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As a founder, one should embrace the idea of bootstrapping one’s business without hesitation, said Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman of private equity venture TVS Capital Funds, addressing the 14th edition of TechSparks. 

“Entrepreneurship is about striving to create a business that makes your customers happy, surpassing your competition. It is possible to place a strong emphasis on bootstrapping and seek capital and value at every turn,” he said during a discussion with Shradha Sharma Founder and CEO, YourStory.

“It’s a universal truth for every successful company—they achieved success by prioritising their customers. As a founder of TVS Electronics, I started the company 35 years ago with no employees, I am delighted to witness the world change for the better.” Srinivasan added.

Founded by Srinivasan in 2007, TCF focuses on supporting technology-driven businesses in financial services and enterprise (B2B) services. It is currently investing from its third private equity fund, TVS Shriram Growth Fund 3, with commitments of about Rs 1,900 crore. The Fund is sponsored and supported by The TVS Group and The Shriram Group.

The private equity firm has so far invested about Rs 3,700 crore from its last three funds, according to Srinivasan. 

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He stated that another alliance for entrepreneurial success is ‘inclusive democratised innovation for all’.

As for the capital that flows into Indian startups from outside, he added, “One of the crucial factors at play is the alignment with the preferences of Limited Partners (LPs)…(as) I believe that foreign pension funds, influenced by models that have succeeded in Silicon Valley or the USA, may find it challenging to grasp and fully support the Indian entrepreneurial vision.”

In contrast, he emphasised that Indian funding channels provide a unique avenue, enabling investors to resonate with their vision and embrace the ‘Bharatiya’ ethos, embracing a more diverse belief in their ventures.

“Indian money allows the investor to believe in you, to believe in your way of doing things,” Srinivasan said. 

Srinivasan has an entrepreneurial career of over 30 years. He has incubated eight companies operating in sectors spanning technology, financial services, and auto components.