Her Ability to Grasp Things and Willing to Mitigate Risks, Padmaja Ruparel is an Inspiration to Many Indian Startups
Padmaja Ruparel is well-known as wings of inspiration for many Indian startups. She is a multi-task performer, a great investor, and creative at the same time when it comes to her business dealings. Being the Co-Founder and President of the largest Angel Network in India, Ruparel robustly believes that every woman should take an interest in family decisions, especially when it’s about managing money. She is the one who intensely knows what steps are to be taken while leading her financial stuff in case of any consequence. Isn’t a mark of being a true woman?
Early Life of Padmaja Ruparel
Conceived and upraised in Kolkata, Padmaja Ruparel started her expert life in her own family-kept up land business and supported the business visionary inside herself. Once, she was persuaded to basketball and ballet-dance, she grabbed up the responsibility of controlled corporate communications, a homemaker, and also accomplished several corporate social responsibilities.
In her 20s age, she ran her own business and is now a prominent Angel Investor with various roles due to her tremendous management skills. While studying at the Loreto House, Padmaja Ruparel was always enthusiastic about going for higher education in higher school. Well, her story remained the same, unlike any other child, but now she is adored when it comes to Angel Investment.
When Padmaja Ruparel was in Calcutta, at that time entrepreneurship was not a familiar term. Yet, she took up the great opportunity and confronted all the socio-political barriers and decided to pursue study management along with CA. In the late 80s, she ended with her studies and decided to join her family-owned real estate business from 10,000 sq. Ft. into 2.5 lakh sq. Ft. space. Over the two years, it became a profitable business. That was her first run-in as an Indian startup. Later, she came to Calcutta to attend a farewell and then moved to Delhi to start her married life.
Career Life of Padma Ruparel
The corporate journey of Padmaja Ruparel initiated in the sunrise industry software and media. With a degree of MBA along with CA, she was capable of acquiring a job as a career counsellor. In 1991, she tried to join IIS Infotech as software industries were flourishing at that period.
In addition to her corporate life, she got profoundly elaborated with NASSCOM that stands for Association for the Indian Software Industry Companies. It was there when she explored networking, how their mentors work, and what’s the impact of their creation. She met Mr Sourabh Srivastava, who was the co-founder as well as a mentor of NASSCOM. With the efficient assistance of Srivastava, Padmaja Ruparel started exposing experienced Indian startups, marketing tactics, recruitment and got involved in distant parts of the business.
She was efficiently involved in the functioning of corporate strategies such as listing and delisting, JVs, and M&As. When the company combined with an LSE Listed Company in 1998, she relearned several new things. When her chairman decided to bring the world’s largest organization, TIE for entrepreneurs to Delhi, it was Padmaja Ruparel who helped in operationalizing the task. The project has become one of the best accomplishment chapters across the world. It has been captivating for the consistently past five years.
Working with the various industry associations such as TIE, NASSCOM, Venture Capital Association, and The Indian Private Equity, Padmaja Ruparel gained tremendous knowledge of startups. It helped her to explore the vast network with young business enterprises and numerous entrepreneurs.
How Was IAN Initiated?
All the experience of Padmaja Ruparel made her realize why it was crucial to fill the gap between the entrepreneurs and the investors. The connecting platform between the investors and entrepreneurs was visible and required some modification for further success. During this time, she firmly remained connected with the IIS until she got into a part of the head of corporate communications for Xansa. Xansa is a UK-based that acquired IIS.
She discussed various prospects with her mentor Saurabh Srivastava and later with their friends Alok Mittal, Raman Roy Pradeep Gupta, and Mohit Goyal. Her initiative directed them to form a small group of investors. They started commencing risks and decide on handling a wide range of business ideas from a capital tool. The main objective of meeting with entrepreneurs was to take a small risk and then leave the entire for the future outcome.
Later, she started speaking to other members of the Angel Groups who were working at the global level expansion. Her ideas worked as the team understood the entire ecosystem and formed their institution. However, the major problem with the growing entrepreneurs was that they were incapable of fetching the investment ranging from a few lakhs to crores.
The problem was later solved with IAN that is a group of first-generation entrepreneurs who were victorious by investing little bits of money. In 2009, with her fellow investors, Ruparel founded Indian Angel Network that works as ten investors come together and set in 20 lakhs each. Initially, there were six to start IAN and became its co-founders. Later lot of Indian startups came to join them, and now they have around 500 investors who are investing from 11 counties.
Ruparel, along with her fellows, has invested in 135 plus companies in 7 countries across 17 sectors. Her robust idea has made a vast fortune plus IAN as one of the country’s largest group of Angel investors.
Science Applications International Corporation acquired Ruparel’s debut investment, Scicom in 2007. She claims it as one of the highest risks, but the highest awarded stake as she received a massive 11 times the capital that she has invested. It was her first experience, and she got high credits from all the team members, and it was the starting of her successful life.
Hard Work Always Pay
Padmaja Ruparel is working hard for about three decades in the industry, and her dedication has helped several entrepreneurs to see a ladder of success. The former Cisco Director, Pratik Bose, and Ruparel announced to grow the reach of IAN fund for helping new Indian startups.
Undoubtedly, Padmaja Ruparel is a brave woman and an inspiration for many entrepreneurs and especially for the Indian startups. Her strength lies in taking high risks by investing in new sectors and then contributing to society. For her, it’s not only about taking risks by investing, but it’s about utilizing the skills in the correct path and achieving what you deserve to be. Ruparel is the one who insisted on producing a Pan-India institution that determines that there cannot be a better time than ‘NOW’ for investing in startups. She is an achiever in her field and multi-tasking as well that every entrepreneur should be to progress in their life.
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