BVR Mohan Reddy

Saranam Ventures invests in early-stage startups at the seed stage or pre-series A stage. Saranam Ventures has invested in 15 startups during the last few years. The focus area has been Health Tech, Enterprise Tech, FinTech, Green Tech, and Consumer Tech. Saranam Ventures is looking for investments in the area of IoT, Data Analytics, AR/VR, Technology SAAS models, Cloud-based services, Digital Platforms, and Sustainable Social Ventures.

BVR Mohan Reddy

Saranam Ventures is promoted by Mr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Founder & Executive Chairman of Cyient Ltd. Having established Cyient (formerly Infotech Enterprises) in 1991, Mohan Reddy pioneered computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) solutions serving international clients. Cyient is consistently ranked among the top 15 IT services exporters from India . Cyient is also the largest independent exporter of high-value research and development (R&D) services from India. 7 of the top 10 global Aerospace companies, 5 of the top 5 global Rail companies, 2 of the top 5 global Semiconductor companies, 7 of the top 10 heavy equipment companies are Cyient’s customers. Today, Cyient has revenues of around US$ 550 million. Cyient has generated cumulative export revenue of US$ 2 billion. Cyient employs approximately 14,000 engineers across 38 locations globally.

Mr. Mohan Reddy has been an industry voice and has been representing the industry concerns and challenges at various forums. He has served as Chairman, NASSCOM (The National Association of Software and Services Companies) during 2015-16 and has chaired the Engineering Services Forum of NASSCOM. He also serves as Honorary Consul of Federal Republic of Germany for states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and is the second Indian to receive this honour from the German Government.  Mohan Reddy has immense passion towards promoting education in India.  Towards this, he also serves as Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT, Hyderabad since 2012. He has also been appointed as a Director on the Board of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and is member on the Board of NIIT University, Neemrana. Mohan Reddy is also a Founding Director of T-Hub, the largest incubation centre in India for start-ups by Government of Telangana and the founding director of Hyderabad Angels.

Mohan Reddy has been bestowed with multiple awards and recognitions. Mohan Reddy has been recently awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution to Trade and Industry category in 2017. He was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by Hyderabad Management Association (HMA) in 2016. He was the first Indian and seventh globally to receive the prestigious ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Leadership Award in 2011 for outstanding leadership in advancing the use of computers in information engineering.  In 2012, under his leadership, Cyient received Corporate Excellence Award from IACC (Indo American Chamber of Commerce) as the Best Indian Company Operating in the US under the Technology & Communications Category. He received “Distinguished Alumnus Award” by IIT, Kanpur and has been felicitated as “Distinguished Scientist” by AP Science Congress 2010.

Mohan Reddy holds a graduate degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering, Kakinada, India. He did his post-graduation from the IIT, Kanpur and the University of Michigan, ANN Arbor, USA. Mohan Reddy was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, Honorary D. Sc. from the Andhra University, Vishakapatnam, and Doctor of Science Honoris Causa from KL University, Vijayawada.

What do I look for in founders and companies before investing
At early stage we are basically looking for a good team with sustainable business model. We would like to see serious founders who have experience of atleast 10+ years in the area of their startup or technology. We would like to see clear roles and responsibilities allocation to each co-founders and few paying customers to verify the feasibility and strength of the business model.

One of the key elements that we keenly observe in the startups is their thoughts on Values & Ethics. We would like the startups to follow all the laws of the land and create a business within the framework of government policy and regulation. We feel that a sustainable organization can only be built with the right values and ethics and we would like to see the same in the promoter’s thoughts and ideas.

Area of interest

While there is an enormous growth potential for Indian startups in almost every industry, we are primarily focusing on the following sectors: Health Tech, Enterprise Tech, FinTech, Consumer Tech, and Green Tech. We are looking for startups which are either creator of new technology or are an extensive user of technology in creating a sustainable value proposition to the customer.