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Shrihari Allangala

Shrihari Allangala

Partner
fundingsolutionz, Bangalore

About Me

Funding Solutionz was started during 2011 in Bangalore after a successful and long career of Financial Services and Investment Banking for around 16 years at Dubai. Bangalore being an entrepreneurial city, I wanted to come back home and start the practice. In a way, the venture itself was a start up. During the last one year or so, I have done few transactions which varies from raising capital from Angel Investors to private Investments and Financial Institutions. I wanted to offer a complete gamut of services in the field of Raising Capital Resources for Companies in Bangalore. Hence, started offering complete solutions from Business plan preparation/ Project reports to raising capital resources to start ups, SMEs and Mid sized Corporate's. With over 20 years of experience in the field it was easy to get in to the market but the issue was the difference of business landscape between Middle East and India, hence had to unlearn few things and add new skills specially from the Debt market perspective for Capital raising. There were few companies where I have helped them to raise capital. Notably a company in the embedded technology space, where they wanted funding for growth, though the amount was not very big, the company could produce new products and now is in the process of getting big orders from a PSU. Besides, they have been invited by Japanese Government to start a unit there or to have a strategic tie up with a local company. Currently the company is embarking a major growth plans and planning to launch few more products and seeking to raise second round of funding. The experience in India is not similar compared to middle east. In India, the entrepreneurs are skeptical about the role of an Investment banker my be due to their past experience because only very few start ups are likely to get a good funding mainly due to the nature of start ups. Currently, we have engaged ourselves in raising capital for a IT Consulting firm, a Manufacturing company, a company based in USA in the social network space etc

Common Challenges Startups Face
Many start ups tend to do all the work by themselves than building a team. Its a situation where they cannot have the right talents due to lack of funding. They are always in the in the business than on the business hence it is difficult for them to grow. The common most challenge they face is the lack of quality of advise they receive. The right advise at the right time would make them grow much faster.

Ignorance of the process of raising capital is one of the most common hurdle many start ups face and its very clear that only the best ideas will attract the funding. if the start ups do not have clear vision and scalability of the  business and a great management team which complements each others skills, it will be pretty much difficult to attract the right funding.


My Advice If You are Starting Out
Many start ups tend to do all the work by themselves than building a team. Its a situation where they cannot have the right talents due to lack of funding. They are always in the in the business than on the business hence it is difficult for them to grow. The common most challenge they face is the lack of quality of advise they receive. The right advise at the right time would make them grow much faster. Ignorance of the process of raising capital is one of the most common hurdle many start ups face and its very clear that only the best ideas will attract the funding. if the start ups do not have clear vision and scalability of the & nbsp; business and a great management team which complements each others skills, it will be pretty much difficult to attract the right funding.
3 Piece Advice
a) Get a great Business plan which articulates clearly the offerings
b) Think like an Investor and ask yourself would you put money in to similar business?
c) Be realistic in your expectation. (A start up with 40 employees wanted to raise US$ 25 million and we advised them to be realistic and now they have reworked on their plans and are planning to raise US$ 5 million)