As CEO of the world’s largest venture capital funding firm with a network of 1,000 VC funds globally, Samir Dahotre specializes in substantial investments, ranging from ₹1 crore to ₹1,000 crore. He has guided many startups through mentorship calls, sharing valuable insights gained from building relationships with industry leaders. Samir emphasizes the importance of networking, sales skills, and having a competitive mindset for entrepreneurs, encouraging them to solve everyday problems through innovative solutions.

Samir Dahotre is the Founder and CEO of PSI, which claims to be the largest Venture Capital Funding/ PE Investing Network in the world.

Under his leadership, PSI boasts a remarkable portfolio of 1,000 VC funds from over 30 countries, making it a pivotal partner for startups around the globe. The company operates as an investment banking firm, specializing in helping startups raise substantial funds, typically from ₹1 crore to ₹1,000 crore.

Additionally, PSI features an angel network that invites angel investors to invest amounts ranging from ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore, further solidifying its reputation as an investment banker.

Samir Dahotre receives numerous requests on LinkedIn from individuals seeking guidance for their startups. He has mentored approximately 20-30 startups, providing valuable advice through one-on-one calls. While he takes a fee from college students, he has helped many struggling startups without charge, having conducted around 3,000 to 4,000 mentorship calls.

Throughout his career, Samir Dahotre has forged valuable relationships with prominent industry leaders. He has met influential figures such as Senior Executives from the Reliance Industries Chairman's Office, executives from companies like the Adani Group, TPG Capital, Premji Invest where he met Premji himself, and Narayana Murthy, the esteemed founder of Infosys. These interactions underscore the importance of relationship-building in the fundraising landscape, where startup companies seek experienced investment bankers or firms to facilitate meetings with potential investors.

Born and raised in South Mumbai, Samir grew up in an affluent area that includes Malabar Hill and Nepean Sea  Road. The legendary JRD Tata himself used to live in the building where Dahotre lived, and which is located opposite the iconic Antilia building. His father served as the Chairman of the Bank of India, which provided him with a comfortable lifestyle, despite being a PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) employee. Growing up among friends who were rich diamond merchants, Samir's childhood was filled with a variety of experiences.

Remembering his childhood memories,  Samir Dahotre recalls that he was not interested in WWF wrestling that his friends mostly talked about. He remembers he was called to play cricket because he was the one who had stumps for wickets required to play cricket. Samir is the youngest of four siblings, with three elder sisters who adored listening to Michael Jackson. His first exposure to music was through Michael Jackson's album "Beat It," which left a lasting impression on him. Music has remained an integral part of his life throughout his schooling and beyond, reflecting the diverse influences that have shaped Samir Dahotre as both an individual and a leading entrepreneur.

Samir had over 200 audio tapes, as he never owned a CD player like some of his wealthier friends. Fascinated by the artwork on the tapes, he would often xerox the covers and create his own colorful drawings, particularly dragons.

He completed his schooling and earned an Engineering degree in Electronics from Mumbai. At that time, more than 80% of his classmates aspired to pursue a master's degree in the U.S. However, Samir struggled with coding. In his third and fourth years, he discovered a book called "DataQuest," which focused on computer hardware, igniting his interest in Electronics and Hardware Engineering.

After earning his degree, Samir started a career in sales and landed his first job at HCL HP, one of India's top three hardware companies alongside PCL and Wipro, with HCL renowned for its sales prowess. He thrived in a competitive environment at HCL, where numerous employees used to vie for success. The aggressive sales culture there taught him valuable lessons about competitiveness.

Reflecting on his time at HCL, he notes that many people mistakenly categorize salespeople as either good or bad. He believes success in sales is largely about leads and emphasizes the need for competitiveness. Foreign companies consistently seek salespeople adept at pitching products and services, and effective salespeople instill confidence in clients, which can lead to successful funding.

With 20 years of sales experience, Samir Dahotre later founded PSI, initially an e-commerce company, where he gained extensive knowledge of the technical aspects of running a startup. He points out that many successful venture capital funds are typically managed by tech entrepreneurs rather than finance professionals. Although Dahotre himself does not have a finance background, he believes he possesses insights that finance experts often overlook. He claims his company can achieve five times the success of other VC firms.

Dahotre shares that when he started his company, it took him two to three years to build a network without earning a single penny. During that time, he worked on providing consultation to projects as a side gig. He believes that anyone working at companies like Infosys can also launch a startup by focusing on their prototype and ideation. He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to save at least 5 to 10 lakh rupees to survive during the initial two to three years after launching your startup.

He encourages individuals to be lenient with themselves, reminding them that not everyone can achieve success like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg—as these figures are exceptional and are one in millions. He suggests having two or three co-founders for any start up, as having a single founder can significantly increase the risk of failure. In case of having co-founders not being feasible, he emphasizes forming a robust business team.

Samir Dahotre also has an important message for women entrepreneurs: they should stop identifying themselves solely as women entrepreneurs. He encourages them to focus not on gender but on their capabilities and to avoid projecting weakness. He points out that some of the best startups are led by women. He mentions a woman from Sweden, now living in the U.S., who has created the world's first non-invasive testing device for diabetics called InvoSense. This device tracks sugar levels through sweat collected from the armpit, eliminating the need for blood samples. Her company is giving competition to world leaders like Avid Labs and Dexcom, and she has received acquisition offers from top Indian groups.

Dahotre believes that startups mainly aim for acquisition, which can lead to significant growth. He cites examples like Skype and LinkedIn, both of which were acquired by Microsoft, and highlights their outstanding progress after acquisition without promoting each other.

Samir Dahotre’s advice for new aspirants is not to go after entrepreneurships directly as it is a challenging move that requires a great deal of energy. Before venturing into entrepreneurship, he had a successful career in sales, earning recognition as a star performer at HCL and being a global winner at Microsoft. In his previous roles, he often found himself in discussions with software teams whenever there were complaints about Infosys software, highlighting the professionalism prevalent within these companies.

He stresses the importance of networking, which he considers underrated but essential for success. According to him, building a network is crucial for career growth, as those who leverage their personality and charm often attain quicker promotions.

Samir Dahotre shares insights about mistakes to avoid when entering entrepreneurship. While he believes he has not made any big mistakes himself—citing that even his e-commerce company is a successful venture which has taught  him a valuable learning experience—he advises new entrepreneurs to spend at least a year researching their chosen fields before launching a startup. For example, if someone intends to create a healthcare platform connecting doctors and patients, they should research existing competitors and explore what unique offerings they can provide.

He offers several key points to consider for those starting a business. First, he recommends having two or three co-founders and signing a founders' agreement that outlines each person's commitment for a defined period, which protects against potential legal issues. Additionally, he advises assessing the company's financial landscape based on the capabilities of the founders. Entrepreneurs should save enough cash to support the startup in the beginning and be prepared to dedicate two years to it, knowing that even if the startup fails, their experience will enhance their job prospects in technical roles.

In the startup journey, Dahotre emphasizes the importance of acquiring various skills, including digital marketing, content creation (like writing blogs), and sales strategies, to foster growth and effectively launch a product. He notes that understanding these aspects is crucial for building an audience and promoting a product successfully.

He highlights examples of innovative startups, such as a diabetic health-focused company that secured one million dollars in funding prior to launching its product, and XenaTherapy, which raised 100 million dollars before entering the U.S. market. These examples illustrate the trend of obtaining significant funding to support product development and market entry, which can provide startups a competitive edge.

Dahotre cites the example of the popular water filter, Aquaguard which is priced at ₹15,000 and points out that India lacks a more affordable alternative to the product. He sees this as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to develop a lower-cost replacement. They may also tackle other issues like road pollution. His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to identify everyday problems and create solutions around them. He emphasizes the importance of passion, encouraging entrepreneurs to start early and launch their products as soon as possible, even if they aren't perfect.

By engaging with potential customers and refining the product based on feedback, entrepreneurs can improve their offerings over time. For example, a doctor could begin by sharing valuable content on LinkedIn, such as a blog for pediatric care, to build an audience. With as few as 5,000 followers, they could successfully launch a product into the market. Samir believes that if users spend 10-15 minutes on your app and recommend it to others, your product will have strong potential and could achieve good organic growth.

When asked about his role models, Samir Dahotre credits his father as a role model for him. His father became the chairman of a bank at the age of 52, an impressive achievement. He was known for networking with a wide range of people, including politicians, as part of his banking career. Samir recalls his father's advice that you should always go on obliging people without expecting anything in return.

Samir is married, and his wife is the co-founder of his company. They have an 18-year-old daughter who is studying Psychology. He considers both his wife and his daughter as his mentors, believing that your family is a constant source of guidance and support. One of his former bosses at Microsoft taught him how to read and analyze annual reports of companies, specifically focusing on the Management Discussion and Analysis (MDA) section.

Dahotre learned that when pitching to a company, such as Axis Bank, it's crucial to understand their strategic direction—like their intended move into digital banking—and tailor the pitch to highlight how your product can meet their specific needs. For Samir, effective sales aren't about overwhelming the customer, it is not  about selling your 20 features, it is all about selling 5 features that truly align with what the customer wants.

Samir Dahotre takes great pride in his out-of-box achievements. One of the most significant experiences for him was when his dog was kidnapped. He organized a dog hunt with his office team, which included scanning CCTV footage, reaching out to various community groups in South Mumbai via WhatsApp, and putting up banners throughout the area. His efforts were so intense that the kidnapper ultimately returned the dog. He believes that the kidnapper did so, because he realized that the dog’s breed would not give him any high return. Dahotre considers this one of his biggest accomplishments and has documented a comprehensive guide outlining steps for anyone to find lost pets or finding a lost child.

Another notable achievement for him is related to his younger cousin, who suffered a brain injury in an accident. Dahotre, a former senior employee of Infosys, negotiated with the company’s management and successfully secured non-working employee benefits for him for four years. Although changes in company policy eventually led to his cousin's departure from the company.

In his free time, Samir enjoys reading, though he prefers books that offer practical insights, particularly those about founders of companies and their real-life experiences, rather than those that are overly theoretical. He also loves listening to music.

One key message that Samir Dahotre would like to share with everyone is that his journey into entrepreneurship began out of necessity. He notes that many of us pass time after 9 PM by watching movies or playing games, but he found value in shifting from entertainment to self-education. He started learning from YouTube, exploring stories about companies like Adani, Louis Vuitton, McDonald's, and KFC, as well as other business empires. These resources provided him with quick and valuable lessons on how businesses grow and succeed in the market.

Samir Dahotre believes that YouTube has become a powerful new source of information, offering a wide range of content that can educate and inspire. In contrast, LinkedIn, though valuable, offers more limited learning opportunities. He advises filtering out genuine LinkedIn contributors who share insightful company information and using your free time to read and learn from these resources. By consistently creating and sharing your own content over five years, you can build a strong following and lay the foundation for future success.

His life mantra is "always be selling." He emphasizes that if you're not skilled in sales, particularly in a startup, you should learn how to sell by combining it with technical knowledge. He believes that successful fundraising is 50% the founder's vision and 50% financial acumen, making it essential to have a clear path to securing funds. Looking ahead, Samir cautions that in the coming years, 20-30% of jobs may be replaced by robots, leading to an existential crisis for many. To stay ahead, he encourages continually developing new skills, such as learning SEO or Digital Marketing. He notes that even tech professionals can earn significant income by creating videos, but warns that YouTube requires patience, as it takes time to build a large enough audience for monetization.

Dahotre also stresses the importance of financial discipline, advising never to borrow more than you can afford to repay. He stresses that an entrepreneurial journey is far from glamorous. For most people, a corporate job offers a more stable and less stressful path. The reality of startup life is that failure is always a possibility, and if a startup fails, finding another job can be challenging.

Finally, Samir Dahotre emphasizes the importance of maintaining good health and maintaining a positive outlook. He advises not to overreact to challenges but to stay focused on your goals and well-being.

One important message Dahotre wishes to convey to startups is that while being proficient in various areas is essential, those lacking in sales skills must approach life with a competitive mindset. Instead of focusing on trending figures like Elon Musk, he encourages entrepreneurs to concentrate on their own journey and actively engage on LinkedIn to share their perspectives.