As India’s first digital Venture Builder firm, Think9 leverages
the deep experience, insights, and expertise of its mentors and
founders to identify venture opportunities in consumer business
space. The leadership team at Think9 provides further support in
evolution of the brand, identity and content, development of rails
for technology and operations, guide channel development on
digital and physical platforms and provides best-in-class support
in talent acquisition, finance, and compliance.
This arrangement allows the Venture to focus only on the core
aspects of the business: product, customer, and revenue
generation. The Co-Founder program at Think9 identifies and
matches business leaders who can be Entrepreneurs owning and
leading the business objectives, execution, and acceleration of
the venture across all revenue channels.
Building digital-first ventures is fast-paced, fluid and demands a
bias towards action and achievement, with nowhere to hide. Think9
endows the Co-Founders with sufficient trust, support, and
significant skin-in-the-game that allows the Co-Founder to benefit
equally from the rewards that emanate from a successful scale-up
of a digital-first business.
At the heart of entrepreneurship is creation of a business out
of an idea and an opportunity and setting it in motion.
Entrepreneurship is about being able to adapt, take risks, and
constantly innovate. True entrepreneurship is not just about
starting a business; it's a way of thinking and approaching
life." - Kishore Biyani
The qualities of Co-founder may vary depending on the specific
needs and objectives of the Venture she/he leads. However, some
common qualities that are sought include
Entrepreneurial Experience: The
Co-Founder should have a track record of being an entrepreneur or
a co-founder in startups with a sizable business. She/he should
have firsthand experience in launching and growing businesses and
understand the challenges and dynamics of early-stage ventures and
start-ups.
Domain Expertise: Co-Founder should
possess deep knowledge and expertise in a specific consumer facing
business category that Think9 focuses on – food, fashion, home,
beauty, and nutraceuticals. She/he must have a strong
understanding of the industry trends, customer needs, and
competitive landscape to identify and execute promising business
opportunities.
Problem-Solving Skills:
Co-Founder should excel at problem-solving and be adept at being
resourceful and finding creative solutions to complex challenges
by quickly identifying bottlenecks, being able to tap into their
networks to find solutions, and navigate obstacles that arise
during the early stages of a startup's development.
Team-Building Abilities: The
Co-Founder should have proven leadership skills and the ability to
build, nurture and inspire teams. She/he should be an effective
communicator, collaborator, and a leader who can guide and develop
the talents.
Adaptability and Resilience: New
ventures face numerous challenges and uncertainties, and
Co-Founders must be able to adapt quickly to changing
circumstances. They should be comfortable with ambiguity,
resilient in the face of setbacks, and capable of adjusting
strategies as needed. She/he should be committed to the mission
and goals of the venture and be willing to invest their time and
expertise to nurture and grow the portfolio startups at least for
a period of four years, if not more.
Think9 will not acquire or invest in an existing brand or
business.
All our Ventures begin their journey operating out of our offices
in Mumbai and Delhi.
The ideal Co-Founder is someone who has created a new
consumer-facing business - as an entrepreneur, co-founder or a
member of the founding team - that crossed monthly revenues of Rs
1 crore. She/he may have even raised pre-seed/seed capital from a
family office or angel investors, built a start-up on their own
and are now looking for a second journey with a larger outcome.
Access to the Think9 founders and the ecosystem will save time,
energy and effort that goes into building any venture from
scratch. Think9 will further support the Co-Founder with the
following deliverables:
Compensation: Co-Founders will be
eligible for a sustenance pay of around Rs 5 lakhs per month and
option to further convert this into equity at par valuation.
Seed Funding to the Venture: Think9
and/or its affiliates will provide Rs 5 crore of seed funding in
the entity to cover for pre-opex costs of the Venture and for
business operations for the first few months after its launch. The
Co-Founder can raise an additional Rs 5 crore from external
sources at a minimum pre-money valuation of Rs 30 crore.
Equity for Co-Founders: Co-Founders
will be granted shares equivalent to 20% stake in the Venture.
These shares will be locked-in with a reverse vesting. The
Co-Founder will be eligible to get 10% stake at the end of 2 years
of their engagement. The remaining 10% stake will be un-locked at
the end of 4 years or when the Venture raises equity capital at a
minimum pre-money valuation of $10 million / Rs 80 crore,
whichever is earlier.
Building digital-first ventures is fast-paced, fluid and demands a bias towards action and achievement, with nowhere to hide.
