Show me the Money !!!
For months, I've been banging on doors – ecosystem players, funders, advisors – with the same desperate question: how do I raise money for V-ALL?
Some conversations started ages ago, others are fresh, but the answer's the same. Except for one name – Rohini (Nilekani) from RNP. Seriously? Is that it?
The reports scream about high net-worth individuals opening their wallets wider, and rethinking their giving. Where are they when citizen action needs funding?
"Just add climate!" they say. Great advice, if it wasn't for the ever-shifting funding trends. Edtech yesterday, fintech today, climate tomorrow. Leaders chase the flavour of the month, and here's V-ALL, a solution that screams "need of the hour". According to the article by Ingrid Srinath [Deccan Herald article] the need is very evident but convincing anyone is like pulling teeth.
Will I ever see a dime? Funding from RNP would be a dream – their vision aligns perfectly with V-ALL. But relying on one risk-taking philanthropist isn't sustainable.
The for-profit route? Forget it. Equity rounds make no sense for V-ALL right now. Grants, then? Fine, but where's the diversity in this funding landscape? Talking to more "players" just makes it clear: I have to build my own funders. Sell my vision, sell myself.
Valuation? Don't even get me started. They're all about Dhandha – that exponential growth, million-dollar dream. V-ALL doesn't fit that mould. Comparables? Non-existent. These "investors" are barking up the wrong tree.
Thank goodness for my network. Years of fundraising and personal connections might get me somewhere eventually. But "eventually" doesn't pay the bills.
This struggle only strengthens my resolve. We need a system change in giving! V-ALL is the answer – a model that disrupts the status quo, engages a wider audience, and builds lifelong giving journeys.
Sleepless nights are my reality. But non-profit leaders who've been at this for decades? The frustration must be crushing. The onus can't fall solely on them to chase the ever-shifting winds of philanthropy. We need a funding revolution, or we'll watch countless NGOs go under.
Let's get real. Let's get V-ALL funded. And let's build a better ecosystem for citizen action – together.