ShopClues' Sandeep Aggarwal to invest Rs 20 crore in 12 startups by end 2017

Founder – ShopClues and Droom, Sandeep Aggarwal, never fails to remind his followers why he’s been given the tag of ‘India’s star serial entrepreneur’. The man, whose favourite hobby seems to be identifying and encouraging the growth of innovative ideas has now announced plans of investing Rs 20 crore in up to 12 startups by the end of this year.
Ventures in the high-potential areas of healthcare, tech and retail can look forward to his patronage and mentorship.
Aggarwal – who has been christened the father of the marketplace model in the Indian Internet ecosystem – has already invested in seven startups across various industry verticals and is looking to expand his investment portfolio by entering the data science app development arena as well.
Dekoruma, Wydr, Shopsity, Data Guise, Give Club, Duriana and Curo Healthcare have all received funding during the past few months. While Wydr, Shopsity and Curo Healthcare are Indian companies, the rest mostly belong to South East Asian markets and the Silicon Valley.
He has also promised to invest more in interesting business ideas coming from Tier II and Tier III cities in India to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in these areas. He invested Rs $ 5,00,000 in 2016 and there is a 6x increase in investments this year.
Commenting on his investment plans, Aggarwal said, “The current health and success of Droom owes a lot to the faith bestowed upon me by my early-stage investors and the funding received from them. As an early-stage entrepreneur, I often felt helpless myself at the lack of funding and mentorship during the most crucial phases of my business. I have always strived to provide young entrepreneurs the necessary resources and guidance required to let them realize their vision. This year, too, will be no different and I will ensure in my personal capacity that no great idea is nipped in the bud due to lack of capital or the right guidance.”
A prolific investor and entrepreneur, Aggarwal founded India’s first managed marketplace and India’s fifth Unicorn start-up, ShopClues. He also founded the first and largest online automobile transactional marketplace, Droom.
His far-reaching vision can be gauged from the fact that while most Indian entrepreneurs are looking to consolidate their funds rather than investing them in other ventures, he frequently keeps investing in ideas that he finds interesting and even keeps a tab on the markets of foreign shores. This is evident in his decision to invest in Dekoruma, one of Indonesia’s strongest home décor platforms.
The serial investor has time and again stressed on the extremely important role technology plays in businesses of today and highly regards the possibilities of a tech-driven business to turn big. High-energy, passion, long-term vision, ability to take risks, the art of prioritization and austerity along with the ability to implement technology well are some of the attributes Aggarwal believes to be important for entrepreneurial success.