With valuations of companies becomign more realistic due to the slowdown, investors are delaying their exit. What used to be a three-to-five year period now is five to seven years. The longer duration is to compensate for the low returns due to the slowdown, according to Sateesh Andhra, venture partner of Draper Fisher Jurvetson and convenor of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE)-Indian School of Business (ISB) Connect.
Speaking to the media on Thursday to announce the sixth edition of TiE-ISB Connect, a platform for entrepreneurs and funding partners, he said incidental costs of entrepreneurship had reduced as real estate costs had come down, compensations had been moderate and attrition arrested due to the slowdown. In most cases, the exit is through the mergers and acquistions route and not the IPO now. However, the IPO window could open again in about 12 months, he said.
The TiE-ISB Connect, which will be held on October 22 and 23 at Hotel Marriot, has so far provided $100 million (about Rs 490 crore) to 10 companies directly apart from exposing many entrepreneurs to private equity funding and angel investors, said TiE president Ramesh Babu.
The ticket size for funding can be Rs 5 crore to Rs 50 crore depending on whether the company is a start-up or is on a growth path. The event will mentor select ideas into business plans. The funding will be spread across technology, education, healthcare, green technologies and other domains. Helion, Matrix, Accel, Inventus, Intel Capital, Venture East and other venture capital companies will participate in the event this year.