👉 Vijay Jain – Thoughts, Notes & Frameworks

Having lived each of these roles — and worked with founders, teams and boards — I’ve come to realise:

It’s not just the work that’s different — it’s the mindset.

And the misalignment between these mindsets often creates friction — but also opens the door to real breakthroughs.

🔵 POSSIBILITY
Founder
Driven by conviction.

Sometimes even if no one believes — not the market, investors or customers

It’s a zero-one game.
You succeed or you don’t — you have to be 100% committed.

There’s no Plan B.

At ORRA, we set out to build India’s first diamond-centric brand in a gold-led market — at a time when smaller diamonds were often considered “diamond dust.”

🟡 PROBABILITY
Investor
It’s not about building a portfolio or averaging returns.

It’s about making hard choices — selecting from hundreds of ideas, founders and markets — and even if you’re directionally convinced, figuring out which founder and opportunity to back.

Too often, funds are seen as playing a numbers game.
To founders, it can feel like a lack of belief.

But from a fund’s side — they’ve seen this play out often and focus on helping companies scale.

For me, more than spreadsheets, conviction still comes first.
Sometimes in the founder.
Sometimes in the idea.
Sometimes in the direction the world is tilting.

But most often, it’s the convergence of all three.

I’ve invested in companies like MediAssist, Slice and Zeno Health — and worked with VC/PE funds and their portfolio companies or founders.

It’s not just about exits but conviction — I invested in MediAssist in 2012 and still hold it post listing.

Each engagement began with belief — and support from partners, mentors and friends who made it possible.

So thank you.

🟢 EXECUTION
Professional
Execution turns belief into results.

Professionals seek clarity — but answers often lie in ambiguity and the ability to juggle, especially in early or high growth phases.

Adaptability and a growth mindset matter as much as expertise.

At Ritu Kumar, doubling EBITDA wasn’t just about vision.

It was about precision — and the ability to zoom out to allow flexibility.

🔱 CONVERGENCE
Over time, I stopped seeing these as separate roles

Like the Trimurti:
→ Creation (Possibility)
→ Preservation (Probability)
→ Transformation (Execution)

Or the Japanese principle of Shuhari:
→ Shu (守) — follow
→ Ha (破) — break
→ Ri (離) — transcend

The real strength lies not in choosing one —
but in recognising all three, and moving between them with intention.

At different stages, and in different moments, one may take precedence —
but true leadership lies in the ability to hold all three as part of your mental model.

That awareness is what lets you shift gears seamlessly. Which one are you embracing right now?

#Leadership #Founder #VC #Startup #Boards #Strategy #VentureFund