Sushanto Mitra: The Man Behind India’s First Private Angel Network
Sushanto Mitra, the Founder and CEO of Lead Angels, which is India’s first privately owned angel network. With more than 30 years of experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, and startup investments, Sushanto is helping shape the future for young companies and investors alike.
The Start of Lead Angels
When Sushanto started Lead Angels over 10 years ago, there were hardly any professional ways for early-stage startups to raise money. Angel investing was mostly informal and didn’t offer much structure or support. He saw this gap and decided to build a platform that would bring discipline, transparency, and expert help to young startups.
Today, Lead Angels is not just a network, it’s a movement. It has helped hundreds of startups grow from small ideas into full-fledged companies. Sushanto has now taken it one step further by launching Lead Invest-NxtGen, which allows retail investors—people like you and me—to also invest in startups with smaller ticket sizes, but with the same expert-level research and support that big venture capitalists get.
What Makes Startups Succeed?
According to Sushanto, successful startups usually have three important things:
1. Strong and clear founders who know what they want but are also open to change.
2. Quick action-takers who don’t waste time and keep improving their ideas.
3. Customer focus, where the team listens to users and builds what they actually need.
He believes that more than a great product, it’s the resilience of the founder that matters most. “Good products can change, but a committed founder makes all the difference,” he says.
When it comes to picking startups for investment, Lead Angels looks at a few main things, does the founder really understand the market? Is the idea new or unique? And can this idea grow into something big? Even if the company doesn’t have strong traction yet, they are evaluated through expert panels and domain specialists. This gives both the startup and the investors a better chance at success.
Sushanto is no stranger to nurturing startups. Before starting Lead Angels, he was the first CEO of SINE, the business incubator at IIT Bombay. Under his leadership, SINE became one of India’s best incubators, even winning an award from the President of India.
Some of the startups he helped back then, like IdeaForge, GupShup, and Atomberg, are now leaders in their industries. His work shows how important the right support and mentorship is, especially in the early stages of a startup’s journey.Educational Institutions Can Do More
With his background in IIT Bombay and other top colleges, Sushanto strongly believes that Indian educational institutions can play a much bigger role in supporting entrepreneurship. While they offer knowledge, research, and talent, they must also offer business thinking, market access, and real investor connections to make student ideas succeed in the real world.
Lessons from a Book of Real Stories
Sushanto also co-wrote a book titled Funding My Startup & Other Nightmares, which shares real-life stories of Indian founders. The goal was to give readers a true picture of startup life, the ups, the downs, and the emotional rollercoaster in between. One story he remembers well is about a founder who said no to big offers just to stay independent and build a long-term brand. His takeaway? “Be obsessed with your idea, but also stay financially smart.”
What’s Next for Startups in India?
Looking at the future, Sushanto is excited about areas like:
• AI and Deep Tech, especially in health and defense
• EV Infrastructure, like battery swapping and fleet tech
• AgriTech and Climate Tech, solving big problems like food safety and water use
He believes India has the talent and drive to not just catch up with the world but to lead it in these fields.
<p>The post Sushanto Mitra: The Man Behind India’s First Private Angel Network first appeared on Hello Entrepreneurs.</p>
