exceed a few thousand.

The risk in this asset class is manifold, and includes concept risk, execution risk, people risk, mortality risk, and liquidity risk. The chances of losing invested capital are reasonably high and it is prudent to minimize that risk.

However, having been tasked to write on the subject, the best I might do is to reflect on my own experience as a Lead angel and speak in first-person terms about what it meant to me. This piece hence comes in conversational tones, ‘warts and all’ and more candid than may have been bargained for.

So the first step towards building your start up is putting together a good team. Remember that the employees you hire can make or break your business. Hiring the right people makes all the difference, especially in the early days. Here are a few ways in helping you make the decision a little easier.

Over the course of 2019, India saw the emergence of 7 new unicorns, bringing the total count to 24, standing third only after the US and China. This is the vote of confidence that the future of the Indian Start-up Industry needed to attract small investors into this booming sector. You need not hire a broker or be a Warren Buffett to find the right start-up to invest in. Let’s start with the basics.