PDF VC Handbook

Presents
Handbook On
Venture Capital
An Entrepreneur's Guide to
Early Stage Funding
Year of Publication: 2020

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Table of Contents
Click on heading to go the section
1. Types of Investors
2. Sample Term Sheet For Early Stage Investments
3. Structuring Venture Capital Investments
4. Shares with Differential Rights: An Analysis
5. Software in a White Coat: Governing Software under

Medical Devices Laws
6. Knowledge Partner:
7. Directory Section
8. About Venture Intelligence
Venture Intelligence - Handbook on Venture Capital

4
Types of Investors
Accelerators / Incubators
Seed funding up to Rs. 50 Lakhs
Incubator: CIIE, Venture Centre, NSRCEL, SINE, IIT-M Incubation Cell
Accelerators: Axilor, 500 Startups, Surge, Y Combinator
Angel Networks & Platforms
Seed & Pre-Series A Funding of Rs. 50 Lakhs - Rs. 7 Cr (Avg. Funding)
AngelList, LetsVenture, Indian Angel Network, Venture Catalysts
Seed Funds
Seed & Pre-Series A Funding of Rs. 50 Lakhs - Rs. 7 Cr
3ONE4 Capital, Axilor, Blume Ventures, India Quotient, Kae Capital
Early Stage VC Funds
Seed, Series A and Series B investments of Rs. 2 - 70 Cr
Accel India, Blume Ventures, Beenext, India Quotient, Kalaari Capital,
Matrix Partners, Shunwei Capital, SAIF, Stellaris Ventures, VH Capital

5
Types of Investors
Growth Stage Funds
Growth Funding of Rs. 70+ Cr
Fundamentum, Iron Pillar, Lightspeed Ventures, Nexus Ventures,
Sequoia Capital India, SAIF, Tiger Global
Mega Funding Investors
Growth Funding of Rs. 150 Cr+
Alibaba, DST Global, Naspers, SoftBank, Steadview, Tencent
SME Focused Private Equity Investors
Funding of Rs. 25 Cr - Rs. 100 Cr+
Amicus Capital, Eight Roads Ventures, Gaja Capital, IFC, Lighthouse,
Motilal Oswal, Zephyr Peacock
Social/Impact Funds
Funds focused on companies serving Bottom-of-the-Pyramid consumers
Aavishkaar, Dell Foundation, Elevar Equity, Gates Foundation, Lok Capital,
LGT Lightstone Aspada, Menterra, Omidyar Network

6
Directory Section
Click on heading to go the section
FUNDING COMPANY
RANGE REVENUE
Active Incubators $ -
Active Accelerators $ $
Angel Networks $$ $
Individual Angel Investors $$ $
Deal Platforms $$ $
Seed Funds $$ $
Early Stage Investors

$ - $$$ $$
(Seed, Series A)
Social/Impact Funds $ - $$ $-$$
Healthcare Funds $ - $$$ $ - $$
Active SME Investors $ - $$$ $$$

7
Sample Term Sheet

This term sheet dated January 1 2020 (“Term Sheet”) sets out the terms and conditions of
the proposed subscription of convertible preference of ABC Private Limited (the
“Company”) by XYZ (“Investor”).
This Term Sheet summarizes the principal terms proposed by the Investor with respect to
its investment in the Company (“Transaction”). This Term Sheet should not be construed
as including all the terms relating to the Transaction. Such terms would be contained in
the definitive agreements recording the Transaction to be negotiated and executed by all
the parties (“Definitive Agreements”).
Parties hereto shall act in good faith to negotiate, complete and execute Definitive
Agreements and related documents reflecting the intent contained herein latest by
February 1, 2016 (“Term”).
This Term Sheet shall expire on the completion of the Term or execution of Definitive
Agreements between the Parties, whichever is earlier. Upon termination, this Term Sheet,
except for the exclusivity, confidentiality, governing law and dispute resolution provisions,
shall lapse automatically, unless renewed by mutual consent of the parties hereto.
Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning ascribed to them
below.
Venture Intelligence - Handbook on Venture Capital (2018)

8
TRANSACTION
Parties Company (name)

Promoters, and
Investor(s)
Shareholding Pattern The shareholding pattern of the Company as on the date of

this Term Sheet is set out in Schedule I.
Investment The Company is desirous of raising funds through issue of

convertible preference shares (“CPs”) at a price per CP of
INR 100 (One Hundred Only).
The Investor is desirous of subscribing to 100 (One

Hundred)CP (“Investor CPs”) for an aggregate value of INR
10,000 (Ten Thousand Only) (“Transaction”).
The shareholding pattern of the Company as on the date of

completion of the Transaction is set out in Schedule II.
Terms of Investor CPs Dividends: The holders of the Investor CPs shall be entitled
to an interest of [0.1%] per annum.
Liquidation Preference:
a) Preference: [1x] the investment amount plus accrued

Interest.
b) Participation: [Non-participating/Full participation on as

converted basis with equity shareholders.] Investor will start
participating once the Investor has received a rate of return
of [xx%] on its full investment amount.]
Conversion: Investor shall have a right to convert Investor

CPs into equity shares of the Company at any time after or
simultaneous with the issuance of equity shares or other
compulsorily convertible instruments into equity shares by
the Company to institutional investors (“Series A Funding”).

9
TRANSACTION
Terms of Investor CPs Conversion: The conversion price of Investor CPs shall be
[xxx]% of the price per equity share determined at the time
of Series A Funding.
If the Series A Funding does not occur before [date] (“Series

A Funding Date”), the Investor shall be entitled to convert
the Investor CPs to at a conversion price equal to [xxx%] of
the fair market value of equity shares determined by an
independent valuer as per the valuation methodology
prescribed under the applicable laws.
Completion of the Within a reasonable time after execution of this Term Sheet
Transaction but in no event later than Day-Month-Year.
Minority Protection Company will not take any of the below mentioned actions
without express written approval of the Investor; provided
that, if such action or decision is taken at a board meeting
the affirmative vote of a Director nominated by the Investor
will be required:
Sale of assets except in the ordinary course of business.

Acquisition of other businesses, creation of joint
ventures/ partnerships, creation or investment in
subsidiaries.
Capital expenditures or acquisitions of assets in excess
of the amounts specified in the annual business plan
approved by the Board.
Increase, decrease or other alteration or modification in
authorized or issued share capital, or creation or issue of
other securities (including equity shares, preference
shares, non-voting shares, warrants, options, etc.).
Related party transactions.
Amendments to Memorandum or Articles of Association
(including change in the number of Board members).
Approval of, or amendment to, the annual business plan.
Commencement of any new line of business.
Debt/equity ratio exceeds the limit specified in the
business plan of the Company approved by the Board.
Settlement of any litigation or arbitration proceedings.

10
TRANSACTION
The giving of security for, or the guaranteeing of debts of

any person in excess of the limits specified in the annual
business plan of the Company approved by the Board.
Declaration or payment of any dividend.
Setting up of salary and benefits of any employee with a
total cost to the company or any subsidiary exceeding
the limits specified in the annual business plan of the
Company approved by the Board.
Amendment or termination of any agreement appointing
key executives of the Company.
Any commitment or agreement to do any of the
foregoing.
Information Rights The Company will deliver to the Investor: (a) annual audited
financial statements 90 days after the end of each financial
year, (b) bi-annual un-audited financial statements, and (c)
Annual management reports, plans and budgets.
Further Financing (New Any future issue of equity or convertible instruments by the
Shares)/ Anti-dilution Company shall be first offered to the existing shareholders
in the ratio of their shareholding in the Company at the time
of issuance.
Should any shareholder not subscribe to its portion in the

rights offering, the same shall first be offered to the other
shareholders in proportion to their shareholding in the
Company. This shall be repeated until such time the entire
un-subscribed portion is subscribed.
The conversion price of the Investor CPs will be subject to a

[full ratchet / broad-based / narrow-based weighted
average] adjustment to reduce dilution in the event that the
Company issues additional securities (other than shares
issued pursuant to employees’ stock option plan) at a
purchase price less than the applicable conversion price.
The conversion price will also be subject to proportional
adjustment for split or sub-division of equity shares, stock
dividends, combinations, recapitalizations and the like.

11
TRANSACTION
Investor’s Right to Sell Investor CPs shall be transferable to any person after the
Series A Funding Date.
The Promoters shall have the right of first refusal [or first
offer right] on transfer of all or any of the Investor CPs or any
transfer of equity shares issued upon conversion of Investor
CCD’S in proportion to their shareholding in the Company.
If at any time the Promoters transfer more than [xxx] % of

their shareholding in the Company to a third party, the
Investor shall have a right to tag along its CPs in the
Company on a pro rata basis to the purchaser of the
Promoters’ shares on the same terms and conditions
applicable to the transfer of the Promoters’ shares.
However, if as a result of Promoters transfer, the
shareholding of the Promoters collectively in the Company
would fall below [51%], the Investor shall be entitled to tag
all of his CPS or equity shares issued upon conversion of
CPs to the purchaser of Promoters shares.
Promoters Drag Along If the Promoters at any time propose a transfer to a third
Right party transferee all or portion of their collective
shareholding that is in an aggregate equal to 51% of the
collective shareholding of the Promoters, then the
Promoters may also elect to require the Investor to also
transfer, to the third party transferee, as part of the drag
along sale, that number of Investor CPs or equity shares
issued upon conversion of equity that is pro rata to the
shares proposed to be transferred by the Promoters, at the
same purchase price and other terms that are applicable to
the Promoters shares.
Non-Compete Promoters jointly and severally agree not to directly or

indirectly invest, collaborate or associate in whatsoever
manner with any person, partnership firm or a company
engaged in the similar business lines of the Company.

12
TRANSACTION
Exclusivity Until expiry of the Term, Company will not take any action
to, directly or indirectly, encourage, initiate or engage in
discussions or negotiations with or provide information to,
any other person or entity concerning the Transaction.
Conditions Precedent The obligation of the Investor to consummate this

Transaction (“Closing”) shall be subject to fulfillment of the
following conditions, including but not limited to:
Completion of business, legal and accounting due

diligence by Investor of the Company and resolution of
the due diligence findings to complete satisfaction of the
Investor.
Both parties having obtained corporate authorizations
for execution and performance of the transactions
contemplated under the Definitive Agreements. [Investor
having obtained the approval of its investment
committee.]
Execution of Definitive Agreements and closing
documents (including amendments to the Articles of
Association) satisfactory to the Investor.
Each of the Company and the Promoters providing
representation and warranties customary in a transaction
of similar nature.
No existing or imminent material adverse change in the
Company.
Confidentiality Investor shall maintain confidentiality, regarding the

contents of this Term Sheet, and the business and affairs of
the Company. Investor shall be permitted to disclose all
aspects of this Transaction to the investment bankers,
accountants, legal counsel and in so far as it is disclosed in
each case only where such persons are under appropriate
nondisclosure obligations imposed by professional ethics,
law or contracts. Nothing contained herein shall affect the
ability of the Parties to make disclosure under applicable
law.

13
TRANSACTION
Expenses All costs and expenses in connection with the issuance of

Investor CPs, including stamp duty, shall be borne by the
Company. Each party shall bear its own legal and other
costs.
Amendment The Parties may amend the terms of this Term Sheet by
mutual consent in writing.
Governing Law and Any disputes arising out of or in connection with the
Dispute Resolution validity, interpretation or implementation of this Term Sheet
shall be governed by the laws of [India] and Courts at
[Bangalore] shall have sole jurisdiction.
Binding This Term Sheet is subject to the execution of Definitive

Agreements and completion of the Closing conditions and
is not legally binding on the parties, except for the following
sections: Exclusivity, Confidentiality and Governing Law
and Dispute Resolution.
For XYZ Private Limited

Name:
Designation:
For Promoters
Name:
Designation:
For Investors
Name:
Designation:

14
Structuring Venture Capital Investments

Venture capital investments are typically made in early-stage companies. They are often
viewed as high-risk, high-return investments.
Growth and expansion of early-stage businesses/companies require capital investment.

This article identifies certain structures and instruments for such investments, taking into
account the outlook of investors and promoters, who mutually agree to collaborate for a
business venture.
Venture capital investments include (i) subscribing to securities such as ordinary equity
shares, equity shares with differential voting rights (“DVR Shares”), preference shares,
equity-linked instruments, and convertible notes, or (ii) providing financial assistance in
the form of a term loan or subscribing to non-convertible debentures or any such similar
instruments.
Where funding is in the form of financial assistance, and not capital investment, the
promoters retain ownership of the company in its entirety. Most early-stage companies
prefer to raise capital through equity financing for several reasons, including interest on
loans which is typically a cost for early-stage companies and, further, lenders may require
collateral to secure the loan. Servicing the interest on loans is another challenge for such
companies. On the other hand, with capital investments, the return-on-investment is
usually generated after a defined period of time, when it is expected the company will have
stabilized its business.
Start-up notification:
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry notification of February 19, 2019 relating to ‘start-
ups’ permits a start-up to be incorporated as a private limited company under the
Companies Act, 2013, or be registered as a partnership firm under the Indian Partnership
Act, 1932, or a limited liability partnership (“LLP”) under the Limited Liability Partnership
Act, 2008.
The Budget for 2020-2021 has proposed some benefits for start-ups:
(a) eligible start-ups have been permitted 100% deduction of profits and gains for
three consecutive assessment years (as against seven years currently applicable)
out of 10 years, where the total business turnover is not more than Rs. 100 crores
(as against Rs. 25 crores currently applicable).

15

(b) where benefits of an ESOP are granted to an employee by a start-up, tax will now
be payable or deductible only within 14 days
after the expiry of 48 months from the end of the relevant assessment year; or
from the date of the sale of such specified security or sweat equity share by
the employee/assessee; or
from the date on which the employee/assessee ceases to be the employee
of the eligible start-up, whichever is earlier, on the basis of rates in force of
the relevant financial year in which the said security is allotted or
transferred.
Prior to this proposal, tax was required to be paid at the time of exercise of
option by an employee and such tax was calculated on the fair market value
of the security.
Although start-ups can be incorporated as private limited companies, partnership firms, or

LLPs, most stakeholders prefer a company structure for many reasons. First, a company is
recognised by law as a separate legal entity, which entails that its shareholders (including
promoters and investors who have contributed capital) cannot ordinarily be held
personally liable for the company’s liabilities. While an LLP also offers the same
safeguards, and an LLP’s partners are distinct from the LLP itself, a company has other
features of a company which typically make it a more attractive investment vehicle
compared to an LLP, for example, one such attribute is that companies can receive foreign
investments in more sectors with relative ease as compared to LLPs. While LLPs are
generally permitted to receive foreign investment, if the sector in which an LLP operates
has any performance linked conditionalities, per the foreign direct investment policy of
India, then no foreign investment can be permitted by such an LLP. Given such
restrictions, and the likelihood that early-stage companies typically require funding for
growth, including from foreign investors, a company is considered the more desirable
option.
Some of the benefits of an LLP structure are discussed below:
Benefits of an LLP
As mentioned above, foreign direct investment in an LLP is permitted only when there are
no performance-related conditionalities in the sector in which the LLP operates. LLPs in
the IT & ITeS sector, or the services sector, for instance, can receive 100% FDI, since these
said sectors currently do not have any performance-linked conditions under the FDI policy.
In view of this, early- stage companies in such sectors, which have no conditions attached,
can consider the LLP structure.

16

As it currently stands, both companies and LLPs are subject to corporate tax, and with the
recent proposal in the Budget for 2020-2021, companies are no longer required to pay
dividend distribution tax.
Another persuasive characteristic of an LLP is that investors in an LLP can be provided an

exit with more ease than investors in a company. One of the ways in which a company can
allow an investor to exit is through a share buy-back, wherein the cash available with the
company can be used to buy back shares held by the investor. Share buy-backs are,
however, considered procedurally tedious, and there is a limit on the quantum of shares a
company is permitted to buy back. A company can buy back a maximum of 25% of its paid-
up capital and free reserves, per the Companies Act, 2013, and a subsequent buy-back can
only be undertaken after one year from the date of closure of the previous buy-back. In the
case of an LLP, profits can be distributed to investors without any threshold, and investors
can be allowed to exit the partnership. It is worth mentioning that buy-backs by a company
also has certain tax implications which,again, tilts the scale in favour of LLPs.
Company structure for investment
A typical company structure inherently enables stakeholders to consider a wider range of

investment instruments, depending on the requirements of the company and the
commercial terms of the investment between the investors and promoters. Some of the
instruments the stakeholders can consider are discussed below.
Ordinary Equity Shares
Ordinary equity shares are the most common instrument for investment in a
company. An ordinary equity share provides ownership in the company at par
with other equity shares/equity shareholders, without any preference or priority.
Each share represents one vote, and the economic benefits and voting rights are
associated with the number of ordinary equity shares held by a shareholder in
the company. Typically, investors do not prefer to subscribe only to ordinary
equity shares, since all ordinary equity shares rank pari passu inter-se each other
and give no additional or preferential rights to an investor vis-à-vis the founders.

17

Equity Shares with Differential Voting Rights
Differential Voting Rights (DVR) shares are very popular with venture capital
investors and early-stage companies. DVR shares can be issued with differential
rights as to dividend, voting, or otherwise.
Accordingly, a venture capital investor proposing to invest in early-stage

companies can subscribe to DVR shares with a higher/preferential economic
interest. This meets the dual objective in terms of management control and
economic rights, because a financial investor would not want to take the lead on
management decision-making. Similarly, the founders who would prefer to lead
the management decision-making, can hold only equity shares or also subscribe
to DVR shares with higher voting rights, in addition to the common equity shares
they hold.
While DVR shares can be issued under the Companies Act, 2013, subject to
fulfillment of the various conditions mentioned therein (such as articles
permitting the issuance of DVR shares, being approved by the shareholders at a
general meeting, the company not having defaulted in filing financial statements
and annual returns for the last three financial years, etc.), the said conditions are
not applicable to a private limited company, per a notification issued by the
Ministry of Corporate Affairs in this regard. In any case, most of the conditions
are not onerous, to be fulfilled given a recent amendment to the same which
relaxed the eligibility requirement of the company with a consistent track record
of distributable profits for the last three years.
Preference Shares
As the nomenclature suggests, preference shares carry preferential rights over

ordinary equity shares, in relation to payment of dividend and distribution of
funds, in case of liquidation of a company. Dividend on ordinary equity shares
cannot be declared, unless preference shareholders have received their
dividend in accordance with the terms of issue of the preference shares.
However, the reverse is permitted, i.e., a company can declare a dividend only
on preference shares without simultaneously declaring a dividend on ordinary
equity shares. When a company is liquidated, preference shareholders rank
higher than ordinary equity shareholders by law, and are entitled to receive the
proceeds available upon the company’s liquidation, in priority to ordinary equity
shareholders.

18

The proceeds to be distributed to preference shareholders depend upon the
terms of issue of the preference shares and entitlement of the holders, as
contractually agreed. It is, therefore, possible that after distribution to the
preference shareholders, the ordinary equity shareholders either receive
nominal returns/distributions or none at all. It is necessary to bear this in mind
when structuring investments and agreeing on the entitlements of the
stakeholders. It can also be stipulated, absent default/breach by the founders,
the entitlement of preference shareholders will be reduced if the ordinary equity
shareholders do not receive a specified minimum amount.
Companies can issue preference shares either on a cumulative basis or a non-

cumulative basis, with regard to dividends. Preference shares issued with a
cumulative dividend right entail that the right to receive dividend at an agreed
rate on a yearly basis can be carried forward and the company is required to pay
out dividends on such shares on an accrued basis. In case of preference shares
issued with a non-cumulative right to dividends, if the company does not
declare a dividend in a given year, the right to receive a dividend for that year
lapses. Preference shares to be issued by early-stage companies can be on a
non-cumulative basis. The return on investment is typically structured at exit
and, hence, the priority/entitlement of the preference shareholder to receive
dividend would be available. The company will not have to meet the dividend
obligation on an ongoing basis, since any surplus cash would typically be
ploughed back into the business in the initial years, and not utilized to make
distributions to shareholders.
A unique feature of preference shares over ordinary equity shares is that

investors would only be entitled to voting rights in limited matters, while
protecting their preference over ordinary equity shares in the case of dividends
and liquidation. Private companies can, however, agree to provide voting rights
to preference shareholders, since the applicability of the provision in the
Companies Act, 2013, limiting the voting rights of preference shareholders, can
be excluded by contract.
Equity linked Instruments
Equity linked instruments are securities that are convertible into ordinary equity
shares, at the option of the holder of the instrument, or at the option of the
issuing company, or as mutually agreed between the holder and the issuer, or
on expiry of an agreed period of time.

19

Optionally, convertible preference shares are an example of equity-linked
instruments, which provide holders the benefit of preference shares as discussed
above, until such time as they are converted into ordinary equity shares. The
decision to convert into ordinary equity shares can rest with the investors, who
would typically exercise the conversion right in the case of an initial public offering
or at the time of exiting the company. Similarly, optionally convertible debentures,
which are a different set of equity-linked instruments, provide their holders the
advantage of holding debentures in the company, which rank higher than ordinary
equity shares and preference shares, in case of a liquidation. Debentures are debt
instruments and the holder of a debenture is considered a creditor of the company,
until such time as the instrument is converted into equity.
An investor can also seek the right to convert instruments into equity at a
discount (subject to the pricing guidelines where the investor is a foreign
investor) in specific circumstances, including where the founders have
committed a default in terms of the agreement executed with such investors, to
compensate for the loss suffered. f no conversion is undertaken, the instruments
can be redeemed by the company by paying the holders of such instruments the
agreed amounts, per the terms of issue.
A table with certain specific characteristics of optionally convertible preference shares and
optionally convertible debentures is set out in the next page:

20
Optionally Convertible Optionally Convertible

Preference Shares (OCPS) Debentures (OCD)
Authorised Share Capital
Authorised share capital is the maximum Since debentures are debt instruments
amount of capital which a company is until converted (and not shares), there is
authorised to issue. A company cannot no requirement to increase the authorised
issue ordinary equity shares, DVR shares share capital of a company in order to
and preference shares without having issue OCDs. The authorised share capital
sufficient authorised share capital. is required to be increased only at the time
of conversion of the OCDs into ordinary
Companies are required to incur certain equity shares.
statutory expenses in the nature of stamp
duty and registration fees for the purpose of Although this provides some flexibility to
creating and increasing authorised share the company at the time of issue of OCDs
capital. Where OCPS are proposed to be by not having to incur the stamp duty and
issued, a company will need to ensure that registration fees for the higher authorised
there is sufficient authorised share capital in capital, in certain cases investors stipulate
order to undertake such issuance.
that the company maintain sufficient
headroom in the authorised capital at the
time of issuance of convertible debentures
itself, so that at the time of conversion,
particularly in case of an event of default
where the investor and founders will likely
be in a conflicting position, the investor
can seek conversion into equity, without
requiring cooperation from the founders to
increase the authorised share capital.
In certain cases however, this flexibility

does prove effective since the convertible
instruments may be converted at a higher
premium, for instance, the company may
allot one ordinary equity share for every
three optionally convertible debentures
held by the investor. In such a case, since
the number of ordinary equity shares that
the company may issue and allot will be
lower than the number of optionally
convertible debentures held by an

21
Optionally Convertible Optionally Convertible

Preference Shares (OCPS) Debentures (OCD)
investor, the requirement to have enough

headroom in the authorised capital may be
significantly lower. This is for the reason
that the premium amount is not taken into
account for the purpose of authorised
capital, and only the face value of the
shares into which they convert is
considered.
Paid-up Share Capital
The capital raised by issuance of The capital raised by issuance of

preference shares will be counted towards debentures will not be counted towards
paid-up share capital of the company. An paid-up share capital of the company.
increase in the paid-up share capital of a
company beyond a certain threshold, will
trigger various compliances under the
Companies Act, 2013, such as the
compliance relating to rotation of statutory
auditor, requirement to appoint a company
secretary, etc.
Dividend/ Interest
The rate of dividend on preference shares Since OCDs are debt instruments, the
can be nominal and as mentioned above, provisions relating to loans in the
preference shares can be issued as a non- Companies Act, 2013, may require to be
cumulative instrument. complied with and this entails that an
interest may be chargeable on OCDs, at
least at the same rate of the interest
chargeable on Government Securities of
the same tenor as the OCDs.
Liquidation
Preference shares will rank higher than Debentures will rank higher than
ordinary equity shares in case of liquidation preference shares and ordinary equity
of a company. shares in case of liquidation of a company,
even where debentures are unsecured.

22

It should be noted that companies are permitted to issue optionally convertible preference
shares and optionally convertible debentures only to domestic investors. Where funds are
raised directly from a foreign investor, per the extant foreign exchange regulations, only
capital instruments, i.e., ordinary equity shares, compulsorily convertible preference shares,
and compulsorily convertible debentures can be issued. Compulsorily, convertible
instruments will convert into equity upon lapse of an agreed period of time, and the company
cannot redeem such instruments. An Indian company and a foreign investor cannot
contractually agree to an assured return at the time of investment. The Foreign Exchange
Regulations, however, contemplate issuance of optionally convertible instruments to foreign
owned and controlled companies. The RBI has clarified that a foreign owned and controlled
company investing in instruments (other than capital instruments, i.e., equity shares,
compulsorily convertible preference shares, and compulsorily convertible debentures) of
another Indian company will not be treated as downstream investment.
Convertible Notes
Similar to compulsorily convertible debentures, convertible notes are debt instruments that
can be issued by start-ups per the extant foreign exchange regulations. Foreign investors are
permitted to subscribe to convertible notes, only if issued by a start-up registered with the
Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, subject to the other conditions of the
regulations, such as a minimum investment of Rs. 25,00,000 to be brought in a single tranche.
The distinguishing feature between a compulsorily convertible debenture and a convertible
note is that a compulsorily convertible debenture has to mandatorily convert into equity, and
a convertible note is convertible or redeemable per the terms of the note. This characteristic
of a convertible note is similar to that of an optionally convertible debenture, where the
instrument can be either redeemed or converted. While optionally convertible debentures are
not ordinarily permitted to be subscribed to by foreign investors, as mentioned above,
regulations permit start-ups to issue convertible notes similar to optionally convertible
debentures, in order to make investments in start-ups more attractive. Convertible notes must
be converted into ordinary equity shares or redeemed within a period of five years from the
date of issue of such notes.
SAFE
Simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) is a financing agreement between the company
and domestic investor and is similar to a warrant, except that the actual price per share may
be determined at a later stage. A start-up can raise funds without the requirement of having to
issue any securities. A SAFE typically contemplates that the domestic investor will either
receive cash payment with an upside or receive stock of the company on certain events or a
date, as mutually agreed between the parties. Such trigger events could be a future equity
financing round, maturity date of the SAFE, and sale of the company. In the case of SAFE, the
parties defer the actual valuation of the company until the securities are issued, since the
securities are not valued at the time SAFE is executed.

23

While SAFE includes several features of a convertible note, such as conversion events and
liquidation preference as commercially agreed, SAFE is not a convertible note, but an
instrument such as a warrant and, therefore, the parties could commercially agree on the
maturity date. There is no maturity date for investing with SAFE. Further, the tax treatment will
have to be analyzed to ensure it meets the commercial intent.
Overseas direct investment by investee companies
To address the concern of round-tripping of funds, it is important to note, where investments

are made in entities with global operations, an overseas wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) or
overseas joint venture (JV) cannot invest monies received from the Indian party back into
India.
Subject to sectoral caps and conditions, an eligible Indian party (i.e., company, registered
partnership firm, limited liability partnership, and any other entity in India, as may be notified
by the RBI) can make investments outside India for bona fide business activities, by
subscribing to/acquiring shares of a foreign entity, or by way of share swap. All overseas
investments in aggregate made by an Indian party cannot exceed 400% of the net worth of
the company, as per its last audited balance sheet.
The RBI recently updated the ‘frequently asked questions’ (FAQs) relating to overseas direct
investments. In an attempt to address round- tripping concerns, the RBI has stated in the
FAQs that an Indian entity cannot set up a subsidiary in India through its WOS or a JV in a
foreign jurisdiction, or acquire a WOS, or invest in a JV that already has a direct or indirect
investment in India.
With a multitude of global opportunities for companies, it is common to have Indian parties
set up a WOS or JV in a foreign jurisdiction. This RBI clarification stipulates that such WOS or
JV cannot repatriate any portion of its funds to India. While the aforesaid prohibition relating
to round-tripping was always understood, by expre sly incorporating this clarification in the
FAQs, companies will now be required to put in an application specifically seeking approval
to structure such investments, and approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis,
depending on the merits. In bona fide cases, approval may be forthcoming.
This article is only an attempt to explain key aspects of prospective investments by venture
capital investors in India and making investments/setting up operations overseas. All views
provided herein are personal and should not be construed as legal advice or opinions of the
Firm.

24

Authors:
Raj Ramachandran, Partner
Bangalore
[email protected]
+91 99004 26201
+91 80 4350 3650
Raj specializes in corporate commercial, banking & finance, cross-border investments &
acquisitions, and employment matters. He has extensive experience in debt transactions
(secured & mezzanine), private equity, project finance, joint ventures, and regulatory &
policy issues governing such transactions. Raj has facilitated many high profile acquisitions
and investments in a variety of sectors involving complicated structuring and
documentation.
Rakki K. Partani, Partner
Bangalore
[email protected]
+91 80 4350 3664
Rakki practices in the areas of real estate, finance, general corporate commercial, private
equity and general corporate advisory. She has represented clients in commercial
litigations and debt recovery matters. Rakki regularly advises clients including banks/
NBFCs in connection with acquisition and subscription of shares and debentures in various
sectors such as real estate, hospitality and education. She also regularly advises developers
and landowners in connection with joint development agreements and development
management agreements.

25
Shares with Differential Rights

An Analysis
Shares with differential rights is a departure from the traditional concept of one- share-
one-vote. It is a structure where companies can create a dual class of equity shares that
provides for rights to vote and to claim dividend differential to the economic interest of the
underlying shares. The “differential” can either be upward or downward. Either way,
shares with differential rights skews control in favour of a certain category of shareholders
in a manner that is not proportionate to their economic contribution. Therefore differential
rights are useful to founders who can retain control over their companies even though
their equity is diluted with successive rounds of financing.
Dual class structures are not a recent phenomenon, as they have been a feature of the
share market since before the Great Depression in the US. More recently, tech companies
(Google, Alibaba, Snapchat, and Facebook), have issued shares with differential rights. In
India, the Tatas, Pantaloons Retail, and Gujarat NRE Coke Limited have also pursued the
path of shares with differential rights.
Section 86 of the (Indian) Companies Act, 1956 read with the

Companies (Issue of Share capital with differential voting Rights)
Rules, 2001 allows companies to issue shares with differential rights
with regard to voting, dividend, etc.
Differential rights are a well recognized concept in overseas markets. The US, Canada,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, and Italy all allow dual class structures,
with Hong Kong and Singapore opposed to such structures until 2018 when they too
began to permit them.
Section 86 of the (Indian) Companies Act, 1956 read with the Companies ((Issue of Share
capital with differential voting Rights) Rules, 2001 allowed companies to issue shares with
differential rights with regard to voting, dividend, and any other matters as prescribed,
subject to certain conditions on the availability of distributable profits and subject to an
overall ceiling of 25% of the company’s share capital.
Listed companies however, were disallowed from issuing shares with superior rights of
voting or dividend both in the listing agreement and the Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements), Regulations, 2015. By
implication, therefore, inferior rights were not frowned upon in listed companies. These
were largely carried forward to the existing law in the Companies Act, 2013 [Section 43
and Rule 4 of the Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014] and the SEBI
Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements), Regulations, 2015.

26

An Analysis
Earlier this year “SEBI” and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (“MCA”) launched a series of
amendments permitting companies in certain sectors to issue Superior Shares pre-Initial
Public Offering (“IPO”) as also on a rights issue or bonus basis post IPO. The amendments
on the contrary, disallowed inferior voting rights in listed companies. The amendment
came on the heels of the approval of the SEBI framework at the SEBI board meeting on 27
June 2019 as per the consultancy paper on “Issuance of shares with Differential Voting
Rights” dated 20 March 2019.
A comparative of the law on shares with differential rights pre and post the amendments is
as follows:
Pre Amendments
For Listed Public Companies Private Limited & Unlisted Public Companies
Listed companies were not allowed to Issue of shares with differential rights is
issue shares with superior rights in respect possible if a company meets the following
of voting and dividend. conditions:
Distributable profits track record of three

years.
No penalty imposed by the Reserve Bank of
India/ SEBI/ Sectoral regulators that has been
unpaid but a period of five years has not
lapsed since payment of penalty.
No default on payment of dividends,
redemption, repayment of debt/deposits.
26% of total voting power as overall ceiling.
Authorized by its Articles of Association.
Authorized by an ordinary resolution at a
general meeting.

27

An Analysis
Post Amendments
For Private Limited & Unlisted Public Companies
Issue of shares with differential rights is possible if a company meets the following
conditions:
No penalty imposed by the Reserve Bank of India/ SEBI/ Sectoral regulators that has
been unpaid but a period of five years has not lapsed since payment of penalty
No default on payment of dividends, redemption, repayment of debt/deposits
74% of total voting power as overall ceiling
Authorized by its Articles of Association
Authorized by an ordinary resolution at a general meeting
For Listed Public Companies
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Issue of Capital and

Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2018 (ICDR) allows companies that have issued
Superior Shares to proceed with an IPO provided:
The company is actively engaged in the sectors of technology, information

technology, intellectual property, data analytics, bio- technology or nano-
technology to provide products, services or business platforms with substantial
value addition.
The Superior Rights (“SR”) shareholder shall not be part of the promoter group
whose collective net worth is more than Rs 500 crore
The SR shares should only have been issued to the promoters who are involved in
an executive capacity in the Company
The SR shares should have been held for a period of at least 6 months prior to the
red herring prospectus filing.
The SR shares cannot have a voting right ratio of more than 10:1 and less than 2:1
The SR shares cannot be transferred between the promoters e.g. Where SR shares
have been issued to the promoters in a rights issue, the promoters cannot
renounce their rights
Listed companies are however not allowed to issue shares with:
Superior or inferior rights in respect of dividend; or

Inferior rights in respect of voting

28

An Analysis
Listed companies are allowed to issue Superior Shares through a rights issue or a bonus
issue, provided they have outstanding Superior Shares issued to their promoters and
founders. Superior Shares already issued to the promoters are subject to the following
conditions:
The superior voting rights shall not extend to the following matters:
1. Appointment or removal of independent directors and/or auditor;

2. Where a promoter is willingly transferring control to another entity;
3. Related party transactions in terms of these regulations involving an SR
shareholder;
4. Voluntary winding up of the listed entity;
5. Changes to the articles of association or memorandum of association of the
listed entity, except any change affecting the SR equity share;
6. Initiation of a voluntary resolution process under the insolvency code;
7. Utilization of funds for purposes other than business;
8. Substantial value transaction based on materiality threshold as specified under
these regulations;
9. Passing of special resolution in respect of delisting or buy-back of shares; and
10.Other circumstances or subject matter as may be specified by the board, from
time to time
There is a ceiling of 74%

Companies issuing Superior Shares have a board composed of at least 50%
independent directors
The nomination and remuneration committee and the stakeholders relationship
committee and risk management committee have 2/3rd of their members as
independent directors
All SR shares be converted to ordinary shares after five years. This five-year period
may be extended for another five years, if the shareholders (excluding the SR
shareholders) have approved the extension through an ordinary resolution

29

An Analysis
For ease of reading, shares with differential rights that provide superior rights in
comparison to an ordinary share are referred to as “Superior Shares” and those that
provide inferior rights in comparison to ordinary shares as “Fractional Shares”.
The 2019 amendments have clearly veered away from the position that hitherto
disallowed promoters holding Superior Shares from listing their companies. The
amendments have been welcomed by founders across the country, boosting the
confidence of promoters who are on the IPO roadmap on the sticky issue of hostile
takeovers.
In providing promoters with the much-required control, SEBI has also tried to bring in the
balance of corporate governance by mandating that (i) a listed company with Superior
Shares must have its board and key committees dominated by the presence of at least a
majority of independent directors; (ii) a ceiling on the number of voting rights they can
exercise; and (iii) a ceiling of 74% on the entire number of Superior Shares. Another good
measure would have been prescribing the minimum number of ordinary shareholding
percentage required to convene any general meeting or vote on any matter where the
superior shareholders exercise their vote. Further, the protections of corporate
governance set out above have not been incorporated in the Act and are currently
required only for listed companies. Hence, for all practical purposes, in an unlisted
company, the promoters’ power is unchecked, apart from the check of Section 241 of the
Act, and the promoters could, by convening extraordinary general meetings, overrule the
decisions reached by the board that has heavy investor representation.
On the other hand, Regulation 41A(3) of LODR has gone overboard in stating that the
holders of Superior Shares cannot exercise their superior rights over the following matters:
“viii. substantial value transaction based on materiality threshold as specified

under these regulations
x. other circumstances or subject matter as may be specified by the Board,

from time to time”.
The term “substantial value transaction” is wide-ranging and could encapsulate any
merger or amalgamation or change of control within its ambit. In such a scenario, the
promoters’ only recourse would be Section 241 of the Companies Act, 2013 in respect of a
claim of oppression or mismanagement.

30

An Analysis
While pursuing the path of reinstating control in the hands of the company’s founders, SEBI
is also simultaneously contemplating the inclusion of controlling shareholders as promoters
of a company. Only time will tell how the two changes will complement each other to achieve
SEBI’s objective, as the definition of controlling shareholders could include private equity
funds that are not the founders of the company.
The ICDR allows Superior Shares to be issued only to promoters who hold executive
positions in the company. It has, however, become increasingly common for promoters of
listed companies to move their personal holdings to family trusts or holding companies that
are operated by their families for better estate planning. In such a case, the SEBI regulations
are not immediately clear on whether such family trusts or promoter holding company
structures may be issued Superior Shares.
SEBI has justified its choice to restrict the issue of such Superior Shares to companies in
sectors that utilize technology and intellectual property sectors as companies in the new
technology sectors have asset-light models, with little or no need for debt financing but
with continuous equity infusions. The ICDR also requires that such technology companies
eligible to issue Superior Shares must be “intensive” in the use of technology, intellectual
property, etc. As the term “intensive” is not defined, it is subject to interpretation,
especially as today’s business models for most companies are technology-driven. Further,
the use of the term “intellectual property” is quite broad, especially in a common law
jurisdiction such as India. It could potentially include any company that has an active
“brand”, irrespective of any actual innovation or deployment of technology. The eligibility
criterion may have space for more objectivity, allowing more financial parameters such as
the debt-equity ratio of the eligible company.
The Companies Act, 2013 states that a company cannot issue shares with differential rights if
it has (a) defaulted in its repayment/redemption of deposits, debt/statutory/employee dues,
payment of dividend; or (b) been penalized by a regulator in order to prevent continued poor
management of the company. However, the Act is silent on the treatment of Superior Shares
while in default. The law would have been more purposeful had it stated that all existing
Superior Shares or Fractional Shares stand converted to ordinary shares on a conversion ratio
of 1:1 in order to maintain balance of power until the default is remedied.
Overall, the move by SEBI and MCA is a welcome amendment in the right direction,
attempting to provide for checks and balances through well-planned regulation. However,
only time and the manner of its implementation will prove the measure of its success.

31

An Analysis
Authors:
Bhavana Alexander & Pavithra Manivannan
Bhavana's key focus area is General Corporate Commercial, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
and Private Equity (PE) & Venture Capital. She covers the full spectrum of assisting business
through their life cycle from incorporation, day to day legal advice on business operations,
seed and early stage growth capital financings as well as in strategic alliances.Her practice
areas include advise on setting up business in India, day-to-day business operations,
corporate compliance and governance and business structuring and restructuring.
Prior to joining JSA in 2014, she worked in other law firms. Her interests also include
engaging with startups and working with entrepreneurs in the impact and rural financial
inclusion space.

32
Software in a White Coat: Governing Software

under Medical Devices Laws
Imagine that, while sitting on your couch at home, you strap on a sphygmomanometer to
measure your blood pressure;. your IoT-enabled device syncs with your cloud-based health
files to upload your readings. This AI-enabled cloud database studies the patterns of your
blood pressure, notices an increasing trend, and sends a push notification to your doctor,
recommending an increase in dosage. Your doctor takes a quick look at the AI-generated
graphs and tables, accepts the software’s suggestion, and signs off on the higher dose.
You are sent an e-prescription for the new dose. Imagine also that you can grant revocable
access to this database to all your medical service providers, giving every doctor you consult
full access to your medical history – you can designate different doctors as your primary
points of contact for various issues. Now, every one of your chosen healthcare providers can
note that you have been placed on stronger blood pressure medication. If this new dosage
has any cross-practice concerns, such as adverse drug interactions, the AI system will notify
the relevant doctor.
The healthcare industry is the playground for such advanced disruptive technologies. This
has us pondering the question: how will the law keep pace with the changes in drug
discovery, genetically-personalized medicine, telemedicine, online pharmacies, robotic
surgical arms AI-aided radiology, IoT-enabled medical devices, and diagnostic software.
Could it be that law can regulate all of them by making a single tweak, namely, treat software
itself as a medical device?
To balance patient safety and public health with technology-driven innovations in healthcare
is a Sisyphean task. In India, the nodal law governing pharmaceuticals is the Drugs and
Cosmetics Act, 1940 (“DCA”). Under this parent law DCA, rules have been passed,
including the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 (“DCR”) and the Medical Devices Rules,
2017 (“MDR”).
The DCA has stated that a drug includes devices intended for internal or external use in the
diagnosis, treatment, and mitigation or prevention of disease in human beings and animals.
The MDR meanwhile defines devices as substances used for in vitro diagnosis and other
substances notified by the Central Government. Thus, a combined reading leads us to the
fact that, under India law, all notified medical devices are treated as “drugs” and the DCA is
applicable to such devices.
The Foreign Exchange Management (Non-Debt) Rules, 2019 (“FDI Rules”), which
regulate foreign direct investment in India, defines “medical device” in a manner similar to
that of the European Union (“EU”). The FDI Rules define “medical device” to largely mean any
instrument including the software, intended by its manufacturer to be used specially for
human beings and animals for the specific purposes of diagnosis, prevention, monitoring,
treatment, and alleviation of any disease or disability. The FDI Rules consider software to be a
medical device.
33

This has been the position under the FDI Rules, even though domestic laws (DCA and MDR)
do not regulate software in or as a medical device.
However, on 18 October 2019, the Central Drugs Standards Control Authority (“CDSCO”), the
nodal organization under the DCA, issued a draft notification inviting public comments when
it proposed to notify software as a medical device. Although this notification has not yet
become law, given the ubiquity of software in the healthcare industry, it is only a matter of
time before this is given the effect of law. It becomes important, therefore, to understand the
challenges involved in categorizing software as a medical device.
Understanding Software in Healthcare
While the States legislate for “healthtech”, it is crucial for them to regulate software in the
medical devices industry.
The US Food and Drug Administration (“USFDA”) classifies medical device software into
three main categories:
Software used in the maintenance or manufacture of medical devices;

Software that is integral to a medical device (“Software in a medical device”); and
Standalone software which, on its own, is a medical device (“Software as a medical
device”)
Each of these categories has different regulatory needs:
Software used in the maintenance or manufacture of medical devices requires the least
regulation, as the resultant medical device is (or will soon be) regulated under extant DCA
laws and standards.
Software in a medical device requires a greater degree of regulation, as existing laws and
standards governing the relevant hardware may not be equipped to handle a “smart” device.
For instance, an IoT-enabled pacemaker that provides real-time heart data to a
database/virtual platform, or an IoT/AI-enabled device that regulates dosages of intravenous
drugs based on monitoring of blood markers, will not be specifically provided for under
Indian law and standards governing non-enhanced devices.
Software as a medical device requires the most stringent regulation, as current

Indian laws have no mechanism to deal with such devices.

34

This has been the position under the FDI Rules, even though domestic laws (DCA and MDR)
do not regulate software in or as a medical device.
However, on 18 October 2019, the Central Drugs Standards Control Authority (“CDSCO”), the
nodal organization under the DCA, issued a draft notification inviting public comments when
it proposed to notify software as a medical device. Although this notification has not yet
become law, given the ubiquity of software in the healthcare industry, it is only a matter of
time before this is given the effect of law. It becomes important, therefore, to understand the
challenges involved in categorizing software as a medical device.
Understanding Software in Healthcare
While the States legislate for “healthtech”, it is crucial for them to regulate software in the
medical devices industry.
The US Food and Drug Administration (“USFDA”) classifies medical device software into
three main categories:
Software used in the maintenance or manufacture of medical devices;

Software that is integral to a medical device (“Software in a medical device”); and
Standalone software which, on its own, is a medical device (“Software as a medical
device”)
Each of these categories has different regulatory needs:
Software used in the maintenance or manufacture of medical devices requires the least
regulation, as the resultant medical device is (or will soon be) regulated under extant DCA
laws and standards.
Software in a medical device requires a greater degree of regulation, as existing laws and
standards governing the relevant hardware may not be equipped to handle a “smart” device.
For instance, an IoT-enabled pacemaker that provides real-time heart data to a
database/virtual platform, or an IoT/AI-enabled device that regulates dosages of intravenous
drugs based on monitoring of blood markers, will not be specifically provided for under
Indian law and standards governing non-enhanced devices.
Software as a medical device requires the most stringent regulation, as current

Indian laws have no mechanism to deal with such devices.

35

Software as a Medical Device (“SaMD”)
On 09 December 2013, the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (“IMDRF”), a

voluntary organization of various national regulators of medical devices (India is not a party),
agreed upon the following definition for SaMD:
The term “Software as a Medical Device” (SaMD) is defined as software intended to be used
for one or more medical purposes that perform these purposes without being part of a
hardware medical device.
SaMD is a medical device including an in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical device and is
capable of running on general purpose (non-medical purpose) computing platforms. The use
of the term “without being part of” means software not necessary for a hardware medical
device to achieve its intended medical purpose. If the intended purpose of the software is to
drive a hardware medical device, then the software is not treated as a medical device. When
software is used in combination (e.g., as a module) with other products, including medical
devices or interfaced with other medical devices even those incorporating hardware , then
they meet the definition of SaMD. Mobile apps that meet the foregoing definition are also
considered SaMD.
SaMD may also provide the means and suggestions for mitigation of a disease; furnish
information for determining compatibility, diagnosing, monitoring and treating physiological
conditions and congenital deformities; be an aid in diagnosis, screening, monitoring, and
determination of predisposition; and enable prognosis, prediction, determination of
physiological status. From this wide range of uses, it is clear that SaMD is a standalone
software that serves a medical purpose. While such SaMD may work/be interoperable with, or
even be incorporated in hardware (including hardware of a medical device), the existence of
such device is not necessary for the software to carry out its primary task. Diagnositc software
(used frequently in radiology and cancer detection) is a striking example of SaMD. However,
software that “drives” a medical device or “embedded software” (such as the software in
home-use glucometers that help analyze blood sugar readings and display results), software
that does not have a medical purpose of its own (such as encryption software, which
encodes medical data without any analysis or medical purpose of its own), a database that
does not have a medical purpose, or software that merely monitors quality/functioning of a
device to enable repair/maintenance are not considered SaMD.

36

Challenges in regulating SaMD
In the Indian context, it does not suffice to merely issue a notification designating software as
a medical device, as extant laws are ill-equipped for the task. How, exactly, will India choose
to define SaMD? This definition can draw on the existing IMDRF definition and that used by
the EU Medical Devices Regulation 2017 (“EUMDR”). The need is for a comprehensive and
technology-agnostic definition, which will then inform all subsequent lawmaking in this
regard. Once software is designated as a medical device, it will become subject to all the
licensing requirements currently in place for drugs and other medical devices. However, the
laws do not contain any standards for SaMD (unlike, say, the prescriptions by the Bureau of
Indian Standards (“BIS”) for 974 medical devices, including surgical knives, pacemakers,
etc.).
This begs several questions, none of which have easy answers:
At what stage will SaMD be considered safe for public use? What will be the risk classification
for SaMD? Any attempt to find sound answers to such queries is fraught with problems.
Legislation will have to seek to address how it will account for software bugs, updates and
bug fixes, disaster recovery programs, and risks from use or prohibition of open-source
software. Much thought must also be given to the mechanisms to be in place for clinical trials
of SaMD, and clinical or pre-clinical evaluations or tests to ensure their safety, stability,
security, interoperability, etc.
Other queries that still elude the law is how legal systems will provide for failed
interoperability, which may result in glitches or corruption of data, and how such SaMD will
be tested for repeatability, reliability, performance, risk management, and information
security.
Labelling requirements for such software and restrictions in respect of import of

drugs/medical devices will need to be overhauled. In this era of pharma supply chain
management, unique identification device numbers are crucial; and if national registries are
framed, the way they are monitored will also need legislation.
From the point of view of regulatory capacity, it is also important to deliberate upon how
CDSCO and ancillary authorities will equip themselves to legislate, monitor, regulate, test,
and assess SaMD. Professionals with appropriate technical qualifications will have to form
part of these governmental authorities, and the law will need to be amended accordingly.

37

Importantly, it will be necessary to delve into the participatory risk matrices for
products/services and fix liability for defects or malfunctioning of SaMD. This could see some
evolution in medical negligence jurisprudence as well as in cybersecurity that forms the
backbone of devices and sharing of data that such devices will store and access.
The single most important question with regard to the proposed large-scale use of SaMD will
be data privacy and security. Health data, being sensitive and personally identifiable data,
must be subject to the highest standards of data privacy and security. The Government of
India’s final stance on localization of non-financial data as also personal data protection
norms, which are still at a bill stage, will also dictate the growth of this sector.
Regulating SaMD is a challenge for legislators all over the world despite the growing interest
and importance accorded by legislators and government to the public. The EUMDR is
currently the gold standard in this regard, with detailed regulations to handle SaMD, but even
these are not without their lacunae.
The Indian pharmaceutical and medical devices industry is at a crucial stage of growth. On
the one hand, they stand to benefit from the growing global trade war as countries look to
diversify their offshore manufacturing activities. On the other, the Indian generic drugs
industry has received its share of FDA investigation reports, which have pointed to the non-
compliance in India-based facilities that they deem serious.
With the DCA turning 80 years in 2021, it may be time for a recast of the critical areas of this
piece of legislation. The legislation for SaMD should be chartered along with ancillary
legislations that are bound to impact this space such as data protection, labeling, e-
pharmacies, medical negligence, and consumer protections laws.
Above all, sound, uncompromising implementation of well-planned legislation is required to

help India move the needle on public health and innovation.

38

Authors:
Aarthi Sivanandh, Partner and Bhargavi Ravi, Associate
Aarthi started her practice in the US in 2001 as a foreign legal consultant concentrating on
the US-India business corridor until 2006. In 2010, she co-founded Vichar Partners that
merged its law practice with J. Sagar Associates in April 2014.
Aarthi’s practice focuses on the full spectrum of corporate laws and transactional matters:
mergers and acquisitions, venture capital transactions, private equity, foreign collaborations
including joint ventures and licensing transactions. She has extensive experience in working
in the India region, having acted for bidders, target companies, sellers and advisors in such
transactions. Her significant work also includes representing India clients investing in foreign
markets, family businesses in southern India in their growth initiatives and corporate
advisory, restructuring of family holdings.

Directory - Active Incubators
Incubators have been sorted alphabetically by name in their geographical regions.
Northern Region
Amity Innovation Incubator Noida Website
IAN Incubator Delhi Website
JSS ITBI STEP, JSSATE Noida Website
L Incubator, IIM Lucknow Lucknow Website
Shriram Institute for Industrial Delhi Website

Research
SIIC, IIT Kanpur Kanpur Website
SINED, NDRI Karnal Website
STEP, Thapar University Patiala Website
TBI KIET Ghaziabad Website
TBI MCIIE, IIT Varanasi Varanasi Website
TBI, Graphic Era University Dehradun Website
TIDES, IIT Roorkee Roorkee Website

Southern Region
AIP, ICRISAT Hyderabad Website
Amrita TBI Kollam Website
Anthill Ventures Hyderabad Website
BEC STEP Bagalkot Website
CIE, IIIT Hyderabad Hyderabad Website
Composites Technology Park Bangalore Website
Global Incubation Services Bangalore Website
GrowthStory Bangalore Website
ICRFT, Anna University Chennai Website
IIITB Innovation Centre Bangalore Website
IIT-Madras Incubation Cell Chennai Website
IKP Knowledge Park Secunderabad Website
InnAccel Bangalore Website
Kerala Startup Mission Trivandrum Website
Khosla Labs Bangalore Website

Southern Region
NITK-STEP Surathkal Website
NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore Bangalore Website
Periyar TBI Thanjavur Website
PSG STEP Coimbatore Website
RainMatter Bangalore Website
RTBI, IIT Madras Chennai Website
SID, IISc Bangalore Bangalore Website
SJCE STEP Mysore Website
SRM Incubation Centre Chennai Website
T-Hub Lab 32 Hyderabad Website
TBI KEC Erode Website
TBI, BIT Erode Sathyamangalam Website
TBI, NIT Calicut Calicut Website
TBI, University of Hyderabad Hyderabad Website
TeNeT Chennai Website

Southern Region
TREC-STEP Tiruchirappalli Website
Villgro Chennai Website
VIT-TBI Vellore Website
Eastern Region
Ekta Incubation Centre Kolkata Website
Faraday Science Park Guwahati Website
Innovation Park, IIM Calcutta Kolkata Website
KIIT TBI Bubaneshwar Website
Neotec Hub Kolkata Website
STEP, IIT Kharagpur Kharagpur Website
Tagore Center for Green TBI Shibpur Website
TotalStart Kolkata Website

Western Region
CIBA Goa Website
CIIE, IIM Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Website
CrAdLE Ahmedabad Website
DKTE TBI Kolhapur Website
First Cheque Mumbai Website
icreate Ahmedabad Website
MICA Incubator Ahmedabad Website
MUTBI Mumbai Website
NCL Venture Center Pune Website
NDBI, NIID Ahmedabad Website
SINE, IIT Bombay Mumbai Website
Startup Oasis Jaipur Website
TBI, BITS Pilani Pilani Website
UnLtd India Mumbai Website
Venture Centre Pune Website

Directory - Active Accelerators
Northern Region
500 Startups Delhi Website
Oracle Accelerator Delhi Website
5Ideas Gurgaon Website
Green House Accelerator Gurgaon Website
GSF Accelerator Gurgaon Website
HealthStart Noida Website
TLabs Noida Website
Southern Region
Axilor Ventures Bangalore Website
Bosch DNA Bangalore Website
Brigade Reap Bangalore Website
Cisco Launchpad Bangalore Website
Google Launchpad Bangalore Website

Southern Region
Microsoft Accelerator Bangalore Website
NUMA Bangalore Bangalore Website
Revvx Accelerators Bangalore Website
Shell Accelerator Bangalore Website
Target Accelerator Bangalore Website
Tracxn Labs Bangalore Website
Paypal Start Tank Chennai Website
The Fabric Chennai Website
The Startup Centre Chennai Website
Spark10 Hyderabad Website
Startup Village Collective Kochi Website

Western Region
Bharat Inclusion Initiative Ahmedabad Website
ISME Ace Fintech Mumbai Website
JioGenNext Mumbai Website
Powered Accelerator Mumbai Website
Venture Catalysts Accelerator Mumbai Website
VentureNursery Mumbai Website
YES Fintech Mumbai Website
Zone Startups India Mumbai Website
DesignGild Pune Website
Edugild Pune Website
Overseas
Y Combinator California, USA Website

Directory - Angel Networks
Northern Region
Chandigarh Angels Network Chandigarh Website
Growx Ventures Delhi Website
AngelList India Delhi Website
Indian Angel Network Delhi Website
Palaash Ventures Delhi Website
Quintillion Media Delhi Website
GSF Superangels Gurgaon Website
Inflection Point Ventures Gurgaon Website
Rajasthan Angel Investor Jaipur Website

Network (RAIN)

Southern Region
GrowthStory Bangalore Website
LetsVenture Bangalore Website
Chennai Angels Chennai Website
Keiretsu Forum Chennai Chennai Website
50K Ventures Hyderabad Website
Hyderabad Angels Hyderabad Website
Splice Capital Hyderabad Website
SucSEED Angel Network Hyderabad Website
Native Angel Network Madurai Website
Eastern Region
Calcutta Angels Bangalore Website
Primarc iVentures Bangalore Website

Western Region
1crowd Mumbai Website
ah! Ventures Mumbai Website
BITS Spark Angels Mumbai Website
CCube Angels Mumbai Website
CIO Angel Network Mumbai Website
Cross Border Angels Mumbai Website
Gemba Capital Mumbai Website
Lead Angels Mumbai Website
Mumbai Angels Mumbai Website
Powai Lake Ventures Mumbai Website
Sarthi Angels Mumbai Website
Singularity Ventures Mumbai Website
Stanford Angels Mumbai Website
Venture Catalysts Angels Mumbai Website
VentureNursery Angels Mumbai Website

Central Region
Swan Angel Network Indore Website
Overseas
Harvard Angels California Website
Angel Network Middle East Dubai Website
Swastika Hong Kong Website

Directory - Active Angel Investors
Binny Bansal Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Kalyan Krishnamurthy Bangalore Linkedin
Kanwaljit Singh Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Kris Gopalakrishnan Bangalore Linkedin
K Ganesh Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Kunal Shah Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Madan Padaki Bangalore Linkedin
Manish Singhal Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Mohandas Pai Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Pallav Nadhani Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Phanindra Sama Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Sachin Bansal Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Sharad Sharma Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
V Balakrishnan Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Girish Mathrubootham Chennai Linkedin AngelList
Kumar Vembu Chennai Linkedin

Ajay Relan Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Amit Ranjan Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Ashvin Chadda Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Kunal Bahl Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Rajan Anandan Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Ritesh Malik Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Samir Sood Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Sunil Kalra Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Utsav Somani Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Vijay Shekhar Sharma Delhi Linkedin AngelList
Deep Kalra Gurgaon Linkedin
Rohit Bansal Gurgaon Linkedin AngelList
Apurva Salarpuria Kolkata Linkedin AngelList
Aneesh Reddy Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Aprameya Radhakrishna Bangalore Linkedin AngelList
Ashish Gupta Bangalore Linkedin AngelList

Ganesh Natarajan Kalyan Linkedin AngelList
Amrish Rau Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Anand Ladsariya Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Anand Lunia Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Anand Mahindra Mumbai Linkedin
Anil Jain Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Anupam Mittal Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Jitendra Gupta Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Samir Bangara Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Sandeep Tandon Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Sanjay Mehta Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Zishaan Hayath Mumbai Linkedin AngelList
Anand Chandrasekaran California Linkedin AngelList
Arun Venkatachalam London Linkedin AngelList
Indus Khaitan San Francisco Linkedin AngelList
Vaibhav Domkundwar San Francisco Linkedin AngelList
Deepak Shahdadpuri Singapore Linkedin AngelList

Directory - Deal Platforms
Website
Smergers
1Crowd Website
36Kr Website
AngelList Website
Applyifi Website
Artha Platform Website
Club ah! Website
Enablers Website
Excubator Website
F6S Website
Fellaequity Website
GlobeVestor Website
GREX Website
LetsVenture Website
Marquee Equity Website
RueOne Investments
Website
Seedrs
Website
StartEZ Technologies
Website
Tribe Impact
Website

Directory - Seed Investors
Northern Region
GEMS Partners Delhi Website
IAN Fund Delhi Website
India Internet Fund Delhi Website
Leo Capital Delhi Website
Outbox Ventures Delhi Website
Peesh VC Delhi Website
Pravega Ventures Delhi Website
VH Capital Delhi Website
WaterBridge Ventures Delhi Website
MCube Capital Gurgaon Website
Ncubate Capital Gurgaon Website
YourNest Gurgaon Website
YouWeCan Ventures Gurgaon Website

Southern Region
3ONE4 Capital Bangalore Website
Accel India Bangalore Website
Angel Prime Bangalore Website
Arali Ventures Bangalore Website
Axilor Ventures Bangalore Website
CapAleph Bangalore Website
Capier Investments Bangalore Website
Exfinity Ventures Bangalore Website
Fireside Ventures Bangalore Website
Ideaspring Bangalore Website
Incubate Fund Bangalore Website
Kalaari Capital Bangalore Website
Kstart Bangalore Website
Pi Ventures Bangalore Website
Prime Venture Partners Bangalore Website

Eastern Region
Northeast Venture Fund Guwahati Website
Navam Capital Kolkata Website
Western Region
Bharat Innovation Fund Ahmedabad Website
GVFL Ahmedabad Website
India Quotient Ahmedabad Website
KellyGama Ahmedabad Website
Alpha Capital Mumbai Website
Ankur Capital Mumbai Website
Artha India Ventures Mumbai Website
Astarc Ventures Mumbai Website
Blume Ventures Mumbai Website
Equanimity Investments Mumbai Website
Idein Ventures Mumbai Website
IvyCap Ventures Mumbai Website

Southern Region
Rainmatter Capital Bangalore Website
Rebright Partners Bangalore Website
Saha Fund Bangalore Website
Sequoia Surge Bangalore Website
Sol Primero Bangalore Website
Speciale Invest Bangalore Website
Sprout Venture Partners Bangalore Website
StartupXseed Ventures Bangalore Website
Stellaris Venture Partner Bangalore Website
Unitus Seed Fund Bangalore Website
Ventureast Bangalore Website
50K Ventures Hyderabad Website
Endiya Partners Hyderabad Website
SRI Capital Hyderabad Website

Western Region
JSW Ventures Mumbai Website
Kae Capital Mumbai Website
Lightbox Ventures Mumbai Website
Matrix Partners India Mumbai Website
Next Orbit Ventures Mumbai Website
Nexus Venture Partners Mumbai Website
Oliphans Capital Mumbai Website
Orios VP Mumbai Website
Rainmaker Ventures Mumbai Website
Roots Ventures Mumbai Website
SIDBI VC Mumbai Website
Sixth Sense Ventures Mumbai Website
Unicorn India Ventures Mumbai Website
Uniqorn Ventures Mumbai Website
White Unicorn Ventures Mumbai Website

Western Region
Alacrity India Pune Website
Snow Leopard Technology Pune Website

Ventures
Overseas
Scale Ventures California Website
Purvi Capital Chicago Website
Beenext Japan Website
M&S Partners Mauritius Website
DSG Consumer Partners Singapore Website
Jungle Ventures Singapore Website
Powerhouse Ventures Washington DC Website

Directory - VC
Northern Region
Lightspeed Venture Delhi Website
India Internet Fund Delhi Website
Outbox Ventures Delhi Website
Peesh VC Delhi Website
Pravega Ventures Delhi Website
Quarizon Delhi Website
Website
VH Capital Delhi
Website
EVC Ventures Gurgaon
Website
Lumis Partners Gurgaon
Website
MCube Capital Gurgaon
Website
Nokia Growth Partners Gurgaon
Website
SAIF Gurgaon
Website
The HR Fund Gurgaon
Website
YourNest Gurgaon
Website
YouWeCan Ventures Gurgaon

Directory - VC
Northern Region
Rajasthan VC Jaipur Website
AdvantEdge Partners Noida Website
Bertelsmann India Noida Website
Naukri/Info Edge Noida Website
Ventureworks India Noida Website
Alkemi Venture Partners Delhi Website
GEMS Partners Delhi Website
Hunch Venture Delhi Website
IAN Fund Delhi Website
Leo Capital Delhi Website
Ncubate Capital Gurgaon Website

Directory - VC
Southern Region - Bangalore
3ONE4 Capital Website
Aarin Capital Website
Accel India Website
Artiman Ventures Website
Axilor Ventures Website
Bessemer Website
Capier Investments Website
Catamaran Ventures Website
Exfinity Fund Website
Fosun RZ Capital Website
Ideaspring Website
IDG Ventures India Website
Inventus Capital Partners Website
Kalaari Capital Website
KITVEN Website

Directory - VC
Southern Region
Prime Venture Partners Bangalore Website
Qualcomm Ventures Bangalore Website
Rebright Partners Bangalore Website
Saama Capital Bangalore Website
Saha Fund Bangalore Website
Sequoia Capital India Bangalore Website
Sol Primero Bangalore Website
StartupXseed Ventures Bangalore Website
Stellaris Venture Partners Bangalore Website
Vertex Bangalore Website
TVS Capital Chennai Website
Ventureast Chennai Website
Endiya Partners Hyderabad Website
Parampara Captial Hyderabad Website
Arali Ventures Bangalore Website

Southern Region
Fireside Ventures Bangalore Website
NB Ventures Hyderabad Website
Rainmatter Capital Bangalore Website
Speciale Invest Chennai Website
Western Region
India Quotient Ahmedabad Website
Infuse Ventures Ahmedabad Website
Alpha Capital Mumbai Website
Artha India Ventures Mumbai Website
Astarc Ventures Website

Mumbai
Blume Ventures Website

Mumbai
Carpediem Capital Website

Mumbai

Western Region - Mumbai
Currae Healthtech Fund Website
Faering Capital Website
Idein Ventures Website
IIFL VC Website
IIML Website
Incubate Fund Website
IvyCap Ventures Website
Website
JSW Ventures
Kae Capital Website
Website
Kaizen PE
Website
Kitara Capital
Website
Lightbox
Website
Mandala Capital Fund
Website
Matrix Partners India
Website
Mayfield
Website
NEA

Nexus Venture Partners Website
Nirvana Ventures Website
Oliphans Capital Website
Omidyar Network Website
Omnivore Partners Website
Orios VP Website
Paragon Partners Website
Pi Ventures Website
Powerhouse Ventures
Website
RAAY Global Investments

Website
Ratan Tata
Website
Reliance Capital
Website
Reliance Venture
Website
RPG Ventures
Website
SIDBI VC
Website
Sixth Sense Ventures
Website

Solidarity Website
Tano Capital Website
Tata Capital Innovations Fund Website
Trans Continental VC Website
Unicorn India Ventures Website
Unilazer Ventures Website
Uniqorn Ventures Website
White Unicorn Ventures Website
Zodius Capital Website
Mantra Ventures Pune Website
Snow Leopard Technology

Ventures Pune Website
Guild Capital Website
ITI Growth Fund Website
Kalpavriksh Fund Website

Overseas
Sands Capital Arlington Website
Shunwei Capital Beijing Website
Purvi Capital Chicago Website
Maverick Capital Dallas, TX Website
Cocoon Ventures Dubai Website
Earlsfield Capital London Website
M&S Partners Mauritius Website
Now Capital New Jersey Website
Tiger Global New York Website
Green Visor Capital San Francisco Website
Valiant Capital San Francisco Website
Morningside Ventures Shanghai Website
DSG Consumer Partners Singapore Website
Jungle Ventures Singapore Website
RB Investments Singapore Website
Digital Garage Tokyo Website

Overseas
GREE Ventures Tokyo Website
Beenext Japan Website
Soma Capital San Francisco Website

Directory - Active Social VCs
Northern Region
Asha Impact Delhi Website
Ennovent Delhi Website
Lok Capital Delhi Website
Dia Vikas Capital Gurgaon Website
IAN - Impact Delhi

Website
Insitor Fund Delhi

Website
Michael & Susan Dell Delhi

Website
Foundation
Southern Region
Unitus Ventures Bangalore Website
C4D Partners Bangalore Website
CBA Capital Bangalore Website
Accion International Bangalore Website
Aspada Investments Bangalore Website
Elevar Equity Bangalore Website

Southern Region
Gray Matters Capital Bangalore Website
Menterra Impact Fund Bangalore Website
Menterra Social Impact Fund Bangalore Website
Unitus Seed Fund Bangalore Website
Gray Ghost Ventures Chennai Website
IFMR Trust Chennai Website
Incofin Chennai Website
Villgro Chennai Website
Eastern Region
Northeast Venture Fund Guwahati Website

Western Region
SIDBI VC - Neev Fund Mumbai Website
Pioneering Ventures Mumbai Website
Infuse Ventures Ahmedabad Website
Aavishkaar Mumbai Website
Acumen Fund Mumbai Website
Contrarian Drishti Mumbai Website
Intellecap Impact Investment Mumbai Website

Network (I3N)
Omidyar Network Mumbai Website
responsAbility Mumbai Website
Overseas
Village Capital Washington Website
Belgian Investment Company Brussels Website

for Developing Countries
Khosla Impact California Website

Overseas
Creation Investments Chicago Website
GAWA Microfinance Fund Madrid Website
Oikocredit Netherlands Website
Norfund Oslo Website
Norwegian Microfinance Oslo Website

Initiative
Capricorn Palo Alto Website
Unitus Impact San Francisco Website
Gates Foundation Seattle Website
Bamboo Finance Singapore Website
Upaya Social Ventures Washington Website
LGT Venture Philanthropy Zurich Website
BlueOrchard Zurich Website
Calvert Foundation Maryland Website

Directory - Active Healthcare Investors
Northern Region
Healthquad Delhi Website
Quadria India Delhi Website
RoundGlass Partners Punjab Website
Southern Region
GSK Ventures Chennai Website
India Life Sciences Fund Hyderabad Website
Western Region
OrbiMed Mumbai Website
Sabre Capital Mumbai Website
Somerset Indus Capital Mumbai Website

Partners
Tata Capital Healthcare Fund Mumbai Website
Overseas
Everstone Everlife Singapore Website
HBM Healthcare Investments Zug Website

Directory - Active SME
Southern Region
Amicus Capital Bangalore Website
Aquarius Bangalore Website
Bessemer Bangalore Website
WestBridge Bangalore
Website
Western Region
BanyanTree Finance(Banyan Tree Mumbai Website

Growth Capital)
Gaja Capital Mumbai Website
IFC Mumbai Website
Mumbai Website
Lighthouse Fund
Mumbai Website
NEA
Mumbai Website
Paragon Partners
Mumbai Website
SIDBI VC
Mumbai Website
Carpediem Capital Partners

Offerings for Startups
CXOs of Startups and established companies have leveraged Venture
Intelligence data on Private company transactions and financials to identify
relevant funds to pitch to and to know about the financial health of their
competitors, suppliers and vendors.
PRODUCT OFFERINGS
Private Equity & Venture Capital Investor Directories
Are you looking to raise funding? Are you aware that over a 1,000 funds have
invested in India in the last decade. With Venture Intelligence's decade of investing
data, identify the best PE-VC funds to pitch to based on your funding requirements.
Get details top management contact details, funding history of the funds, sectors
backed by the fund, etc to help with your efforts. We can also identify funds with
red flags - such as having invested in your competitor, etc.
Competitive Intelligence
Wish you had intelligence about your competitors' financials? Venture Intelligence
Competitive Intelligence provides you a crisp summary of Financials of your top
competitors (including that of Private Limited companies that is not disclosed
elsewhere).
Annual Apex Summit
The APEX Summit is India's leading Investor-Entrepreneur Interface platform where

executives from leading companies - cutting across sectors - interact with PE-VC
investors over structured panel discussions and generous networking sessions.
The discussions - featuring a mix of Entrepreneurs, PE-VC Investors and Advisory
firms - throw light on the latest trends in the PE-VC & Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in
India.
For More Details:

Offerings for Investors
Venture Intelligence products like Deal Digest Newsletters, Deal Databases
& Company Financials Search database are relied upon by home grown and
global Private Equity & Venture Capital Funds to aid their decision making.
PRODUCT OFFERINGS
Private Equity Investments & Exits, M&A and Real Estate Database
The PE-VC deal database helps you track deals & analyzing past transactions by
funds in India. You can Keep track competing PE/VC firms and identify deal flow for
your firm. The various filter options helps you to zero down follow-on investments /
buyouts / co-investment opportunities. The database provides unparalleled level of
data on Valuations and transaction multiples on Private companies making it a
must have tool for investment teams.
Companies Financials Search Database (CFS)
Wish you had the latest financials of private companies to help with your research.
The CFS database provides to up-to-date financial information on companies in
India. Beyond the 40,000+ companies in the database, every subscription also
comes with custom requests for 200 companies. The database helps you screen
for private companies based on financials and growth numbers, industry, location,
etc
Deal Digest Newsletters
Are you unhappy with your existing tools covering transaction news? Get Venture
Intelligence's Deal Digest Newsletters that hits our inbox at 10.00 AM - helping you
to remain up-to-date with industry happenings including monitor deals that your
peers are doing, get alerted about new transaction opportunities, track people
movement, etc. Apart from our detailed newsletters, also receive real time
Whatsapp updates on transaction news as well.
For More Details:

Offerings for Advisory Firms
funds in India. Use the PE-VC Deals Database browse through the Venture
Intelligence PE/VC Database and the inbuilt PE/VC directory to check who are the
active investors in the relevant industry and narrow down the potential list of
investors to target (using sector classification, stage, etc.) The database provides
unparalleled level of data on Valuations and transaction multiples on Private
companies making it a must have tool for investment teams.
Companies Financials Search Database (CFS)
Use the Company Financial Database right from prospecting for fast growing
private companies to researching past transactions in the relevant sectors. This
way we can showcase to prospective clients validated information on the latest
trends – including setting their valuation expectation, etc. The database helps you
screen for private companies based on financials and growth numbers, industry,
location, etc.
Whatsapp updates on transaction news as well.
Venture Intelligence League Tables
The League Tables help I-Banking Firms monitor and benchmark themselves with
their peers.
For More Details:

Offerings for Law Firms
funds in India. Identify the competitive landscape and peers operating in the sane
space.
Whatsapp updates on transaction news as well. Firms can also leverage the
newsletter to showcase your firm's work in the Newsletters.
Venture Intelligence League Tables
The League Tables help I-Banking Firms monitor and benchmark themselves with
their peers.
Knowledge Partnership
Law firms use Venture Intelligence platform to share their expertise in legal matters
to Private Equity, Venture Capital firms and entrepreneurs.
Annual Apex Summit
The APEX Summit is India's leading Investor-Entrepreneur Interface platform where

executives from leading companies - cutting across sectors - interact with PE-VC
investors over structured panel discussions and generous networking sessions.
The discussions - featuring a mix of Entrepreneurs, PE-VC Investors and Advisory
firms - throw light on the latest trends in the PE-VC & Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in
India.
For More Details:

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Presents

Early Stage Funding

Year of Publication: 2020

Private Company Financials Database: Database of P&L and Balance

M&A Deals Database: Database of all Inbound, Outbound & Domestic

Private Equity & Venture Capital Investor Directories

CLICK ON THE ICONS TO VIEW OUR SERVICES

Startups PE-VC Investors Advisory Firms Law Firms

TSJ Media Pvt. Ltd., TF-1, 3rd Floor, Gokul Towers, 7,

C.P.Ramaswami Road, Alwarpet, Chennai - 18

Contact: 91 44 4218 5180 / 82 Email: [email protected]

Corporate Finance Disputes

Number of Our oﬃces

JSA stands out as compared to other law ﬁrms • Life Sciences,

We have found JSA to be very intelligent,

2. Sample Term Sheet For Early Stage Investments

3. Structuring Venture Capital Investments

4. Shares with Differential Rights: An Analysis

5. Software in a White Coat: Governing Software under

8. About Venture Intelligence

Venture Intelligence - Handbook on Venture Capital

Seed funding up to Rs. 50 Lakhs

Incubator: CIIE, Venture Centre, NSRCEL, SINE, IIT-M Incubation Cell

Accelerators: Axilor, 500 Startups, Surge, Y Combinator

Angel Networks & Platforms

Seed & Pre-Series A Funding of Rs. 50 Lakhs - Rs. 7 Cr (Avg. Funding)

AngelList, LetsVenture, Indian Angel Network, Venture Catalysts

Seed & Pre-Series A Funding of Rs. 50 Lakhs - Rs. 7 Cr

3ONE4 Capital, Axilor, Blume Ventures, India Quotient, Kae Capital

Early Stage VC Funds

Seed, Series A and Series B investments of Rs. 2 - 70 Cr

Accel India, Blume Ventures, Beenext, India Quotient, Kalaari Capital,

Matrix Partners, Shunwei Capital, SAIF, Stellaris Ventures, VH Capital

Venture Intelligence - Handbook on Venture Capital

Growth Stage Funds

Growth Funding of Rs. 70+ Cr

Fundamentum, Iron Pillar, Lightspeed Ventures, Nexus Ventures,

Sequoia Capital India, SAIF, Tiger Global

Mega Funding Investors

Growth Funding of Rs. 150 Cr+

Alibaba, DST Global, Naspers, SoftBank, Steadview, Tencent

SME Focused Private Equity Investors

Funding of Rs. 25 Cr - Rs. 100 Cr+

Amicus Capital, Eight Roads Ventures, Gaja Capital, IFC, Lighthouse,

Motilal Oswal, Zephyr Peacock

Funds focused on companies serving Bottom-of-the-Pyramid consumers

Aavishkaar, Dell Foundation, Elevar Equity, Gates Foundation, Lok Capital,

LGT Lightstone Aspada, Menterra, Omidyar Network

Venture Intelligence - Handbook on Venture Capital

Individual Angel Investors $$ $

Early Stage Investors

Social/Impact Funds $ - $$ $-$$

Healthcare Funds $ - $$$ $ - $$

Active SME Investors $ - $$$ $$$

Venture Intelligence - Handbook on Venture Capital

Sample Term Sheet

Venture Intelligence - Handbook on Venture Capital (2018)

Parties Company (name)