What Vani Kola looks for in an entrepreneur

Vani Kola is a leader who I deeply respect and admire. I have known her for many years and she talks to the entrepreneur in me. That perhaps stems from the fact that she has been an entrepreneur herself and understands what all it takes to build a venture from the ground up.

What also connected me deeply to Vani was her appreciation and understanding for stories and what stories could do and be. She understood the intent behind YourStory and the strength and weaknesses too. She is very sharp, and knows what you tell her and gets what you don't tell her too. I think it requires tremendous amount of empathy and intelligence and she’s got an abundance of both. She is not one to give an arm-chair view of things. She gets it and helps you like a true partner. I guess she takes joy in making the entrepreneurs shine.

When I thought of raising capital, I was not looking for an investor but for people who really believe in and are as passionate about the vision and work of YourStory as I am. I am grateful that I have found a true partner to work with in the new/growth phase of YourStory. I can relate to her not only on the business values that we both share, but also because I believe our views on the fundamentals of working, our core beliefs and the mutual vision to build an ethical and principled organization are aligned.

I look forward to this new journey together with excitement.

In this video interaction, Vani talks about the qualities in an entrepreneur that catch her eye.

Camera: R Raja

Editor: Anjali