Essentials of building a successful startup | Gunarjun Chawla

• ByStartupStory     |    January 3, 2022

On building foundations, how the startup landscape shifts

“When you’re doing startups- don’t think, just do it because that’s the mantra which I started with and I did. A lot of people around you will say, ‘why are you doing this? You should focus on your studies or focus on your career’ … Try to ignore the white noises because those noises will shut down when you’re successful,” said Gunarjun Chawla, independent consultant and serial entrepreneur with over five years of experience, in an exclusive interview with Startup Story.

The Indian startup sector today is growing at a breakneck speed, and as more and more people decide to dedicate themselves to their unique visions, the task of laying the foundation of a successful startup becomes increasingly daunting.

First time founders may often find themselves in a state of confusion about whom to approach for funding and how to acquire it. That’s where Gunarjun Chawla comes into the picture.

An entrepreneur and a consultant

Gunarjun began his professional journey at KPMG India as a Consultant, before which he founded and built startups in healthtech, technology and automation, and e-commerce. 

“Running a startup, you need to be a part of everything when the company is starting out- from doing the admin processes to actually actually making the business model to pitching it to investors, getting your first customer, so being in a startup helped me understand the end-to-end of a company,” stated Gunarjun.

He holds that his experience running startups helped him enhance his functioning as a consultant. Furthermore, hos involvement in the landscape allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of his curriculum during his MBA. Today, Gunarjun connects startups with the right investors to help them take their companies forward.

What makes a startup click

“What I’ve realised is- and it may sound like a very MBA answer-it depends,” stated Gunarjun when asked about what it is about a startup that makes investors want to invest.

Gunarjun, having spent about half a decade as a consultant, has realised that a variety of factors leads to startups raising funds. In early age startups, investors tend to look at the founder and team- their credentials, their potential, their zeal; and the central idea of the startup. The longer a startup has existed, the more emphasis is placed on its performance in the market and less on the team- with financials (current and projections) being a key anchor to the deal.

On the startup ecosystem

Gunarjun revealed that one of the biggest changes he’s observed in the ecosystem is the way startups interact with investors. Back when he was starting out, securing funding was a huge deal on its own. Today, startups have the opportunity to analyze whether an investor is right for their company.

“Earlier it was an investor market, now it’s a startup market. Startups are getting multiple investors who want to invest in them and they are choosing the kind of investor they want,” he said.

As a part of the UK startup ecosystem as well, Gunarjun commented that there is a contrasting difference between the Indian and UK startup landscape. Historically the UK has been a hub for fintech companies. However, investor interest is currently gravitating towards companies with a cleantech and sustainability angle. While in India, a majority of startups are trying to enter the B2B SaaS space targeted towards supporting MSMEs.

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