Writer. Fitter than the rest of us put together.
Rashmi makes sure that Lightbox and our portfolio companies are legally compliant. As CFO and general counsel, her role includes finance and legal functions.
Awarded as one of India’s top 100 women in Finance in 2019, she’s passionate about the role of governance in building great companies and would love to help in shaping an appropriate policy framework that includes a start up view as new business models evolve. She loves working in the PE/VC industry since it gives her an opportunity to work with aspiring entrepreneurs and the chance to witness the zeal with which companies are built. She shares her views on policy regime changes from time to time through her blogs and articles.
Rashmi comes from a family that has been in the defence forces for 2 generations where she grew up in air force bases across the country. She loves reading, travelling, trekking in the Sahyadris, candle making, playing the guitar and trying to keep up with her two curious boys who are always looking for answers.
What does failure mean to you? Failure is disheartening but grounds me and makes me even more determined; and that determination adds to my courage.
What’s your super power?Self-restraint and resilience
Which is your favourite city in the world?Milan hands down!
If you weren’t a venture capitalist, you’d be...A singer and a children’s story writer... and would love to have my own little bistro
ESG links to cash flow in important ways such as promoting top-line growth, reducing costs, minimizing legal and regulatory issues and improving employee productivity. These aspects should be part of a leader’s mental checklist when approaching ESG. ESG integration and the associated Impact Outcomes when measured over time could be far more fascinating and valuable than just an IRR or MOIC on an investment.
We are committed to be working with our portfolio companies on their ESG and sustainability journey. We know there is a long way to go, but hope to contribute to their progress. Sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint and we hope to be transparent about this process, from challenges to small wins.
We've summarised some important measures the regulatory authorities are taking during the Covid-19 outbreak.
One of the most bizarre tax provisions in recent times, 'angel tax' has been causing extreme heartburn and confusion within the startup community. And while the procedural change with the January 2019 notification is welcome, what needs to change are the rampant tax notices and coercive action against genuine startups who already run very boot-strapped operations.
Can the government come up with a policy that ensures national security, creates a level playing field for brick and mortar retail and new age e-Commerce requirements, not spook the FDI sentiment and yet regulate the e-economy?
I respect the government’s desire to increase the tax net, curb black money, money laundering and build transparency in our tax system. What I don’t understand is why they make us a part of a guessing game with unheard of potential levies from time to time?
The Indian Startup ecosystem has attracted over USD 5.5 Bn of PE/VC in 2015 alone and is the third largest Startup base worldwide. It’s heartening to see the Government take notice and launch the “Startup India Standup India” initiative.
The DIPP recently told the Delhi High Court that the marketplace model used by ecommerce companies is “not recognised” in the country’s foreign direct investment (FDI) policy and that the financial watchdogs are to investigate any violation.
Uber, the popular Bangalore based cap operator was asked to change its payment mechanism by the Reserve Bank of India. Popular ecommerce sites like Myntra, Urban Ladder, Flipkart, and many other have been under the scanner for various regulatory matters like FDI violation, VAT related issues, Enforcement Directorate probes for maters before April 2013, Payment mechanism violations etc. With each passing day new violations or potential violations seem to be added.
Being the last critical budget before the next general assembly elections, we all probably had some sense of what the budget would lay down. Here's a quick summary of what appealed and didn’t appeal from the "Funds/Venture Industry" perspective.
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