Page 117 of 12 Years
‘Can I get more?’
‘Take it or leave it,’ I said.
He laughed. ‘You’re smart. And a tough negotiator.’
‘Don’t you want your founder to be that? Cold, rational and tough?’
‘I do. Done. We have a deal,’ Advik said as I shook hands with my new investor.
‘Fifty million. Did you say fifty million dollars?’
‘We are not getting fifty million. That’s just the valuation for SecurityNet,’ I said.
I was on the phone with Mudit, sitting in my office in Dubai. It was a small room with glass windows facing the main road. It had been two years since the launch of SecurityNet. Our team had grown to thirty people, and we had a modest two-thousand-square-feet office space in Media City.
We had just closed a Series B, or a second round of funding. Two private equity firms had invested five million dollars each, receiving a ten per cent stake in return. With this ten-million-dollar raise, we could expand our operations by hiring more people and growing our server infrastructure.
‘Fifty million. Say, seventy rupees to a dollar. Wow, that’s like three hundred and fifty crore rupees,’ Mudit said.
‘It’s only the valuation. On paper. Relax, we have a long way to go, Mudit.’
‘Still. You created this company. From zero to fifty million, in two years.’
‘Well, you helped. You gave me the seed money.’
‘How much is my stake worth now?’ Mudit said.
‘Mudit, there’s no point in doing all these calculations. You can’t get this money. Every cent coming into the company is for growth.’
‘I want to feel rich, bro. Even if it’s only on paper.’
‘Okay, fine. So, you had a twelve and a half per cent stake. Now, we all get diluted to accommodate the new investors. Meaning, you now own ten per cent.’
‘Ten per cent of fifty million. I’m worth five million dollars? Seriously?’
‘On paper, yes.’
‘Fuck me. Really? Why am I still running a comedy club?’
‘Because this is a paper stake. And it’ll remain so until we have an exit—either the company gets acquired or we do an IPO.’
‘We will, though, right? One day?’
‘As they say here in Dubai, inshallah. God willing, we will. Lots of hard work ahead.’
‘I’m coming.’
‘What?’
‘I’m coming to Dubai.’
‘To visit?’
‘No, I’m moving there. I’m joining SecurityNet. Helping you grow it. And growing the value of my stake as well.’
‘Really? You aren’t kidding, are you?’
‘You have a role for me?’
