For a few moments, silence filled the small booth.
The sounds of other startup presentations continued around them, but at their table, everyone was thinking carefully.
Finally, Nagaraju smiled.
"We like your application."
He glanced at Akshata before continuing.
"And more importantly, we like your vision."
Brian and Jan exchanged hopeful looks.
Nagaraju folded his hands on the table.
"Now let's talk about funding."
"What are your expectations?"
Before either founder could answer, Akshata spoke.
Although she was petite and still a teenager, the confidence in her voice made everyone at the table pay attention.
"What amount are you looking to raise?"
The founders looked at each other.
This was the question they had been waiting for all morning.
Brian answered honestly.
"We're looking for enough funding to continue development, hire a few engineers, and keep the company running while we build the messaging platform."
Around them, similar conversations were taking place.
Some startups were celebrating after receiving investment offers.
Others were politely shaking hands after hearing "no."
Negotiations had become the heartbeat of the event.
Every table represented someone's dream.
Some dreams would receive funding.
Others would have to wait.
Nagaraju nodded thoughtfully.
"We understand."
"But investment is more than money."
"It is also about ownership."
Before he could continue, Akshata gently interrupted.
"Funding is one part of the discussion."
She looked directly at the founders.
"What benefits does the investor receive?"
"What is your offer?"
The question caught Brian and Jan by surprise.
Neither had expected such a direct business question from someone so young.
They quietly discussed it between themselves for a moment.
Their company was still in its earliest days.
If they offered too little equity, investors might simply walk away.
If they offered too much, they risked giving away too much of the company they had sacrificed everything to build.
The room suddenly felt much quieter.
After a long pause, Brian finally spoke.
"We can offer..."
"...forty percent of the company."
Jan looked at him and gave a small nod.
It was a difficult offer.
But they believed it was better to own a smaller part of a successful company than all of a company that could never grow.
Nagaraju remained calm.
He had negotiated film rights, production contracts, and television deals till now.
He understood that every negotiation required balance.
He smiled politely.
"It's a fair starting point."
"But we see greater potential than most investors here."
"If we're taking that risk, our proposal is different."
The founders listened carefully.
"We would invest for a fifty percent ownership stake."
"The remaining fifty percent stays with both of you."
"Twenty-five percent each."
Brian and Jan fell silent.
It was a bold counteroffer.
Giving up half the company was a major decision.
Yet without funding, their vision of turning a simple status application into the messaging platform they dreamed of might never become reality.
The four of them sat quietly, knowing that the next few words could determine the future of the young startup.
After several rounds of discussion, both sides finally reached an agreement.
The founders had found the funding they desperately needed.
Nagaraju and Akshata had found a company they believed had extraordinary potential.
The formal paperwork would take time, but the basic terms were agreed upon.
After shaking hands, they decided to move to a nearby coffee shop to discuss the future plans in more detail.
The atmosphere was much more relaxed.
Brian and Jan looked relieved.
For months, they had been worrying about keeping the company alive.
Now they could finally think about development instead of only survival.
"We honestly thought we might have to give up," Jan admitted.
"Thank you for believing in us."
Nagaraju smiled.
"We are not just investing in an application."
"We are investing in your vision."
---
As the conversation continued, the founders began discussing the practical side.
They had a question that had been troubling them.
"Can we ask something?"
Brian looked at Nagaraju.
"We noticed that your background is mainly in films and television."
"You don't come from a software engineering background."
He paused carefully.
"We are happy to receive the funding, but we want to understand how involved you plan to be."
Jan continued,
"The technical development will still depend heavily on us."
"We will have to design the system, write the code, and make the product decisions."
They were not trying to insult their new partners.
They were simply explaining the reality.
A technology company required technical knowledge.
Nagaraju listened calmly.
He understood their concern.
Before he could respond, Akshata spoke.
Her voice was calm but confident.
"That is true."
"My father is not a programmer."
"And he never claimed to be one."
The founders looked at her.
"But an investor's value is not only measured by whether they can write code."
"It is also measured by what they can bring to the company."
She continued,
"I may not have graduated from a famous university."
"I may not have a computer science degree."
"But I have spent time learning programming."
"I understand development."
"I know how software is built, how users think, and how important simplicity is."
The founders listened carefully.
Akshata leaned slightly forward.
"A good company does not need every person to have the same skills."
"Engineers build the technology."
"Business people understand markets."
"Others help with strategy, growth, and decisions."
"Different strengths together create a stronger company."
She paused before adding,
"The cooperation and support we can provide may not come from someone who only looks at numbers."
Nagaraju smiled quietly.
He had watched his daughter learn games, technology, and business thinking.
Now he understood that those lessons were helping her in ways beyond game development.
Brian and Jan exchanged a glance.
They had expected investors who only cared about ownership and returns.
They had not expected someone who understood that founders needed support, not just money.
Jan smiled.
"That's a fair point."
"Maybe we were only thinking about technical contribution."
Brian nodded.
"A company needs more than just code."
The discussion continued for several hours.
They talked about hiring developers.
Improving the application.
Building a reliable service.
And most importantly...
Creating a product that people would love to use.
When they finally left the coffee shop, the founders felt different.
The small startup that everyone had ignored now had a chance to grow.
And Akshata knew something they did not yet fully understand.
The tiny application they were building today would one day become a part of everyday life for millions of people around the world.