Venture Capitalism & Founder Institute W/ Rawle Annandsingh

In this episode of the Sunbeam Chats Podcast, I am chatting with Rawle Annandsingh an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and a Director of
Founder Institute Caribbean, the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator. 

We talk about Rawle's studies, career trajectory and entrepreneurial journey; which began at a young age, leading his family’s automotive business before he later branched out into many ventures across multiple industries. 

We spoke about his ventures which earned international recognition; the food tourism startup TravelMeetEat was named a Top Startup by the UN World Tourism Organization and his AdTech company Tychon which gained acceptance into the prestigious Techstars accelerator.

Rawle talks about his passion for entrepreneurship and work with Caribbean Dragons; the goal was to create an enabling ecosystem for entrepreneurs in Trinidad & Tobago and the region. He then shares about his epiphany as it relates to where his passions lie and the shift he made to pursue projects that feed his soul and nurture his calling. 

Rawle unpacks for us about the world of venture capitalism, raising capital and  dealing with Venture Capitalist, plus the types of Founders that exists. He identifies the types of business that are most likely to attract funding.  

He mentions the types of investors; Venture Capitalist (VC), Angel Investors and Friends and Families, and what most VCs look for. 

He discusses what are lifestyle businesses, which are mainly businesses people start and manage for daily living to support their lives and family.  However to attract VC investment, your company must have potential to generate millions and billions. 

Rawle talks about the characteristics investors examine and look for in startups. Which are the Founding team, the problem being solved (big addressable market) and the solution (does it have a mote) what makes it unique or special. As in it should not be easily replicated. 

Rawle talks about how Venture Capitalism works; they are "money managers", who invest money into Founders and businesses. It is a high risk and potentially high reward environment within which they operate. Therefore the VCs are deliberate in who they invest in. VCs don't give a loan, however they will ask for a stake in the company which varies for each business. 

What does the investor landscape look like in the Caribbean? Rawle gives insight and talks about how our Caribbean culture most times influence our career choices and even our approach to business. He talks about what types of investment occur in the space and the types of startups which attract funding. 

He then speaks about the Founder Institute Caribbean their accelerator program and the work they are doing in the Caribbean. They also have their own VC firms, which startups if successful can benefit from. 

Lastly, he talks about his latest venture he is building a new Web3 FinTech startup called XBordr currently operating in stealth mode. It is a stable coin solution, specifically to enable tourism payments without borders. In this season of his life, it nurtures his entrepreneurial spirit and makes him a more emphatic leader to help Founders on their path, 

Today, Rawle continues to pioneer and build while continuing to mentor and support the next generation of Founders through his work at Founder Institute.