SK Associates: Sourcing and Closing an Investor Relationship with Dhulakia Ventures
Sourced, engaged, and closed an MOU with an investor who had initially declined to connect.
Aakash .
Growth Opportunity Analytics (Mobility) Intern at Frost & Sullivan
From their time as
Research Associate Intern
SK Associates & Group • 2025 - 2025
Overview
One of Aakash's primary responsibilities at SK Associates was to identify and engage PE and VC firms that could be brought into the firm's investor network. The firm acted as a link between startups and investors, and building that investor side of the network required outreach via LinkedIn, email, and calls, followed by meetings and, where possible, signed MOUs.
The Story
One of Aakash's primary responsibilities at SK Associates was to identify and engage PE and VC firms that could be brought into the firm's investor network. The firm acted as a link between startups and investors, and building that investor side of the network required outreach via LinkedIn, email, and calls, followed by meetings and, where possible, signed MOUs.
One engagement that stood out was with Dhulakia Ventures. The founder initially declined to connect, citing concerns about the scale of the opportunity. Aakash persisted and convinced them to take at least a Google Meet call.
In that conversation, he walked them through how SK Associates operated, clarified that there was no financial cost to the investor for joining the network, and explained the value proposition: access to a curated portfolio of startups across sectors and ticket sizes, and the reputational benefit of being associated with the firm's government grant and funding activities. He also shared the firm's existing startup portfolio to demonstrate credibility.
The outcome was a signed MOU. Aakash's role concluded at that point; the relationship was handed to senior management for startup matching based on the investor's sector and ticket size preferences.