NuVentures & its new thesis: founder Venk Krishnan talks Saas, AI & enabling startups with customers

In this episode of theUpStreamLife we bring you a series that defines the veteran venture capitalist, Venk Krishnan. In the past, Venk, has backed the likes of MuSigma, Daily Ninja, Acko, Pocket Aces, Third Wave Coffee & Geist.NuVentures is now renewing its India strategy, the startups that the fund will bet on will have to have a global thesis with their technology. Interestingly, the fund also has a consumer play.The fund's new investments include Pivot Robots (www.pivotrobots.com) , Raga AI (www.raga.ai) , Mantys (www.mantys.io) and Zigment (www.zigment.ai), which define NuVentures and its current thesis. In the current thesis startups will have access to customers, in the USA, with NuVentures sister firm NuWare, an IT services company with 40 customers in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) industry and in healthcare. Venk and the fund believe in backing founders that are mature and have industry experience. Just as curve ball Venk also invests in direct to consumer businesses such as Adukale (www.adukale.com) and Foxtale (www.foxtale.in). Venk Krishnan breaks down the new approach with Vishal Krishna in the first episode of NuVenture's new podcast series NuPod. Enjoy the podcast.00:00 - Introduction to NuPod 00:46 - Setting the context to NuVentures new thesis. 01:03 - A quick history of NuVentures 01:59 - A coffee chain that started this love for a focus on India. 03:22 - Being a sector agnostic fund, but with a focus on AI & SaaS. 04:42 - The dual play of NuVentures with IT services firm NuWare 07:07 - An influencer who enables Saas & AI startups with customers 09:07 - Startups in the NuVentures current thesis. 14:47 - Validating startup ideas with customers 16:18 - Startup founders who love this model of working with NuWare's customers 27:26 - Helping startups in its GTM and working with mature founders 34:30 - Looking at problems from the customer's pain point39:27 - Being in the box office business of D2C (direct-to-customer) 42:47 - The Indian consumption story 43:47 - Trends of tech and the surge of AI 45:49 - Startup founders must be closer to the customer in the USA 48:53 - The status of the VC ecosystem in India.  52:23 - The basis of advice and what weight it carries. 55:00 - Venk's inspirationsSupport the showThanks for Listening! Follow Us on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Find us on YouTube