Podcast
The Indian Startup Show www.indianstartupshow.com Twitter Indian Startup Show
A weekly podcast show about Indian startups, entrepreneurs and more! Which regularly makes No1 on The Indian iTunes tech chart. (I’m still not sure how the hell this happened..?)
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Nice review (top 5 indian podcasts)(starts at 37 secs) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMjfrf7FHQQ
Best indian business podcast 2020
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The Indian Startup Show ::Trailer
Dr. Geetha Manjunath CEO & CTO of NIRAMAI on changing the way cancer is detected & being one of the top deep tech startups
I catch up with Dr Geetha Manjunath, CEO & CTO of NIRAMAI, a deep-tech startup, offering a radiation-free, non-invasive, non-touch, breast cancer screening solution. I spoke to her back in Sept 2017 (Ep67) when they only had a handful of customers, now they are one of the top deep tech startups in India. In this episode we talk about their core technology called Thermalytix. How they have innovated during the pandemic. Talk about how they create AI/ML models and how they test them before production. Talk about scaling issues & being part of Google Launchpad and Phillips accelerators. How they have shortened the B2C sales life cycle from 6 months to 6 weeks. Thoughts on selling to hospitals. A deep dive on how do they train the machine when there is little data. She also talks about developing (AI)-based computer-aided software for controlling the spread of River Blindness with the help from Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. She takes a trip down memory lane and talks about being a member of the C-DAC team which built the first commercial indian supercomputer. And finally she gives great advice for first time entrepreneurs.
In this conversation we also talk about:
- Talk about patents & IP.
- Being a thought leader
- Supervised v Unsupervised learning
- Launching a new B2C home screening service
- Working with data augmentation
- Thermal imaging
- Taking it to the villages
- Scaling from 1 to 10 then 10 to 100
- Using microservices
- Getting in the shoes of the users
- Are they still a startup?
- Major milestones reached
- Healthcare startups take time!
Harshdeep Singh CEO of WrapitUp on scaling to 3.5M+ users, refusing $20M acquisition & dealing with mental health issues & how he turned it around in style!
My first ever guest is back on the show! Harshdeep Singh Hura founder of WrapItUp – a text summarizer. He appeared on show back in August 2015. We talk about how his app now has 3.5M users. Why he turned down $20 million acquisition for the app.
How a anthropology course on apes was a breakthrough moment. Talks why he almost quit tech, what changed and gives us his new fresh perspective on life. He gives us great insights on mobile app design, development &marketing strategies.
Talks about going from idea to MVP (starts at 25.19 take notes!) and why does not want a co-founder. Talks about becoming a pastry chef. Thoughts on Clubhouse being the next big thing. And finally we take a trip down memory lane and talk about the embarrassing first ever episode of the indian startup show.
in this conversation we talk about:
- Starting out writing algorithms on paper & not using existing NLP algorithms
- Being the most successful solo iPhone app developer in India (in my opinion!)
- Taking risks in your 20’s
- Reaction to friends and family on turning down $20million
- Setting up Indoor Hydroponic farming space.
- Entering the News Summarization space with a new line of products built around the WrapItUp algorithm, L.A.S.T. 5 [Linguistically Advanced Summarization Technique]
- Is it still a good idea to build an iphone app in 2021
- Helping salesforce administration to learn to code and then getting angry feedback from Salesforce content creators
- Being stressed & receiving a cold email that got his life back on track
- Growing an inch since we last spoke (6ft 9 inch)
- Building a remote first E-commerce agency
- Why they don’t do regular marketing to create brand awareness.
- Hiring only fans influencers
- How he settles arguments with his dad.
- Why ‘luck can only take you so far!’
- Why you shouldn’t change the world – but change one person’s world
- Starting WrapitUp because he was too lazy to read
And much more!
Pankaj Raut CEO & Co-founder of AjnaLens on building Augmenting Human Intelligence with AI-Powered Mixed Reality Glasses
Building India’s first home-grown AR headset. Today my guest is Pankaj Raut the co-founder & ceo of AjnaLens. AjnaLens designs & manufactures AI-powered mixed-reality glasses for defence , education and enterprise customers. He talks about it all got started by being inspired watching James Bond movies. He talks about how the product helps the Indian armed forces & talks about design and development process. He talks about VC funding, future trends & opportunities. He gives us his thoughts on the AR/VR startup community in india. Thoughts on Google glasses 10 years on and dealing with the competition. And finally he talks about leaving India at the age 17 to go study in London. Meeting his co-founders at Google startup weekend. Seeing his first hologram and being inside a tank!
In this conversation we also talk about:
- Building the first prototype
- Challenges in the AR/VR market
- What will VR/AR devices look like in the future.
- Getting a scholarship to go London
- Where the names comes from.
- Common mistakes AR/VR startups make.
- Meeting people with the right synergies.
- How he resolves differences of opinion with his co-founders
- Advice for first time founders – take 2 steps back!
Anish Achuthan co-founder & CEO of Open a neo-banking startup disrupting the traditional banks & helping 700,000 + businesses in India automate their finances.
Building a digital bank to help small businesses in india. My guest today is Anish Achuthan CEO & co-founder of Open – a new age digital banking platform. In this episode he talks about how they raised $37 million from prominent investors, and shares amazing growth statistics. He talks about how they use customer acquisition channels. He shares UX strategies when developing the website & mobile app. Talks about being a 5x entrepreneur. Talks about the importance of branding and PR in getting your startup off the ground. Talks about how they evaluate talent. Going from 10 to 250 employees. Thoughts on demonetisation 4 years on. Hiring a sales guy when they couldn’t afford one. Pitching to investors with a live demo instead of a slide deck.And finally you will learn how to deal with corporate companies if you’re a startup.
In this conversation we also talk about:
- User testing
- Creating a pilot
- Being the first mover in the market
- Building Culture & Leadership
- Being persistence
- Being married to the co-founder
- is ‘Cash still king?’
- Reaching out to small villages
- Banks having reservations in the early days
- Integrating legacy systems
Where are they now? ‘The Recycle Man of India’ Dr Binish Desai Forbes 30 under 30 Asia social entrepreneur & founder of Eco-Eclectic on creating environmentally-friendly solutions to various problems.
Nothing is useless in this world. What can be a waste to you is someone’s asset’ – The ‘Recycle man of India’ aka Dr Binish Desai, social entrepreneur & founder of Eco-Eclectic . I spoke to him back in February 2019 (Ep 106) and he is back again to talk about inventing a new type of brick made from recycled PPE material. He talks about creating a female empowerment centre for former sex workers. He then talks about building low cost homes using 3D technology, talks about trust issues after getting ripped off by a business partner. The pillars of success and what we can expect in 2021. And why you should start identifying waste as an asset.
In this conversation we also talk about:
- Observe – fail – Learn – Solve framework.
- Creating Eco Bins
- The process of converting PPE into bricks..Brick 2.0!
- Creating affordable housing in the USA, Philippines & india, & Africa
- The Recycle man – the book
- What did he learn about himself during the pandemic
- Making jewellery & crockery out of coffee waste
- Carrying 2 bricks around wherever he goes
- Stop using single use coffee mugs!
- Expanding globally
- Trying to create the world’s first recyclable house.
- 3D printing of the entire home.
- Coming from a family of social entrepreneurs.
Siddharth Dialani, Co-founder of BharatAgri. On building a farming technology platform , bridging the gap between technology & agriculture in India
100 million famers are expected to be online in the next 5 years. So today I speak to Siddharth Dialani, co-founder & CEO of BharatAgri a farming technology platform where they work with farmers directly. improving their productivity. Think of it as a digital farming assistant. So in this episode he talks about what inspired him to do this, building the first prototype. The problems farmers face. Time spent working on a farm for a year & being treated like an outsider . He then talks about how they create an algorithm that decreases the cost of production to farmers. Talks about how they use analytics to improve the customer journey. Talks about raising finance , how you should pitch investors. Why ‘investors want you to do less not more’ How they on-board farmers online. And finally he talks about his time at housing.com. The current farmers strike and being awarded Forbes 30 under 30!
In this conversation we also talk about:-
- Insights gained from talking to over 400 farmers
- Why agriculture is a complicated business.
- Farmers not understanding the share icon & notification icon. And how they changed it
- Soil/water/weather parameters that go into building an algorithm.
- Quickly pivoting to a digital strategy during the pandemic
- Thoughts on product market fit
- What will farming look like in 20 years time?
- Pitching & getting $50k from Uber.
- Book recommendations.
Best of The Indian Startup Show
No 1 Best Business Podcast in india! Big Thank You to CEO magazine India. I am humbled and honoured. Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to over the past years. You will hear from Shankar Prasad. Founder of Pureplay Skin Sciences. They are Building India’s fastest growing new-age, values-driven vegan skin care & beauty brand. Next I speak to Akriti Khatri The founder of the Venus Detective Agency – India’s leading female private detective agency And finally I speak to Naina Hiranandani, COO & Co-Founder of Sirf Coffee. A Bespoke dating service revolutionising dating for global Indians.
The indian Startup Show – The Best Bits [Part14]
Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to over the past 5 years. You will hear from The Tech Witches – A group of 5 Indian high school girls. They have built an app that connects children at orphanages to senior citizens in nursing homes, allowing them to spend time together.
Next up Dr Siddhant Bhargava co-founder & nutritionist at Food Darzee.He is tackling India’s growing obesity problem.by creating a health & nutrition company offering fresh, healthy food delivered daily to your doorstep.
And last but not least I speak to Tanul Mishra CEO of Afthonia labs. Afthonia labs focuses on early stage startups in Fintech and provides them with a trusted ecosystem to grow and succeed.
Where are they now? Charanjeev Singh, founder of SinghStyled. The world’s first Sikh brand that caters to 30 million Sikhs around the world.
Charanjeev Singh aka CJ aka The Flying Sikh is back on the show! I spoke to CJ on the show 5 years ago and he is still going strong. In fact they are now launching in Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and Singapore. He talks about acquiring 10% Sikh grooming market just through word of mouth.
Talks about Product development life cycle and why the weather plays a big role. He talks about building a community centric brand. Talks about product failures .Talks about the importance of Sikh culture in 2020. Why the indian hipster phase has died. Launching a streetwear brand. Shopping cart abandon rates. And finally he talks about creating the world’s first beard deodorant and much more.
in this conversation we also talk about:
- Not burning money on marketing
- The good & bad of Covid
- Why it takes 8/9 months to launch a product.
- Demonetization & implementing GST issues
- New thoughts on entrepreneurship
- Being patient
- Going offline
- Would he change anything
- Being the ‘GQ’ for Sikhs
- Why beard textures are different around the world
Dr Srimathy Kesan CEO of SpaceKidz India on creating the next generation of scientific thinkers in India & launching the world’s smallest satellite
Making space explorable & economical for the future generation. Today i speak to Dr Srimathy Kesan CEO of SpaceKidz India – SpaceKidz india helps students to pursue their space dreams regardless of their field of education, social status, and geographic location. in this episode she talks about how it got started. How under her guidance, students designed Kalamsat – the world’s lightest satellite ever to be placed in orbit! Her team of students are currently building the world’s lightest rover for the moon. She also talks about how they use ‘ the make or break approach. Using 3D technology. Being mocked in the early days and people refusing to turn up to the first launch .She talks suborbital launches and trusting yourself. She talks about winning 20+ awards , Great advice for first time founders. She talks about being a former paratrooper, why she called herself Indira Gandhi as a 5 year to get into a top school. And is there life on other planets?
In this conversation we also talk about:
- Taking a 16 year sabbatical
- The space community in India
- Vision & redefining space dreams for Indian kids
- Going to Nasa
- Her initial dream of joining the army was rejected by her father,
- Designing & building a satellite from scratch in 6 days
- Being emotionally attached to the moon
- People refusing to turn up to the first launch
- Why her dad turned up at school for 15 days in a row at 5am!
- Turning her kitchen into a science lab
- Married at a young age, which put all her dreams and wishes on hold.
On a mission to make the world a safer place. Harshwardhan Zala founder of Aerobotics7. A robotics startup working on life-saving technology as a service.
India’s drone whizz kid Harshwardhan Zala is on the show today. He has built a drone that sniffs out landmines. So In this conversation we talk about how it all got started at the age of 9. Spending 6-8 hours in a cyber cafe with his grandfather. Being inspired by a YouTube video where soldiers were trying to defuse a mine. Talks about the remarkable journey from not being taken seriously to be mentioned in the speech by PM of Israel. Talks about working with the indian government and military. Talks about how they implement AI/Machine learning and GPS in the drone and how it all works. Talks about being invited to Silicon Valley, Talks about The early prototypes, accuracy rates, the successful demos and not so successful demos! Working with adults. Talks about the future of drones . He then goes on to talk about burnout, and some insights on the drone community in India. And what makes a great developer.
In this conversation we also talk about:
- Teaching engineering graduates at the age of 12 for extra pocket money
- Thoughts on being called a child prodigy/genius
- Completing 40+ projects by the age of 12
- The hardware, software and design challenges.
- Dropping out of school
- How you can get started with hardware development
- Public perception of drones
- Not having enough drone parts in India.
- Great tips on staying focus
- The problem – 110 active mines buried around the world.
- Developing code in-house v open source
- When will it go live?
Building a value based SaaS startup not a Vanity based SaaS startup – Shekar Nair partner & Co-founder of Upekkha, a business accelerator for early stage SaaS startups.
Don’t be a Vanity SaaS. Be a value SaaS business. Today my guest is Shekar Nair – Partner & co-founder of Upekkha a business accelerator for early stage SaaS startups. They help founders build value based startups not vanity based startups. So he talks about why they focus on SaaS startups only. We talk about pricing strategies. Launching strategies & getting your first customers. We talk about co-founder issues, setting up in Delaware, USA. Why is there no Microsoft equivalent in India yet? and who could it eventually be and finally what he learned most about himself during lockdown.
in this conversation we also talk about:
- Developing the fundamentals of the SasS flywheel
- Growing fast
- What does Upekkha mean?
- Biggest insights do far
- Future of SAAS.
- Advice first time founders
- What are they looking for?
- What is a vanity SaaS business?
- Being a thought leader for SaaS based businesses in India.
The indian Startup Show – The Best Bits [Part13]
Some of the best bits over the past 5 years. Today you will hear from Yashika Shah Co-founder of Nandoo. She has created an app for the 200 million stressed out Indian millennials. The app pays you to walk & be healthy!
Next up is Rajiv Talreja – India’s leading business coach & author of the International Bestseller “Lead or Bleed” – How entrepreneurs and corporate leaders can stop fire-fighting and start accelerating performance and profits.
Next I speak to the Akshaara Lalwani founder of Communicate India – The fastest growing marketing & PR company in India. She started this business from her bedroom age 23 and now in the 8th year employs over 100 people has clients around the world and won a number of awards. And last but not least I speak to
Venk Potula Award-winning Indian-American filmmaker & creator of the new Indian-American fiction podcast called Masala Jones – A daring new comedy about one man’s journey to become the world’s first Indian-American adult actor. Finally I would like to pay tribute to everyone listening and subscribing to the show for the past four years. Without you, this podcast would not have been possible! So I’m very grateful!
Minakshi Singh Co-founder & CEO of Sidecar & Speakeasy on building India’s best bar & being featured in the coveted Asia 50 best bars in 2020
Minakshi started with an Excel spreadsheet back in 2006. And this year has recently been awarded the best bar in India , and in Asia’s 50 best bars list of 2020. Amazing achievement considering women working in bars is extremely uncommon. it’s a bit of a taboo subject. So she talks about how she overcame those challenges. She talks about finding her passion, Working 14-15 hours a day. She reveals how she got people in India to drink an Old Fashioned & Whisky Sour’s! What she learned about herself during lockdown. We talk about indian’s complicated relationship with alcohol. And finally she shares her secrets to making a great cocktail. It’s truly an amazing story and one that will inspire you as well.
in this conversation we also talk about:
- How she came up with concepts and themes
- Building a bar from scratch or buying an established business.
- Non alcoholic v alcoholic cocktails
- Favorite cocktails.
- Dealing with the lockdown.
- Getting an adrenaline rush from bartending
- Why being a bartender is similar to giving a theatre performance .
- Not taking it too seriously
- Dealing with bureaucracy
- Advice on building your own bar,
- Getting women into the industry
Vivek Bajaj co-founder of StockEdge & Elearnmarkets on building the Bloomberg ecosystem for retail Investors in India.
Vivek Bajaj is back on the show! He is co-founder of StockEdge & Elearnmarkets.com. He appeared back in August 2016 (EP39) and since then his app has gone from 50K downloads to 1.5million downloads. And has gone from employing 25 staff to over 140 staff. So in this episode he talks about how they have scaled the operation. Talks about finding great business partners. Thoughts on the current stock market, Common mistakes first time investors make. Shares formulas for investing including the ‘10 10 10’ rule. Talks about his best investments and worst. Why Reliance stock is a ‘buy’. Why he doesn’t invest in Bitcoin. Talks about raising finance. Gives great advice for entrepreneurs And finally the most important lesson about money he has learned so far!
in this conversation we talk about:
- Revenue stats so far
- What problem are they solving
- Which product makes most revenue?
- Are they still a startup?
- Dealing with the big losses
- Never comprising on sleep
- Why you shouldn’t just look at the price of a stock
- Using you gut/intuition picking stocks
- The importance of interest rates on the stock market
- What is going to happen to the stock market in the next 6 months
- Thoughts on robo advisors
- Why your tech product should always be in ‘beta’
Shakun Sethi founder of Tickle.life. On building the world’s first community based discovery platform for sexual wellbeing and sexuality.
If sex sells, why is it so difficult to make money? Well today we are going to find out! I speak to Shakun Sethi founder of Tickle.life – The world’s first community based discovery platform for sexual wellbeing and sexuality.She talks about her desire to build this. She goes in depth about building not one but two MVP and spending a year visiting over 100 sex toy shops for research. She talks about getting user feedback, using the sprint model. What metrics they use and the design issues faced. She talks about what really matters when building a community from scratch. She talks about the Indian market. And finally she talks about how to improve your EQ.
In this episode we talk about:
- What are the users needs
- getting 5k people to download the app with marketing.
- Indian customers being ready but still having reservations
- What she learned from her first startup
- Having a therapist
- why she gets DM’s but no RT’s!
- Failure is ok!
- Building a discovery platform not a social network
- Her leadership style
- Idea V Execution
- What she googled before telling her parents!
Where are they now? Dr Siddharth Manvati (Ph.D) Co-Founder of ClearMeat. On building India’s first cell based meat company. Chicken 2.0
I catch up with Dr Siddharth Manvati, co-founder of Clear Meat. He came on the podcast last year (EP125) And a lot has changed since we last spoke. He finally talks about the magical moment he finally tasted the first product. He talks about the science behind evaluating taste and smell. The economics of making lab based chicken. Talks about raising finance. Talks about proof of concepts, having 14 sleepless nights , why they are moving from the Indian market to the global markets. When will this be available to the general public? And how they plan to scale the company.
In this conversation we talk about:-
- shifting from the lab to industry.
- Plant based v cell based thoughts
- What does it taste like?
- Why they not ready to start branding yet
- How they hire scientists
- Not being a salesperson
- Thoughts on the China market
- Chicken nuggets chat.
- What does the law say?
- An update on what we will be eating & drinking in 100 years time!
Newslaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri on building an alternative news model & paying to keep the news free!
Indians don’t pay for news! Well they do and today my guest is Abhinandan Sekhri, co-founder of Newslaundry, a news, current affairs & media analysis organisation. They are building an alternative news model , so in this episode he talks about building this high risk venture. Old media & new media business models. Not being dependent on eyeballs. Find out which newspaper is worth reading. Dealing with Twitter trolls. Govt interference in the news. Thoughts on PM Modi, Arnab Goswami and what kept him going in the early days. And why the ‘self made man’ is a myth. Finally we talk about his experience of directing/producing Highway On My plate , the award winning travel and food program.
In this conversation we also talk about:
- Subscription stats
- How he got started
- Mistakes made
- The culture of paying for news
- Advice on building your own media company
- What questions would he ask PM Modi
- Working on a piece about the Delhi riots
- Great food experiences & not so great food experiences.
- Podcast recommendations
Yash Pariani – Founder of The Indian Gaming League. On building India’s most popular esports league & the booming indian e-sport scene
The Indian e-sport scene is booming. So today I speak to Yash Pariani co-founder of The Indian Gaming League. IGL is India’s most popular competitive gaming and esports league that hosts gaming tournaments online and they are growing fast! So in this episode he talks about how he is creating an infrastructure for Indian gamers. Talks about building trust within the community. How demonetisation helped the esports industry in India. Talks about esports as a respectable career.and finally he talks about Steve Jobs, dealing with concerned parents and dealing with cheats!
In this conversation we also talk about:
- Stats so far
- Key learnings as an entrepreneur
- Why Fortnite became a hit game
- What you need to be a top esports player?
- Streaming games
- Esports v traditional sports
- Will it become an Olympic event
- Offline tournaments v online tournaments
- how much can you win?
- Thoughts on starting your own Esports team
- Female E-gamers
- Seeking challenges
The Winning Sixer, leadership lessons to master. W.V Raman. Ex-Indian cricketer & coach of the India women’s national cricket team |
W.V. Raman’s vast experience as a player and coach at the top level will provide wonderful learnings on how to achieve one’s potential in all walks of life. – Sachin Tendulkar.
Today I speak with Mr W V Raman – Former test match cricketer , and coach of the indian women’s team. We talk about his book The Winning Sixer , leadership lessons to master. He talks about how anyone can be a leader. He talks about building credibility. Biggest mistakes leaders make. He talks about life changing advice from a non-cricketer which led him to break all records in 88-89 season and scoring one of the best knocks overseas by an indian batsman. Talks about dealing with the pressure of playing for India. Thoughts on the winner takes all mentality and finally we talk about his current coaching career .
In this conversation we also talk about:
- Dealing with Sledging
- Getting bowled out for 66 in Durban
- Do you have to be selfish to be a top cricketer?
- Going back to school
- Listening to talking ratios
- Talks about underrated Indian cricket players
- How he got his big break as a top order batsman
- Facing a prime Allan Donald!
- Life in the dressing room
Nitesh Salvi – Founder & CEO of Pocket52 on building India’s largest poker platform.
You Got to Know When to Hold Them, Know When to Fold Them!
Today I speak to Nitesh Salvi, founder and CEO of Pocket52. He talks about how he went from playing poker in the late nights in his student dorm with friends to building India’s largest poker platform.
He talks about how they build trust and loyalty on the platform. Talks about getting rejected over 150 times despite already having a previously successful exit.
He talks about creating a white label business as well as a B2C model. Talks about the psychological side of Poker. Dealing with fraud. And we talk about gambling responsibly and finally he talks about his biggest wins and losses on the poker table! and much more.
in this conversation we also talk about
- Growing the user base
- Spending 6/7 months researching the market
- Coin dumping
- Building a scalable product
- The importance of using Lava lamps!
- Pitch deck advice
- Creating the right environment for customers
- Advice for first time entrepreneurs
- Playing poker with his family
- Reading people
The Indian Startup Show – The Best Bits [Part12]
Having been stuck inside coronavirus lockdown since late March. I decided to listen back through the archives and put together some of the best interviews.
Today you will here from ‘The Recycle Man of India’ Dr Binish Desai Forbes 30 under 30 Asia social entrepreneur & founder of Eco-Eclectic. He talks about creating environmentally-friendly solutions to various problems.
Next up is Krishnan Nair -CEO of Geektrust he talks about on creating an online platform that connects talented developers with great opportunities.
And finally I speak to the amazing Pooja Dhingra Celebrity chef, entrepreneur & founder of Le15 Patisserie. We talk about how she learned everything from scratch , the challenges she had t