How Anjula Acharia Visualized Her Path to Success

Yasmin Nouri

Yasmin is the host of the "Behind Her Empire" podcast, focused on highlighting self-made women leaders and entrepreneurs and how they tackle their career, money, family and life.

Each episode covers their unique hero's journey and what it really takes to build an empire with key lessons learned along the way. The goal of the series is to empower you to see what's possible & inspire you to create financial freedom in your own life.

Anjula Acharia
Courtesy of Anjula Acharia

On this episode of the Behind Her Empire podcast, A-Series Management and Investments founder and CEO Anjula Acharia talks about her unique journey to entrepreneurship.

Acharia grew up in England during the ‘70s and ‘80s. “It was really hard. It was really racist,” she says of the time period.

“People weren’t fond of foreigners, and particularly foreigners like my parents who have a thick Indian accent, and we’re real immigrants. So we got a lot of hate.”


The adversity led Acharia, the youngest of three, to spend time on her own, listening to Michael Jackson and gazing up at the sky.

“I used to think those stars..that are where I lived..are the same stars in Hollywood. And one day, I’d be under those stars in Hollywood,” she says.

Eventually, after a decade building companies as a headhunter and consultant in London and elsewhere, Acharia did come to L.A. — but unlike other driven leaders who plan out their lives strategically, she did not come with a plan.

“I don't believe in plans for myself, because I just believe the world is full of opportunity. And if you look around you, you will see 100 things.” she says. “I will find opportunities and that's what drives my career. So everything that's happened to me in my life has been just an opportunity that's sprouted itself in front of me.”

Acharia first came to the U.S. for university, but struggled in school due to her dyslexia. Instead, she focused on theater and went to drama school. “And that opened up a whole world for me. So I just think there's things around you all the time… That's just like a thing that's inside me that I will look for it, I will look for the opportunity.”

Later, she returned after launching Desi Hits!, an entertainment platform aimed at the South Asian diaspora, which was backed by music entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine, co-founder of Interscope Records and Beats Electronics. The experience, and her acumen as CEO of the company, jolted her to a career in managing artists, including international superstar Priyanka Chopra.

“When [people] see you’re positive and you’re energetic, they will put opportunities in front of you, because they will see that in you. And they will just be like, “Oh, I want to work with that person’. Like so many people have come up to me and said, ‘I want to work with you.’”

That was true for her experience mentoring entrepreneurs Payal Kadkia and Kathryn Minshew.

Kadakia, the creator of ClassPass, read about Acharia, one of the few South Asian women that had raised venture funding and was in the public eye “and she was like ‘I want to be like her,” says Acharia. Despite “having very little money” herself, Acharia wanted to help Kadakia by investing in her, but had little to spare. “I gave her a very small check because I didn’t have a lot to give her,” she says.

“And that started my journey of entrepreneurship.”

Soon after, Kathryn Minshew of The Muse asked for mentoring from Acharia as well. Acharia accepted the invitation and wrote Minshew a small check. “I think what they did was really made those women feel like [they] had skin in the game and made those women feel like they were worthy,” she says.

“So that was how I became an accidental investor.”

Now as the head of a management and investment company that has funded multiple unicorns, Acharia has one big piece of advice for women in the startup industry: think big.

“When you're thinking about something, go out, take a walk, look at the sky, it just makes you feel like there is an infinite possibility,” she says. “And there's so much evidence to support that when you think of all the things that people have done in the world and going against such great adversity to do those things. It's like, how can you not believe that thinking big makes sense. You just can't not believe that.”

Audience Engagement and Production Intern Jojo Macaluso contributed to this post.

Hear more of the Behind Her Empire podcast. Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radioor wherever you get your podcasts.

🌐Decentralizing Data & Vacations: Sony's Web3 Leap and Sensible Weather's KOA Partnership

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Long Weekend Los Angeles!

Sony Group is making a significant push into the blockchain and Web3 space, leveraging its Sony Pictures and Sony Music divisions along with a new global incubator. The company has developed the Soneium blockchain through Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture aimed at accelerating Web3 innovation. Sony is launching the "Soneium Minato" public testnet and a developer incubation program called "Soneium Spark" to foster ecosystem growth and adoption. The initiative includes strategic partnerships with Web3 companies such as Astar Network, Circle, and Optimism. Sony aims to create a fan community centered on creators and connect diverse values through Soneium, with the ultimate goal of integrating Web3 services into people's daily lives. While the company acknowledges the challenges faced by Web3, including limited user adoption and the need for mainstream use cases, it remains committed to decentralizing the concentrated power of the current internet landscape.

In completely unrelated and more digestible news Sensible Weather, a leading weather protection provider that we’ve featured many times, has partnered with Kampgrounds of America (KOA) to offer Weather Guarantees at over 450 KOA Campgrounds across the United States. This collaboration allows campers to purchase weather protection for their outdoor experiences, providing peace of mind and potential reimbursements of up to 100% of their nightly rate if weather conditions exceed predefined parameters. The partnership comes at an opportune time, as camping has seen a significant increase in popularity, with active campers growing by 68% over the past decade. If you are looking to do some camping this fall make sure you look into Sensible Weather protections to ensure that unpredictable weather won't dampen (nailed it) your camping experience.


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • Space and Time, a blockchain data warehouse developer, raised a $20M Series A led by Framework Ventures. - learn more
  • Miris, a provider of spatial content streaming solutions, raised a $26M Seed Round led by IAG Capital Partners. - learn more

LA Venture Funds

  • Fika Ventures led a $4.55M Seed Round for Revenew, a San Francisco startup that aims to help digital platforms and marketplaces manage their payments and optimize financial operations. - learn more
  • Bonfire Ventures participated in a $25M Series A for Supio, an AI platform for personal injury law firms. - learn more
  • Amplify LA participated in a $2M Seed Round for Pryzm, a startup that provides tools and data to help businesses navigate government contracting more efficiently. - learn more

    ✨ Featured Event ✨

    LA TECH CEO SUMMIT

    LA’s tech leadership is set to reunite after a long break! This two day summit will focus on building strong connections, sharing insights, and fortifying the local tech community.

    Learn More Here

    Register Here


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    Personality Assessments Improving Workplace Dynamics

    Misunderstandings can have significant and sometimes severe impacts, far beyond the hilarious cake pictured above. Many organizations are increasingly using personality assessments to improve team dynamics and productivity. Tests like the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and DISC assessment are valuable tools for developing existing teams in addition to hiring new employees. These assessments provide insights into team members' motivations, communication styles, and work preferences, helping colleagues understand each other better. By highlighting the different personalities within a team, these tests can enhance communication, resolve conflicts, and optimize task assignments based on individual strengths. As companies aim for greater efficiency and collaboration, the Enneagram, MBTI, and DISC assessments are becoming essential for transforming established teams into more effective and cohesive units.


    Image Source: iEQ9

    Enneagram

    The Enneagram test is a sophisticated personality assessment that categorizes individuals into nine distinct personality types, each defined by unique motivations, fears,and behavioral patterns. This holistic approach enhances team dynamics in a business setting by fostering self-awareness, improving communication, and facilitating conflict resolution among team members. By understanding different personality types, teams can optimize their composition, tailor professional development, and create a more empathetic and collaborative environment. This framework not only helps leaders adapt their styles to better support diverse team members but also promotes inclusivity and effective collaboration, ultimately leading to improved team performance, productivity, and retention.

    Resources:iEQ9. We recommend getting an Enneagram coach to get the most out of the results.

    Key Features: Focus on core motivations. Accounts for personality shifts under stress or growth. Offers practical, actionable guidance for personal growth. Uses a dynamic, adaptive questioning approach. Claims 95% accuracy rate through advanced techniques.


    Image Source: DiSC Profile

    DiSC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness)

    The DiSC assessment is a widely used behavioral analysis tool that categorizes individuals into four primary personality types: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. For businesses, DiSC provides valuable insights into employees' communication styles, work preferences, and motivations. By understanding these behavioral tendencies, teams can improve collaboration, reduce conflicts, and enhance overall productivity. Implementing DiSC in a business setting can lead to more effective leadership, tailored communication strategies, and optimized task allocation based on individual strengths.

    Resources:DiSC Profile.

    Key Features: Designed specifically for workplace applications. Focuses on observable behaviors rather than psychological traits. Widely researched and validated over 40+ years. Provides practical strategies for improving interactions.


    Image Source: The Myers-Briggs Company

    The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

    The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a widely used personality assessment tool that categorizes individuals into 16 distinct personality types based on four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. For businesses, the MBTI provides valuable insights into employees' communication styles, decision-making processes, and work preferences.This helps promote a more productive workplace, and enables employees to become involved in more meaningful ways, all while leveraging everyone’s unique strengths.

    Resources:The Myers-Briggs Company.

    Key Features: Focuses on preferences rather than traits. Focuses on how people perceive and judge information. Widely used in business and career counseling


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    🥊📱Startups Battling Election Deepfakes and LA’s First Tech CEO Summit

    🔦 Spotlight

    Happy Friday Los Angeles!

    YouMail, based in Irvine, and Pindrop have partnered to create the Election Communication Defense Grid (ECDG), a platform designed to combat AI-generated and deepfake calls that could interfere with US elections. This collaboration leverages YouMail's extensive sensor network, which analyzes over 20 million phone numbers monthly, and Pindrop's Pulse™ Inspect technology to detect AI-generated speech. The system actively monitors and analyzes potentially problematic political robocalls, having already examined calls from numerous Congress members and political candidates in 2024. When AI-generated calls are identified, YouMail Protective Services swiftly notifies carriers and enforcement agencies to shut down these campaigns, minimizing potential harm. This partnership represents a significant step forward in protecting the public from malicious communication tactics during critical election periods.


    ✨ Featured Event ✨

    LA TECH CEO SUMMIT

    WHEN: Thursday, September 26 -- Friday, September 27, 2024

    LOCATION: Terranea Resort: 100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

    LA’s tech leadership is set to reunite after a long break! Join us for the highly anticipated LA Tech CEO Summit, taking place September 26-27 at the stunning Terranea Resort. This exclusive event offers a unique chance to connect with top tech founders and CEOs, including industry key figures like Adam Miller (Founding CEO of Cornerstone), Ian Siegel (CEO of ZipRecruiter), Shivani Siroya (CEO of Tala), Eddy Lu (CEO of GOAT), and other influential leaders. This two day summit will focus on building strong connections, sharing insights, and fortifying the local tech community. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with the best minds in LA tech!

    Learn More Here

    Register Here


    🤝 Venture Deals

    LA Companies

    • Starpath, a developer of robotic propellant production factories raised a $12M Seed Round co-led by 8VC and Fusion Fund, and joined by Day One Ventures, Balerion Space, and Indicator Ventures. - learn more

    LA Venture Funds

    • Anthos Capital led a $4M Funding Round for Mudstack, a startup whose software helps game developers organize and share game assets like graphics and code. - learn more

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