Dinesh Agarwal

Overview

Dinesh Agarwal is a prominent angel investor and entrepreneur, best known as the founder and CEO of IndiaMART, India's largest online B2B marketplace. He has played a pivotal role in transforming the business ecosystem in India by connecting millions of micro and small enterprises with domestic and international buyers. Under his leadership, IndiaMART has grown to serve over 211 million registered users across the country. As an angel investor, Dinesh has invested in a diverse range of startups, primarily focusing on technology and e-commerce sectors. His portfolio includes companies such as medical app Curofy, crowdfunding platform Wishberry, marketing platform SilverPush, food tech startup InnerChef, developer startup AppVirality, and others. Notably, one of his investments, Little Eye Software Labs, was acquired by Facebook. Dinesh's investments span various industries, including healthcare, marketing, food tech, education, software development, data analytics, telecommunications, media, financial services, logistics, retail, consumer goods, and artificial intelligence. Dinesh's entrepreneurial journey began after completing his B.Tech in computer science from Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur. He worked with several organizations, including HCL America and C-Dot, before founding IndiaMART in 1996. His vision was to create a platform that would bring ease of doing business to India, leading to substantial innovation and digital transformation for enterprises. Over the years, Dinesh has been recognized for his contributions to the industry, including being named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023 by the Dun & Bradstreet Business Excellence Awards and Digital Person of the Year in 2020 by the India Digital Awards organized by IAMAI. Dinesh's commitment to supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is evident in his active involvement with organizations like the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). He serves on the Advisory Committee of Amity International Business School and has been a member of the Governing Council of IAMAI since 2015. His dedication to empowering SMEs and fostering entrepreneurship continues to drive his investments and initiatives, contributing significantly to the growth and development of India's business landscape.

Investment Focus

• Technology focus
• E-commerce focus
• Seed to growth stage companies
• Indian market focus
• Innovative business models
• Scalable operations
• Strong management teams
• Potential for significant impact
• Sustainable business practices
• Clear monetization strategies
• Competitive market positioning
• Ability to scale nationally and internationally
• Alignment with Dinesh's vision for digital transformation
• Commitment to supporting SMEs
• Focus on sectors with high growth potential
• Demonstrated product-market fit
• Strong customer acquisition strategies
• Clear exit strategies
• Ability to adapt to market changes
• Commitment to continuous innovation

Portfolio Companies