Why do we exist?
tal64.com exists to execute two ideas shared by Don Valentine, founder of Sequoia Capital.
Storytelling
“Learning to tell a story is critically important because that's how the money works. The money flows as a function of the stories.”
Company Builders
“Back in the early days of the '70s, the "mission statement" for the evolving venture capital industry was that we were company builders, and, on occasion, industry creators… We expected to spend 10 or more years on the boards of the young companies in which we invested, actively helping them grow.”
tal64.com is a storytelling platform for company builders.
We want to be the platform where company builders narrate their stories and document their progress. We want to create tools and mechanisms to tell the story better.
Who am I?
Hi! I am Priyadarshan Banjan—a chess professional turned investor + entrepreneur.
While my friend Nihal Sarin thinks I must be the worst chess player to have ever lived, my love for the game runs deep.
Background:
After learning chess at 14 (quite late as you can see) and playing tournaments across India, I dropped out of college and CA at 19. I hitchhiked across southern India and lived in a home for homeless before chess returned to rescue me. By education, I remain an Inter. Chartered Accountant.
Chess:
Since dropping out, I have worked as a chess coach, organized tournaments, marketed chess products, worked as an arbiter, organized tournaments, reported events as a chess journalist, acted as an official photographer in several tournaments, worked as a manager for a couple of (incredibly) talented titled players, mainly Nihal Sarin, and edited one of the best chess news portals of the world (ChessBase).
In 2015, I helped found ChessBase India - a monopoly in chess content in India.
From 2017 to 2019, I served as the Media Officer of the All India Chess Federation (AICF).
Outside Chess:
In 2017, after transitioning out of chess, I worked my way up to become the Head of Marketing for Akshayakalpa, a Bengaluru-based Organic Milk and Food Products company. My area of focus was building the digital revenue growth for the business from scratch to INR 100 Cr+ (USD 12 million) by revenue in approximately 3 years. Today, Akshayakalpa is the largest organic foods company in India.
Since 2021, I have been spending my time building narratives around folks I choose. I trade and make deals happen between company builders I like.
I love to eat rice with tomato saar, chicken sukka, prawns, with a dash of dried prawns.
Why subscribe?
tal64 is a blog for company builders—entrepreneurs, operators, and investors.
This blog tells stories of company builders and covers their observations with a bottom-up focus by analyzing specific businesses and business models.
While telling these stories, the blog also facilitates Narrative Building (PR), M&A and Capital Raise transactions within our community.
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.
Stay up-to-date
Never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.
Join the crew
Be part of a community of investors, operators, and entreprenurs. Participate in the comments section, or support this work with a subscription.
