Ep. 7: How Sathya Sampat Built BoldCap: Lessons on Starting a VC Fund & Backing SaaS

🚀 What does it take to build a VC fund from scratch? In this episode, we sit down with Sathya Sampat, the Founder and Managing Partner of BoldCap, to explore his incredible journey of starting and running a venture capital fund focused on early-stage SaaS startups. BoldCap is a VC fund that specializes in backing early-stage SaaS startups originating from India. With a mission to help these startups scale globally, BoldCap has already made a mark with investments in companies like SpendFlo, Testsigma, and SpotDraft. Here's what you’ll learn in this episode: 🛠️ The preparation required to launch a VC fund 💼 How to find early LPs for your fund 💡 Challenges while raising a fund and tips for sourcing LPs 🚀 Sathya's approach to picking startups 📈 The art of figuring out the right valuation for startups 👥 What the day-to-day of running a VC fund looks like and insights into the BoldCap team This conversation is packed with actionable insights for anyone curious about the VC world, building a fund, or understanding how early-stage investing works. Whether you’re an aspiring VC, a founder seeking funding, or just curious about the behind-the-scenes of venture capital, this episode is for you. 👉 Chapters: Check out the timestamps to dive into specific parts of the conversation. 00:00 - Teaser 00:40 - Introduction 03:14 - What made Sathya leave his previous venture to start BoldCap - his VC Fund? 07:38 - Steps Sathya took to prepare himself to start a fund 11:35 - What did Sathya do when raising Fund 1 for BoldCap and who were his partners in crime? 15:46 - What did day-to-day look like during the early days of raising Fund 1? Who were his early LPs? 22:10 - Where do you find LPs for your VC Fund? 24:10 - What are the challenges that someone needs to aware of when raising a VC Fund? 29:18 - How many LPs anchored BoldCap's first Fund? 30:09 - How Sathya sourced his first few deals - SpendFlo, Testsigma & SpotDraft? 44:00 - How does Sathya decide what is the right valuation for companies that he invests in? 47:48 - What does it take to run a VC fund? What does the BoldCap team look like? 51:40 - Rapidfire 54:35 - Debrief - what we took away from our conversation with Sathya 💬 Let us know your favorite part of the conversation in the comments! If you’re interested in startups, venture capital, or entrepreneurship, hit Subscribe and stay tuned for more conversations like this. #VentureCapital #BoldCap #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #startup #funding