Interviews

POD- A fundraising platform is bridging the gap between investors and businesses

CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Mr Vittal Ramakrishna, CEO and Founder, POD World

 

  1. With what mission and objectives, the company was set up? In short, tell us about your journey since the inception of the company?

POD was started with the intention of creating a more even playing field for early-stage startup founders. Every startup deserves a fair chance to present its ideas and get access to funding. POD allows potential startups to pitch to investors and raise funds successfully. Furthermore, the working class are also keen on exploring new asset classes for investments, and I believe that startups can offer a very good opportunity through POD for these new and emerging Retail Investors.

POD first took shape in my head and then the idea came to life in January 2022. I am the Founder & CEO of POD and I also head operations. In addition, most of my time and efforts triage into analysis, strategy and fundraising.

  1. How does your company work in order to provide investment to the startup?

We provide a tech-based platform to facilitate fundraising with the help of a network of 5000+ investors. A startup can apply for fundraising on podworld.in as the first step. And in order to be eligible for fundraising it has to pass the 10-pointer vetting process. Qualified startups are then invited to a virtual pitch – POP Series or Pitch on POD.

Post the pitch the team collects feedback and questions from the investors and then on boards the startup on the platform basis the feedback. A campaign dedicated to the particular startup then kicks-off opening it up for interested investors.

  1. How does it work ? and what are the procedures for fundraising?

These are the steps involved in fundraising campaigns for podworld.in:

Step 1: Startups create their profile on podworld.in through an easy onboarding process and submit their Pitch Deck

Step 2: The proficient Investment Team at POD reviews the Pitch Deck and then conducts a screening call with the startup founders

Step 3: If the startup is shortlisted post the screening call, the next step is to successfully clear POD’s 10-point metric evaluation system

Step 4: On clearing the 10-point metric evaluation system, the startup gets shortlisted for a virtual pitch titled POP Series, where the founders pitch to POD’s network investors

Step 5: Depending on investors’ feedback and interest, the startup gets listed on the platform and the funding campaign begins

Step 6: Funds received are securely held in a SEBI-registered escrow account and once the goal is reached, the legal documentation process begins

Step 7: Once compliance is completed, funds get disbursed to the startup and securities are issued to the investors

  1. How does the company get benefits while raising funds?

The startup gets a digital-first approach in the entire process of fundraising. In addition, the startup can raise funds in a seamless, secure and a transparent manner. Traditional fundraising usually takes up to 3 months or more. However, the end-to-end fundraising cycle on podworld.in is completed in as little as 3 weeks.

 

  1. What are the criteria and what sector can participate in fundraising?

The mandatory criteria for startups to raise funds on podworld.in are:

  1. i) The startup should be incorporated as a Private Limited entity in India
  2. ii) The startup should have its MVP (Minimum Viable Product) ready

iii) The funding requirement can be up to INR 1 CRORE

  1. iv) Startups can apply from any sector as POD is sector agnostic

 

  1. How is POD disrupting the industry and other fundraising platforms available in the market?

Earlier, only those startup founders who had connections in the VC circle could raise funds. And on the other end of the spectrum, only HNIs or Accredited Angels could invest in startups. With POD, any startup with a potential for growth can raise funds – and retail investors like you and me can invest in quality startup deals.

Furthermore, POD is a full-stack fundraising platform in the making. We are building a suite of tools to facilitate end-to-end fundraising for early-stage startups. Our first tool in the stack – a SaaS One-Pager is due for a release soon, an advanced version of what’s already available on our platform.

 

  1. How is your company helping customers deliver relevant business outcomes through adoption of the company’s technology innovations?

Early-stage startup founders from any sector can scale their business by raising funds through POD’s platform. The platform is intuitive and easy to navigate. There is also an option to create and download a One-Pager Pitch Deck that the startups can use during investor pitches. We are in the process of building more such tools.

In addition to this, POD provides retail investors with all the necessary information about how their money is being used by startups through a live dashboard, ensuring that investors feel comfortable and confident investing their money.

On podworld.in the entire process of fundraising and investment is transparent – thus empowering the startup ecosystem on both ends of the spectrum.

 

  1. What does the POD’s business roadmap look like for the year 2023?

In 2023, POD’s goal is to enable 100+ early-stage startups to successfully raise funds through its platform. Additionally, POD aspires to pioneer a fundraising stack that is set to redefine startup investments in India. We are also in the process of releasing our first tool in the stack – a SaaS One-Pager that will empower startup founders to put their best foot forward and share everything that really counts with potential investors.

Leave a Response