NXG


Opportunity knocks


A start as a door-to-door salesman in Texas has given next-generation angel investor and fourth-generation entrepreneur Anirudh Damani a unique perspective on business. Susan Lingeswaran finds out how


I WAS A DOOR-TO-DOOR SALESMAN FOR A COMPANY IN TE X AS SELLING PREMIUM ENERGY CONTRACTS


ANIRUDH DAMANI has a family history studded with a serious entrepreneurial pedigree. His great grandfather


Shri Chunnilal Damani was a reputed bullion trader in India, while his father and uncle, Ashok and Ramesh, both former Bombay Stock Exchange directors, are hailed as two of the most successful investors in the country. Using their family office,


K Damani Group, they have invested heavily in real estate, stockbroking and


hospitality—generating more than $50 million revenue last year. A perfect place for a


next-generation with a dream of investing in start-ups to learn the ropes, you would think. But after graduating from Austin College in Texas with a degree in Business Administration and Economics in 2005, the younger Damani’s first job could not have been further from the family business. “I was a door-to-door


salesman for a company in Texas [Pioneer Energy Resources] selling premium energy


30 CAMPDENFB.COM


contracts,” Damani explains from his office in Mumbai. “We were trying to


help businesses and homeowners cut their power costs by selling them higher rates, but at a fixed price. Back then it was a very new concept and there was no other way to sell it but to literally go to people’s homes and explain the concept face-to-face.” The matter-of-fact and


energetic way 35-year- old Damani tells his story speaks volumes about how he thrived in his new role as a


ISSUE 75 | 2019


M Y BU S I N E S S


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