From Jaipur’s Looms to India’s Cap Tables | Mahavir Pratap Sharma | Episode 74 |

Описание: What does it take to go from selling carpets in Jaipur to becoming the first Asian Chair of TiE Global and now raising a $20M venture fund?

In Episode 74 of #DamaniTalks, we are in conversation with Mahavir Pratap Sharma - an ecosystem builder, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and now GP at Swishin Ventures.

From his mother’s pioneering carpet business in the 1970s, to six years in America building a wholesale rugs and gems trade, to co-founding RAIN (Rajasthan Angel Innovators Network), Mahavir’s journey is one of constant reinvention. Along the way, he has backed 40+ startups, chaired TiE Global, and helped shape Rajasthan into a vibrant node in India’s startup map.

Today, with Swishin Ventures, he’s institutionalizing that journey - launching a SEBI-licensed $20M fund to back seed-to-Series A startups solving for Tier-II and Tier-III India.

His thesis: 51% of India’s startups are based in these cities, but they get less than 4% of VC capital. That imbalance is the opportunity.

Highlights:
Growing up in Jaipur’s carpet business, learning negotiation from his mother, and his take on ambition vs. conservatism
Six years in the US: summer camps, basketball coaching, cold calls to carpet and jewelry buyers, and building his own import-wholesale venture
Returning to India and expanding into carpets, jewelry, events, and communications
TiE Rajasthan: from reluctant member to global chair - and how a Jaipur retreat made him a household name in the ecosystem
Co-founding RAIN in 2012 to plug Rajasthan’s funding gap
First exits: Capacita Connect (3.5x), Hotify (4.5x) - and the confidence to go full-time into startups
The Swishin Ventures playbook: seed-to-Series A, $200K–500K first cheques, consumer tech, BFSI, healthcare, and deep tech
Why Tier-II/III founders are his bet for India’s next decade of unicorns

Whether you’re a founder seeking your first cheque, an angel navigating misses and exits, or an operator wondering how ecosystems get built, this episode is packed with candid lessons on risk, resilience, and reinvention.

Chapters
04:07 – Carpets, childhood in Jaipur, and a mother’s influence
12:21 – First trip to the US, coaching basketball, and selling rugs
23:39 – Diversifying into jewelry, cold calling jewelers across America
29:24 – Event management, Jaipur Virasat Foundation, and discovering management chops
32:06 – TiE Rajasthan, the Jaipur retreat, and entry into global circles
35:05 – First pitches (Razorpay, Zostel) and early mistakes in angel investing
40:02 – The exits that changed everything and pushed him full-time into startups
45:04 – Starting Swishin Ventures: thesis, strategy, and why Tier-II/III India
52:41 – What Mahavir looks for in founders approaching Swishin
56:15 – The dream: fund after fund, 100 enduring companies, and a legacy of wealth creation


More about our Guest
Linkedin -   / mahavir-pratap-sharma-26476915  

Learn more about your host, Anirudh A. Damani:
Website: https://www.showmedamani.com
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LinkedIn:   / showmedamani  
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