In today’s world, startups are on a boom and there has been a sharp northward surge in their numbers. At present, there are over 61,400 startups in India that are recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). According to the economic survey 2021-22, out of these, there are at least 14,000 that are recognised during the fiscal year 2022. However, for an entrepreneurial business to be successful, the most essential thing is funds, and to seek adequate funds, every entrepreneur wishes to find an investor that believes in their idea and stands by them. Unfortunately, not every startup gets an investor and that is when angel investors act like the knight in shining armour in their life.
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For starters, an Angel Investor is a person who provides capital to a business or new venture in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. They typically assist start-ups when most investors are unwilling to support their idea. One such investor who has been assisting numerous entrepreneurs by funding them is Vikas Dureja. The pioneer Vikas Dureja who possesses the right knowledge is a global technology leader with over 20 years of corporate leadership experience in continents including the US, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Additionally, apart from being an angel investor and market enthusiast, the virtuoso is also a former United Nations and World Health Organisation (WHO) official. The prodigy has also held the role of CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and Global Goodwill Ambassador in his long extensive career. While in UNDP and WHO, Vikas used to manage global programs based out of Switzerland and the USA.
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Trained at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Virginia US, he has successfully led various global Disaster Management programs. Apart from this, Vikas Dureja also served as Consultative Committee Member to the Food Corporation of India, for the state of Haryana. Having closely worked in association with several government agencies alongside big corporate giants, Vikas Dureja has carved a niche around himself across various verticals. His deep understanding of the market dynamics makes him one of the prominent angel investors in India. Having held business leadership positions in the Ministry of IT & Telecom (Government of India), Telexcell Information Systems Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Jindal Buildsys Ltd., and Goodwill Ambassador at STING (Strategic Technologies ImplementatioN Group), Vikas Dureja is a market maven par excellence who is often credited to have mentored numerous startups.
Currently being the fund manager and Director of the Jindal Ventures, Vikas Dureja invested 1 Million Dollars each in three promising startups. Madan Jindal, the Chairman of Jindal Group, also appreciated Vikas Dureja for assisting new promising startups. Having known to have backed a lot of startups across a plethora of verticals, he funded Happy Trip India, Land2Roof and Hermajesty, all three startups that are creating quite a stride in their respective realms. Sharks Fund , a platform that co-joins aspiring entrepreneurs with investors who are willing to invest money in promising startups, assisted these startups in the process of fundraising. Being a distinguished Alumnus of the United Nations Institute of Training & Research, he has received several global recognitions such as United Nations Global Volunteer Award (US), World Health Organisation Digital Healthcare Award, COAI Best Innovation Award India Mobile Congress.
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Talking about the changing dynamics of the market and the need to support startups, Vikas Dureja stated, “This is 2022 and it is the era of startups and India is witnessing a massive surge in the emergence of startups, which indeed is a positive sign. People need to back up promising startups and entrepreneurs who are bringing innovation to the table as these startups have the potential to become Unicorns in the near future, if they get the requisite support. As an angel investor, I back exceptional founders who have disruptive and innovative ideas and can efficiently and execute those ideas. For me, Angel investing is basically about spotting and nurturing the hidden talent and this is what I try to live by.”
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Currently, Vikas owns over 9 intellectual properties in the field of Digital Health, e-Education and Location-based services. He is also an active member of NASSCOM, CII, and COAI alongside being a lifelong member and global Technology/Finance Advisor of Shri Swaminarayan Gurukul Trust, headquartered in Rajkot, Gujarat. An avid quizzer, technology evangelist, startup mentor, and angel investor, Vikas Dureja is surely a man of several hats.
