PropTech, FinTech, Energy, and Marketing Services are areas of intense interest: Romi Mahajan, Investor

An extremely savvy investor and an equally astute marketer, Romi Mahajan has invested in a number of interesting firms. Express Computer spoke with Romi Mahajan, to understand some of his recent projects

Romi, you are doing even more Advisory than usual and have some incredible projects right now. Can you share some highlights?

Right now, I have doubled down on 4 areas of intense interest: PropTech, FinTech, Energy, and Marketing Services. They seem disparate but are tied together in one eternal braid- they all require market presence, gravity, and a long-term strategy. None of these areas offer returns overnight, if done correctly. In each, I have had the pleasure of working with absolutely world-class players with varied backgrounds. One commonality is the notion that the companies are not “ends in themselves”—instead each is a stepping stone to something more sublime, more profound.

All seem like incredible areas. Can you talk about some of your biggest bests in each of these markets?

In FinTech, there are two companies that I spend a lot of time with, that intrigue me daily. One is Pepper- an investment data platform for Asset Managers. The company helped define an entire space- AssetTech, which is to say technologies involved in helping Asset Managers make better decisions. Another is Zact- a platform for payments apps. Super interesting company that yields favorable economics to its partners and customers. Incidentally, both are led by Indian-American entrepreneurs.

In PropTech, I am particularly interested in Rook and in Quantarium. Rook is pioneering the notion of “Shared Equity” which is to say that prospective house buyers can partner with community-based investors to purchase houses in a shared risk/shared reward mode. The company just did a fundraise and is prepared to help families get into houses and to reward investors simultaneously. Quantarium is an advanced AI company focused on residential real estate. From valuations to analytics, it is a leader it space and has a virtual who’s who of customers. Both companies are as promising as anything I’ve seen in the sector.

With regard to Energy, my story is perhaps the most important. With my father, Dr. Swadesh Mahajan, and two other brilliant Physicists- Dr. Michael Kotschenreuther and Dr. David Hatch, I have had the pleasure of building a Fusion company- ExoFusion. We are still in stealth but suffice it to say, we are from the get-go stocked with IP and contracts. More soon on that.

In terms of Marketing Services, well, that is what I do. Though an auto-didact in Marketing, I consider it my métier. I have a lot to learn and will admit a complete lack of familiarity with many of the “modern tools” of the trade but I think I hold my own.

How does India fit into your world?

In each and every company I work with, I rely on amazing people in India to strategize, build, discover, and grow. I get specific wisdom and feedback from Manish Godha at Advaiya, Snapdeal and Titan Capital leader Kunal Bahl, my nephew Siddharth Mahajan, and a variety of people who shall go unnamed but who are of infinite value and meaning to me.