I was reading about neti, neti, the Upanishadic idea of arriving at truth by negation: “not this, not that.” In theology, this is also known as via negativa, the belief that understanding deepens not by defining what something is, but by ruling out what it is not. That lens made me reflect on how such […]
In traditional finance, the Sharpe Ratio helps us assess whether returns are commensurate with the risk taken to achieve them. It measures excess return per unit of volatility, offering a way to evaluate quality of return, not just quantity. While we may not apply the formula directly in early-stage investing, the idea behind it remains useful. In startups, volatility […]
Last week at the serene DLF Golf Resort, Ishani Chanana Talwar and I reconnected with my dear founder friend, Rohit Mahajan, one of the two passionate co-founders of Plutos ONE, a venture we were fortunate to back early in its journey. It was a warm, relaxed lunch, the kind that blends old bonds with new […]
In the context of early-stage companies, frugality is often reduced to low burn or lean budgets. But, it’s not just a financial decision, it’s a mindset. Over time, we’ve seen that frugality tends to show up in four areas: →TimeFrugal founders are intentional with their hours.They prioritise high-leverage tasks over constant motion. →TeamHiring is deliberate.Each […]
We often believe we’re using our time wisely but like money, time gets mentally labelled. And those labels quietly shape how we spend it, often in ways we don’t fully examine. Nobel laureate Richard Thaler described this as mental accounting, the idea that we treat the same resource differently depending on how we categorise it. […]
Startups operate in motion – fast cycles, evolving markets, constant pressure to adapt. Every part of the company is expected to move, iterate, and scale. However, not everything may be required to move at the same speed. This is where the Lindy Effect becomes a useful mental model. The term originated from Lindy’s Deli in […]
Sometimes, the best meetings are the ones you don’t plan. I ran into Sunil and Girish of YourNest Venture Capital at DLF Golf Club recently for a few minutes, and it turned into a warm, heartfelt catch-up. We hugged each other and felt a surge of positive energy. We’ve known each other for years. I […]
I had the opportunity to be a jury member for the Young CEO program by ThinkStartup at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and what an extraordinary experience it was. What made it even more impressive was that the students had just 4 days to prepare. Working with peers from different schools, most of whom they […]
At Sarcha Advisors, we’ve seen several companies face difficult situations, not because the idea wasn’t strong, but because they didn’t have enough cash flow visibility when it mattered most. When a fundraise takes longer than expected, or the burn increases unexpectedly, it creates pressure. It can impact decision-making, shift priorities, and sometimes lead to choices […]
After years of warm exchanges, Ishani and I recently met Alkesh Agarwal in person for the first time. It felt as if we had been friends for a long time given the warmth. We had lunch together. What followed was not just a conversation, it felt like being invited into the chapters of a deeply […]