Vani is the Managing Director at Kalaari Capital, a venture capital firm based in Bangalore. She is a renowned investor and a visionary known for identifying emerging markets. Vani enjoys spending time with her family, practices yoga and Heartfulness meditation,believes in sustainable living and grows enough organic produce in her garden to meet her family’s needs.

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Vani Kola

<h4
 id="h-vani-kola-venture-capitalist-and-founder-of-kalaari-capital-is-interviewed-by-laya-iyer-about-moving-to-the-united-states-to-study-and-what-she-has-learned-from-her-experience-of-living-and-working-in-different-cultures-she-also-shares-her-views-on-the-value-of-direct-communication-and-setting-expectations">
 VANI
 KOLA, venture capitalist and founder of Kalaari Capital, is interviewed
 by
 LAYA IYER
 about moving to the United States to study, and what she has learned
 from her experience of living and working in different cultures. She
 also shares her views on the value of direct communication and setting
 expectations.
</h4>

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 Q: What were the most
 important things you learned when you moved to
 the US from India?



 VK:
 I moved when I was 20. It felt like limitless possibility. I was
 discovering my potential, both academic and creative. I was going into a
 university environment, a melting pot, so maybe the cultural shock was
 not too great. It was a stepping stone, because it was an insular
 environment. There were so many resources available – libraries, the
 variety of classes – and it was a time of enjoyable learning and having
 fun!



 Q: Are there any
 experiences or stories that stand out for you still
 today?



 VK:
 I found that people were mostly very helpful. I learned to ask. When you
 don’t know something, and you ask, people take the time to help you.
 That is something that has stayed with me. Also, how important it is to
 do the same for others. That’s on the positive side.



 During my first summer, I was looking for a job. I found one, but I
 didn’t think to ask, “How much are you going to pay me?” or “Is there a
 contract I need to sign?” Instead I said, “I want to work,” and they
 said, “Yeah, sure come on over.” I didn’t get paid at the end of the
 first month, but I couldn’t ask. I thought, “Oh well, maybe they’re just
 running late, and they’ll pay me later.” Obviously, that was very naive.



 I really needed that summer job, because as a student I didn’t have a
 lot of money. So, after six weeks, I said, “Hey, I just need to
 check when I’ll get paid.” They said, “But this was not a paid
 assignment. We didn’t say we’d pay you.”



 I learned two valuable lessons. One, never do that to somebody else
 because there is a cultural difference or naivety – do not try to
 benefit from somebody else’s ignorance. I think they knew I was
 ignorant, because I came from a different country, and I didn’t know to
 ask how much they would pay me, I just assumed they’d pay me. Leveraging
 somebody else’s ignorance burns that person up!



 The second important lesson was to be very clear about expectations,
 about anything, from anybody. Ask, be upfront, and don’t be shy about
 it. Often, people say, “Don’t worry, we’ll deal with it later.” And you
 don’t know when they’re going to deal with it or if they’re going to
 deal with it. “Let’s deal with it now, before we embark on something.
 Let’s have clarity.”



 Sometimes people think it’s not nice to ask, but my experience says it’s
 better to have very direct communication and clear expectations in a
 relationship, whether professional or personal. You can avoid unexpected
 disappointments, and you can avoid friction in relationships.



 Q: What’s the best piece
 of advice that you’ve received about being a
 woman in STEM?



 VK: I happen to
 be a woman who is working in STEM, but it’s not an
 identity. I think we label ourselves too much. I don’t want that. I
 don’t like to be boxed into those categories&nbsp; like, “What is it
 like to be a woman and a venture capitalist?” or “What is it like to be
 in technology?”



 If I were to give advice, it would be against overthinking or
 overanalyzing risks while taking decisions, and just going ahead with
 whatever it is that you are trying to do. Don’t try to be a conformist;
 don’t try to be a rebel either.


 <img decoding="async" width="700" height="583" alt="Clear-Communication12" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Clear_Communication2_49dac56a23.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T12:06:19.921Z" />
 
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 Q: What does
 #leveltheplayingfield mean to you?



 VK:
 Democratization of opportunity. It means that we are thoughtful about
 our unconscious bias and we change this to provide opportunity to people
 equally. For instance, in the context of working women, level the
 playing field means giving women the opportunity to continuously rise in
 their organizations.



 Q: And what’s your advice
 for people who are looking to be
 entrepreneurs? What are their next steps forward? What actions can
 they take?



 VK: First,
 build some experience. Also, to be an entrepreneur, it’s
 important that you are passionate about some idea, some problem you wish
 to solve, and have the skills required to solve it. Work systematically
 on developing these skills.



 Another is perseverance to achieve your goals. There may be many
 setbacks, so learn to deal with setbacks. And find the right mentors who
 can be there and can help you.



 Q: How would you go about
 finding a mentor? Or is there a specific
 way you recommend approaching people to be your mentor?



 VK: You have to
 be specific about what you are looking for. For instance, I
 am looking to understand how I can build my early sales compensation
 structure; or I’m trying to solve a design problem; or I’m trying to get
 some feedback on our marketing strategy. Approach mentors in a way that
 they can be in a problem-solving mode with you.



 Second, don’t look for mentors who can help you with everything. For
 instance, I may be the wrong person to ask, “How should I build a sales
 structure?” Ask people who can help you in a specific area?



 Q: Thank you so much for
 your time.



 VK: You’re
 welcome.


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Vani Kola

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