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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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The Indian Startup Show ::Trailer

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 to overcome. Building a brand and her love of chocolate

Futurepreneur Grand Challenge Winner! Radhika Timbadia founder of Champaca Cafe. On building a unique cafe venture around books, food, curation and building a strong community.

Futurepreneur Grand Challenge winner Radhika Timbadia Owner of Champaca , Campaca is a unique cafe venture around books, food, curation and a strong community. She talks about how it got started. Talks about spotting the gap in the market . Thoughts on building a community. Talks about not being taken seriously by vendors and also challenges of retaining employees. She talks about dealing with Covid19. Advice for first time entrepreneurs. Great book recommendations, why she loves books, Bangalore traffic! Spotting snow leopards and online pub quizzes.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Creating online voucher system during the shutdown.
– Getting help from fellow cafe owners
– 360 degree personality change
– Was it a difficult concept to sell in the early days
– What will the cafe shop look after Covid19?
– Book recommendations Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities
by Harini Nagendra, Seema Mundoli and Exhalation – Ted Chang
– Making tough decisions
– Exploring different niches.
– Bangalore weather.
– Motivating herself in the lockdown.

Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) and Facebook India launched the FUTUREPRENEURS GRAND CHALLENGE for women mass entrepreneurs in the Food and Beverage Sector (F&B) in Bangalore to catalyse women entrepreneurs and recognize and reward the best among them.

GAME is a non-profit platform for mission-aligned partners to learn, innovate and collaboratively build a self-sustaining mass entrepreneurship ecosystem. By identifying and scaling breakthroughs with partners, we want to build a movement for creating and sustaining 10 million job-creating ‘mass entrepreneurs’, half of whom will be women. For more information:

Where are they now? Raghav Gupta Co-founder of Nymble labs on building Julia – A personal cooking assistant , gives new insights on customer development , talks about being on TV & cooking stir fries!!

Catching up with Raghav Gupta, the co-founder of Nymble labs. He came on the show in November 2017 his team has built a personal cooking assistant called Julia. We talk about his appearance on TV. How they have developed the robot since we last spoke, talks about raising finance ,setting up offices in China and California. Talks about why they are changing market focus from India to US. Gives great advice on customer development and how they qualify customers. Talks about becoming comfortable with uncertainty. He talks about how they demoed the robot at TechCrunch robotics conference without paying $$$$ for a booth. And finally we got some music at the end of the show.

in this conversation we talk about:-

– Being VC backed & new business model
– How they came up with research goals
– Developing a Customer Development process that helped gather more insights about consumers.
– How they separate feedback from noise
– How they capture the feedback.
– Taking the cooking robot to the houses of people who had signed up in SF, San Diego and LA
– Dealing with the coronavirus
– Thoughts on the b2b and b2c markets
– Dealing with the competition
– Don’t fall in love with your product. Fall in love with the problem!

The Startup Guy aka Vijay Anand , Founder of the Startup Centre on the Indian Startup Ecosystem – where to next?

India is the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, what’s going right, and what needs to be tweaked? I speak to Vijay Anand, AKA The Startup Guy, founder of The Startup Centre in Chennai. He is an entrepreneur and has been mentoring startups in India for the past 10 years. So In this episode we talk about the state of the Indian startup ecosystem. Talk about finding India’s identity – China has processes & innovation, Germany does precision machinery, US and Israel drive innovation, Japan has quality. What is India’s story?The involvement of India’s government – the good & bad. Talks about If someone wants to start a venture today, what areas should they focus on? talks about the 2 kinds of entrepreneur, overvaluation of startups, ethics, blockchain, dogs!, space travel, super human beings and what does he go for – the person or the idea? And much more , so please enjoy the show.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Differences in the Indian eco-system v Israel eco-system
– Big observation about indian startups
– Indian domestic market v global market
– Bill gates & Mark Zuckerberg chat
– How do you unlearn
– Looking at a person as an asset not a liability
– The 3rd wave of startups
– How to find co-founders
– What gets Vijay out of bed?

links

https://in.linkedin.com/in/vijayanands
https://twitter.com/vijayanands

The Indian Startup Show – The Best Bits [Part11]

Trapped indoors by the Storm Ciara & Storm Dennis. I decided to listen back through the archives and put together some of the best bits. So today you will hear from Govinda Upadhyay- Cofounder LEDsafari, Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneur – On bringing solar-powered light to students in India.

Next up is Venkat Iyer – the author of Moong Over Microchips – Adventures of a techie turned farmer!

Next the ‘The Guru of Giggling’ Dr Madan Kataria – Founder of Laughter Yoga Clubs- On why laughter really is the best medicine! Including exercises you can try at home helped me a trapped nerve in my shoulder!

Last but by no means least – Rajeev Tamhankar founder of TBS Planet a comic & animation startup. He is building the next Indian Superhero Universe!. 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.

Where are they now? Vineet Rajan Co-founder of Scout My Trip on pivoting, new insights on the India travel market , growing 5x , expanding into S.E Asia, using virtual scouts & life changing road trips!

This is an exciting new feature called Where Are They Now ? I catch up with previous guests who came on the show. I catch up With Vineet Rajan the co-founder of Scout My Trip India’s first subscription-based travel planner powered by local travel experts. He gives us an update on what’s been happening since I last spoke to him over 2 years ago including being recognised as being of the top 50 startups to watch in india. Talks about expanding into SouthEast Asia. He explains why they pivoted and now use virtual scouts, talks about raising $500k, talks about content marketing strategies , talks about hot new destinations in india you should visit , talks about a life changing trip to Ladakh and finally he talks about eating ghost chillies in North East India and his second wife latitia(his bike!)

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Growing 5x since 2018
– A phenomenal 2019 winning 6+ awards
– Offline marketing strategies
– Business Travel market
– Working with Honda
– Climate change & sustainable travel
– Great story how he met his co-founder on the highway
– Great road trips
– Being a startup guy and his co-founder being a corporate guy
– Consumer mindset in india
– Income Tax Exemption granted under Startup India Programme
– How they use virtual scouts
– Using AI in the future
– Being trapped in the snow for 20hrs!

Part 2 – Creating a better framework for startups in India – Sanil Sachar co-founder of Huddle. And co-owner of global sports brand, Trusox

Part 2 of my interview with Sanil Sacher co-founder of huddle a startup incubator based in Delhi. So in this episode he talks his entrepreneurial life. Talks about his moment of epiphany. Gives great advice on beating the Monday morning blues talks about how to scale consumer goods companies, some Richard Branson chat , key takeaway from working at Star Sports , and mental health chat. Finally a first for the indian startup show, Sanil reads out some of his wonderful some poetry.

Creating a better framework for startups in India (Part 1) – Sanil Sachar co-founder of Huddle. And co-owner of global sports brand, Trusox

Providing 360-degree support to multiple startups. Today I speak to Sanil Sachar co-founder of Huddle a startup incubator based in Delhi. He is also an entrepreneur, national best-selling author, angel investor, columnist, co-owner of global sports brand, Trusox, motivational speaker and leadership coach. I decided to split this into two parts . So in this episode we talk about the startup incubator he co-founded , what inspired him to do this, what they look for when it comes to investing, raising funds in india, exits, advice for first time investors ,he talks about what startups you should be investing in and what he likes & dislikes in the Indian startup ecosystem.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Mentoring startups
– The application process
– Being open to single founders & non technical founders
– How much do they invest & how much equity do they take.
– Investing in data over sound technology, blockchain & keto markets
– Startup scene in Delhi , compared to Mumbai & Bangalore.
– Motivations
– How much should you invest?

and much more

Building India’s fastest growing new-age, values-driven vegan skin care & beauty brand – Shankar Prasad founder of Pureplay Skin Sciences

‘One piece of advice I will give is this – listen to the consumer , listen to the consumer, listen to the consumer , everything flows from that, if that’s not part of you equation then your starting at the wrong place – Shankar Prasad. Today I speak to Shankar Prasad, Founder, Pureplay Skin Sciences.One of indian fastest growing vegan & grooming brands. He has over 20 years of creating and building consumer goods india. So in this podcast we talk about his iterative design process, his research , his pricing strategy , using social media influencers, the Skin care for men market, taking calculated risks, advice on building your own consumer goods brand and learn how to improve your communication skills. And finally some warren Buffett chat as well so please enjoy the show.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Starting out as a chemical engineer.
– Leaving corporate life and going it alone.
– Why vegan?
– Bring inspired by the goodness of nature, and & doing good
– Online & offline selling strategies
– Understanding want goes on in the west ,will likely happen in India
– Social media advice – Earn your place at the table.
– Launching skin care products for men & size of market.
– Favourite brands and why.
– Thoughts & experiences on using Youtube video for marketing & advertising.

and much more

Vikas Jha CEO & founder of Alore CRM – On building one of India’s fastest growing sales platform

India is emerging as one of the fastest-growing markets for SaaS (software as a service)-based customer relationship management (CRM) firms. So today i speak to Vikas Jha founder & CEO of Alore. Alore offers everything needed to run a sales team at scale – from finding business email addresses to running automated drip campaigns to monitoring the performance of sales teams. So he talks about it all got started , how the product works. How they acquire customers around the world organically without spending money on marketing. Talks about nearly going bankrupt , talks about what makes a great salesperson, being an ex-merchant navy officer turned venture capitalist turned entrepreneur. Gives great book recommendations , talks about burnout , mental health. He talks about bootstrapping strategies what worked and what didn’t work and finally he talks about how he transitioned from corporate life to startup life.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Sales so far
– Early bootstrap strategies using Facebook groups
– Product design process
– Unique pricing models
– 2 business models
– Is email still a good way to sell?
– The ‘land & expand’ strategy
– Book recommendation – Atomic Habits by James Clear & OKR by John Dorr
– Seeing 800 business plans in a year as a VC and what to put in a pitch deck.
– Great hiring advice and processes.
– How he dealt with mental health & burnout
– Advice on pivoting
– Dealing with rejection

and much more

Reinventing Student Living – OxfordCaps CEO Annu Talreja & COO Priyanka Gera on building India’s largest student accommodation business

Student living 2.0! Today I speak with Annu Talreja and Priyanka Gera they have co-founded OxfordCaps. OxfordCaps is Asia’s first branded and tech-enabled student housing company they started in Singapore and now growing rapidly in India so in this episode they talk about how they went from quitting their corporate jobs to raising $10 million dollars in funding. They talk about how they are enhancing the student experience, female entrepreneurship , the hardest part about doing business in India , they talk about pitching to investors and knowing each other since childhood. And finally some Steve jobs, Jack Ma chat.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Going from 200 beds to 15000 beds
– Are they growing too fast?
– First impressions of each other
– How they divided the different roles & responsibilities at the start.
– Appreciating each other
– Getting customers
– Having supportive investors
– Lion mom culture & stress
– Technology

and much more!

Helping Global Indians Find Love – Naina Hiranandani COO & Co-Founder of Sirf Coffee

What do women want? & how do you deal with those annoying Aunties! Well today your going to find out. My guest is Naina Hiranandani, COO & Co-founder Sirf Coffee. Sirf Coffee is a bespoke dating service revolutionising dating for global Indians. In this exciting episode she talks about servicing clients around the world using an offline approach to dating and why they take this approach. She talks about the operational side of the business and why the business model has not changed over 10 years. She talks about why they don’t spend money on marketing or take investment and finally she shares some great dating advice you can try if your footloose and fancy free!

In this episode we talk about

– How many dates have they have setup
– Walking away from a lucrative career to do this
– Building a prototype
– Word of mouth marketing
– Do opposites attract?
– What it takes to be a COO
– The future of dating
– Being different to the rest of the competition
– Having courage
– Book recommendation Sapiens – Yuval Harari & Modern Romance – Aziz Ansari

The Best of The Indian Startup Show – Part 10

Thank you for downloading the Best of The Indian Startup Show Part 10. So Today you will hear from

Ganesh Shankar, Co-Founder of FluxGen – On Solving India’s Water Shortage Crisis.
“WHO WILL MARRY YOU!” – Ganesh’s mother’s reaction to him quitting General Electric & starting his own company! A start-up company based in Bangalore they has developed a low-cost and local Internet of Things (IoT) solution for energy and water management (EWM). So in this podcast we talk about – How he got the idea, how it works, the ups and downs of entrepreneurial life to bootstrapping the company.

We also talk about management styles & why the 14th February is an important date! Nothing to do with Valentine’s day! Future of Indian Startups. Stats. The cultural advantages of Indian startups. He also talks about an inspirational cycling adventure from Bangalore to Goa.

Next up is Vineet Rajan , Co-Founder of Scout My Trip – On building India’s premier do-it-yourself platform for road trips .

When Vineet was 5 years old, his dad shoved him into a car and took him on his first ever road trip! Now he is the co-founder of Scout My Trip, a platform & planner for road trips anywhere in India, they are doing really well. Its a big market 90% of all travel today is by road. 60% of all vacations today are road trips. We talk about how he got 5,000 signups before launching, being part of a tech accelerator, mistakes he has made on the way, to being profitable. We also talk about amazing road trips you can try, His passion for riding his Royal Enfield bike around India and much more.

And finally Mathew Browne, CEO of Kolkata Yoga Club – On bringing Yoga to the masses!

we talk about the difficult first 3 months in his startup journey, marketing tactics, pricing strategies, roadmaps, his management style, getting into the corporate wellness space we also discuss laughter yoga, super brain yoga, desk yoga and some Conor McGregor chat as well and much much more so please enjoy the show!

The Best of The Indian Startup Show – Part 9

Sit back & enjoy some of the best moments of The indian Startup Show. But first I would like to pay tribute to everyone listening and subscribing to show for the past four years. Without you, this podcast would not have been possible! I’m very grateful. You will hear from Anupama Gowda, Co-founder of Workbench Projects – On building a maker space for tinkerers, artists, makers, engineers & anyone with an inspired spirit! Next up is Raghav Gupta, Co-founder of Nymble Labs – On creating a curry cooking robot! Freeing Indians from their kitchen! And finally Nivedha R.M – Co-founder of TrashCon – On a mission to solve India’s huge waste management problem.

Revolutionising personal loans for salaried professionals – Satyam Kumar CEO & Co founder of LoanTap – One of India’s fastest growing Fintech startups

“Growing up in a country that has been credit starved”- Satyam Kumar. Satyam is the CEO & Co-founder of Loan Tap a digital lending platform for salaried employees. They are one of the fastest growing Fintech startups in India. So in this episode he talks raising $22 million in funding from bootstrapping the business 3 years ago. The Indian lending ecosystem, shares digital marketing strategies including Diwali marketing tips. He talks about mistakes startups make when pitching for investment. Learn how they deal with fraud. He also shares excellent financial advice and finally some Amitabh Bachchan chat.
in this conversation we also talk about:

– Bootstrap strategies
– Creating customer awareness
– Wedding loans
– Being profitable
– Book recommendation – Measure What matters:OKR’s John Dorr
– Indian Poetry
– Fintech startup advice
– After raising $22 million is it pressure on or off
– Thoughts on Bitcoin

This episode is brought to you by Manning. Manning is an independent publisher of computer books and video courses for software developers, engineers, architects, system administrators, managers and all who are professionally involved with the computer business. Now you can get 40% off all Manning products use discount code podinstartup19 https://www.manning.com/

Sanjay Manaktala – From an IT engineer to India’s top stand-up comedian

Being very Indian & doing something non Indian! my guest is Sanjay Manaktala Sanjay is one of India’s best stand-up comedians, based out of Bangalore and performs at different places all over India. So in this episode we talk about his amazing career so far. He talks about his digital content that has been viewed over 35 million times across Facebook and YouTube. We talk about his background in mixing humor and comedy while spending 10 years in the IT Industry. He also talks about dealing with Internet fame, working with Russell brand , Imposter syndrome, stage fright and dealing with hecklers! much more.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Taking an engineering approach to comedy
– America audiences v Indian audiences
– Working with Audible
– Quitting Accenture and going it alone
– The Indian comedy scene
– Dealing with the competition
– No room for ego in this business!
– Not comparing yourself to others
– Can anyone be funny?

This episode is brought to you by Manning Publications – Manning is an independent publisher of computer books and video courses specifically for software developers, engineers, architects and system administrators.

Get 40% off Manning publications please go to https://www.manning.com/ use discount code podinstartup19

#128 Meet the Indian love cheat detective – Akriti Khatri The founder of the Venus Detective Agency.

The explosion of online dating & matchmaking apps in India has led to a huge rise in the number of private investigators tasked with exposing love cheats. Today my guest is Akriti Khatri , the founder of Venus Detective Agency . She is like the female Miss Marple, So in this exciting episode she talks about how she got started and turned this into a very successful business with offices around india.

She gives great advice for first time founders and she will also talk about going undercover to check up brides and grooms before they get married , she talks dating, using high technology gadgets, conflicts, emotions. Why business is booming due to soap operas and why spending 30 days in the office doing nothing set her up for big success!

In this conversation we talk about:

– Business model
– Blackmail , honey traps & love affairs
– Why females make the best detectives
– Whats in her spy kit?
– The Long hours
– Would she recommend this as a career?

For the last 4 years I have personally used Manning in my own software development career, side projects and hackathons. So it’s fabulous to have them onboard. Even when I have been struggling debugging front end & back end code, preparing for a technical interviews these books & videos have been an absolute lifesaver. Titles include Zero to AI, Fighting Churn with Data, and Machine Learning for Business

And now Manning Publications now offers regional pricing for Indian residents. Check out https://www.manning.com/ for pricing in Rupees. So if you want to build the next big thing check out https://www.manning.com/

#127 On a mission to make lifelong readers out of children – Dalbir Kaur Madan founder of OneUp Library.

Nothing gratifies the soul than a good read! Today I speak to Dalbir Kaur Madan – The founder of One Up Library a unique entrepreneurial venture that aims to revitalize the idea of traditional libraries into inviting child-centered learning space designed for the 21st century child. In this episode she talks about how it was a difficult concept to sell in the early days. You will learn how she builds a community. She talks about the business model. Talks about getting kids off smartphones and getting them to read 150 books a year. How reading Malcolm Gladwell helps her with the business strategy. Great book recommendations so check the show notes for more details. Some Harry Potter chat and some surprising research & data on why you should read out loud to you kids.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– The 10,000 hours rule
– Why most people stop reading after they leave school
– Thoughts on audio books
– Reading is like breathing in & writing is like breathing out
– Why is Harry Potter so popular?
– Challenges need to be solved instead of weighing you down!
– How to raise a reader

Book Recommendations

– The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
– Maccher Jhol – Richa jhu
– The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
– Theres a Giraffe in my soup by Ross Burach
– Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
– Outliers by Malcolm Galdwell
– The Moment of Life – Melinda Gates

#126 Five Indian high school girls aka The “TechWitches” on building Maitri. An app that connects children at orphanages to senior citizens in nursing homes, allowing them to spend time together

After losing both grandparents Ananya Grover & her fellow classmates decided to build something in the social sector space. So she and her fellow classmates aka ‘The Tech Witches’ decided to build an app called Maitri. An app that connects children at orphanages to senior citizens in nursing homes, allowing them to spend time together. In this episode I will talk to two of the ladies. CEO Ananya Grover & CTO Arefa Muzaffar.

They talk about how it all works. Flying out to San Francisco and pitching the app to Google Ventures. They talk about how this app can fight depression in two groups. Being the only indian team in the Technovation Girls competition – A global competition featuring 19,000 kids and 170 teams from across 38 countries . They talk about what makes a great entrepreneur, how they work together and finally some Michelle Obama & Malala Yousafzai chat.
in this conversation we talk about:

– Sleepless nights!
– How they dealt with skeptical adults
– Improving everyone’s social and mental well-being.
– The rise of loneliness in a connected world.
– Research/design/coding challenges
– Targeting two sets of users
– Why they call themselves the TechWitches
– Getting feedback from Google Ventures.

#126 Supari Studios co-founder Advait Gupt on building an award winning digital content studio & creating India’s answer to The Simpsons.

‘Get out of bed! & do the stuff your excited about’ – Today I speak to Advait Gupt founder of Supari Studios an award winning digital content studio. They help brands build scalable, immersive content to Gen Y and Gen Z audiences online. Over the past 7 years, they have produced over 450 projects that have been viewed over half a billion times online, for brands such as Red Bull, Google, Estee Lauder and Twitter.

In this episode he talks about creating content at scale. How they manage the creative side with making money. You will learn how to grow your own content on Youtube. He also talks about the streaming wars in India. And finally he talks about creating a Simpsons type animation show set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have gone extinct. It follows the adventures of a cow , chicken , goat and a pig four crime fighting vigilantes. & working with one of Indians biggest rappers Divine.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Working with top international brands
– Business models
– Book recommendation – Creativity inc & Measure what matters
– Animation scene in India
– Think about the consumer
– Aims & objectives in the next 3 years
– Advice on how to be taken seriously.
– You don’t need a fancy degree!

#125 Chicken 2.0 – Dr Siddharth Manvati (Ph.D) Co-Founder of Clear Meat. On building India’s first cell based meat company

Anyone fancy a lab-grown chicken burger? Today I speak to Dr Siddaharth Manvati Co-founder of Clear Meat. This company seeks to produce India’s first cell-based chicken minced meat. In this exciting episode you will learn how they create lab grown meat from molecules. He also talks about business models B2B & B2C. He talks about being part of an accelerator a global food accelerator programme shaping the future of food. He talks about the importance of being patient. Raising finance and discusses price points. Working with farmers not against. And finally some interesting ideas on what were going to eat and drink in a 100 years time!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– The aim in the next 2/3 years
– Thoughts on plant based v lab based meat
– Taste?
– What about fish & bacon etc.
– The future of food – Chicken Nuggets with insulin & bubble water
– Advice for first time founders

and much more!

#124 Tanul Mishra Entrepreneur & CEO of Afthonia Labs on building a trusted eco-system for Fintech Startups in India.

With over $1.85 Billion invested in the Indian FinTech space so far, I speak with 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. She talks about what startups should be focussing on and what they are looking for . She also reflects on her time as the co-founder of Eatelish, a successful food service that is a bridge between artisan foodmakers from across India and consumers. She talks about surviving the early days, breakthrough moments, having a successful exit and an interesting story about pickles and sorting things out over a cup of hot chocolate!

In this episode we also talk about:

– Funding is not the ultimate benchmark of success.
– Advice on launching startups.
– What should go in your pitch deck
– Being excited & emotional after a successful exit.
– Having an epiphany when trekking
– Great thoughts on when the right time to sell your startup.
– Examples of Fintech startups
– Book recommendation – Calvin and hobbs
– Partnering with VC’s

#123 Prateek Madhav CEO of Assistive Technology Accelerator (ATA) on running an accelerator to help startups build tech-based solutions for people with disabilities

Disability is a large problem, 1 Billion people in the world have some or the other kind of disability. 2. 2 Billion people will need at least 1 assistive product by 2030. Today I speak to Prateek Madhav the Co-founder & CEO of the Assistive Technology Accelerator . ATA is india’s first ever assistive technology accelerator. They help startups build tech based solutions for people with disabilities. He talks about how it all got started , examples of tech for good products. He talks about funding, product market fit and the biggest challenges within the disability ecosystem. He talks about the mistakes startups make when pitching to investors , how to scale , thinking globally and after the doom and gloom of India getting knocked out of the World Cup. We talk about an Indian cricket team who are world champions.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– How do they identify startups
– Biggest insights so far
– Technology does not discriminate
– 70% of Indian disabled people live in rural areas.
– When’s the best time to launch?
– walking away from corporate life
– Social sector world v corporate world.
– Indian blind cricket team.
– Validating your ideas
– Book recommendation – Zero to one – Peter Thiel
– Running marathons

#122 Student entrepreneur Aarushi Nema Co-founder & CEO of The Smart Interface , demos Aaru an AI-based virtual assistant drawing on her inspiration from J.A.R.V.I.S Tony Stark’s AI computer!

Being a kid obsessed with J.A.R.V.I.S Aarushi a 17 year old student Entrepreneur has created Aaru – an AI-based virtual , personal assistant. Aaru is a one-stop solution to integrate any application to various interfaces and mode of communications. So in this exciting episode she talks about how it all got started. Being inspired by her father. Getting customers, learning to code , what motivates her. She gives us a demo , she talks about balancing school life with startup life, pitching to investors , lessons learned so far, and finally her love of physics.

in this conversation, we also talk about:

– Learning to code
– What her teachers & school friends think.
– Scaling the business
– Pitching in front of successful entrepreneurs
– Book recommendation – Steven Hawking -Brief answers to big questions
– Thoughts on machine learning
– Favourite startups
– The hardest bit about building this startup
– Advice for first time founders

and much more

#121 CEO Nishchal Chaudhary on building BattRE- a Tech-driven, electric mobility Startup

The Indian electric vehicle market is estimated be worth $30 Billion in 6 years. So today i speak with Nishchal Chaudhray founder of BattRE Electric Mobility they have introduced a new electric scooter in India at an affordable price. In this episode we talk about the phenomenal growth in the electric vehicle market due to product innovation and changes in government policies. He talks about building a distribution and after sales service network from scratch. He talks about what first time founders should be focussing on. Dealing with the skeptics . Planning Series A funding next year. Great advice on changing careers and why he doesn’t want to be the next Elon Musk.

in this conversation we talk about:

– How many electric scooters have they sold
– Being a sales guy not a tech guy
– Being the chief operator of everything!
– Book Recommendation – The Secret
– Not relying on the Government
– Dealing with success and failure
– Taking it to the masses
– Petrol bikes v Electric bikes
– Feature to price ratios
– Fail fast & fail smart
– Targeting generation Z

#120 Tackling India’s growing obesity problem. Dr Siddhant Bhargava co-founder & nutritionist at Food Darzee. A health & nutrition company offering fresh, healthy food delivered daily to your doorstep

India has a growing obesity problem! Today I speak with Dr Siddhant Bhargava co-founder and nutritionist at Food Darzee. Food Darzee is a health and nutrition company offering fresh, healthy food delivered daily to your doorstep. So in this episode he talks about his rollercoaster startup journey so far. Overcoming challenges, shares great advice for first time founders. Why obesity is a growing problem in India to dealing with Bollywood celebrities. Helping comedian Tanmay bhatt lose weight. Learn about the practical diet changes for a fit body. Advice on losing weight, nutrition being body positive, and finally his love of butter chicken!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Statistics so far.
– How does this work
– Having sleepless nights.
– Being the Keto expert in India.
– Educating Indian Mothers!
– Protein v carbs
– What keeps him going?
– the next milestones
– Siddhant’s idea of food heaven & food hell
– How much protein do you need?
– Digital marketing advice.
– Siddhant’s advice on what I am eating!

#119 Building the Blockchain eco-system in India – Cathy Guo CEO & Co-founder of Dunya labs

“I never expected to an entrepreneur if you asked me when I was graduating from Columbia university what would I be I would say a philosopher! “

Today I speak to Cathy Guo. Cathy is the CEO & Co-Founder at Dunya Labs. Dunya Labs is a global blockchain product company and innovation lab based in India. She talks about how she got started , what they are actually building. She talks about why she moved to india. She also talks about the blockchain ecosystem in india. favorite blockchain projects, dealing with the indian rules and regulations and finally her love of dhal and rice!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Targeting developers
– How long is a typical blockchain project.
– Can blockchain be hacked?
– Bitcoin
– Having a philosopher background helps!
– Who owns blockchain?
– Its a lonely job
– What will this company look like in 5 years
– Making herself obsolete
– Living in Bangalore

#118 Myth of the Entrepreneur: A Search for True Value by Ravi Kailas & Cathy Guo

What happens when a successful entrepreneur, who built and managed the world’s largest independent payphone company when he was still in his early thirties, begins questioning his identity as a value-creator? Today I speak to Ravi Kailas and Cathy Guo authors of an amazing new book called Myth of the entrepreneur. Its an intimate exploration of Ravi’s 30 year entrepreneurial journey. We talk about his life experiences . including having a heart attack . Shares his observations on the misconceptions surrounding entrepreneurship and ideas for the future of value creation.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Being a serial entrepreneur with over three decades of experience
– Wishing he had the heart attack earlier!
– How Vipassana meditation helps
– Risk taking
– The major myth about entrepreneurship
– Working with his father
– Great advice on building a services business. – You have to be price competitive
– Mistakes first founders make
– Building one of Indian’s largest renewable energy company
– Raising money on the London Stock exchange
– The 5 Trillion Indian infrastructure industry
– Overrated advice!
– Advice on finance

#117 Student by day & entrepreneur by night: Meet the real life startup superhero – Kunal Chandiramani 2 x CEO, International Bestselling author, and TEDx Speaker

“I feel like Superman getting ready to fly” Today I speak to Kunal Chandiramani founder and CEO of two startups. A TEDx speaker, an international best-selling author, while still at school. He talks about his love of startups, his love of innovation, waking up at 4.45am! Growing a beard & wearing suits for meetings. And he will tell you how to come up with value propositions, validate ideas, and how to motivate yourself. And finally we have some Jeff Bezos chat.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– A love of innovations and startups
– School system in india
– Choosing between profit or impact
– How does he do all this?
– What do his classmates and teachers think?
– Which is best: Distant future market or near future markets
– Being authentic
– Age is NOT a barrier
– Having the Forbes list on his bedroom wall
– Sending Jeff Bezos a letter and getting a reply

and much more!

#116 Spilling the Beans – A guide for Indians to understand & communicate successfully with US Americans. – David C. Sanford.

What do Americans think of Indians? & What do Indian people think of Americans? Well we are going to find out with my guest David C. Sanford. He is the author of a book called Spilling the Beans:A Guide for Indians to Understand and Communicate Successfully with U.S. Americans. David Sanford is an intercultural training specialist with more than 25 years of experience in helping with big organisations. So today you will learn how Americans, and Indians should communicate successfully with each other. You will also learn about the similarities and differences in Indian & American values, motivations, behaviours and expectations.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Passport culture
– When in Rome do as the romans do!- Is this still good advice?
– Hard handshakes v soft handshakes
– How to work across different cultures.
– What makes an American tick.
– Love of Masala Chai
– Working in virtual teams
– American psyche V Indian psyche (freedom v family)
– Mistakes U.S american companies make when dealing with indian employees

and much more!

links

https://whenculturesmix.com/spilling-the-beans

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.

Venk an award-winning Indian-American filmmaker and actor, producer & creator of the new Indian-American fiction podcast called Masala Jones. A subversive and daring new comedy about one man’s journey to become the world’s first Indian-American adult actor.

Venk talks about his life in Hollywood as an Indian-American , how he come up with idea. his entrepreneurial spirit. An amazing story of how he got discovered. What fame is really like and what comes with it. His dream role. We go through his IMDB appearing in VEEP and finally a great story about playing a zombie (make sure your not eating anything!)

in this conversation we also talk about

– How much research did he do?
– Working with hall of fame AVN actress Aurora Snow
– Virtual Reality in the theater
– Appearing on Veep was he star struck?
– Time spent at UCLA
– Hollywood parties
– Stay out of L.A!
– Making money in the entertainment business
– Taking acting classes – Running around staring at walls
– Being a hustler

[The Best] of the Indian Startup Show – Part 8

Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to everyone listening and subscribing to show for the past three years. Without you, this podcast would not have been possible! So I’m very grateful. So sit back & enjoy some of the best moments. I am looking for feedback on the show.

So If you could fill out the audience survey. It takes 2mins. https://forms.gle/iNkXMauT7azY81sK8 .

Today you will hear from Parag Agarwal Co-founder of JanaJal. Startup building Building the world’s first water sharing economy.

Next up Rakesh Verma Chairman & MD of MapmyIndia (@MapmyIndia) India’s leader in premium quality digital map data , GPS navigation, tracking, and location apps. He shares top leadership advice, he also talks about conviction , passion , happiness and not having the Monday Morning blues!

Next is Anaka Narayanan – Founder of Brass Tacks. She shares her journey from studying economics to becoming a fashion designer & entrepreneur!

Next up is Rohit Pateria, Co-founder & CEO of Placio – On disrupting the $50B Indian Student housing market

And finally, we hear from Dr. Geetha Manjunath Co-founder & CEO of NIRAMAI – On creating A novel breast cancer screening solution using AI

Yashika Shah Co-founder of Nandoo. The app for the 200 million stressed out Indian millennials. It pays you to walk & be healthy!

Taking fun seriously! Today I speak to Yashika Shah the co-founder of Nandoo. Nandoo is India’s only FUN health & wellness startup. Since launching 5 months ago . They already have 200,000 members. So in this episode she talks about how it all works. You will learn how she manages a full time job working in investment banking, while working on this startup. Being married to the co-founder. She talks about building a community & targeting stressed out Indian millennials and find out how many minutes you need to walk to get an IPhoneX!

In this episode we also talk about:

– 4.30AM starts!
– How they went from 0-200,000 in under 6 months
– Future business models
– Indian marketing strategies – what worked, & what didn’t work
– Work life balance

Akshaara Lalwani founder of Communicate India – The fastest growing marketing & PR company in India.

‘You can’t please everyone – Not even chocolate can!’ Today I speak to Akshaara Lalwani founder of Communicate India one of the fastest growing Marketing and PR companies 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. So in this episode she talks about her amazing journey. Some of her favourite PR campaigns – including flying pizzas. You will learn about client relationships and how she measures success , and dealing with crisis management and finally some chat about Margaret Thatcher , sushi , Will Smith, Tequila, insects and eating pizza 14 days in row!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Challenging first year
– Growing 150% in the last year
– Getting a pizza delivered by a drone!
– The dream company she would like to work with.
– Being careful of how you use social influencers
– Establishing a 90:10 gender ratio
– Learning on the job
– What she has learned as a female entrepreneur
– Being called the Margaret Thatcher of the PR industry
– Expecting the worst not the best

and much more

Rajiv Talreja – India’s leading business coach & author of the International Bestseller “Lead or Bleed”

“If you don’t lead in your business you will bleed!” – Today I speak to Rajiv Talreja India’s Leading Business Coach and is the author of the International Bestseller called – “Lead or Bleed” So in this episode You will learn how to stand out from the competition. Mistakes entrepreneurs make. Examples of core strategies that you can use in your business. And why the customer is not the king! And much much more . So please enjoy the show. Thank you!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Having a strict father
– Being in debt
– Two failed businesses.
– Anyone who has scaled a business is not the most intelligent person on the team.
– Spirituality.
– Business heroes
– Being a selfish cricketer
– Being a freak of work life balance.
– Living an ‘And’ life not an ‘Or’ life
– TedX talk
– Why self employment is a trap.

Pooja Dhingra Celebrity chef, entrepreneur & founder of Le15 Patisserie.

As a little girl Pooja Dhingra was obsessed with desserts. Now she is the force behind the immensely popular Patisserie chain, Le 15 Patisserie in Mumbai. We talk about how she learned everything from scratch , the challenges she had to overcome. Building a brand. Her love of chocolate . The reality of being a celebrity chef. And finally find out what is her food heaven and food hell. It’s truly an amazing story and one that will inspire you as well. So please enjoy the show.

In this conversation we talk about:

– Starting with 3 people and now employing 140+
– Falling in love with Macaroons!
– Bringing a piece of Paris back to Mumbai
– Starting a business being young & female
– Going to events in the early days and getting asked about her husband and father
– Dropping out of law school after 2 weeks.
– Management styles
– Building a brand
– Eating dark chocolate
– Being open to change
– Setting crazy goals.
– Oprah Winfrey chat
– Book recommendation – Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Divyam Goel CEO of AttainU-On disrupting the Indian education system by training people online to be software engineers at no up-front cost.

Disrupting the education system in India. Today I chat to Divyam Goel CEO of AttainU a new school teaching software with zero upfront fees you only pay after you get a job. He talks about, why he wants to disrupt the Indian education system, how it all works, having a quarter life crisis, his past experiences of working in the Bay area and his biggest challenges so far. so please enjoy the show

In this conversation we also talk about:

– The deferred payment model
– $30 billion industry
– Why 70%-90% of students coming out of education are unemployable.
– Who is this for?
– Dealing with negative feedback.
– What does success look like?
– A love of swimming!
– Have strong convictions – ignore the buzzwords and do your research
– Good book recommendations – Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo,

#108 Creating footwear for the needy – Shriyans Bhandari CEO of Greensole & Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Social Entrepreneur

One billion underprivileged people have no access to footwear. This inspired my guest Shriyans Bhandari to start Greensole. This social enterprise takes used sneakers which would otherwise end up in a landfill and refurbishes them into sandals that get donated to hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries in India. Shriyans talks about his amazing journey from designing and manufacturing his first shoe to receiving the Forbes 30 under 30 social entrepreneurship award and receiving a letter from Barak Obama and much much more so please enjoy the show.

– 150,000 pairs of footwear being upcycled
– Retail model
– How it works
– Working with corporate partners – Skechers, Adidas
– Dreaming of being on the cover of Forbes
– Being 20 years old running a factory with no manufacturing experience.
– Being in it for the long term.
– Every day is a new day!
– Meeting his co-founder running
– Favourite pair of shoes!
– Reading spiritual books
– Don’t look at the final result.

and much more!

#107 Krishnan Nair -CEO of Geektrust on creating an online platform that connects talented developers with great opportunities

He quit his job at ThoughtWorks 4 years ago. Became an entrepreneur with 0 experience in running a business. But he is still alive & kicking, and is doing very well. He now has a team of 9, close to profitable, and has over 25K+ developers on the platform. So in this podcast, he shares valuable insights from the last 3 years. That you can use this in your business. So please enjoy the show. If you like my podcast, please consider buying me a coffee.Buy Me A Coffee Thank you for your support!

Taking the plunge
Stats so far
Being a first generation entrepreneur
Being In it for the long haul.
Figuring out your core value
It’s time to move on from the outsourcing industry and build kick-ass products for the world from India!
Marketing strategies – Writing things from the heart! not clickbait.
Don’t drink your own Kool-Aid!
Business model
Being mentally prepared. Startup life is a lonely journey.
Indian VC’s, China VC’s, American VC’s
Its time to move away from resume
Great blog recommendation -> Mark Suster bothsidesofthetable.com

and much much more

links https://www.geektrust.in/

P.S

If you like my podcast, please consider buying me a coffee. Thank you for your support!

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P.P.S

Learn something new in 2019 – Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!

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#106 ‘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.

Forbes 30 under 30 Asia social entrepreneur Dr Binish Desai is my guest today. He is the founder of Eco-Eclectic. They create eco-friendly solutions for domestic and industrial waste by turning them into assets. Binish first dabbled with the idea when he was just 10 years old, experimenting with paper and chewing gum. Today the company has developed around 150 eco-products and recycled more than 600 tonnes of waste and he made the Forbes 30 under 30 – Social Entrepreneurs list. it’s truly an amazing story and one that will inspire you as well!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Being inspired by Captain Planet!
– Building houses, toilets, lamps & other products out of waste – What’s next?
– First brick looking like a roti
– Working in slums
– Dealing with negativity & proving people wrong.
– Why he takes 2 bricks with him everywhere he goes!
– Creating a micro social enterprise to help women
– 3D printing houses in the future
– Dreaming of getting on the Forbes list & getting on the list.
– Being cheated by a partner & what kept him going
– A book on his life coming out – is a movie next
– The 3 pillars of success
– Book recommendation – Origin by Dan Brown
– Getting help from his grandfather and school principal
– Following his dreams against all the odds!

and much more!

#105 ‘The Guru of Giggling’ Dr Madan Kataria – Founder of Laughter Yoga Clubs- On why laughter really is the best medicine!

Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho Ho, Hee Hee Hee! Today I speak to the founder laughter yoga club, Dr Madan Kataria aka ‘ The Guru of Giggling’. He started out in 1995 with 5 people and now has over 16000 laughter clubs worldwide in more than 100 countries.

So in this episode, he talks about how it all got started, people, thinking he was crazy. And why laughter really is the best medicine even in the tough times. Also please stay tuned to the end to hear some audio of a laughter yoga expert with exercises you can try at home.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– What laughter does to your body scientifically
– The body not being able to differentiate between fake laughter or real laughter.
– His mother being embarrassed when she found out and how he turned it around.
– Milkshake laughter
– Bring very popular in Japan
– Dealing with shy and inhibited people
– The gibberish workshop!
– Skype laughter club.
– Being a social crusader
– Not having a business brain! but reaching 100 + countries.
– Depression is the No1 sickness in the world
– Acting like a happy person

and much much more!

#104: How to get your first 1,000 customers in India – Anirudh Narayan – A growth specialist who has helped over 1000 aspiring entrepreneurs and 50 startups around the world!

Today I speak to Anirudh Narayan author of an amazing new book called Scale Smart: How To Get Your First 1,000 Customers in India. Scale Smart is an actionable guide to start and scale a startup in India., So in this podcast, we talk about great digital marketing strategies – Facebook, Youtube, Whatsapp, email marketing, etc you can use today to get your startup off the ground. We also talk about his time at Shutterstock with a 250K budget to life as a digital nomad in South America and much more!

In this conversation we talk about:

– Examples of Indian focussed growth stories
– When should you start the growth hacking process?
– Product market fit.
– Focus on consistency, not virality
– It’s your responsibility to build a community and not sell
– Get smarter using Facebook
– Life in the US and South America
– Example growth hacks and experiments at Shutterstock.
– Email marketing edge case examples.
– Build relationships offline
– Youtube marketing examples – create primary, secondary, tertiary content
– vidIQ is the tool that helps you learn how to get more views and subscribers
– Social influencers -Still the number one way to push things out

and much more

links

Information for the book: http://bit.ly/book-landing-page

Buy the book on Amazon: http://bit.ly/scale-smart

A video testimonial for the book from Shradha Sharma: http://bit.ly/yourstory-testimonial

#103: Building the next Indian Superhero Universe! – Rajeev Tamhankar founder of TBS Planet a comic & animation startup.

Happy New Year. Hope you have a great 2019. Today I speak to Rajeev TamHankar the Founder of TBS Planet. TBS Planet is a comics and animation startup. They have developed a range of comic books featuring Indian action superheroes. In this episode, he talks about how this got started. he talks about getting his inspiration from Indian mythology. he talks about attracting readers using Whassup, why his dad is his best & worst critic. Which Bollywood actors/actresses would be ideal to play the roles. He talks about his favourite superheroes and what superpowers he would like to have and finally some chat about the late great Stan Lee!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Subscriber stats
– Whassup sales strategy
– Leaving the corporate life
– Attending Comic-Con
– Developing superheroes including Karma & Mother Nature
– Writing his first novel – Get corporate before you get fired!
– Joining an accelerator
– Handling marketing & distribution operations
– Creating an augmented treasure hunt at Comic-Con
– Dads feedback.
– Getting his first sale
– State of the Indian comic market.
– DC/Aquaman chat.
– Experiment – content development takes time!

and much much more

links https://www.tbsplanet.com/

learn something new in 2019 – Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes! https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

#102: Siraj Raval -Director of The School of AI, Youtube personality & bestselling author.

I speak to Siraj Raval the Director of The School of AI. Youtube personality and best selling author. In this episode he talks about how it all got started, Why AI? Interesting things going on in China, a look back at 2018, and plans for 2019. He talks about speaking at the United Nations, being happy, lifehacks and the one thing you should do after listening to this podcast episode. So please enjoy the show and speak to you in 2019.

– Stats
– Solving problems with AI e.g climate change
– Teaching people.
– Advice on doing your own Youtube channel.
– Don’t be afraid of AI – Be afraid of human beings!
– Being open to all feedback.
– Changing his name and changing it back again.
– Book recommendation – AI Superpowers by Kai-Fu Lee
– Putting in the hours.
– Working over the weekends
– Main attribute for a developer
– Rapping
– Reaching out to the Indian government

and much much more!

#101: Govinda Upadhyay- Cofounder LEDsafari, Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneur – On bringing solar-powered light to students in India & Africa.

Bringing solar-powered light to students in India & Africa. My guest today is Govind Upadhyay the CEO of LEDSafari – LED Safari partners with local schools, NGOs and governments to bring solar-powered light to students in India and Africa. Students receive training to build solar-powered lamps, so they learn about the physics of circuits and solar tech while improving their studying conditions.- it’s a great idea. So in this episode, he talks about his amazing journey from going from village to village training students in India to becoming Forbes 30 under 30. social entrepreneur. So please enjoy the show

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats.
– Why solar?
– Climate change.
– Going from one village to the next with a suitcase
– Studying in Europe
– A great example of entrepreneurship in Uganda
– The one child one lamp initiative.
– Reflecting on 2018.
– Grandma & Grandpa thoughts!
– Having 2 business models
– Dealing with the knockbacks
– Interesting story where the name comes from
– Growing up in an army family & changing friends every 3 years.
– Don’t build product build solutions.
– Love of Japanese food!
– Why Rwanda is one of his favourite place to visit.
– Former President of India – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

and much more!

100th Episode!! [The Best] of the Indian Startup Show

Today you will hear from – Deepak Srinivasan: Co-founder of Crofters, he talks about tackling the water crisis in India with IOT based farming! We hear from Mansi Zaveri – Founder of Kidsstoppress, on creating India’s most trusted, award-winning parenting website. Next up is Joydeep Sen Sarma, Cofounder & CTO of Qubole he talks about Big data & why it matters! We also hear from Suresh Shanker, Co-founder of Crayon Data on simplifying the worlds choices! And finally we here from Sudeepta Sanyal, Co-founder of The Blueberry Trails – On India’s booming travel industry!

E99: Tithi Tewari co-founder of Trezi a virtual reality (VR) solutions startup, on building immersive technology solutions

Virtual Reality (VR) is here to stay! Today I speak with Tithi Tewari co-founder of a Trezi a virtual reality (VR) solutions startup. This startup builds immersive technology solutions for the building industry that brings together all stakeholders in the design project — from architect/designer to engineering services to owner/tenant — to collaborate on the 3D design in an interactive and immersive environment and make better decisions.

So in this exciting episode, she talks about how it all works. Quitting her prestigious career to follow her dreams of building a startup. She talks about raising funding, she talks about building a global product based in India and how they deal with the big US competitors and finally, some gives great leadership advice and much much more!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats
– How it works
– The lightbulb moment
– Her favourite project – designing/building a school in New Delhi
– Taking a leadership course at INSEAD
– Why she quit the corporate life for a life of uncertainty
– Taking a risk
– Angel round to pre-series A
– It’s ok to fail!
– Unlearning and learning
– How do they attract talent?
– Being inspired by E Sreedharan aka ‘Metro Man’
– Working with millennials

and much much more!

E98: NeuroTags co-founder Nitin Gupta on helping companies tackle the $1.6 trillion dollar counterfeiting goods market

Counterfeit goods are estimated to drain more than $1.6 trillion from the global economy, a figure that is slated to climb $4.2 trillion by 2022. So today I speak with Nitin Gupta, the co-founder & CTO of NeuroTags. A start-up that is helping companies to fight the huge counterfeit market. So we talk about how this works, how things are going so far. Talking to big brands in India and USA . the business model, how they plan to scale. he also talks about his previous life working at Yahoo, eBay, PayPal in the mid-2000 ’s. And he also gives great advice for first-time founders.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats
– Getting good traction
– How they catch the counterfeiters
– Million people being killed due to fake pharmaceutical drugs
– Thoughts on what went wrong at Yahoo (B players hiring C players!)
– Book recommendation – Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey
– Thoughts on finding talent.
– Industries they are specifically targetting.
– Talking to the big VC’s
– Creating value
– Trust.

and much much more!

https://www.neurotags.com/

E97:SkinYoga – A 100% natural, luxury, vegan skincare startup founded by 3 Indian sisters

Global demand for natural skin care products is expected to reach £13 billion by 2019. So today I speak to the co-founder sisters of SkinYoga. A 100% natural luxury, vegan skincare brand. It is Founded by 3 Indian sisters. Radhika, Jagriti and Deepika Choudhary. So we have Radhika and Jagriti to talk about their amazing entrepreneurial rollercoaster journey from growing up on a farm to exporting to 29 countries around the world to winning a number of awards. They also talk about the (occasional) fights over the dinner table! Thoughts on the Kardashian culture. The lessons they have learned on the way and finally some Rodger Federer & Christiano Ronaldo chat!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats
– 100% natural not 99%!
– Growing up on a farm
– Growing rapidly in 2/3 years.
– How do they compete with the big players
– 97% of the team are women
– Why Vegan?
– Don’t put entrepreneurs on a pedestal.
– Don’t expect miracles
– Social media anxiety & superficial looks
– How they use Instagram to promote their products.

and much much more

links

www.skinyoga.in

Ep96: [The Best] of the Indian Startup Show – Part 6

Sit back & enjoy some of the best bits of The Indian Startup Show Part 6. Today you will hear from Shruti Gandhi, Shruti is the managing partner at Array Ventures. a VC firm based in the U.S. focussing on solving impactful problems using revolutionary technology. Ashwin Damera Co-Founder of EMERITUS an edtech start-up. They are making Ivy League education accessible to the world.

Nitin Sood – Co-founder of Happy Shappy an online platform to make Indian weddings a little bit easier!. And finally, we hear from Prashanto Das – Co-founder of Ping Network. PING is India’s largest studio multi-channel network creating original engaging video content across genres of food, music, entertainment, lifestyle, gaming.

E95: Cardiotrack founder Ashim Roy on democratising healthcare in India & the joy of saving lives

In many countries, cardiovascular diseases have become the No1 killer and the availability of proper diagnostics is not available. So today I speak to Ashim Roy the founder of Cardiotrack a disruptive healthcare diagnostics company that is making heart healthcare more accessible and efficient. He talks about how the device works, his long entrepreneurial career, the difficulties of building an IoT startup in India. Getting out of the corporate life. the joy of saving lives and finally, he talks about his love of cooking.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats
– Initial hesitation among Doctors using the technology
– Spotting the gap in the healthcare industry
– The process of raising money in the healthcare industry – it takes time.
– Identifying unmet needs
– The best thing about living in the USA – meritocracy
– Survival of the most adaptive.
– Contributing to society.
– Working with Mexican and Indonesian companies.
– Advice on doing your own IoT startup.
– Did he ever doubt himself?
– Luck & passion.
– Andy Grove – Intel Chairman.
– Running out of funds
– Enjoying making salad dressing!

and much much more!

links http://cardiotrack.io/

E94: Anand Chowdhary founder of Oswald Labs, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Dutch Financial Times 50 Under 30, & one of the 50 most innovative entrepreneurs and professionals in the Netherlands

Solving real-world problems! Today I speak to Anand Chowdhary. The Founder of Oswald Labs, a Netherlands & Indian based accessibility technology company. They build products for people with disabilities and he also runs an in-house tech accelerator. In this podcast, we talk about how he got started. Dropping out of design college. Moving from India to the Netherlands, how he manages his life as a student, entrepreneur and consultant to startups around the world. He gives great advice on solving real-world problems.

He talks about being on the Forbes 30 under 30 lists and also being named as one of the 50 most innovative entrepreneurs and professionals in the Netherlands and he talks about hackathons, having supportive parents. And finally some chat about politics and education in India. It’s a great episode!

in this episode we also talk about :

– Stats
– Getting the idea in the shower.
– Solving real-world problems v ROI
– Advice on how to winning hackathons & startup competitions.
– Making the lives of dyslexic people better.
– Drinking Red Bull
– learning by falling down!
– Building a web accessibility plugin for disabilities
– Studying at the University of Twente – Europe most entrepreneurial university.
– Interesting fact about the culture and society of the Netherlands.
– Running a remote tech accelerator & what he looks for.
– Work life/balance.
– Working for the Government of Delhi
– Luck
– Failing maths, physics, chemistry
– Biking!
– Motivation
– Thoughts on entrepreneurship
– Book recommendation – Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
– Thoughts on mobile payments.
– Fixing home security using facial recognition.

and much much more!

links

https://oswaldlabs.com/

E93: Dignite founder Raghuveer Surupa Entrepreneur,TEDx organiser & amateur musician -On building India’s first online store dedicated to improving the day to day lives of cancer patients

Every year 1 million patients get diagnosed with cancer in India. So today I speak to Raghuveer Surupa, the founder of Dignite Cancer Care – India’s first online store dedicated to improving day to day lives of cancer patients. He talks about how he came up with the idea.Why he gave up a lucrative career in the pharmaceutical industry to pursue his passion. He reflects on his first year anniversary as an entrepreneur. He talks about how he motivates himself and talks about some of the taboos about cancer.

He also talks about his role organizing TedX talks and gives great advice if you want to do a TEDx talk. And finally, we talk about his love for the playing the guitar, which he will play for us at the end of the interview. It’s a cover version of a Johnny Cash song called Hurt used in the last Wolverine film. And it was his last ever song he recorded before he died – its an all-time classic!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats
– Was it difficult to walk away from a lucrative career
– Examples of day to day cancer care products
– Why has no one done this before?
– Why he waited 3 years to do this
– Will they ever find a cure for cancer?
– The taboo about telling family members they have cancer
– Organising TEDx talks for the last 6/7 years
– Favourite TEDx talk – Ken Robinson
– Excellent advice on doing a TEDx talk
– Advice on doing a tech for good startup
– Freedom
– Favourite musician
– Raghuveer sings!
– Thoughts on reaching out to cancer patients online
– Book recommendations – The Lean Startup
– How do they plan to scale?

and much more

Links

https://dignite.in/

Ken Robinson TEDx talk – https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en#t-42256 Key Takeaway – if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original!

E92: CricHeroes founder Abhishek Desai on building a mobile app for the 2 billion followers of cricket!

With 2 billion+ followers around the world. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world. So today my guest is Abhishek Desai the founder of CricHeroes. CricHeroes allows cricketers worldwide to score their matches and tournaments live and broadcast scores ball to ball. It is also a platform to showcase their skills and to get recognition. So in this episode, we talk about how it all got started, how it works, how this app will make you a better cricketer! Cricket Analytics – find the strengths and weaknesses of your rivals!, the business model, how big do they want to go with this?, Being a serial entrepreneur, thoughts on product market fit, why ventures fail? some MS Doni chat! And some great book recommendations! , so please enjoy the show

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats
– Doing his research
– The old-fashioned method of paper-based scoring
– What should first-time founders be focussed on
– Is he motivated by money?
– Make something people want!
– Organic growth
– Being in control of his destiny
– 3 Book recommendations for you! – Rework, The hard things about hard things, zero to one
– Not doing any paid marketing
– Different Revenue channels
– Cricket Analytics – find the strengths and weaknesses of your rivals!
– Abhishek’s batting average
– Used by professional associations
– How will they grow the platform
– How do you they compare with other scoring apps

and much more!

Links

https://cricheroes.in/

E91: Moong Over Microchips – Adventures of a techie turned farmer! – Venkat Iyer

The journey from the city to the farm! Today I speak to Venkat Iyer, the author of an amazing new book called Moong Over Microchips. This book is about his extraordinary 14-year journey from quitting his highly paid job at IBM to take up organic farming without any experience. In this podcast we talk about why he quit, the first 6 months dealing with corruption, tough clients and growing his first crop. We also talk about the reality of farming in India, we also talk discovering fresh air, organic food, excel spreadsheets & snakes to getting up at 5.30 AM and finally we talk about this being made into a movie and which famous Bollywood actor would play him – Please enjoy the show.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Selling Moung aka mung beans (Green Gram)
– Unable to sleep
– Dealing with the silence and the darkness
– Depression
– Russels Viper Snake
– Excel spreadsheets!
– Not knowing anything about farming
– Getting ripped off the first time
– The 4 C’s and 2 P’s of success
– Living with nature
– Losing entire crops
– How being project manager helped!
– Great book reviews
– Taking risks
– Someone interested in buying the movie rights
– Difficulties of the farmers with smaller holdings
– Realities of living on a rural farm in India (kids not interested!)

link to the book

https://penguin.co.in/book/non-fiction/moong-over-microchips/

E90: Forza India Academy founder Ajay Menon. On bringing football to the masses!

Football’s coming home! Today I speak to Ajay Menon, the founder Forza Indian Academy a brand new football academy in Mumbai teaching grassroots level football. He talks about being an entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for football and an ambition to take India to the higher echelons of world football. We talk about his passion for Italian football. He talks about the leap of faith from the corporate world into the world of coaching, with the aim to give back all the knowledge to the young children of India and we talk about the recent world cup in Russia.

in this conversation we talk about:

– Stats
– Was it always the plan to quit corporate life?
– the business model
– The highs and lows of being an AS Roma fan & chances of ending Juventus 7 year winning streak!
– Early days
– Video-Assisted Referee (VAR) chat!
– His Aunty watching her first ever world cup game!
– Why not cricket?
– The state of grassroots football in India
– How big is the Indian football market
– Will he ever go back to his cubicle?
– What does he want to get out of this
– Meeting his hero – Francesco Totti

and much much more!

links https://forzaindiaacademy.com/

Ep89: Piyush & Khushboo Jain, Co-founders of Impact Guru – Meet the husband & wife team building India’s No1 crowdfunding platform & offering an easy and transparent way for the Indian diaspora to give back to its country.

A passion for giving back! – Today I speak to Piyush & Khushboo Jain, co-founders of Impact Guru – a tech-for-good platform that provides complete crowdfunding solutions to empower people raising funds for medical emergencies and social causes. We talk about how they got started and overcoming obstacles, Both share great crowdfunding stories. They also talk about the qualities you need to get your startup off the ground, They also give great advice on what to say to investors. they talk about leadership styles & business models. And finally some important marriage advice, so please enjoy the show.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Great Stats
– Educating people about crowdfunding
– When did they think this would be a success
– Trust
– Raising money for a kidney transplant
– Daughter crowdfunding for father
– Being at Harvard and great advice he received
– Persistence, dealing with failure & rejection
– Tips on donation crowdfunding.
– Giving up a comfortable life
– Best piece advice they received
– Starting a “lunch with the CEO” initiative.
– Biggest donation
– A crowdfunding campaign for 2020 Olympics led by Virender Sehwag
– Whats left to achieve – Being a DJ in Ibiza & doing a triathlon
– Begin vegan
– Real Madrid, Micheal Schumacher and Oprah Winfrey chat
– A love of travelling
– exciting plans for the future.

and much more!

links

https://www.impactguru.com/

Ep88: [The Best] of the Indian Startup Show – Part 5

Sit back & enjoy some of the best bits of The Indian Startup Show Part 5. Today you will hear from Daniel Becerra Co-Founder & CEO of Buffalo Grid (@BuffaloGrid). BuffaloGrid uses solar energy to provide mobile power and internet services to off-grid communities around the world.

Chamutal Afek-Eitam, Founder & CEO of 3 Million Club (@3millionclub) The 3 Million Club is the amazon.com for life-saving products for the humanitarian sector.

We hear from Vidya Vellala . Founder & CEO of Evayadesk – Evayadesk is a software as a service product providing help desk software solutions for businesses around the world.

Deepak Goel, founder of KarmaCircles, (@KarmaCircles) a peer to peer social learning platform.

Vivek Bajaj . Founder of Kredent Academy (@KredentAcademy) Kredent Academy is one of the foremost professional training institutes in India with a focus on finance and capital markets.

Ep87: Vikas Kakwani, founder & CEO of AAS Vidyalaya – On putting a secondary school in everyones pocket!

According to Census Data, 8.4 crore Indian children don’t attend school 8.4 crore is 84 million. So today I speak to Vikas Kakwani the founder of AAS Vidyalaya – which means Anytime Anywhere School, a platform that brings an entire school on your phone. Built for millions of students who cannot go to school. He talks about why he’s doing this. Why the high dropout rates. how the app works, plans for the future. The business model, being a backbencher at school and meeting MS.Dhoni.So please enjoy the show

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats
– Lack of high schools in India
– Bridging the gap
– Coming up with content
– Great advice for first-time founders – Get ready for the phases of depression!
– Planning for 2025!
– Power of eLearning – for the masses, not the classes
– Lesson planning
– Book recommendations (Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About The World – And Why Things Are)
– Attracting customers to the platform.
– Personalized learning
– The surprising thing he has learned on his journey so far – People will help you!
– Dark Alley of entrepreneurship.
– Being calm!

and much more!

Ep86: Aniket Karia, CEO of All Heart – On a mission to build a health-conscious food brand & develop healthy eating habits

Four o’clock hunger pangs can be tricky! So Today I speak to Aniket Karia, the founder of All Heart a health food brand aimed at providing you with innovative, wholesome snacks to munch on. In this podcast, he talks about why he is doing this, creating a brand from scratch. Baking 8-10 hours a day. Creating a lean company, we also talk super seeded crackers, Awesome advice on doing your own food startup. What qualities he looks for when hiring staff. And he talks about his experiences of running nightclubs and bars in Mumbai.

In this conversation we also talk about :

– Stats
– Becoming a baking expert
– Early days
– Spotting a gap in the market
– Quality control
– Business model
– Great digital marketing advice – start simple and be organic.
– Thoughts on using PR and social media influencers
– Unhealthy oily Indian snacks!
– Nightclub & bar recommendations in Mumbai
– Favourite foods
– Moving into retail
– Who is this for
– health benefits of eating seeds

and much much more

links

https://allheart.co.in/

Ep85: Mathew Browne, CEO of Kolkata Yoga Club – On bringing Yoga to the masses!

It’s international yoga day! Today I speak to Mathew Browne, the CEO of the Kolkata Yoga Club a startup offering services such as Yoga, Physiotherapy and much more.

So in this podcast we talk about the difficult first 3 months in his startup journey, marketing tactics, pricing strategies, roadmaps, his management style, getting into the corporate wellness space we also discuss laughter yoga, super brain yoga, desk yoga and some Conor McGregor chat as well and much much more so please enjoy the show!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats
– Delivering yoga to your home
– How they got started
– Painting walls to attract customers
– No pushy sales!
– Who are they targeting?
– Popular classes
– Thoughts on online yoga apps
– Why Yoga?
– Dealing with Corporate companies
– How big do they want to go with this?

and much much more!

links

https://kolkatayoga.club/

Ep84: Ryan Chadha & Rohith Salim. Co-founders of Crypto University – On building a global university to help people understand the power of Blockchain technologies – separating the hype & reality!

Separating the hype & reality of Cryptocurrency, blockchain & bitcoin! Today I speak to Ryan & Rohith, the co-founders of an exciting new startup called Crypto University, it’s a global university to help people understand the power of blockchain technologies and its application across different industries. So we talk about a wide range of subjects including how they got started, creating a successful Indiegogo campaign. They also give smart advice on investing. Thoughts on the Indian startup scene. What they have learned about their startup journey together. and finally some cricket chat as well!

In this conversation we also talk about:

Stats
Why you should care about blockchain
Who is this for?
Meeting at school
Thoughts on Bitcoin mining & investing
Public Blockchains v Private Blockchain
Smart Contracts
Mentorship
Listening to your customers
Current investment trends – mutual funds, gold etc.
Educating yourself
Learning from each other
Having different backgrounds
Startup advice – Ship as quickly as possible, get one customer who isn’t your friend or family
Cricket chat

and much much more!

Links

https://thecryptouniversity.io/

Ep83: [The Best] of the Indian Startup Show – Part 4

Sit back & enjoy some of the best bits of The Indian Startup Show. Today you will hear from

Vamsi Krishna, co-founder & CEO of Vedantu. Based in Bangalore, Vedantu is a Live Online Tutoring platform that aims to ‘personalize’ and ‘democratize’ learning in India.

Next, I speak with Neha Motwani – The founder & CEO of Fitternity. Fitternity, is a discovery platform for workout classes and other fitness services based in Mumbai. The platform allows users to book free trials with exercise classes, personal trainers, and nutritionists.

Next up is Vishal Shah – Founder & CEO of Haute Chef. Haute Chef is a unique “meal kit” concept, They send a box of pre-measured, labelled ingredients along with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on putting together a truly gourmet dish in your home kitchen.

And finally, I chat to Anirban Poddar – Founder & CEO of ShopHop. ShopHop is an e-commerce platform which serves as a curated marketplace for natural, artisanal, home-grown foods and wellness products.

Ep82: [The Best] of the Indian Startup Show – Part 3

Best of The Indian Startup Show Part 3. Today you will hear from Raveesh Bhalla, an expert on UX (user experience), he talks about starting his own design agency. His own processes & current challenges and the next big trend in the UX design industry.

Swaathi Kakarla. Co-Founder of Skcript, talking about her rollercoaster journey from starting the company in a car to launching products at Gitex in Dubai.

Varun Sheth. Co-Founder of Ketto – an online crowdfunding website for individuals, NGOs & businesses to raise money for their favourite causes and creative projects.

Shilpi Kapoor. Founder of BarrierBreak – which provides accessibility and assistive technology solutions for people with disabilities.

Faheem Gill. Founder of Dashroad . Based in the UAE. Dashroad focuses on bringing out the data from cars to help build a platform of connected car applications. Please enjoy the show!

Ep81: Vineet Rajan , Co-Founder of Scout My Trip – On building India’s premier do-it-yourself platform for road trips.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Stats for far
– Meeting his co-founder on the highway
– What he calls his Royal Enfield bike!
– A key takeaway from being in an accelerator
– Trying to be the Uber for travel agents.
– Getting people to the website
– Can anyone be an entrepreneur?
– Iconic road trips in India
– Road trips do’s and don’ts
– What keeps him up a night?
– Having a supportive dad
– Taking risks
– Lessons learned
– The dream trip
– Bill Gates chat

and much more!

links

https://scoutmytrip.com/

Ep80: [The Best] of the Indian Startup Show – Part 2

Best of The Indian Startup Show Part 2. So Today you will hear from
Kavita Kapoor, an Entrepreneur, COO of the Microbit foundation, Technologist & Author.
Ryan Chadha, entrepreneur & Co-Founder of Jigyasa School.
Naveen Jain – Billionaire, Founder & CEO of Moon Express.
Neetal Parekh – Founder & CEO of Innov8social Dev Arora, Founder of 8 Minutes.
And finally Charanjeev Salva, Founder of SinghStyled.com So sit back & enjoy some of the best moments

Ep79: [The Best] of the Indian Startup Show – Part 1

Trapped indoors by the Beast of the East & Storm Emma. I decided to listen back to the first ten episodes of the Indian Startup Show and put together the best bits. So today you will hear from

Harshdeep Singh – Harshdeep, a young entrepreneur from Pune, India.
Deepak Abbot – who spent time working at the head of mobile growth at Times internet
Stuart Noakes – Co-Founder of Tech Hub Bangalore & Boston
Reema Sathe – CEO Happy Roots
Krishna Yogi – founder Maptags
Devin Millar – lead developer at Nextdrop
Pushkar Gaikwad – founder of Aeroleads

First I would like to pay tribute to everyone listening and subscribing to show for the past two years.Without you, this podcast would not have been possible! Over 300,000 listens so I’m very grateful. So sit back & enjoy some of the best moments from the first ten episodes.

Ep78: Syed Jafer, Co-Founder/CEO at Karachain – On building India’s First Smart Contract enabled Blockchain

Blockchain & Bitcoin are here to stay! I chat with Syed Jafar – The Co-founder & CEO at Karachain. They are building a new blockchain that is specifically focussed for developers So we talk all things blockchain, cryptocurrency, and smart contracts and they work. Syed talks about the cool products they made. And as we recorded this on Valentines Day we have some chat about love & romance! And now you can listen on Spotify. Just search for the Indian startup show.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– What are smart contracts
– Love Block – Lock Your Love on the Blockchain, forever!
– Can it be hacked?
– Working with 40+devs
– Decentralisation
– Launching products
– Mentoring
– Growing fast
– Expectations
– Coming up with the name
– Starting KaraChain university
– Vision
– How big do they want to go with this?
– ICO’s
– Writing a cryptographic program to his girlfriend!

and much much more!

links

https://karachain.io/

Ep77: Pratiksha Gupta , Founder of 1SpecialPlace – On building India’s first Online Speech Therapy platform

1 in 10 kids going to school has speech difficulties. So today I chat with Pratiksha Gupta – the founder of 1SpecialPlace – India’s first online speech therapy platform. We talk about he she got started, how the platform works, she also talks about the key ingredients entrepreneurs should have, how she manages a remote team, having a supportive family, she also talks about moving 8 times in 10 years, looking for seed funding, taboos around speech difficulties, what excites her most about 2018! & some Shark Tank chat as well! and much more

“1SpecialPlace was launched in 2014 by a team of co-founders including myself ( CEO ) and great talent from the IT industry – bearing the Fame of IIT and DCE(India) and experienced MBAs. I think without my Wonderful team we wouldn’t have come so far at all. I am thankful to the co-founders of my team, the CTO ( who has selflessly toiled for hours altogether), the CFO ( whose Knowledge and expertise is unmatched) and the Strategist ( whose presence makes everything easy)” – Pratiksha Gupta, founder
In this conversation we also talk about:

– Huge demand and supply gaps
– Launching mobile apps
– Having customers around the world.
– Have a diary!
– How big is the problem they trying to solve?
– Vision of the company
– Husband being in the airforce
– Being a peoples person
– Digital marketing tactics using Facebook
– Revenue model

and much more

Links

http://1specialplace.com/

Ep76: Dinesh Seemakurty, CEO of Stasis Labs – On creating a unique remote patient monitoring system for vulnerable patients in India

While in an Indian hospital, CEO Dinesh Seemakurty witnessed a loved one pass away due to a lack of sufficient monitoring. He saw firsthand how the lack of medical technology impacts healthcare. Dinesh is now the co-founder & CEO of Stasis Labs – A health tech startup that has created a unique remote patient monitoring system. Already in 20 hospitals in India and has saved many lives – so they are doing really well.

We talk about how he got started, how the product works. Raising $5 million in funding. Dinesh also talks about what should first founders be focusing and a great book recommendation and much much more so please enjoy the show.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Building a culture
– Traction
– Starting the business in college
– B2B sales
– Is it fun?
– Building an international startup
– Having a strong leadership mentality
– Goals for the next 2 years
– What should first-time founders be focussing on
– You don’t know what you don’t know!
– Great book recommendation – Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It (A former international hostage negotiator for the FBI offers a new, field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations—whether in the boardroom or at home.

and much much more!

links

Ep75: Jinal Patel, Co-founder of WSquare – On building India’s first ever co-working space, for only women

I chat with Jinal Patel the co-founder of WSquare. A women-only co-working space in Chennai. Which is a first for India. We talk about how she got started, why she is doing this. Plans for the future which includes starting an incubator and creating a marketplace where home-based entrepreneurs can showcase their products & much much so please enjoy the show. And next week I will do a best of the Indian startup show featuring all the best moments from the past year, it’s not to be missed!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Building an ecosystem for women
– Drinking lots of coffee
– Stats – how many people are using the space
– Being the first in India
– The person she most admires – mum!
– Reflections on the past year
– Can anyone be an entrepreneur?
– its ok to get help!
– Plans for expansion
– Early days
– Having to explain the concept of co-working spaces in Chennai
– Dealing with the critics
– Digital marketing

Links

Home

Ep74: Shyam Shah, Co-founder & CEO of Braille Me – On empowering the blind with a smart digital Braille E-reader

India has 40 million blind people & only 10% are literate & 70% are unemployed because they don’t have access to educational information.

So today, I chat to Shyam Shah, the co-founder & CEO of Braille Me. it’s a really impressive piece of hardware that plugs into mobile phones & computers to help the visually impaired access the internet and other digital content. in this episode we talk about how he got started, how it works, plans for the future, thoughts on what makes a great team. What motivates him & the difficulties of doing a hardware startup and finally some Elon Musk & Narendra Modi chat as well so please enjoy the show. Fact – I recorded the podcast interview on 4th Jan – The date the Louis Braille – the inventor of Braille was born! What an amazing coincidence!!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Great feedback on the device – “The principal was so happy she arranged a show for us, the students danced & sang songs”
– Developing for global market
– Advice on doing your hardware startup
– Being part of tech incubator
– Getting good advice
– Challenges building a prototype
– First principal thinking

First principles thinking, which is sometimes called reasoning from first principles, is one of the most effective strategies you can employ for breaking down complicated problems and generating original solutions. It also might be the single best approach to learn how to think for yourself.

The first principles approach has been used by many great thinkers including inventor Johannes Gutenberg, military strategist John Boyd, and the ancient philosopher Aristotle, but no one embodies the philosophy of first principles thinking more effectively than entrepreneur Elon Musk.

– source https://jamesclear.com/first-principles
and much more!
links http://innovisiontech.co/

Ep73: Dr. Kalpana Viswanath, Co-Founder of SafetiPin- On building an app that’s making cities safer & more inclusive for women and everyone.

Today, more and more women are migrating to India’s cities in search of work, which has led to increased concern over the last few years about their safety in urban areas. Today I speak to Dr Kalpana Viswanath is the co-founder and CEO of Safetipin, which is a social enterprise using data and technology to support cities in their endeavour to become safer, more inclusive and smarter.

Since its inception in 2013, Safetipin has worked with more than 30 cities in India and other developing countries. Safetipin collects public space data from multiple sources including the MySafetipin app, and works with governments, to use this data for better planning and maintenance of cities.

So in this episode, we talk about how the app works, plans for the future, working with the government on urban safety, she gives advice on doing your own social enterprise and being a city girl! So please enjoy the show!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– The state of Social Entrepreneurship in India
– Advice on Crowdsourcing – it’s difficult
– Working on urban safety
– Reclaiming public space
– Favorites examples of social entrepreneurship in India – Meet 2 Sleep! (interesting idea)
– Favorites cities
– Thoughts on Delhi & Mumbai
– Why its called Safetipin – interesting story!
– What would this look like in 10yrs time?
– Winning a number of awards

and much much more!

links

Home

Ep72: Nivedha R.M – Co-founder of TrashCon – On a mission to solve India’s huge waste management problem

India faces major environmental challenges associated with waste generation, Believe it or not, India produces 42 millions tonnes of waste every day most of it is left in the landfills at the city outskirts, leaving a stinking smell & vultures hovering over heaps of hazardous material. So Today I am talking with Nivedha, Founder & CEO of Trashcon. They have created a machine helps solve this problem by converting mixed waste into Bio-Degradable and Non-Biodegradable Waste.

So In this conversation, she talks about her exciting rollercoaster journey since graduating 3 months ago. How the machine works. Overcoming roadblocks, the business model, being the youngest mentor at the Founders Institute. Having belief in her product. Wanting to change the entire industry. Being told by the experts – this is not possible. Winning a number of awards, working weekends & missing birthday parties and much more. so please enjoy the show.
In this conversation we also talk about:

– Being a mentor to people 3 times her age
– Not giving up easily!
– Age, qualification , status – does not matter
– Seeing huge mountains of landfill
– Bringing about a change in society.
– Hitting the right pain point at the right time
– How she got the idea – great story!
– What happens after the waste gets separate – very interesting case studies!
– What can go wrong?
– Getting help from her mother
and much much more!

Links

https://trashcon.in/

Ep71: Raghav Gupta, Co-founder of Nymble Labs – On creating a curry cooking robot! Freeing Indians from their kitchen!

“Its no secret Indians love curry – but have no time to cook it!.”

Today I am talking with Raghav Gupta, co-founder of Nymble labs. They are a startup creating a curry cooking robot that may help reduce time spent in the kitchen. So In this conversation, he talks about why he is doing this, how it’s going so far, being part of the Bosch tech accelerator in Bangalore, his emotions being featured in Bloomberg, taking part in CNBC India startup competition. he also shares very interesting insights on a trip to China and taking risks. He also talks about how YOU can be part of the beta testing and get 25% off when it’s out and much more.

In this conversation Raghav talks about:

– Is life getting easier or harder?
– Meet Julia your curry cooking robot!
– Best advice received from the Bosch Tech accelerator
– His favourite & least favourite foods
– Join the Beta Testing group & 25% off when it launches (see notes at the bottom)
– Being covered by Bloomberg
– How much will it cost?
– 600 people applied for the Bosch accelerator – Why did they get in?
– What would this business look in 10 years time
– Favorite products – Dyson

and much more

links

http://www.nymble.in/

Join the Beta Testing group & 25% off when it launches
email: raghav@nymble.in
subject line: Pre BOOK ISS

Ep70: Anupama Gowda, Co-founder of Workbench Projects – On building a maker space for tinkerers, artists, makers, engineers & anyone with an inspired spirit!

In Bangalore, if people had ideas, they did not have a space that would nurture it, with tools, machinery and mentors the 3 fundamentals for someone to practice making and building stuff – Anupama Gowda

Today I speak with Anupama Gowda the co-founder of Workbench projects – the very first maker’s space in Bangalore . its a facility for makers, tinkerers, artists, engineers & anyone with an inspired spirit to tap into their imaginations and make something that’s amazing

In this conversation, she talks about getting started in her dads’ garage. Anu also talks about her favourite projects. Being involved in the Hyperloop India project. Exciting details of a maker fair event in November which you can go to. Advice on how to get your ideas to the prototype stage. What keeps Anu awake at night & much much more so please enjoy the show

in this conversation, we also talk about:

– A project using tidal wave energy for domestic use
– Stats
– Thoughts on Hyperloop is it hype? or for real?
– Details of maker fair and how you can go (see links)
– Building amazing things with wood!
– A project using the first electronic stethoscope
– Her dad supporting her madness
– Arts background
– Working with Colonel Vinod – ex-Paratrooper & international hockey player!
– Favourite pieces of Art
– Working with Tamil children to produce digital fabricated puppet show

links

Home

Ep69: Arijit & Kamalika, Co-founders of Quodeck – Meet the husband & wife team disrupting the traditional learning industry…One game at a time!

As a planet, we spend 30 Billion hours each week playing games so In this week’s episode, I chat to husband & wife team Arijit & Kamalika the co-founders of Quodeck. They are a building really cool game based learning product for businesses in India and the rest of the world. So in this conversation, we talk about how it got started. How the products work, what games based learning is & how this is better than traditional based learning.

Both share great insights on life as an entrepreneur. The setbacks, the fun, building a team. Getting out of the comfort zone. Management styles, Quitting corporate life after 15 years and how they first met! So please enjoy the show. Stayed tuned at the end if you want to do your own podcast.

In this conversation we also talk about :

– Stats
– Early days
– Aims & objectives for the next 2 years
– Expanding globally
– Why they like hiring sportspeople & ex-entrepreneurs
– Comparing corporate & startup management styles
– Madness & lunacy!
– Working together as husband & wife (the wifes the boss!)
– Safe Zones
– The hardest part about building this business.
– Future of Edtech in India.

And much much more

Links

https://www.quodeck.com/en

Ep68: Ganesh Shankar, Co-Founder of FluxGen – On Solving India’s Water Shortage Crisis

“WHO WILL MARRY YOU!” – Ganesh’s mother’s reaction to him quitting General Electric & starting his own company! This week I chat to Ganesh Shanker. The Co-Founder of FluxGen. A start-up company based in Bangalore they have developed a low-cost and local Internet of Things (IoT) solution for energy and water management (EWM). So in this podcast, we talk about – How he got the idea, how it works, the ups and downs of entrepreneurial life to bootstrapping the company.

in this podcast we also talk about:

– Examples of troubles & challenges
– Stats so far
– Starting the business without a business plan
– Can anyone be an Entrepreneur?
– What problem are they solving?
– Aims and objectives in the next 2 years
– How does he keep on top of things
– His management styles “You focus on your work, I will focus on your career!”
– Life at General Electric
– Comparing management styles between Fluxgen & General Electric
– Cycling chat!

and much much more!

links

www.fluxgen.com

contact@fluxgentech.com subject line: #indianstartupshowpodcast

Quick announcement If anyone is interested in creating their own podcast. Check out my class on **skillshare.com** called **Getting your podcast off the ground.** I have been teaching this for over 15 months now & have over 500 students! And it’s had great testimonials.

So check out the link to get started! **http://skl.sh/2kRmClL**

**Advantages of doing your own podcast**

1. You get to build something amazing that you own 100%
2. You have 100% creative control
3. You can do whatever you want
4. And it’s a lot of fun!
So check out the link on the show notes and you can do your own podcast!

Ep67: Dr. Geetha Manjunath Co-founder & CEO of NIRAMAI – On creating A novel breast cancer screening solution using AI

Breast cancer is the largest killer of women today. So today I speak to Dr. Geetha Manjunath , co-founder & CEO of NIRAMAI a startup developing a novel breast cancer screening solution. Geetha has over 25 years in Global Research labs and has created many innovative prototypes, patents, publications and new products. Until the end of 2016, she was a Lab Director and head of Xerox Data Analytics Research in India.

Before that, she was a Principal Research Scientist and Research Manager at Hewlett Packard Labs India for 17 years.

So in this episode, we talk about what inspired her to do this, how it works, the business model, aims & objectives, accuracy rates. A reaction of the health industry. Geetha shares thoughts on what first-time founders should be focusing on & dealing with skeptical doctors! and so much more so please enjoy the show!!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– What excites her most about this startup
– How are they trying to attract customers
– Her background – PHD in computer science & working at Xerox
– How the device works – The 5 step dance process!
– What would health care look like in 50 years time?
– How did she learn all this!
– Huge potential in making a difference to women in India
– Great advice for first time founders
– Getting your hands dirty!
– Life as a CEO
– How to get into machine learning (Go back to school and learn maths – but its not hard!)

Links

Home

Thanks for listening and subscribing. If you like the show please leaving a comment in ITUNES. Thank you for supporting the podcast since launching we have had over 200,000 Total Downloads

Ep66: Umesh Soni, founder of Cowpathy – A startup looking to rule India’s cow economy with dung soap & urine toothpaste

Everyday I have some adventure, everyday there is something we can make something from cow dung and cow urine and Cowpathy gives me a platform to come out with my creativity and come out with products – Umesh Soni Founder of Cowpathy

Today i speak to Umesh Soni the founder of Cowpathy. It is a Mumbai-based company that makes consumer products said to have high medicinal value and completely based on the cow—it uses ingredients such as dung, urine, clarified butter or ghee, and others.

So in this podcast we talk about how he got started. What products they sell. Umesh talks about scaling the business and what will this business look like in 10 years time and much much more so please enjoy the show!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Removing the smell
– What excites him most about Cowpathy
– Early days
– Qualities entrepreneur should have
– Working on new products
– Biggest challenges facing Umesh
– Cultural significant of cows in India

and much much more

links

www.cowpathycare.com

Ep65: Rohit Pateria, Co-founder & CEO of Placio – On disrupting the $50B Indian Student housing market

Out of 34 million students in higher education in India, 26.6 million migrate to cities creating demand for accommodation . So Today i speak to Rohit Pateria (@rohitpateria) Co-founder & CEO Placio , Based In Delhi. Placio is a simple and easy to use digital platform for students looking for accommodation and they are doing really well!

We talk about how he got started, what problem are they trying to solve, attracting students to the platform, aims and objectives for the next 2 years ,how the business models works, how they plan to scale, and what first time founders should be focusing on and much much more so please enjoy the show!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Rohit’s background
– Where the name comes from?
– Why is he doing this?
– $50 Billion opportunity
– Business Model
– Stats for so far!
– Business heroes
– How they plan to scale
– Execution
– Being consistent
– Franklin & Stephen Covey
– Looking forward

and much much more

Links

http://www.placio.in/

Ep64: Anaka Narayanan – Founder of Brass Tacks. An economist’s journey to becoming a fashion designer & entrepreneur!

Today I speak to Anaka Narayanan an economic analyst-turned- designer & founder of Brass Tacks, a women’s fashion label that uses natural and hand-crafted textiles. In this podcast we talk about how she got started. Quitting her job and taking the plunge into the world of textiles and fashion. She talks about where she gets her inspiration from. Attracting customers using social media, how she balances the management and creative side of the business. She talks about branding, & her management style, and what will fashion look like in 80 years time!

In this conversation she also talks about:

– Being a self taught designer
– Thoughts on fashion and tech
– Sustainability & craftsmanship in India
– The company’s vision
– her mother co-founded a textile and garment business,
– Life as an entrepreneur
– Fashion tips for men & creating a curvy Indian women size chart!
– Understanding customers
– Fashion disasters!

and much much more!

links

https://www.brasstacks.co.in/

Thanks to Anaka for coming on the show. Thanks for listening and subscribing. If you like the show please leaving a comment in ITUNES. Thank you for supporting the podcast since launching we have had over **200,000 Total Downloads**

Ep63: Rakesh Verma – Chairman & MD of Mapmyindia. On Making the world better through Maps & Location technologies & not having the Monday Morning Blues!

I speak to Mr Rakesh Verma, Chairman & MD of MapmyIndia (@MapmyIndia) India’s leader in premium quality digital map data , GPS navigation, tracking, and location apps. We talk about his inspiring entrepreneurial story. Thoughts on the startup scene in India. He shares Top leadership advice, he also talks about conviction , passion , happiness and not having the Monday Morning blues!

In this conversation , we also talk about:

– Getting Coca-Cola as the first customer
– How it works
– is he having fun?
– Business Models
– Plans for the future
– Dealing with the ups & downs
– Working with his wife
– Are your building a startup or a business? <—Important!

and much much more!

links

http://www.mapmyindia.com/

Ep62: Hitashi Garg Co-founder of Mr Needs – On creating an app that delivers all your daily essentials at your doorstep!

This week I chat to Hitashi Garg. Co-founder of Mr Needs (@MrNeedsApp) MrNeeds, is a micro-delivery app-based subscription service that delivers milk, bread, eggs and other groceries on a daily basis to its customers. And in just eight months of its launch, they deliver approximately 1500 orders every day to 9000 customers. Which is great! So in this podcast we talk about . How he got the idea, how it works, what makes them different to the other food startups in India , his background and how they plan to scale!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Being called crazy! by his friends & family for quitting his 9-5 job at Adobe
– Highlights so far
– Plans for the future
– interesting thoughts on raising finance
– Statistics so far
– Previous startups
– Unique business model
– Who are they targeting?

and so much more!

links

http://mrneeds.com

Ep61: Parag Agarwal – Co-founder of JanaJal – On a mission to deliver clean, safe drinking water through automated hybrid water ATMs to every Indian!

Building the worlds first water sharing economy ! . This week I chat to Parag Agarwal Co-founder of JanaJal (@JanaJalIndia) JanaJal’s aim is to leverage technology and bring safe drinking water by innovating and promoting smart drinking water solutions.Founded 4 years ago they are doing really well.

So in this podcast , we talk about how they deliver safe drinking water in India. The water ATM concept, receiving a significant amount of funding. What its like working with the Indian government? . Parag talks about his 3 decades of entrepreneurial life. The massive potential of JanJal. He shares top project management tips & we also talk about his time working in the jungles of Indonesia to selling email connections door to door in the 1990’s and so much more. So please enjoy the show!

In this conversation we talk about:

– Building a sustainable model
– How YOU can get started in social entrepreneurship
– The ONE quality entrepreneurs should have
– Looking back would he change anything?
– Working with the Indian railways
– What does this startup really mean to Parag?
– How big do they want to go with this
– Parag’s management style
– How to deliver projects on time and on budget

links

http://www.janajal.com/

Ep60: Nihal Kashinath, Founder & CEO of Applied Singularity – Peeking into the future of Internet of things (IoT)

Today I speak to Nihal Kashinath , founder & CEO of Applied Singularity. Applied Singularity is a platform for Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). They provide consultations to developers, students, startups, industry, investors and policy makers on the subjects of IoT and AI . Started 4 years ago It is now the the largest IoT-focused Meetup platform in the world!

So in this podcast we talk about how it’s going so far, the IoT scene in India, favorite IoT projects, connected cars , teleportation , cloning , robots in the kitchen and automatic Roti & Dosa making machines …WOW and so much more. So please enjoy the show

in this podcast we also talk about:

– How you can get started in IoT
– Insulin pens
– Automating the curry making process!
– Uploading and downloading your mind!
– Having the largest IoT meetup in the world.
– Software controlled farming
– Will people be losing their jobs
– Benefits of automation
– Apple, Amazon, Google who’s leading the way?

and much much more!

Links

www.appliedsingularity.com

@A6Singularity

Ep59: Sudeepta Sanyal , Co-founder of The Blueberry Trails – On India’s booming travel industry!

Summer is just around the corner! which means that it’s time to start making plans for your epic summer vacation. So today I speak to Sudeepta Sanyal the co-founder of The Blueberry Trails. The Blueberry Trails specializes in personalized holidays to locations within India and around the world. She left her day job at 26 to commit to her travel bug and cater to group travelers to exotic destinations.

So in this podcast we talk about how the platform works, favorite holiday destinations, the booming Indian travel industry , best flight/holiday websites to use. We talk about female entrepreneurship and what she is like as a boss and much much more so please enjoy the show!!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– How she got started
– Hardest part about building this business
– New and upcoming destinations in India
– Traveling solo
– India’s billion dollar travel industry
– Tips for first time visitors to India
– Business heroes
– Plans for the future
– Advice for first time founders
– What will travel look like in the future
– Hobbies and interests
– Where does the name come from?

links

https://www.theblueberrytrails.com/

Ep58: Suresh Shanker, Co-founder of Crayon Data on simplying the worlds choices!

Today I chat to Suresh Shanker, co-founder of Crayon Data (@CrayonBigData). Crayton Data enables consumers to make more satisfying choices and helps traditional enterprises engage their customers. Currently, the three year old company’s clients span sectors such as hospitality, retail, banking, telecommunication and media and advertising sectors in the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

In this podcast – We talk about how he got started, How the platform works. The roller coaster ride as a entrepreneur, how big do they want to go with this. What’s left for Suresh to achieve? What has surprised him during his long entrepreneurial journey? We also talk about climbing mountains, writing a book and an interesting story about a Chinese bamboo tree!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Plans for the future
– Latest stats
– Suresh’s core skill set
– Being an “in-between spaces guy!”
– Suresh’s background
– How the choice engine works
– Life as a second time founder
– Finding time to help startups
– What he is working on right now
– What he learned for his first startup
– Hobbies and interests
– Business heroes
– What should first time founders should be focusing on?

and much much more!

Links

http://crayondata.com/

Ep57: Joydeep Sen Sarma, Cofounder & CTO of Qubole on Big data & why it matters!

90% of all data we have ever created has been generated in the last 2 years! So what do we do with it? Today my guest is Joydeep Sen Sarma, Cofounder, CTO of Qubole. Qubole is a $50 million Series C funded company helping enterprises take full advantage of the cloud to make processing more accessible in an enterprise setting while reducing complexity and cost. Joydeep is ex-Facebook data scientist and led the data infrastructure project at Facebook. So he is the right person to talk to on big data!

In this podcast – we talk about what inspired him to get started. , How the platform works, a deep dive into what big data is , life at Facebook , advice for first time founders and how you can get into the big data industry and some Mark Zuckerberg chat as well and much much more

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Early days
– What they are working right now
– With all the new technologies , how does Joydeep keep on top of things?
– What would Facebook look like in future?

and much much more!

Links

Qubole home page

Ep56: Yuvraj Krishan Sharma – Co-founder of Kompanions – On bringing back the joy of learning using Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality

I chat to Yuvraj Krishan Sharma. Co-founder of Kompanions (@your_kompanions) Kompanions is an ed-tech company. creating innovative educational products using augmented reality & virtual reality, exciting stuff. So in this episode we talk about how he got started. How it’s going so far, how it works. Why they are doing this. targets for next year , how to get into the VR space. He also shares a great story about taking 800 students on a VR trip into space. and finally some Rahul Dravid chat as well.

in this conversation we also talk about,

– What Yuvraj looks for when hiring staff
– Plans for expansion
– Building an educational game box for kids
– Vision of the company
– What first time founder should be focusing on
– What’s like being a founder – (everyone’s problem is your problem!)
– Hobbies and interests – Google walking!
– Making a movie
– How to get into VR, AR industry
– Feedback from kids
– Yuvraj ‘s Background

Links

https://kompanions.com/

Ep55: Carlos Fernandes, Founder & CEO of Blaze – On building India’s biggest Bot!

We are talking about bots with My guest Carlos Fernandes. founder & CEO of Blaze. Blaze is an exciting chat bot that delivers trending information through your cellphone. In this podcast Carlos talks how he came up with the idea, we discuss Why bots? , Who its for, how big do they want to go and qualities an entrepreneur must have if they are going to succeed. Some chat about Singapore , and finally very useful information on product market fit.

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Watch time v search time (v.interesting)
– Plans for the future
– How millennial’s get their news from – interesting stuff
– Hobbies and interests
– How to get started in the bots industry
– What problem are they solving?
– How do they make money
– Tech scene in Singapore
– the evolution of apps to bots
– Why are they focussed on bots
– What takes up most of his time

and much more!

links

https://blaze.im/

Ep54: Ravi Trivedi – Top Angel Investor & founder of Push Engage & CouponRani

My guest today is Ravi Trivedi. founder of Push Engage & CouponRani. He is also a successful angel investor. Push Engage is a push notification platform for browsers . And CouponRani is one of india’s top Coupon Site. So in this podcast Ravi talks about he got started , advice on how you can grow your user base. , pricing strategies, We also talk about his angel investing. What he looks for when investing in companies, Favorite startups in India. What he likes and dislikes about startups. And Playing the piano and his ideal dinner guests.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Time spent working and studying in America
– The future of coupons in India
– What is the best selling coupon at the moment?
– State of the startup scene in India.
– What first time founders should be focusing on
– Everest base camp!
– MBA.
– Whats left for Ravi to achieve!
– Hobbies / interests

and much much more!

Links

https://www.pushengage.com/

http://www.couponrani.com/

Ep53: Rahul Chovva – CEO of LetzChange.org – A non-profit organization helping people raise money for Indian NGO projects online.

My guest is Rahul Chovva. The CEO of LetzChange.org LetzChange is an online giving website helping you leverage your social network to raise funds for the causes you believe in. Since launching they are doing really well partnering with 200 nonprofits across India. In this episode we talk about how the platform works, examples of really interesting crowdfunding campaigns in rural India. How much Money they have raised. The State of the crowdfunding industry in India. An exciting initiative called Giving Premier League

He talks about plans for the future . The hardest part about building this business. And Rahul share his tips on creating your own crowdfunding campaign. And we have some Meryl Streep, painting & food chat as well!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Teaching rural India the power of digital media
– Highlight so far at Letzchange (great story!)
– The effects of Demonetisation affecting non profits
– How big they want to go with this.
– Fav charities.
– Growing the user base.
– Advice on getting into the crowdfunding scene
– Fund raising challenge called the Premier league! (India’s Biggest Fundraising Festival)
go support your state -> https://givingpremierleague.com/

here’s presenting the teams for this year!!

Bengaluru Bravehearts

Telugu Titans

Chennai Changemakers

Empathetic East

Northern Knights

Heartland Heroes

Magnanimous Maharashtra

links

https://letzchange.org/

Ep52: Mansi Zaveri – Founder of Kidsstoppress , on creating India’s most trusted, award winning parenting website.

Today I chat to Mansi Zaveri founder of Kidsstoppress. Kidsstoppress is India’s leading parenting website this is an amazing site that has its pulse on everything today’s parents want to know. We talk about what inspired her to do this, the early days. Mansi reflects on what she has learned on her roller-coaster journey so far! And discusses the top 3 priorities in their life – its very interesting!

Mansi shares her 15 experience in branding , content and all things digital marketing she talks about her life as a solo founder and a full time mother , and some Oprah Winfrey and food chat as well

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Advice for mothers wanting to start a business
– Quitting her job
– Branding tips
– Hobbies and interests
– The moment she thought it would work
– Favorite food and least favorite food.
– Favorite Indian startups
– Recommended Books and blogs
– Tips on building a branding for startups
– Content strategy advice
– Advice on digital marketing
– Business heroes.
– What excites her most about the startup

and much much more!

links

Twitter @Kidsstoppress

Ep51: Satanik Roy : Co-founder & CPO of Yibeal -On creating India’s first Online 2 Offline Marketplace for pre-owned phones and tablets

In this week’s episode I chat to Satanik Roy. Co-founder and Chief product officer at Yibeal , Yibeal stands for Yes its’ a big deal and they are an Online-2-Offline marketplace to buy/sell pre-owned smartphones with warranty and insurance based in Calcutta. Since launching The have gone through a tech accelerator and have a won a number of awards. So they are doing really well!

We talk about what inspired him to start this journey, How it works, plans for the future, and his day to day role , what he learned from his first startup ,plans for the next 2 years. We also talk about his interest in poetry and some Steve jobs chat … please enjoy the show!

in this conversation we also talk about:

– Revenue model
– Trying to get buyers and sellers.
– Cashless society.
– Startup scene in Calcutta
– Awards
– Hobbies and interests
– Books and blogs
– The Classic Retreat of Anarchy!
– Advice on building a startup.

links

http://www.yibeal.com/

Ep50: Deepak Srinivasan : Co-founder of Crofters , on tackling the water crisis in India with IOT based farming!

Today we talking about IOT (Internet of things) based farming with my guest Deepak Srinivasan.(@thisis_ads) the co-founder of Crofters. Crofters’s have created a flagship ecosystem which is an integrated aqua gardening system which helps you with fresh food farmed in the convenience of your very living room. Amazing stuff.

So in this episode we talk about how he and his co-fcunder got started. how it works. State of the IOT industry at the moment in Indian . Production plans , nice example of senior citizens using the product ,Partnering with Teach for India. And Deepak shares his advice on getting early adopters. And some Elon musk chat.

In this conversation we also talk about:

And much more more

– Vision of the company.
– Plans for the next 12-24 months
– How big do they want to go?
– Who is this for?
– What type of food can you grow.
– Hardest part about building this business.

Links

www.crofters.in

**50th Episode!! Thanks for listening and subscribing.** If you like the show please leaving a comment in ITUNES. Thank you for supporting the podcast.

Ep49: Ishu Bansal – Co-founder of TruckSuvidha on building India’s leading portal for the transportation and trucking Industry

India has the 2nd largest road network in the world. The Indian trucking industry is currently valued at $130 Bn and there are approximately 5.6 Mn on road vehicles transporting 80% of the country’s freight. So Today i speak to Ishu Bansal co-founder of TruckSuvidha . TruckSuvidha is a online Portal for transportation & trucking Industry.

Through this portal one can find the real-time availability of trucks and loads. So in this episode we talk about how he got started, the early days, plans for the future. His inspirational dad, coding for Ice cream & candy! and convincing transporters to use the system. And some cooking and travel chat!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Life at Infosys
– What he learned from his first startup
– How it makes revenue
– What excites him most about the business
– Digital marketing

And much more!

**Links**

http://trucksuvidha.com/

https://twitter.com/trucksuvidha

https://www.facebook.com/trucksuvidha

**Announcement**

Capgemini the multinational information technology consulting are turning 50, so they are creating a new competition called InnovatorsRace50 – a global contest that seeks to reward promising early-stage start-ups.

If you have a startup in the following categories

– GovTech & Social Enterprises
– Data & Security
– Digital Processes & Transformation
– Consumers & Well-being
– FinTech & Mobility

Then please apply . 50 start-ups will be shortlisted and there will be 5 winners. A total of $250,000 worth equity-free funding is available.

InnovatorsRace50 is your chance to put your early-stage business on the global map.

Deadline is 28th Feb . For more details please go to **innovatorsrace50.com** and if you get shortlisted then please come on the show an talk about it

Ep48: Prashanto Das – Co-founder of PING , on building the TV network of the future.

3.8 Billion videos are being consumed in India every month! So my guest today is Prashanto Das (@prashantodas) – Co-founder of Ping Networks. PING is India’s largest studio multi channel network creating original engaging video content across genres of food, music, entertainment, lifestyle, gaming.

In this episode we talk about how he got started , talk about his very own Jerry Maguire moment, life as a hard core creative . What first time founders should be focusing on , the most surprising thing he has learned about his crazy roller coaster journey so far. Work life balance & challenges.

Prashanto talks about his leadership style, tips on negotiation. Advice on dealing with setbacks , Favorite TV shows. And how you can start your own YouTube channel! And much more..Please enjoy the show

In this conversation we also talk about:

– 6 months of applied state of nothingness
– How he met the his co-founder
– Early days of Ping.
– Raising finance
– Hardest part about building the business.
– Personal highlights
– What he looks for when hiring staff
– What should first time founders be focussing on
– Steve Jobs

and much more!

Links

Ping Networks http://www.pingnetwork.in/

Ep47: Nitin Sood – Co-founder of Happy Shappy on creating an online platform to make Indian weddings a little bit easier!

Are you planning your Big Fat Indian Wedding this year! Well In this week’s episode I chat to Nitin Sood. Co-founder of Happy Shappy. Based in Delhi, Happy Shappy is a one stop shop for all things for Indian weddings. Since launching last year they are doing really well. As a first time founder Nitin shares his rollercoaster journey so far

We talk about what inspired him to start this journey, his previous life in Washington D.C. The vision of the company, plans for the future, and he also shares his top tips on how you can plan your wedding! Very important stuff and much more … please enjoy the show!

in this conversation we also talk about,

What Nitin looks for when hiring staff
The vision of the company
interesting pre-launch strategy
The hardest part about building this business
Key takeaways so far in the journey
How the startup makes money
Reaction to friends and family to starting this business.
Moving back to India!
Start up scene in Delhi.
The importance of the Indian wedding!

And much much more…!

Links

Website: https://happyshappy.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HappyShappyOfficial

Ep46: kumar Srivatsan – Co-Founder of OptaCredit on creating an A.I – Powered, Data-Driven Online Lender providing credit to millions across India.

A majority of the Indian population find it difficult to get credit! So today I speak with Kumar Srivatsan who is on a mission to change this. he is the co-founder of OptaCredit an AI powered data driven online lender providing credit to people across India. .Since demonetization they have seen an 300% increase in application and were mention in Forbes. So they are doing really well!

So in this podcast we talk about how he got started, What is A.I? , demonetization in India , how it actually works, why formal credit is hard to get in India. The vision of the company , Kumar also tells me what first time founders should be focussing on.

So in this podcast we talk about how he got started, What is A.I? , demonetization in India , how it actually works, why formal credit is hard to get in India. The vision of the company. Kumar also tells me what first time founders should be focussing on.

In this conversation we also talk about:

His role withing the company
Leadership and management style
Startup challenges
Reaction of friends , family , to starting the business
Why demonetization is bad for contract killers!
Is it Fun???

An much much more!

Links

https://www.optacredit.com/

Ep45: Divya Nambiar – Founder of Unniyarcha, on building an international fashion jewelry label

Today I speak with Divya Nambiar Founder of Unniyarcha a revolutionary fashion jewelry label based in Bangalore , the brand offers a range of fusion jewelry, which is a unique mix of traditional and contemporary designs.

So in this podcast we talk about what inspired her to do this, how it’s going so far, what keeps her awake at night , social responsibility. Her management style, time spent at Columbia university, long term goals, she also shares her advice on how to build a brand and much much more . Please enjoy the show.

In this conversation we also talk about

– Persistence
– Bootstrapping
– Long term goals
– The meaning of Unniyarcha, – An immensely beautiful and legendary warrior of 17th century Malabar India
– Partnering with the Prajwala Foundation, which works towards the psychological and economic rehabilitation of rape survivors in India.
– Heroes
– How she gets inspired!
– And the return of the quick fire round!

Links

Website http://unniyarcha.com/

Twitter @UnniyarchaJewel

Ep44: Ashwin Damera – Co-Founder & Member of the Academic Board of EMERITUS . On making quality education accessible to the next generation of leaders across the world

Today I speak with Ashwin Damera Co-Founder and Member of the Academic Board of EMERITUS an edtech start-up. They have developed an executive education model based on the leadership and management training needs of mid-management employees. They work with top tier business schools and bring their programs to markets like India, Middle East & Singapore.

So in this podcast we talk what inspired him to do this. , life as a startup founder. , online education, we also talk about his previous startup Travelguru a company that was later acquired by Travelocity in 2009. And his amazing two years spent at Harvard University and much much so please enjoy the show.

In this conversation we also talk about

– Dealing with competition
– Size of the market
– Sign ups so far & Stats
– The 5 year plan
– Leadership and Management
– His background
– Startup challenges
– The main trait an entrepreneurs should have (its a a great answer!)
– The early days of TravelGuru
– Life as a startup founder
– Examples of great business leaders.
– Favorite books
– What should first time founder’s be focussed on.

Links

Emeritus

Thanks to Ashwin for coming on the show today and if you want more information go to http://emeritus.org/
Thanks for listening and subscribing. Since launching we have had 130,000 listeners in total so thank you very much If you like the show please leaving a comment in ITUNES. Thank you for supporting the podcast.and i shall be back next week. If you have any feedback on the show Or want to come on please send me an email hello@neilpatel.co or tweet @indianstartupsh or go to facebook.com/indianstartupshow would love to connect.

**Competition Time !**

MetLife Foundation is running MetLife Inclusion Plus Competition, an innovation competition which offers a unique opportunity to startups in the financial inclusion/ financial technology space. The idea of Inclusion Plus is to Identify, recognize and support promising social entrepreneurs and enterprises who can potentially make a positive impact on financial inclusion.

The competition will be targeting entrepreneurs who are leading innovation in the financial services industry aimed at low-to-moderate income households. The applicants will compete for a share of $150,000 USD in awards.

Competitors will submit a product, service, program or innovative solution to improve financial health and well-being for low- and moderate-income people in India. The innovation should demonstrate that it will improve people’s access to and/or adoption and usage of financial products and services.

**Deadline for entries: 23rd November 2016**

For further details kindly visit http://india.inclusionplus.com/

Ep43: Sanchit Malik- Co-founder of Townscript – On creating India’s leading event registration & ticketing platform

This week I chat to the Sanchit Malik (@maliksanchit) co-founder of Townscript. Townscript is India’s leading self serve event registration and ticketing platform. launched in late 2013 they have served more than 9500+ events majorly in India and other countries like US, Singapore, Australia. We talk about how he got started. startup culture, what he has learned from being an entrepreneur to what excites him most about this startup.

We also talk about

– Stats so far
– Mistakes first founders make
– What it’s like being a co-founder
– Favorite books
– Growing the company
– Plans for the future
– The return of the quick fire round!
– Hobbies & Interests

And much more . Please enjoy the show!

Links

Website: http://www.townscript.com/

Twitter:@townscript

Thanks to Sanchit for coming on the show and if you want more information go to http://www.townscript.com/ Thanks for listening and subscribing. If you like the show please leaving a comment in ITUNES. Thank you for supporting the podcast.and i shall be back next week. Want to come om the show send me an email hello@neilpatel.co or tweet @indianstartupsh or go to facebook.com/indianstartupshow would love to connect.

Ep42: Shruti Gandhi- Managing Partner at Array Ventures on solving impactful problems using technology

Today I chat to Shruti Gandhi, (@atShruti) . Shruti is the managing partner at Array Ventures. Array Ventures is a VC firm based in the U.S. which focuses on solving impactful problems using revolutionary technology. We talk about her operational & investment experience, life in Silicon Valley , machine learning, what she looks for when investing in startups & what first time founders should be focusing on.

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Companies she has invested in
– Favorite startups
– The one thing she wants you to understand about building a startup
– Dealing with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
– Career highlights
– The importance of using your gut instinct

And much much more….

Links

Website : http://www.array.vc

Twitter : @atShruti

Ep41: Lokendra Ranawat – Founder of Wooden Street – On creating india’s first e-commerce custom built online furniture company.

Based in the beautiful city of Udaipur. Wooden Street is a startup that creates e-commerce custom built online furniture and they growing really fast 150% month on month. According to Lokendra 90% of the furniture market is still unorganized and the market is potentially worth $20 billion.

**in this podcast we also talk about:**

– Statistics – website hits and sales.
– Obstacles and current challenges
– Going global.
– Best moments
– How he keeps on top of things.
– Hobbies & interests.
– Hiring Process
– Standing Computer desks

If you want to know more about Wooden Street. Please go to **woodenstreet.com** if you like the show please leave a rating and review of the show. Just search of the Indian Startup Show on ITunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Downcast, Instacast, Podkicker, And Apple TV . If you want to come on the show, don’t be shy.

Please send me an email hello@neilpatel.co . Any feedback go to **neilpatel.co/podcast** and fill in the google form takes 30 secs or tweet @indianstartupsh or go to facebook.com/indianstartupshow would love to connect.

Links

Website : http://www.woodenstreet.com

Ep40: Deepak Goel – Founder of KarmaCircles – On building a peer to peer social learning platform & mentoring over 1,000 people around the world!

Today I talk to Deepak Goel, founder of KarmaCircles, (@KarmaCircles) a peer to peer social learning platform. They have developed a really cool mobile-first platform in which you can send a request for a meeting, schedule, interact and thank other professionals for helping you through a KarmaNote

We talk about how he got started , how the app works and why he is REALLY passionate about KarmaCircles .We also talk about his amazing experiences from working in Silicon valley to mentoring over a thousand entrepreneurs around the world over the last six years. ***Special Offer*** If you want schedule some time with Deepak go to KarmaCircles.com download the app & mention The Indian Startup Show and Deepak will help you!. Please enjoy the show!

In this conversation we also talk about:

– Mentoring over 1,000 people.
– What excites Deepak most about this startup
– Deepak’s 3 main Passions
– **The ONE thing Deepak wants you to know about building a startup!** (ITS A GREAT ANSWER!)
– 4 questions you need to answer before you raise finance!
– 6 things you need to put in your slide deck
– His favorite startups over the last 10 years.
– Stats so far.
– How the app works

and much more!

Links

Website : http://www.karmacircles.com
Twitter : @karmacircles

Ep39: Vivek Bajaj – Founder of Kredent Academy – On building India’s top financial engagement eco-system

The need for strong financial literacy and financial analytics is very important for complete engagement of citizen of any country ! And In this week’s episode I chat to Vivek Bajaj . Founder of Kredent Academy (@KredentAcademy) and StockEdge (@stockedge) . Kredent Academy is one of the foremost professional training institutes in India with focus on finance and capital markets. Anyone can become a financial market expert through practical oriented learning and strong hold on analytics.

We talk about how he got started. developing content across multiple languages , plans for expansion in South East Asia , vision of the company. Vivek has created an amazing analytics platform for the Indian stock market (stockedge) which already has 25,000 downloads in 2.5 months. With a background in accountancy and building a number of business over the years he gives us excellent financial & recruitment advice if you’re thinking about starting your own business.

In this conversation we also talk about:

Breakthrough moment in 2014
Business heroes
E-learning platforms
Plans for the future
How he keeps on top of things

and much more!

Links

Website: http://www.kredentacademy.com/ & http://www.stockedge.com

Twitter:@KredentAcademy , @mystockedge

Ep38: Prashant Surana – Founder & CEO of Snapper Technologies – On building a hyper-glocal marketplace in India.

In this week’s episode I chat to Prashant Surana the Founder & CEO of Snapper Technologies (@snappertechnol1) These guys are building a cool platform that allows you to try goods before you buy ranging from apparel to electronic gadgets. There ultimate aim is to revolutionize the retails sector in India , very ambitious! In this conversation we also talk about how the platform works. Plans for expansion . Prashant also shares great insights on life as an entrepreneur.

Links

Website: http://www.snappertech.com/

Twitter:@snappertechnol1

Ep37: Chamutal Afek-Eitam – Founder & CEO of 3 Million Club – On Integrating Technology into the Humanitarian Sector

Today we are talking about how to integrate technology into the humanitarian sector with my special guest Chamutal Afek-Eitam, Founder & CEO of 3 Million Club (@3millionclub) The 3 Million Club is the amazon.com for life saving products for the humanitarian sector. Since launching they have saved over 2,500 children.

Chamutal has over 17 years working in the humanitarian sector and in this show we talk about ,
where the idea came from , how the product works, working in India , plans for the future & how you can get involved.

Links

https://3millionclub.com/

@3MillionClub

info@3millionclub.com

Ep36: Neha Gupta, Founder of Lipikaar.com – On creating a simple & intuitive typing tool for all Indian languages

In this week’s episode I chat to Neha Gupta. Founder of Lipikaar (@lipikaar) Lipikaar is a simple and intuitive typing tool for all Indian languages. So this tool works on common text editors like MS Office, website and browser plugins, as well as keyboard app for Android phones as well. in this conversation we also talk about, how she got started , time spent working at Amazon, launching the Lipikaar app this year, the app already has 100,000 downloads. Neha also gives great advice on B2B sales, networking **(be persistent!)** and creating a product from scratch

In this conversation we also talk about

– The hardest part about building the business
– Critical milestones for the next year
– Building the mobile app.
– Digital marketing
– What excites her most about her startup.
– favorite books & blogs
– Business heroes
– 5 quick fire questions!

Links

Website: http://www.lipikaar.com/

Twitter: @lipikaar

Ep35: Vidya Vellala – Founder & CEO of Evayadesk.com on providing online customer support in a faster way!

In this week’s episode I chat to Vidya Vellala . Founder & CEO of Evayadesk (@EvayaDesk)
Evayadesk is a software as a service product providing help desk software solutions for businesses around the world. Vidya built the software herself and now she has a team of 4. We talk about how she got started. Her engineering background. The number of businesses signed up. vision of the company , plans for the future to her inspirational mother and more!

Viday’s advice on learning to code “There is nothing we cannot learn in this world!”

in this conversation we also talk about,

– What excites her most about this startup
– How she spends her Sundays
– Digital marketing
– Her views entrepreneurship
– Five quick fire questions. find out Vidya’s food heaven and hell!
– Favorite books
– Where the name Evaya comes from

Links

Website: http://www.evayadesk.com

Twitter: @EvayaDesk

Ep34: Shuchi Pandya – Founder & CEO of Pipa + Bella

This week I speak to Shuchi Pandya. Founder and CEO of Pipa + Bella, an online jewellery e-commerce platform offering fashion jewellery to women across India. Started 2 years ago they are growing really fast & have raised funding So in this conversation we talk about how she got started, What’s it like being a founder , information on how to raise funding! , what to put in you slide deck and collaborating with social influencers & celebrities.

in this conversation we also talk about,

– Advice on growing & marketing your startup.
– Collaborating with social influencers & celebrities.
– Hardest part about building the business.
– Plans for the future
– Sales
– Dealing with VC’s
– Latest trends in Indian jewellery
– A summer spent travelling around S.America!
– 4 Quick fire questions!
And more!

Links

Website: http://www.pipabella.com/

Twitter: @pipabella

Ep32: Anirban Poddar – Founder & CEO of ShopHop on building a marketplace for natural home-grown foods & wellness products

In this week’s episode I chat to Anirban Poddar. Founder & CEO of ShopHop (@ShophopIndia)
ShopHop is an e-commerce platform which serves as a curated marketplace for natural, artisanal ,home-grown foods and wellness products. Since launching in January they are growing 100% month on month!

We talk about how he got started. How many orders they get. Advice on how to pitch to investors because they won Pitch 2 Start competition. We talk about what first time founders should be focussing on , plans for the future. We also discuss Bacon ice cream & what he does on a Sunday!

in this conversation we also talk about,

– The most surprising thing about his entrepreneurial journey so far
– The vision of the company
– Company stats
– What excites him most about this startup
– Business heroes
– Growing Shop Hop’s user base
– The hardest part about building this business.

And more!

Links

Website: http://www.shophop.co.in/

Twitter: @ShophopIndia

Thanks for listening and subscribing. If you like the show please leaving a comment in ITunes. We had a great last week. The Indian Startup Show had the top podcast episode and the was top podcast in ITunes tech category. **Thank you for supporting the podcast**.. If you have any feedback on the show Or want to come on please send me an email hello@neilpatel.co or tweet @indianstartupsh or go to facebook.com/indianstartupshow would love to connect

Ep31: Vishal Shah – Founder & CEO of Haute Chef

In this week’s episode I chat to Vishal Shah. Founder & CEO of Haute Chef (@HauteChefIndia)
Haute Chef is a unique “meal kit” concept, They send a box of pre-measured, labeled ingredients along with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on putting together a truly gourmet dish in your home kitchen. And they are doing a couple of thousand orders month.

Prior to founding Haute Chef, Vishal was an investment banker based in New York and London working with a multinational bank for over a decade.

We talk about what inspired him to start this journey, his life on Wall Street. The vision of the company, to mistakes he sees first time founders make & plans for the future and much more … please enjoy the show!

in this conversation we also talk about,

– What Vishal looks for when hiring staff
– Plans for expansion for the next 3 years
– The startup scene in Mumbai
– What Wall street is really like!
– Most surprising thing about his entrepreneurial journey so far
– What excites him most about this startup
– Mistakes first time founders make – (don’t get too attached to your product)
– Bootstrapped v funded startups in India
– Food tips for first time visitors to India!
– **New section** → 4 Quick fire questions!

And more!

Links

Website: http://hautechef.in/

Twitter: @HauteChefIndia

Ep30: Anu Acharya Founder & CEO of Mapmygenome on promoting healthy living by understanding the role of genetics

Today I chat to Anu Acharya (@anuacharya) , The founder & CEO of Mapmygenome.in (@mapmygenome). Based in Hyderabad – Mapmygenome, is a startup

to see all interviews please go to http://www.indianstartupshow.com/ episodes or ITUNES