Archive for July 2011
Snapdeal & Bessemer
I’m thrilled to announce Bessemer’s investment in Snapdeal. We led the Series C in this innovative, rapidly growing company that is not merely a Groupon clone, but a company that is trying to change e-commerce in India through the best deals available. I was most impressed by the entrepreneurs behind the company – Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal – who are wildly creative, very ambitious, but also highly analytical. They have an ability to both be highly detail oriented yet able to see the larger picture. And equally as important, they are adamant about changing the business culture in India to be more philanthropic.
I, and the rest of the BVP India internet team (Rob Chandra & Abhijeet Muzumdar), can’t wait to help Kunal, Rohit, and the Snapdeal team build a business that we hope can revolutionize commerce online in India.
The Himalayan Water Irony
Clean water is tough to come by throughout the developing world. Sometimes bottled water isn’t even safe; the seals may have been tampered with and the water may not be any different than what comes out of the tap. Boiling water is the only fool proof way to ensure water clear of parasites, bacteria, and chemicals—and boiling water isn’t very convenient. The sheer number of diseases and microbial agents that make up waterborne diseases is staggering. In many European countries, beer is cheaper than water. The decrease in the amount of readily available clean water – and, thereby, the increase in amount of contaminated water – is a trend that makes me worry for the future stability of nations with exploding populations.
I found the following label on the Himalayan mineral water bottle—a TATA product—to be both facetious and foreboding.
I look back on life – it’s funny how things turn out.
You, the creator of beeping sirens and honking cars, yearn for the solitude of the mountains. You, a connoisseur of fast food, now gaze at water that took years to gather natural minerals as it trickled down from the Himalayas to within your reach. And I, some of the purest water in the world, stand here, trapped in a bottle. Come, enjoy the irony.
It’s an irony that will only become more pronounced as the beeping sirens increase and the trickling decreases.
Innovations & Inspirations 