Vani Kola knows the pulse of the start-up ecosystem. She started Indo-US Venture Partners fund in India in 2006 after spending nearly two decades in Silicon Valley. It was rechristened Kalaari Capital in 2012. The venture firm focuses on early-stage start-ups with focus on technology. It invests in seed and series A stages. Till date, it has raised over $850 million and invested in 110-plus start-ups. Kalaari is currently invested in InstaMojo, Koo, Bluestone, CashKaro, Dream11 (partial exit in 2021), among others. Exits include Myntra, Simplilearn, Vogo, Urban Ladder and WazirX. In 2022, it invested in Phablecare, Clean Electric, HerKey, Baypure Lifestyle, among others. “Funding is important to achieve one’s goals but I do not think of it as celebrating success. Success is defined by delivering on promises made,” she said in a online post. Recently, Kalaari also launched Kalaari Fellowship, a programme to nurture young talent in the Indian venture funding ecosystem. The fellowship offers apprenticeship where youngsters get to work directly with senior members of Kalaari Capital to develop real-world skills and a leadership voice.
Kalaari also runs a CXXO initiative that it launched in 2021 with focus on women entrepreneurship and provides support through capital, coaching and community connect. Vani is also a yoga and meditation practitioner and is closely involved in nurturing entrepreneurship and women leaders. — Rukmini Rao