Panel on Hidden Venture Capital Opportunities in Large Industrial Groups at the 7th Campus Summit Event
The seventh edition of the Pardis Summit event was held by Pardis Technology Park on March 5, 2023, with the aim of networking and exchanging experiences and knowledge in the field of technology, with the participation of investors, startups, accelerator managers, co-working spaces, and event organizers.
At this event, panels were held on the topic of analyzing the capacity of the law of knowledge-based production leap in the field of accelerators, artificial intelligence infrastructure in businesses, and hidden opportunities for venture capital in large industrial groups, with the presence of experts in the fields of venture capital and technology.
Solmaz Sadegnia, CEO of Golrang Ventures, and Taha Razavi, co-founder of shab Startup, participated in the panel “Hidden Opportunities for Venture Capital in Large Industrial Groups” and spoke about the world of venture capital and the relationship between investors and startups. The panel was moderated by Milad Sadkhanloo, Head of the Development and Trade Center of Pardis Technology Park.
According to Iran Deconomy ; At the beginning of this panel, Sadrkhanloo referred to the issue of investing in the field of technology and said: “Technology Investment has its own values and at the same time its own complexities and challenges.
But what happened when Golrang Industrial Group decided to invest in the field of venture technology?
Solmaz Sadegnia, in response to this question, pointed out that the venture capital arm of Golrang is Golrang Ventures, and said: “The entry of Golrang Industrial Group into innovative spaces is not new, and over the years, this group has dealt with various industries, including parent industries, fintech, agriculture, etc.”
He continued: “The existential philosophy of Golrang Ventures, which has been operating for a little over a year, is in three areas. First, responsibility for risk investments that occur in the Golrang area. Second, development of the innovation ecosystem in the company’s internal ecosystem, and third, interaction with the external innovation ecosystem.”
Investing in a startup at night
Continuing the discussion, Taha Razavi said regarding the startup “Shab” : “This startup has been active in the field of personal accommodation since 2016 and has hosted more than 2 million people so far. “Shab” has been able to provide professional services to all Golrang personnel over the years and has ultimately attracted capital from Golrang.”
Challenges of Investability
Regarding this issue, Razavi said: “20 percent of the shares of the startup Shab have been transferred to Golrang. When the capital increase takes place, it is true that the percentage of shares decreases, but at the same time the number of shares increases. The assets before the investment increase in the same proportion and the development line grows.”
Team: The most important investment factor
In another part of this panel, “Solmaz Sadegnia” stated that the most important factor in the Golrang Ventures investment at night, which had a great impact on increasing the speed of decision-making, was the composition of its co-founders. Three people, each of whom is an expert in a sector and has been working as the leader of that sector of the team for years, and this gives the investor more peace of mind.
Final words
Persistence was the key word that Taha Razavi mentioned in this panel. We are three co-founders who never get tired together. Every time one person feels helpless and tired, the other two are there and push the work forward with more effort.
Finally, Milad Sadkhanloo concluded the panel with the statement that lived experiences are not meant to be taught, but rather told as stories. Ultimately, each person will have their own interpretation of everything said.
