Stellaris SaaS Talks 41: Navigating Angel Rounds ft. Abhishek Goyal (Tracxn) & Rajesh Sawhney (GSF)

Register for our future SaaS Talks: https://rebrand.ly/SaaSTalks

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In this discussion, we cover:

00:00 Introduction

03:47 When to onboard an angel, and how to find the right one

05:23 How to engage angels as a young founder

11:42 Fewer angels with large cheques vs. More angels with smaller cheques

14:49 How relevant are platforms for first-time founders without experience?

16:26 Is there real conviction in platform-led rounds?

19:01 How to structure your angel round

21:27 Post-investment relationship with the angel

27:10 The right engagement model with your angel

29:34 How to find angels if your startup is in an offbeat space

34:15 Angel investors vs. angel advisors

38:08 What are some turn-offs for angel investors?

42:16 How important is traction to angel investors?

48:44 Should founders seek out people who are first-time angel investors?

50:58 Navigating valuation with angel investors

57:27 How should angel investors achieve exits?

01:01:27 Closing thoughts

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Many great startup journeys often begin with a well-structured angel round.

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Beyond the cheque, it's about knowing who to bring in, how to orchestrate the angel round, and how to leverage the angel to accelerate learning and create access.

Done right, these early relationships bring clarity, conviction, and a sounding board when it matters most.

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In SaaS Talks #41, we dive into how early-stage founders can find and build with the right angels: the ones who spot product-market signals early, ask the hard (and necessary) questions, and stick around for the long haul.

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We’re thrilled to be joined by two people who’ve been on both sides of the table:

🔹 Abhishek Goyal, Co-founder of Tracxn, and one of India’s most active and thoughtful angel investors.

🔹 Rajesh Sawhney, Founder of GSF and an early backer of over 100 startups, including Whatfix

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Together, they share insights on:

- How to find the right angels & curate an angel round that works for you

- What great founder-angel relationships actually look like

- How to keep the relationship productive post-investment

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If you’re an early-stage founder thinking about raising your angel round, this is for you!

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Hosted by Alok Goyal and Ritesh Banglani.

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