When the fund becomes the problem: What I learnt from my year inside Indian Micro VC
Spent more than a year at one of India’s “female-led” micro VC funds with a big marketing presence and a loud ecosystem voice. From the outside, it looked like a badge of progressive leadership. From the inside, it was anything but........
🔹 I was expected to collect and trade gossip as a weekly deliverable. Literally had meetings scheduled for it. If I didn’t have industry gossip, I was told to “find some.” 🔹 I was instructed to spread misinformation to LPs and ecosystem founders. Received bullet-point briefs on what to say, and to whom. 🔹 Negativity and internal politics were the culture. Constant trash talk about the partner I ended up having the best experience with purely to keep power and control within one faction. 🔹 There was blatant favouritism. A junior hire with multiple ecosystem harassment whispers was protected, rewarded, and spoon-fed deals. 🔹 Even internal therapy was weaponised. What I shared with an internal therapist was used against me in public accusing me of “trying to break the firm.”" 🔹 The fund had more marketing hires than actual investors. Deal evaluations were 2-day fire drills based on who else was investing—not original conviction.
Talking product sense with Ridhi
9 min AI interview5 questions
It's a very hard industry as it's you scratch my back, I scratch yours mentality. All want to participate on the same deals and getting an IPO to the end is hard Not at all surprised at your points as dealflow is drying up
The business is like that. Good companies don't come to the market. They are picked up before by big connected players.
The small VCs usually endup with chavanni companies. Chindi chor people dealing with chavanni companies, what else do you expect.
And these so-called women VCs lesser said the better.