Start-up angel Rajan Anandan
Heroes Corner:
In this hectic world, we have very less number of people who go all out to help others. However, one man who needs to be commended for his outstanding work in nurturing and mentoring start-ups is Rajan Anandan. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni started his mentoring as early as in 1990 when he was still in college. Until date, he has to his credit about 20 start-ups that are flourishing even today.
This Sri Lankan national living in India has a passion to be the driving force in fostering entrepreneurship. Moreover, mind you, he is the Indian head of a tech giant, yet he takes time to pursue his dreams in helping others reach out their dreams. He not only acts as an angel investor, he also mentors them. This morale support is most needed by early start-ups. As they need to follow various guidelines to turn as successful enterprises. He acts as a super angel and super mentor. In the past six years, he has invested in about 20 startups in his personal capacity in the three areas he knows best: software, Internet and mobile.
This simple man who has nurtured many, admits, “When you invest at an early stage, there’s pretty much nothing but an idea,” he says. “You have to look at the entrepreneur– does he understand the idea well and can he build scale? Mentoring follows.” True the entrepreneurs have immaculate ideas but they need a sound mentor to convert their ideas in to successful enterprises. Under the guidance of an experienced stalwart does help in the end to achieve goals. However, for students with innovative ideas Ranjan is an oasis in a desert.
Anandan sees mentoring as coaching a founder on four topics: product, team, go-to-market strategy and what to do with a startup after 18-24 months of having built it. It is a template he applies to all founders of startups who approach. However, he does not interfere in the invested start-up, but is ever ready to go all out if the entrepreneur request.
Such persons with the diehard attitude need be commended and their help must be recognized. Way 2World feels it is our duty to enlighten our readers of one such person and we pray he brings life to more dreamers who are there out in the lurch.