As part of my work, I get at least 10 new startup deals daily on WhatsApp and email.
Pitches, decks, cold intros, āurgent funding asks,ā even blind copy-paste messages.
Itās the norm. š¬
But todayā¦ I got a message that felt different.
Not loud.
Not hyped.
Just real.
I got a WhatsApp message from a founder Iāve never met.
Heās building an agri-tech startup in the rural heartland of Madhya Pradesh. š¾
The message wasnāt polished.
It wasnāt loaded with buzzwords or metrics.
Just honest words straight from the gut:
āRevenue kuch khas to nahi hai sir abhi to, but thoda help milega to bada ban sakta haiā¦ā š
He had built an MVP. He had piloted it.
And he was now looking for a little funding, or at least someone to listen.
No PR firm.
No āstealth modeā drama.
No exaggerated valuation.
Just raw hustle from a small team with big dreams.
Now hereās the reality:
š¼ I usually donāt invest this early.
š My investment thesis is focused on pre-Series A to Series A with strong execution, early revenue, and lead investors onboard.
š I look for momentum, not just potential.
But this time, I paused.
Because this wasnāt just a pitch.
It was a plea.
And more than anything, it was genuine. šÆ
Why I chose to help anyway:
š¤ He was humble.
No ego, no attitude, just sheer intent.
šÆ He was clear.
He knew exactly what he had built, and what he needed help with.
š§ He showed commitment.
8 years of experience in agri. 1 year bootstrapping the startup. No noise, just work.
Yes, on paper, this founder doesnāt check the boxes for institutional funding yet.
But here's the thing...
š Some founders deserve help even before they qualify for capital.
š Especially those from Bharat, building real solutions, with real sweatānot just decks and DMs.
If youāre a new founder, read this twice:
ā You donāt need perfect English to be heard.
ā You donāt need ā¹10L MRR to ask for support.
ā What you do need: honesty, clarity, and resilience. šŖ
Even if youāre ātoo early,ā youāre not invisible.
The right people will see youāif youāre building with purpose.
To every founder building quietly in small towns and Tier 2ā3 cities:
š You're not alone.
š” You're not behind.
ā¤ļø You're not ignored.
Not everyone may cut you a cheque.
But many of us will open doors, offer guidance, and back your character, not just your metrics.
š To the founder who reached out today, thank you.
You reminded me why I got into this in the first place.
Letās not just fund startups.
Letās build founders.
StartupIndia š AgriTech š¾ BharatFirst š®š³ VCInsights š” EarlyStageFounders š£ FounderSupport š¤ StartupMentorship š ImpactInvesting š HumbleHustlers š RealFounders ā¤ļø BharatInnovators š ļø IntentOverHype ā” FoundersInBharat
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