Seedfund is an early-stage venture capital firm with about $70 million under management. Bharati Jacob, Mahesh Murthy and Pravin Gandhi combined their early-stage investment experience to start Seedfund in 2006.

According to Bharati Jacob, Managing Partner, Seedfund’s strength is that it invests in areas that it understands. The VC firm has stayed focused on early-stage investing and on India market opportunities. It begins with $500,000 or $1 million cheques and goes up to $5 million in multiple rounds, and picks up a significant minority stake in the ventures it invests in.

Education: Graduate of Shriram College of Commerce, XLRI and Wharton.

Prior experience: I have a diverse and rich experience in market research, financial planning and investment banking. I have been venture investing since 2000 and prior to that, I worked at Lazard investment bank with P&L responsibility for Chennai and Bengaluru offices. Before Lazard, worked in Minneapolis with the strategy group at Northwest Airlines supporting the executive management board. Prior to Seedfund, was a Principal at Infinity Ventures, a pioneer in Indian early-stage investing.

Sectors interested in: I really don’t have a specific sector that I like or don’t. I like ideas that solve a problem, a problem that affects millions of people and that uses technology effectively. The solution should be innovative, that hasn’t been done before and the team that wants to be the category leader and has global ambitions.

Investments: Has been lead partner in diverse investments such as redBus (subsequently sold to Naspers of South Africa), Edusports, Vaatsalya, Jeeves Consumer Services, Sportskeeda and Axisrooms.

Typical working day: A typical working day includes replying to emails, conversations with entrepreneurs and fellow investors as well as with colleagues across all offices. Often the day’s work is filled with meetings.

Hobbies: Reading history and politics, watching murder mystery shows, playing bridge, and spending time with family and friends.

Gadgets: iPhone and Kindle.

Advice to entrepreneurs: It is important to sharply define the problem that you are trying to solve. Imagine the profile of your consumer/customer, what she/he is like, where does she/he hang out? What else do they do?

How will your product/solution fit into their life. Imagine the kind of enterprise you want to create.

Imagine what it will look like five years from now. And then go and execute your imagination.

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