"The first follower is actually an underestimated form of leadership in itself...the first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader” ~ Derek SiversI am the first follower of conscious entrepreneurs, first-time impact fund managers, and innovative projects.Hear from Derek Silver - What does First Follower mean?
About
The "first followers" is a monthly newsletter covering impact investing, venture capital, innovative financing instruments, and venture building.I believe in driving capital to conscious entrepreneurs, projects, and fund managers to create a positive impact in this world. The way I see contributing to this is three-fold:1. Work with first-time fund managers in emerging economies to build impact VC funds
2. Invest or help entrepreneurs raise capital
3. Work with CSRs, Philanthropists, INGOs, and Corporates to catalyze new capital into conscious capitalism.
Newsletters
Building an Impact VC Fund, as the name implies, it’s all about building an impact VC - how it works which includes pieces around portfolio strategy, sourcing, funding instruments, performance metrics of VC, financing instruments, etc.#1 VC Portfolio Support Strategy
#2 Investment Thesis
#3 Venture Studio and more
#4 Knowing Limited Partners
#5 VC Fund Economics
#6 Flexible Contingency Funding
#7 Transforming the VC Industry
#8 Raising Fund I?
#9 Unlearn Fund - building an ed-tech Fund
#10 Future of Student Lending: Income Share Agreements and Career Impact Bonds
#11 What is your Portfolio Construction?
#12 Impact Investing-as-a-Service
#13 Incentivizing Impact: Venture Level & Fund Level
#14 Hard Questions by LPs to GPs
#15 Ecosystem Approach to Investing
#16 Family offices sentiments towards Venture Capital COVID-19 Impact
#17 Corporate Impact Funds
#18 The case for female fund managers
#19 The promise of Venture Studio
#20 Fund Model Canvas
#21 Underrepresented founders are underdogs
#22 Valuing a company and VC economics
#23 Contrarian Investor - value investing
#24 5 reasons to back First-Time Fund Managers
#25 Startup Support EcosystemsNext Billion Tech, to cover technologies - digital and deep tech that can solve development problems at scale for next billion users in emerging economies.#1 Mental Health and AI
#2 Marketplaces for social good
#3 Insurance for next billion
#4 Feminism to Gender Lens Investing
#5 Fintech - future of financial inclusion?
#6 Future of Learning after COVID-19
#7 It's time to prototype
#8 Marketplaces Evaluation, Thesis, and Trends
#9 SaaS for Impact in Emerging Markets
#10 Create prosperity or eradicate poverty?
#11 The case for investing in local SMEs
Sagar has 7+ years of experience as an entrepreneur, operator, venture capitalist, and gender-lens investor. He has led investments in 17 early-stage startups in India and Indonesia.Currently, he is
#1. Helping Fund-II of USD 110 M ( Beyond Impact Fund), a vegan fund focused on investing in alternative protein space, future of food, and materials innovation, providing a sustainable animal alternative.#2. Launch Vegan Diversity Fund (US) with Beyond Impact to invest in alternative protein space (rolling fund on Angellist) https://angel.co/v/back/beyond-impact-vegan-diversity-fund#3. Building an ecosystem initiative to promote gender diversity at the fund manager level with founding donors as Gray Matters Capital and Bob Patillo, partners like Suzanne Biegel, Collaborative for frontier finance, Village Capital, 2x challenge, etc.#4. Guest Lectures on Innovative Financing at OP Jindal Law University (JSIE - Jindal Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship)#5. Mentor at: Village Capital, Fashion for Good, Indonesian Local Accelerators/Ecosystems (in Indonesia/SE Asia) - She Loves Tech, ANGIN, Digitraya, Kumpul, etc.
I work with First-time fund managers (FTFMs), international NGOs, foundations, corporations, CSRs, and philanthropists to provide unique market acceleration opportunities to launch their impact funds, impact venture studios, impact bonds, and any other form of blended investment vehicle.To know more, click the link below >
With love,Sagar Tandon
the future
The future of work is going to be decentralized, and more local, wherein the power will be in the hands of people to make their ends meet. The reliance on governments and corporations will end or primarily reduce, a world where everyone is equally valued for creating and consuming stuff.
the platforms
We need to invest in technology ventures that can solve development problems at scale for next billion users in emerging economies.The technology platforms will allow anyone and everyone to provide products & services, despite their sex, age, race, etc. We will move away from the industrialization of work, that means the onus will be on each of us, and not on governments or companies to take care of us.
what // examples?
I want to back those rockstar entrepreneurs who are building these platforms to support these micro + small businesses, and freelancers in the emerging markets.#1. Fin+Insure-tech (Mass-market, Retail)
#2. Marketplaces (B2B, Services)
#3. Ed-tech (Higher Education, Life-long learning)
#4. Agri+Food-tech (only plant-based and clean-meat)
*with a JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) lens,
with a focus on Gender lens investing
Democratising early-stage investing
Thesis
Ventures led by women are more profitable than men-led, yet they raise only 2.3% of venture funding. First Followers is a launching pad for women First Time Fund Managers (FTFMs) in SE Asia who naturally see the power of ventures led by women and can yield 10-20% higher ROIs on AUM than fund managers who are men.Partnership
This work is possible because of partners - Gray Matters Capital, Bob Pattillo, ANGIN, and Frontier Lab Asia.
