Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani is the founder of Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation, a philanthropist, angel investor, and an NFT evangelist. She has invested in over 100 startups and launched Rajeev Circle Fellowship to help Indian entrepreneurs connect and network with mentors, peers and seed investors. In this interaction she talks about the economic trends and investment opportunities in the Indian technology space. She is a keynote speaker at the P ..

Q – How can India become a five-trillion-dollar economy?

To begin with, we have to focus on sectors which have the potential to yield faster returns before moving on to large, long-gestation projects which are also capital intensive. IT, for example, requires lower capital investment and has low turn-around time. With the big changes that have taken place in the last two years, the growth of ‘work-from-home’ for example, there is great demand for technology that will enable companies to better adapt to and manage work when only some employees come to office, while others do so partly and some not at all. India is perhaps the best placed to develop and supply a lot of this technology and generate billions in revenue. But for this to happen we have to enable and empower our IT sector companies. Regulations need to be revisited and simplified so that our IT enterprises can be nimble and quick without being hampered in any way.

Q – As a venture capitalist, what do you think are some key changes that India needs to make to substantially boost investment into India?

Firstly, the regulations that require Indian unicorns to first go public in India before they can be listed on foreign bourses, such as NASDAQ, must be removed. This hurts Indian unicorns because it leads to long delays and drives down their valuation and diminishes their money raising potential. Secondly, we must not criminalize the infraction of any rules or laws unless there is clear criminal intent. In democratic countries, fines or penalties are imposed for any violation of, or non-compliance with, economic laws such as anti-monopoly laws. Businesspersons and companies know how to deal with the financial risks of fines or penalties, should they fall foul of the rules. The possibility of being arrested and locked up as a criminal, however, scares people away, no matter how potentially profitable their business opportunity is. With the recent crackdown in China on big tech companies, many foreign businesses want to move out of China. We should do everything to ensure that their first choice is to move to India.

Q – What are the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation’s plans regarding investment?

The Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation is a non-profit organization distinct from my venture capital companies. In the self-education industry, there are several world-class companies that have achieved great success in making learning possible without the need to go to school. The Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation looks to make impactful investments in such areas. Our aim is to support a global network of entrepreneurial thinkers, artists, writers, and tech innovators driven by the values of individual freedom and excellence.

Q – What are your own plans as a Venture Capitalist?

I am already active in several ventures such as self-driving warehouse vehicles and electric vehicles more generally. In addition, I am also very interested in SAAS – software as a service. I think this has great potential going forward. I believe adequate capital from VCs and government policies that incentivize business environment can lead to exponential growth and build an innovative sustainable start-up ecosystem.

Published at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com