Digitisation is no longer a choice for startups, says SAIF's Deepak Gaur

The covid-19 pandemic might have forced several big startups to look at diversifying and increase financial efficiency, to survive, but for early-stage businesses the ongoing pandemic brought in new opportunities. SAIF Partners, an early to growth-stage venture capital fund, has seen renewed focus in categories like edtech, telemedicine, direct-to-consumer brands as well as online entertainment platforms. In an interview, Deepak Gaur, partner at SAIF Partners said the fund is bullish more than ever on early-stage investing and has already doubled its investments this year compared to 2019. Edited excerpts: