What does it take to build India’s pioneering impact-investing platform from a ₹5,000 bank balance, a cold email, and sheer conviction? In Episode 73 of #DamaniTalks, we delve deep into the ‘Aavishkaar’ story with Founder & Vice Chairman, Vineet Rai – from launching Intellecap and backing India’s earliest microfinance pioneers to buying a troubled NBFC with his own money and turning it around in 45 days.

This is a masterclass in building institutions the hard way: brick by brick, cycle after cycle. At 25, Vineet became CEO of India’s first grassroots innovation incubator. A few years later, he raised capital off a living-room pitch, structured his first fund without lawyers, and made a ₹10 lakh first bet that ultimately returned 45x.

Highlights:

– The ₹10 lakh first cheque that became a 45x exit and what almost went wrong
– How a cold email to Singapore kickstarted Aavishkaar’s first commitments
– Surviving the 2010 AP microfinance crisis: from triple-digit returns to near zero – and back
– Buying Arohan for ₹12 crore and turning it profitable in 45 days
– The “incubate + invest” playbook: Intellecap, talent pipelines, and building operating muscle
– Why founders must “save themselves from themselves” as scale arrives
– Fund VI, professional leadership, and preparing for Fund VII

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or operator, this episode reframes risk, resilience, and responsible scale. Tune in for candid lessons, contrarian calls, and a rare blueprint for building institutions that last.

More about our Guest, Vineet Rai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vineet-rai-536160/?originalSubdomain=in

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