Written by Sameer Kamat

We’ve been seeing an increasing number of folks (who come to us for the MBA MAP, MBA essays, Career MAP) aiming to get into product management roles. Many are from the technology industry. Some are hoping to use the MBA path to get product manager jobs that allow them to move to the business side. But the role of a product manager isn’t confined to the technology industry. There are people who are currently working in the FMCG industry or in the area of high fashion and they have the same designation.

It is fascinating to hear stories about how things work across various industries. Someone we worked with recently shared stories about how he manages endorsement contracts with celebrities, including a recent one with Katrina Kaif. I’ll leave you to guess what product was.

Written by Sameer Kamat

You might have heard about psychometric tests when you were applying for your first job. If you haven’t, fret not. Unless you are the monogamous, one-job-for-life kinda person, you’ll have many opportunities to experience the joys of tackling psychometric tests in one form or another. You may have wondered what it is about these mind-numbing series of aptitude test questions and answers that make the higher educational universities (colleges & business schools) and the not-so-higher echelons of the corporate world lap them up with relish.

Written by Sameer Kamat

In the previous post we cover the basics of venture capital. If you missed it here’s the post – What is Venture capital?

In this post we list down the prominent venture capital firms in India. Many of these These are the firms with the most active and multiple venture capital funds i.e. in terms of investments made.

Venture Capital Firms in India

Some of the venture capital firms in India operate out of multiple locations. So we have categorised it based on the primary city for each.

Written by Sameer Kamat

In our mini-series on venture capital jobs, we covered the basics of VC (What is Venture Capital?) and the money involved (read – Venture Capitalist salary range in India & USA). You might be wondering how you could get a venture capital job. Unfortunately, given the attractive nature of the industry & the fantastic perks at stake, thousands of extremely capable folks like you are doing the same. In fact, many have gone beyond just pondering about it. They have been exploring all possible avenues to break into the best venture capital firms in India and abroad. And they’ve been doing this for years.

So what is it that makes getting venture capital jobs so damn difficult?

Written by Sameer Kamat

Our highly effective Crystal Ball tells us that you’d like to earn a venture capitalist salary and retire early. Correct? If the answer is No, just wait till you finish reading this post. Before you go and talk to the venture capital firms in India or USA or anywhere else, it’s important that you do your homework.

We started the journey with an overview of venture capital. Here’s the post (What is venture capital?). In this post, we get into a typical venture capital firm and try to understand the pecking order i.e. the various designations, who does what and how much they can earn.

Written by Sameer Kamat

It’s a common topic for group discussions and MBA interviews. ‘Entrepreneurs are born not made. Discuss.’ says the moderator and the shortlisted candidates (who’ve never had any exposure to entrepreneurship) take off on a passionate and agressive spiel. If you’ve ever see the MTV Roadies audition rounds, you can visualise what’s happening.
Unfortunately, the evaluation process encourages and incentivises applicants to take a clear (often, black or white) stand. Even more ironic is the fact that these guys who are fighting hard to make a point will never take up entrepreneurship after they complete their MBA. Read this post –> MBA Entrepreneurs: Why many bschool grads may never launch a startup.
So we thought it might help to know the views of someone who has been a successful entrepreneur for a long time. Cambridge MBA and entrepreneur Neeraj Agarwal (who first got a dhamakedaar introduction on our blog here –> Please come back to India. Your country needs you) is back. In this new series on entrepreneurship and startups, he will share his experience and knowledge with aspiring entrepreneurs.

Written by Sameer Kamat

Venture Capital in India has been generating a lot of interest, but it pales in comparison to the obsession you’ll find among the U.S. startup community. If you are interested in entrepreneurship or finance, it is important for you to understand how venture capital funds work, who runs them, where the money comes from, what they look for in start-ups and what they expect from you after they’ve transferred a whole lot of money in your startup account.

In this new mini-series on MBA Crystal Ball, we’ll cover some basic ground so you can carry on an intelligent conversation (peppered with the appropriate jargon) with VCs and entrepreneurs, without revealing the fact that you don’t have an MBA.

Till you gain more expertise in the field, let’s try to manage with the 20-percent-knowledge- 80-percent-confidence formula. Alright, let’s dive in.

Written by Sameer Kamat

Which of these statements would you love to hear yourself say?
1. “I’m a strategy consultant with McKinsey”
2. “I’m an investment banker in Morgan Stanley”
3. “I am attending a top MBA program”
What if you were able to say all of these at some point in your career? That’d be pretty cool, right? Sayanta Dutta is someone who’s been there done that. While most folks struggle to get into McKinsey after an MBA, Sayanta managed to get into one of the most selective & the best strategy consulting firms in the world, without an MBA. And no, he’s not from IIT. Here’s a story that highlights the importance of potential & talent over formal qualifications.

Written by Sameer Kamat

In our ongoing series on non-MBA careers, we cover yet another interesting field – Diet and Nutrition. The best part about a nutritionist’s career – even if you don’t end up wealthy, you’ll at least be healthy. Ah, so poetic!
If Surabhi Rao looks familiar to you, it’s because she participated in the Miss India 2011 pageant and has worked on several modeling assignments.
She is a highly diet conscious nutritionist and has previously engaged as a dietitian & nutrition counsellor with VLCC. She recently moved into corporate life and is now a Director in her family business.
Though she whole heartedly enjoys dancing and reading, she confesses that she doesn’t quite enjoy working out.

Written by Sameer Kamat

My friend and Cambridge MBA graduate Neeraj Agarwal had the good fortune of meeting the Prime Minister of India Mr Manmohan Singh in Cambridge (UK). Neeraj was a student at the Judge Business School in 2006 when Mr Singh visited the University of Cambridge to accept his honorary degree in Law. Incidentally, Mr Singh already has Oxbridge credentials on his resume. He studied at Cambridge (St John’s College) and Oxford (Nuffield College).

After the formal speech, Neeraj approached the PM for a short, informal tete-a-tete. Mr Singh asked him what he was studying. As the PM started moving out, he had these words to say