Convanto Monthly Newsletter
About the Founder
Founder and CEO at Convanto, Vandana is a versatile & dynamic professional with over 25 years of rich experience in international and domestic business advisory and fundraising. An adept strategic planner with a proven history of mentoring Business start-ups, identifying new growth avenues, developing innovative strategies and building high-performing teams. Her core work area is Fund Raising for early-stage start-ups across sectors and industry sub-verticals.
A diversified set of experiences has enabled Vandana to develop an eagle's eye for spotting opportunities in industries that are set for long-term growth in the Indian economic context. She is also passionate about helping businesses reach the right people and fulfil their business requirements.
Vandana had her own Family Office in Singapore and Jakarta. She worked as an Investment Banker & Advisor to Family Offices and Angel investors in Jakarta, Indonesia, helping start-ups from a diverse background. After 15 years of staying in Singapore and Jakarta, she came back to India. That is when Vandana created Convanto. Today, Convanto is one of the most well-known boutique investment banks in India and led by a female founder.
She is also a Venture Advisor with Loyal VC, the INSEAD-led Canadian VC Fund, having a core portfolio of over 160 investments in more than 35 countries. She is also a Partner with a Silicon Valley-based Venture builder. She relates to 300+ investors globally, picking up global deals while being sector agnostic. Our ticket size is $1-$50 million.
Vandana has been awarded as one of the Top 10 Women Leaders in Wealth Management 2021 and her brand Convanto comes under the top 10 women entrepreneur brands along with NYKAA, top 10 consulting firms by a female founder and Women entrepreneur of the year 2021.
In 2022, she was awarded as Top 10 Futuristic women. In February 2022, Convanto got awarded by Kiran Bedi at Tech Startup Conclave 2022 for the Best Financial Institution for supporting startups organized by AICRA-All India Council for Robotics & Automation.
Founder's Message
Being an entrepreneur gives you the freedom to decide what you want to do with your business, and in that sense, it gives you a lot of flexibility to try and implement new ideas and add a little of your own flair to your work, which is what I absolutely love about being an entrepreneur. This is why I chose this career path.
Start-ups of the month
STALWART
STALWART (SBCL) is India’s first and only of its kind “Plug-N-Play Route to Market” Company delivering Retail Sales and Market impact for FMCG Emerging Brands. SBCL is a 100% owned flagship company under Stalwart World – a 13 years old, one stop ecosystem with 4 distinct business entities. The uniqueness of the business and the promoters behind the innovation have received a lot of recognition since the inception of the model and have recently been awarded as “Global Business Achievement Award 2022 for Iconic Business Woman of the Year” telecasted by News24 on 29 June 2022, “World’s Greatest Brands 2021 – 2022” and “World’s Greatest Leaders 2021 – 2022” by Asia One – ET Now.
With the scale and promise that the FMCG markets in India holds, Stalwart is very uniquely poised to cater to the needs of a massively growing industry demand, projected to increase from 4 Lakh Cr in 2019 to 10L Cr in 2025. Over 90% of these revenues are expected to come from Offline Retail Markets.
A very recent ET study has revealed 33000 Emerging Brands are expected to cater to the needs of 80% of India's population & this is the opportunity that Stalwart's unique business model is built on.
What makes Stalwart special?
What makes Stalwart attractive to investors?
WYNBRANDS
WYNBRANDS, is a profitable company with well-known clients. With an integrated bakery, hot kitchen, food assembly, and distribution centre in operation in Bangalore, WYN can produce customized baked goods, meal combos, patisserie, desserts, and beverages on a daily, weekly, or batch-by-batch basis as chilled and/or frozen depending on the target shelf life and point of sale desired by customers. The quality assurance procedure in place gives them peace of mind and trust that food safety will uphold the brand's promise.
In addition to inbound raw material storage and warehousing, WYN is able to provide scheduled direct store/cloud kitchen/warehouse deliveries in many temperature modes thanks to the facility's co-location with a cold warehouse (cold man logistics).
The in-house supply chain capacity at WYN supports the culinary innovation and new product development team admirably, allowing clients to discuss broad themes and food profiles without needing to dive into the specifics of sourcing and associated operations. With a single point of management, we have successfully implemented some of the quickest menu refreshes for multi-outlet rollouts.
Since 2017, WYNBRANDS has transported 8 million pieces of food, and this figure is increasing month after month depending on the volume of existing customers and the addition of new clients.
Who are the customers of WYN?
Since 2017, WYN has built relationships of trust with well-known companies like Chai Point, Barista, Coffee Day, and Tata Cha. After 2020, WYN will work with companies like SLAY Coffee, Amazon Fresh, Metro Cash & Carry, OLA Foods, Big Basket Daily, and ZOMATO Hyper Pure, where we'll be leading the way in new product categories like DIY kits and subscription services.
Additionally, WYN strategically partner with Tier 2/3 café brands and single outlet cafés.
Their cloud operation at the mid mile is a significant player in this growing ecosystem while we continue to be highly relevant to the physical + digital (phygital) food & beverage brands. They have acquired new clients and categories since the acquisition of Covid.
As we adjust to the new normal, WYN anticipate a 60:40 split between in-premise and digitally driven meal orders.
What Future Expectations Does Wyn Have?
Similar to how the box office movie paradigm is now somewhat challenged by the OTT model, WYN feels that there has been a fundamental change in the food industry. The ecosystem needed for the latter is quite different, and WYN fits well into this new ecosystem.
Geographical (cities, regions, pin codes), digitally sliced and diced consumer segments, product mix, taste, flavour, nutritional profiles, and shelf life are some of the axes along which growth is anticipated.
With the proper combination of centralised processing and decentralised finishing, supported by a single operating system, WYN will be able to grow cost-effectively to relevant places and quickly develop a market presence leveraging both current clients and new discoveries.
WYN will be more competitive from an opex and capex viewpoint by digitising SOPs and having a dashboard to collect time and temperature across leveraging IOT and sensors, which will improve unit economics and profitability.
Food operators will be forced to concentrate on food vending and use economies of scale by outsourcing to companies like WYN in order to maintain their commitment to their customer promise as ONDC and similar WEB 3.0 projects gain more favour.
领英推荐
While pitching for venture capital, these are the 7 things to keep in mind.
Entrepreneurs must know how to make a business case. When it comes to your company, knowing your elevator pitch is essential, even if you don't intend to seek outside capital. When it comes time to look for investment, this is a good thing to have.
A fantastic concept is the driving force behind the most successful enterprises. To be great, one must be able to come up with ideas that can be put into action. Although the concept may be ground breaking, it's still nothing more than a seed. It can't grow if the environment isn't ideal. When you start a company, you can plant the seed, but it will take a lot more than that to get it off the ground. You will need a functioning crew, an office, and more. All of this would need a significant infusion of funds, and most firms struggle to keep up with such high overhead expenditures. For the time being, at least.
VC firms or funds are recognised to play an essential role in financing small businesses that are looking to expand but do not have access to conventional sources of financing. But securing seed funding from them isn't a slam dunk either. The optimal pitch deck for seed investors requires a thorough dive into a startup's pitching approach. VCs have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to selecting a pitch from a slew of entrepreneurs vying for their attention. It's a combination of art and science to make a successful pitch to the correct VCs, just like anything else.
Excite Investors About the Most Important Aspects of Your Company
In a single clear statement, describe your company's mission. It's more difficult than it seems. If you're not careful, you might end yourself focusing on your characteristics instead of your goals.
Explain the difficulties your consumer is experiencing. What are the present solutions' weaknesses and how are they being addressed?
Your eureka moment should be described. Just what makes your value proposition special and compelling? To what end will it continue? What comes after this?
Why are we doing this now? Is there a specific reason why this company is better than the rest? Why, therefore, hasn't your approach been implemented sooner?
Identify your consumer and your market in order to maximise your market potential. Some of the world's most successful businesses have invented their own marketplaces.
Direct and indirect competitors: Who are your main rivals? Demonstrate a strategy for victory.
If you're going to succeed, how are you going to accomplish it?
1. Series A fundraising ready may not look like you imagine for companies seeking finance
Even if you're willing to go the extra mile to get more venture capital for your firm, are you truly ready to begin raising it? As a consequence, they may not be able to acquire the cash that they need. Many entrepreneurs leap into the process before the company is ready to manage it.
Separate from seed or angel rounds, this round has a different set of goals to meet. By examining these essential qualities, you may ensure that your organization is actually ready:
A working business model that can be scaled up and down quickly to meet the ever-changing needs of your company, promising unit economics, revenue generation on a smaller scale than you can manage with the funds you're asking for, knowledge of where your product fits in the current market, customers already in place, and a good idea of where you need to go to reach more of them, knowledge of where your product fits in the current market
You've got all of your paperwork in order and up to date in terms of legal requirements.
When a VC opens your email pitch and offers you money as a consequence, you know you're ready for Series A funding. Your company idea or product has been shown to be effective, and all you need is cash to take your firm to the next level. You'll have a better chance of getting a yes if you put everything else in place first, and that will assist propel your company to greater heights.
Make sure to keep in mind the standards of various organizations seeking Series A financing assistance as well. Prepare your proposal only after you've done thorough research on the VC companies you want to contact. You may then use this due diligence checklist to ensure that you're ready for VC financing.
2. The right time is crucial.
Series A fundraising requires more than just having your ducks in a row and your documentation in line – it also necessitates having a solid business concept. Choosing the perfect time to make your pitch is also important. When it comes to achieving your objectives, November and December are traditionally challenging months.
You should also keep an eye on the time of year when your company stands to gain the most from fund raising. For seasonal businesses, it is crucial to raise money before you need it to assist you get through the critical period.
3. The importance of networking cannot be overstated.
When it comes to your overall company success, you've put in a lot of time and effort. It's time to make use of your existing network, particularly the folks with whom you've already developed close ties. Getting a company to put money into your project takes time. You have to earn the confidence of your customers by demonstrating the reliability and competence of your company, just like you would in any other relationship.
At the beginning of the process, you should meet with prospective investors to introduce yourself and explain your goals for the venture. You can't expect investors to jump in and provide money the first time you meet, just as you wouldn't lend to a "friend of a friend" without a convincing description of their character. Investors should only be brought on board after you have a functioning prototype or anything else that you can show them.
You'll find it simpler to recruit the investors your firm requires as you continue to demonstrate your trustworthiness and ability to reach key milestones. You must have a strong connection with your investors in order to get the most out of your fundraising efforts.
4. You must have a compelling story to tell.
One of your company's most valuable assets is its story. If you want to attract venture capitalists, you don't simply want to show them the statistics and data; you want to show them your narrative. Take a look at your business plan with possible investors.
As a prospective employee of a company, it's important to know where you've come from. It's important to think about the issues you've identified in the world and how your firm may help solve them. Why do you believe your answer will have a long-term impact on society and how people think about future challenges?
5. Your pitch should be smooth and well-rehearsed.
Meeting with an investor is not the time or place to "wing it," therefore don't do it. Make sure you have the correct attitude and phrases from beginning to completion of your pitch to get these cash, which is a major undertaking.
These tips will help you craft a winning pitch that will help you achieve your objectives.
6. Make sure all of your documentation is in order before you go for your trip.
One of the most important parts of the Series A procedure is completing your paperwork. How quickly you can obtain the funds you need depends on how much money venture capitalists (VCs) are willing to invest and how much money you have to offer them.
In order to speed up the process and make it simpler for you to obtain your money, you should save all of your papers in a data room. Make sure you have all the information you need to know about your staff: (both past and present if relevant)
Any and all customer and third-party contracts as well as your company's intellectual property (IP) information
7. Make a hasty exit
It's much simpler to acquire the last round of funding if you can demonstrate progress with a particular VC or set of VCs. If you have a particular amount of money, let the investors know that you'll be closing the round in a given length of time.
This round will be over in two weeks if you're close to meeting your target of $300,000. As a result, VCs will be more likely to bring in additional potential investors, as well as persuade investors who were previously undecided to invest.
Getting the money you need for your company is a top priority if you want to be successful.
Here are a few pointers that can help you secure the funding you need, present yourself as an up-and-comer in a competitive field, and keep your business afloat throughout your first round of funding.