Vani Kola, Managing Director of Kalaari Capital, discusses boundary-setting and work-life balance when managing relationships with portfolio startup founders.
“You use discretion to my time, and I refused to take his call at levin pm, and he said, well, you know, blah blah blah. I said, look, my family matters. This is not an emergency. It could, it can wait. If it was an emergency, I will hundred percent take your call at two AM, 11 PM, whatever it is, but this is not an emergency. So just because you work at 11 PM, I'm not going to take your call at 11 PM, you know, and I'm not going to apologize for it.”
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More from Vani Kola
Insight
Kola: Most successful founders do not come from big-tech executive roles
“The so-called pedigree is not as important to me as the potential. So I'm assessing for the potential, but not your past is a small indicator of your future, especially for an entrepreneur, especially for a first time entrepreneur. Most successful entrepreneur…”
Vani KolaSep 6, 2021▶ 16:31Why & How Clarity and Depth outscores storytelling ft Vani Kola, Managing Director, Kalaari Capital
Insight
Kola: Clarity of insight builds great companies, not polished storytelling
“People confuse storytelling to clarity of thought, ok? Now you're gonna go all over the place when it is not clear for you that simple clarity of thought of insight, whatever that is. That creates great companies, right?”
Vani KolaSep 6, 2021▶ 17:19Why & How Clarity and Depth outscores storytelling ft Vani Kola, Managing Director, Kalaari Capital
Disclosure
Kola: Kalaari Capital's Fund I returned 2.7x; Fund II nearing 4x
“Our first fund, I returned to .7 X. Our second fund, we are returning close to four X. We've already returned to X. And so I know I, we are in the highest performance category. In the top 25, if not the top 10% of fund returns that we have generated from India”
Vani KolaSep 6, 2021▶ 32:21Why & How Clarity and Depth outscores storytelling ft Vani Kola, Managing Director, Kalaari Capital
AssertionSupported
Kola: Only 1.5% of Indian startup funding goes to women CEOs
“Literally only of all the funding that has happened in India, 1.5% has gone to women who are CEO founders. They may have been co-founder in some capacity, then the number goes up by a little bit, even then it's not that much, but women CEO is 1.5%, right?”
Vani KolaSep 6, 2021▶ 42:49Why & How Clarity and Depth outscores storytelling ft Vani Kola, Managing Director, Kalaari Capital
Insight
Kola: No company succeeds when the founder is the sole problem solver
“No company can be successful if you are the only firefighter, if you are the only problem solver, if you are the smartest in the room, right?”
Vani KolaSep 6, 2021▶ 10:25Why & How Clarity and Depth outscores storytelling ft Vani Kola, Managing Director, Kalaari Capital
Insight
Kola: Capital is among the most misunderstood assets in startups
“Capital, which I think is one of the most, how should I say, misunderstood asset, often because we get emotional about money. In the startup ecosystem. Neither is money that important, nor is money that unimportant, right? To your success, you know?”
Vani KolaSep 6, 2021▶ 10:43Why & How Clarity and Depth outscores storytelling ft Vani Kola, Managing Director, Kalaari Capital
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