Nurturing the Startup Ecosystem: Jio Cinema's Bet With 'Indian Angels' Claimed as the world's first angel investment show on OTT, Indian Angels will air two episodes every week, enabling the audience to engage with the featured startups
By Paromita Gupta •
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The startup ecosystem of India is one of the most safe and nourishing in the world. It ranks third in the overall rankings globally.
Contrary to what one might think, this change in India and its public's mindset is a recent one, and the glamorous image of it is often credited to a hit reality TV show inspired by USA's 'Shark Tank'.
India has over 1,12,718 DPIIT-recognized startups across 763 districts as of October 3rd 2023. In 2023, an average urban, maybe even rural, Indian will know what a startup is. And this is what Jio Cinema wants to further nurture with their new reality show 'Indian Angels'.
Claimed as the world's first angel investment show on OTT, Indian Angels will air two episodes every week, enabling the audience to engage with the featured startups.
The 'Angles' will comprise Ajinkya Firodia, Managing Director, Kinetic Group; Ankit Agrawal, Founder and CEO, InsuranceDekho; Aparna Thyagarajan, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer, Shobitam; Kunal Kishore, Founder and Director, Value 360; Rikant Pittie, Co-founder, EaseMyTrip; and Shreedha Singh, CEO and Co-founder, T.A.C – The Ayurveda Co.
The 'Angel' Investment Thesis
Firodia puts a premium on startups and founders who exhibit resilience, transparency, accountability, and high energy levels. He values those who are innovative, backed with strong market research and an in-depth understanding of market dynamics. Sustainability and long-term growth are keen to get his capital invested.
Aggarwal's InsuranceDekho raised Series A and Series this year itself. His investment philosophy revolves around having a deep understanding of the emotional soundness of a business along with having a strong and clear grip on the competitive landscape. He also holds empathy, vision and the ability to connect with customer's need in high regard.
The four Ps- Purpose, Passion, Perseverance, and Performance are what guides Thyagarajan in leading Shobitam. Kishore's investment approach is evaluating the specific problem a company is trying to solve and the solutions it proposes.
Pittie of EaseMyTrip looks out for startups and founders with strong vision, entrepreneurial drive, tech, innovation, and willingness to learn and grow. The openness and ability to learn from failures is also something he puts strong emphasis on.
Lastly, a D2C founder, Singh bets on a startup's ability to blend logic, passion, innovation, and dreams. Echoing Kishore's thesis, Singh is willing to back ventures that are trying to solve unique problems while questioning why no one has done it before.
