Information Isn't Understanding | Sipika Nigam | TEDxBocconiUMumbai

Venture capital investor Sipika Nigam looks at why information alone rarely leads to a breakthrough in business and in人 relationships. Drawing on 15 years and more than 4,000 conversations, she covers experiences ranging from renting real estate in Bombay to fundraising during the Andhra microfinance crisis and meeting 3,000 farmers. The talk presents a simple four-step model: context, trust, sparring and breakthrough.

• A four-part model: context, trust, sparring, breakthrough
• Why collecting facts about someone differs from understanding where they are coming from
• Examples from real estate, microfinance fundraising and farmer conversations

Sipika Nigam is a venture capital investor with over 14 years of experience across investments, private equity and the startup ecosystem and an alumna of SDA Bocconi Asia Center. In this talk, Sipika draws on 15 years and over 4,000 conversations, from renting real estate in Bombay to fundraising through the Andhra microfinance crisis to sitting across 3,000 farmers to unpack why information alone rarely gets you to a breakthrough. She lays out a simple model - context, trust, sparring, breakthrough, showing how the same apartments, the same pitch decks and the same rejections look entirely different once you stop collecting facts about someone and start getting curious about where they're actually coming from. "Sipika Nigam is a venture capital investor with over 14 years of experience across investments, private equity, and the startup ecosystem. As an alumna of SDA Bocconi Asia Center, she has worked closely with founders and early-stage startups, helping them scale through strategic investments and long-term partnerships. Working at the intersection of capital and entrepreneurship, she has a front-row view of how ideas evolve into impactful businesses. Her perspective on innovation, founder journeys, and building sustainable ventures would bring practical insights and a fresh entrepreneurial voice to the event." This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx