Silicon Valley biz angel keen to invest in state

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Legendary angel investor and philanthropist from Silicon Valley Esther Dyson, who started her business by buying out the company she worked for in 1984, has never looked back since then. Though she sold her new media company EDventure to CNET in 2004, she has since invested in close to 150 technology start-ups across the globe.

Now on a visit to Kerala, Esther is also keen to invest here in a project close to her heart. She is looking for IT start-ups that “perhaps can run a medical system where preempting diseases is a priority or one that can raise the productivity of farmers.”

During a free-wheeling chat with DC at the StartUp Village here, Esther, who began her career as a journalist with Forbes in 1977, spoke of her investment philosophy, that money should beget returns to the maximum possible number of people.

Known for her investment in game-changing start-ups like Flickr and Del.icio.us (later acquired by Yahoo) and Medspace (now part of WebMD), Esther is very clear on one thing — she does not want her money to promote a venture that is prone to hero worship. She is keen on her money bringing in returns, but admits that there are also failures from which one can learn a lot.

What is she looking for in an investor? A concrete idea, good communication skills and the ability to explain the nuances of a project. Esther is hopeful of finding the right company here as she went to attend a session with budding entrepreneurs at the StartUp Village.