firstgeneration tech entrepreneurs are reaching out to new kids on the startup block not just with money but also advice theyre trying to smooth the path for risktakers by helping them avoid a repeat of the mistakes they made as well as ensure good ideas arent lost anand j asks some of them how they benefit from sharing the wealth i look for teams with passion experience praveen sinha founder jabong which are your portfolio companies my portfolio includes home service companiesa laundry service called wassup home services brand zimmber which provides electricians carpenters and plumbers online art gallery anashaartcom a fi nancial services company and a onestop shopbased offers and benefits mobile app for working professionals called perkkx what do you look for when you plan to invest i generally look for three things one the team their passion and commitment to the idea and execution capabilities this is my most important criterion two the idea value proposition and how scalable and sustainable is it how is it differentiated from competition three currentfuture market size and competition an idea thats been thought through a team with execution experience and some traction in terms of existing operations generally attracts me i invested in these startups because i liked the team and believe that with the right inputs these companies can drive the next phase of growth in their sectors how did you find these startupsfounders i am well connected with the startup community i am part of various startup initiatives and have been engaged with institutes enabling startups like tie iims incubators and nasscom startupsfounders can reach me on linkedin and other social media i prefer startupsfounders reaching out to me directly some exciting ideas come up through other likeminded investors why should entrepreneurs like you invest in other startups for entrepreneurs like me especially first generation entrepreneurs and new technology entrepreneurs it is important to invest in the ecosystem to ensure that good ideas can be taken to fruition and arent given up due to lack of funds or limited understanding of conventional funds getting investment or funding in india has improved in recent times but it was diffi cult to achieve funding for startups earlier i feel that there is some part of my startup experience that can help ventures in the formative years what does the startup ecosystem mean for india india is poised for exceptional growth of the startup ecosystem especially in technology in a country as large and diverse as ours an active startup ecosystem can help identify innovative solutions for many of our needs we see significant improvements such as angel and vc funds sebis initiative to provide a listing of startups and social acceptance of entrepreneurship all this shows a great traction towards building a vibrant startup ecosystem for india investing lets us calibrate the talent out there kunal bahl rohit bansal founders snapdeal which are your portfolio companies ola cabs tiny owl housing urban clap tripoto belong credr and