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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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Best indian business podcast 2020

Best Indian Business Podcasts 2020

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The Indian Startup Show ::Trailer

Ganesh Shankar, CEO & Co-Founder of FluxGen – Still solving India’s Water Shortage Crisis- ‘Where Are They Now?

Ganesh Shankar is back! He came on the show in October 2017 (EP68) & he is celebrating 10 years as an entrepreneur! Ganesh is the co-founder & CEO of FluxGen FluxGen is on a mission to help industries become water positive, and aims to help save 1 billion litres of water everyday using his product AquaGen, a smart real-time water flow and level monitoring system. So in this episode he talks about improving the product using design thinking.

He talks about time spent in the Cisco Launchpad Tech accelerator. Talks about dealing with the water crisis. He gives bootstrapping advice. Talks about digitising water structures and how they reduce water consumption by 30%. He talks about bringing water transparency and data to clients.

‘Who will marry you now’ – his mom’s reaction to him quitting General Electric to do this (he got married!) He talks about India being the largest groundwater extractor in the world, bigger than China & USA. He talks about the original MVP back in 2017. Having big clients onboard. Questions you should ask yourself before quitting your 9-5 job to do a startup. and finally we reminisce about his epic bike journey from Bangalore to Goa and getting a proposal on Valentines Day, but not that type of proposal! and much more!

In this conversation we talk about:

10 years as an entrepreneur!
Looking back would he change anything?
A commencement speech that still motivates him
New projects in solar using drones
Bootstrapping is good if you don’t have a scalable plan
Getting criticism in the early days
The true cost of water
How does he keep on top of things?
The ongoing climate crisis
A question you must ask → What is the primary driver for buying your solution?
Transitioning from projects/consulting company to a product company.
Not getting too worried about not getting sales in the early days.
Start with the customer or start with the idea?
How they de-risk industries and facilities from the water crisis.
Dealing with the pandemic
Building AI & IoT based end to end water management solutions.
Being the founder and director of the non-profit The Sustainability Mafia (Susmafia.org).

Where Are They Now? Nivedha R.M Co-founder of TrashCon. Still on a mission to solve India’s huge waste management problem

Nivedha is back on the show! I spoke to her back in December 2017 (Ep 72). She is the Co-founder of TrashCon. They have created a machine that helps solve India’s huge waste management problem by converting mixed waste into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Waste. They started with one tiny machine doing 100kg/day to now doing 200,000 kgs/day!

Last year they did a million dollars revenue and have 3 million dollars in the pipeline this year. She talks about spending 2.5 years working in a dumpsites around India . She talks about working with big corporations and municipalities.

Nivedha then talks about how they launch & test MVP’s and product development. She talks about when to use experts & when NOT to use experts. Going from 3 to 60 staff & what they look for in hiring, having a great co-founder and finally she talks about how you shouldn’t look for 100% perfection in building a startup..85% is ok! , Doing TedX talks (Failure is when you decide to fail…) Winning awards, and why they have banned the word ‘impossible’ and looking back would she change anything? and much more!

In this episode we talk about:

Creating wow boards
Having more downs then ups
Patents
Has india’s attitude to waste changed?
Having no credibility at the start to now working with big corporations & municipalities.
Having a co-founder who is a chartered accountant & engineer helps.
How they use the technology to separate the waste
Building a culture & not micromanaging everything
Having a strong vision.
Advice for first time founders – Have a clear problem statement.
Don’t look for perfection! The market is not looking for perfection.
Going global.

Mudasar Mohamed COO & co-founder of Ezyhaul – On building a digital road freight platform & using tech to organize the trucking Industry in India & South East Asia.

Logistics is the hottest industry to be in right now , according to my guest Mudasar Mohamed, Co-Founder & COO of Ezyhaul. Ezyhaul is a logistics tech startup based in India and South East Asia. They are on a mission to transform transportation logistics by building an ecosystem around shippers, truckers, government agencies, and third party service providers.

So in this episode he talks about how they validated the MVP by talking to experts & truck drivers. Talks about being very close to going bankrupt but are now growing fast! 300% in 2 years with $180 million in revenue.

Talks about how they digitize the trucking process. Talks about how they use data, dashboards and analytics to improve decision making. Talks about the two reasons why startups fail. Why three is the magic number in founding a startup.

What to look for in a co-founder and the qualities you need to be a COO. Talks about the golden rule in growing a 2 sided market. Why do they employ data scientists?

Talks about not getting carried away with valuations & Why is the transport industry still 20 years behind? And finally he talks about whether you!.. YES YOU! should pursue entrepreneurship or stay in your 9-5 job and much more! So please enjoy the show.

In this conversation we also talk about:

Ecommerce is booming.
How they matching supply & demand
Dealing with resistance to change.
Beating the competition by entering Tier 2 cities.
First impressions of his co-founders
He shares what he looks for in hiring (do something entrepreneurial)
Books/podcasts recommendations
Creating a blue ocean & staying away from the red oceans
Why the focussed initially on Delhi and Bangalore
How they improve the life of truckers.
75K trucks on the platform

and much more!

Shreyas Talpade actor, director & producer on building Nine Rãsã – India’s first ever streaming platform dedicated to theatre & performing arts

If everything is going digital why not theatre? Today I speak to Shreyas Talpade, actor , director , producer and now he is entering the exciting world of entrepreneurship building India’s first ever streaming platform dedicated to Theatre and Performing Arts called Nine Rasa.

This platform gives you access to several hours of plays, skits, story-telling, stand-Ups, chats and more across several languages. In this episode he talks about how the idea got conceptualised during the pandemic. Talks abut how the platform works, developing the ecosystem and being a first time entrepreneur.

He talks about the decision making process on what goes on the platform and what doesn’t. Shreyas then goes on to talk about his acting career including his big break, learning the craft, getting recognised for the first time. Talks about dealing with directors & writers and finally he talks about why you should ignore the critics , stop overthinking and just go do it!

In this conversation we also talk about:

Streaming 100hrs of content
The rise and fall and now the rise of theatre in india.
Millennials liking the concept
Who are they targeting?
Everyone’s a critic!
Could he have made it as a cricketer after staring in Iqbal?
Dealing with the emotional side of acting.
Getting out of the comfort zone & thinking outside the box
Theatre classics v new content.
Not spending any money on marketing
Advice for first time entrepreneurs
Why he is not competing with Netflix and other streaming services?

And much more!

Varun Goenka CEO &Co-Founder of ChargeUp on building India’s largest battery swapping network.

Making it easier and cheaper for e-rickshaw drivers to earn a livelihood. Today my guest is Varun Goenka, CEO & Co-Founder of ChargeUp. Charge-up offers the simple solution of Battery as a Service (BAAS) to a growing community of 2.4 million E-Rickshaws.

The company enables the e-rickshaw drivers to join the service without any upfront costs. By subscribing to a daily battery rental plan. Charge-up allows the drivers to visit the swapping station as many as 2-3 times a day to swap the discharged batteries with fully charged batteries.

In this episode he talks about how he got started by talking to over 500 drivers, finding huge pain points on the way. He will explain what they are. Talks about working backwards to create product market fit , which they did in 12 months. Talks about traction, the business model and how they use technology and data to grow the business. E.g driver behaviour, patterns, performance analytics and how they leverage the data.

Talks about missing out on the opportunity in solar and what he learned. Talks about the positive impact they have on drivers earnings and the environment. Talks about trying influencer marketing, partnerships with dealers. How fast they are growing. Thoughts on oil/fossil companies. He talks why reading Bhagavad Gita helps and finally he talks about having a growth mindset and why being a backbencher at school helped!

In this conversation we talk about:

Battery technology
Product research
Helping drivers overcome range anxiety & increase revenue
Overcoming negative feedback from the battery dealers.
How they stop the theft of batteries
How they build trust with drivers and dealers
Having a co-founder with ‘no attitude’
Pay per use v buying the asset
‘Imagination is more important than knowledge’ – Albert Einstein
Last mile connectivity/shared mobility
Thoughts on the indian Government role in the clean tech space.
Working on B2B deliveries
The experience of driving an electric vehicle.
Thoughts on bootstrapping

Swostik Dash, CEO & Co-Founder of Neomotion on helping people with disabilities to live a more independent life.

Every year 300,000 wheelchairs are sold in india. 95% of all wheelchairs are one -size fits all. Imagine wearing shoes and everyone has to wear size 14 shoes! So today my guest is Swostik Dash, CEO & Co-Founder of Neomotion. This Chennai-based startup has developed a personalised wheelchair, and a battery-powered clip-on device that converts the wheelchair into a roadworthy electric vehicle.

So they helping people with disabilities to live a more independent life with their products. So in this episode he talks about how the journey started by talking to 200 Wheelchair users in 40 locations around india. Talks about the initial stages product development. You will learn how he makes decisions around feature requests.

Talks about how they balance creating impactful products, social change while making money at the same time. Talks about the main 5 metrics he checks every morning. Why don’t they go after fancy features. Interesting thoughts on what Wheelchairs will look like in 100 years time . Talks about the donation drive business model, major milestones. And finally talks about the huge impact he is making on people’s lives.

In this conversation we also talk about:

Why they don’t want VC funding yet.
Traction & sales so far
Customisations -No two wheelchairs are the same.
Supply chain management
Manufacturing / fulfilling orders/ quality control
Proof of concepts
Advice on product development
Product iterations
What they are working on right now.
What went wrong in the early days.
Enabling wheelchair users to live life to the fullest.
Advice for first time founders.
Using a whiteboard to deal with negative and positive feedback
Product design advice
Why you shouldn’t get stuck on your idea
‘Startup is a systematic risk minimisation’ – Warren Buffet.
Solving the problem of Indoor and outdoor mobility

Edul Patel CEO of Mudrex. A Y-Combinator backed startup, on a mission to democratize investing in cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency is a trillion dollar industry & with a billion people in India the potential is huge! So today my guest Edul Patel CEO of Mudrex. A Y-Combinator startup building an algorithmic trading platform for cryptocurrency.

They help crypto traders create, test and deploy their trading rules into automated trading algorithms without writing code. Started back in 2011 reading the original white paper while still in college and now they are growing 40% month on month. They have 2.5k paying customers and $10 million of assets under management.

So today you will find out how he got his first 1k customers. Insights into the crypto scene in india. Talks about the hype/greed/fear/excitement/ in crypto. Are crypto trading bots better than human traders?

Talks about the best advice he received at YC(19) & the intense 24 hr demo day. Edul shares his product strategies on how products should be built and should they how they should be killed. The 3 books he gives to all his employees. And finally I talk to Edul about my first week as a crypto trader! So we talk about portfolios & trading advice.

Please note I am not a financial advisor. So please seek financial advice and if you’re interested in buying crypto please see the link on the show notes.

In this conversation we also talk about

Traction
The Crypto lightbulb moment
Indian regulations
Who are they targeting?
Talks about why crypto is so volatile (or is it?)
Dealing with user experiences issues in the early days..
The challenge indian regulations dealing with crypto and what he would change.
Happy to let his bots trade while sleeping.
After 10 years finally breaking even and making profit
Deal making advice (less is more)
3 key skills to become a product manager (32.49)
Whats can do wrong in crypto
Advice for first time product managers with no experience
Dealing with stress.
Originally building a crypto exchange for India.

The Best of The Indian Startup Show

Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to over the past 5 years. You will hear from Vineet Rajan. Co-founder of Scout My Trip – India’s premier do-it-yourself platform for road trips .talks about pivoting, new insights on the India travel market , growing 5x , expanding into S.E Asia, using virtual scouts & life changing road trips! Next we have Aayush Jindal Co-founder of Toesmith. (45m.46sec) India’s first tech-driven footwear brand, offering customisation of shoes at an affordable price. Next up Vikas Jha CEO & founder of Alore CRM (1h 19m) – On building one of India’s fastest growing sales platform. And last but not least I speak to The Startup Guy aka Vijay Anand , Founder of the Startup Centre (1h 54m) he talks about the Indian Startup Ecosystem – what’s going right, what needs to be tweaked and where to next? So sit back & enjoy some of the best moments.

Meet Singhal co-founder of Stamurai. On building the world’s biggest digital therapy app for stuttering & stammering.

Giving a voice to people who don’t have a voice. Today my guest is Meet Singhal. Co-founder of Stamurai. A Mobile app that helps you learn & practice speech therapy exercises for stuttering & stammering. So in this episode he talks about how stuttering controlled his life almost having a breakdown and how he turned it all around by developing this mobile app.

Talks about the initial prototype & acquiring his first customers. Which now has 40,000+ installs across 155 countries around the world. Talks about the science and psychology around stuttering. Never ordering food he liked only ones that were easy to say. Dealing with speech therapists. (30% sceptical , 70% encouraging) Talks about the best day so far. What you should and should not do when dealing with a person who stutters and telling his first ever joke! Talks about the subscription based business model . Does music work? – We talk about the headphone scene from the King’s Speech! And finally gives great advice about raising finance & finding product market fit. Its an inspiring story and one that will inspire you!

In this conversation we also talk about:

Traditional speech therapy is expensive
Growing 15% every month.
His Initial assumptions – would people use a self-directed product?
Honey is not the cure for stammering & other quacky myths!
Speech therapy has not changed for the last 100 years.
Being a 2x entrepreneur
Why do people stutter?
Biggest learning from the initial MVP
Why his first startup failed (Khan academy for india)
Being Inspired by Charlie Munger.
App design challenges.
‘Getting rich is never easy in a well formed society’
How they onboard users.
Getting help from Prosus, a global consumer internet group.
Why do products fail?
‘It’s a hard journey , but filled with meaning’
Product roadmap – expanding into other speech disorders.

Anjali Kalachand, Co-Founder of A Petter Life on building a marketplace for pet products that simplifies pet parenting and helps you make guided purchases.

Pampering your furry friends the right way! Today my guest is Anjali Kalachand, co-founder of A Petter Life an e-commerce platform to understand your dog’s nutritional & lifestyle needs. In this episode she talks about why she quit corporate life to do this. Growing 150% after going launching only 2 months ago. Talks about identifying gaps in the market and being a bootstrapped startup.

She talks about why the pet industry is similar to the children’s industry. Mistakes made in the early days and lessons learned. The rise of dog ownership in India due to the pandemic. Thoughts on the offline competition. And finally she talks about dog friendly vegan ice-cream & why you should buy a dog!

In this conversation we talk about:

Helping new/existing pet parents
Starting this during the pandemic
Stray dogs in Mumbai
What problem are they solving?
Dealing with bureaucracy in corporate life.
Do dogs have personalities similar to their owners?
Is india a nation of dog lovers?

Mohammad Yousuf CEO of EdUnify on growing an EdTech startup & building the largest school discovery platform in India.

Dropping out of education to do an EdTech startup! Today my guest is Mohammad Yousuf CEO of Edunify. Edunify assists schools in connecting with prospective parents online and helps parents find the right schools for their children. Think of it like a matchmaking service. So in this episode he talks about great traction so far, talks about how they went about validating the idea. Why is selling to schools is one of the toughest markets you can be in. Thoughts on the indian education system & what can be improved. Talks about being a successful 3 time entrepreneur at the age of 21. Talks about successful SEO strategies to get parents to the website. Getting zero marks on his exams including entrepreneurship! and how he turned it all around despite personal hurdles like significant leg disability. Why pretending to be 24 yr old helps! And finally he talks about time blocking techniques that help him focus and be more productive. Which you can try as well.

In this conversation we also talk about:

The business model
The startup scene in Lucknow & thoughts on moving to Bangalore.
Advice for first time founders.
Paying his own way through college
Thoughts on paid advertising.
Being a big fan of Clubhouse
What problem are they trying to solve?
Customer discovery & feedback
What was he like at school?
Recalling his first pitch!
Thoughts on going global

Dr. Geetha Manjunath CEO & CTO of NIRAMAI on changing the way cancer is detected & being one of the top deep tech startups

I catch up with Dr Geetha Manjunath, CEO & CTO of NIRAMAI, a deep-tech startup, offering a radiation-free, non-invasive, non-touch, breast cancer screening solution. I spoke to her back in Sept 2017 (Ep67) when they only had a handful of customers, now they are one of the top deep tech startups in India. In this episode we talk about their core technology called Thermalytix. How they have innovated during the pandemic. Talk about how they create AI/ML models and how they test them before production. Talk about scaling issues & being part of Google Launchpad and Phillips accelerators. How they have shortened the B2C sales life cycle from 6 months to 6 weeks. Thoughts on selling to hospitals. A deep dive on how do they train the machine when there is little data. She also talks about developing (AI)-based computer-aided software for controlling the spread of River Blindness with the help from Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. She takes a trip down memory lane and talks about being a member of the C-DAC team which built the first commercial indian supercomputer. And finally she gives great advice for first time entrepreneurs.

In this conversation we also talk about:

Talk about patents & IP.
Being a thought leader
Supervised v Unsupervised learning
Launching a new B2C home screening service
Working with data augmentation
Thermal imaging
Taking it to the villages
Scaling from 1 to 10 then 10 to 100
Using microservices
Getting in the shoes of the users
Are they still a startup?
Major milestones reached
Healthcare startups take time!

Harshdeep Singh CEO of WrapitUp on scaling to 3.5M+ users, refusing $20M acquisition & dealing with mental health issues & how he turned it around in style!

My first ever guest is back on the show! Harshdeep Singh Hura founder of WrapItUp – a text summarizer. He appeared on show back in August 2015. We talk about how his app now has 3.5M users. Why he turned down $20 million acquisition for the app.

How a anthropology course on apes was a breakthrough moment. Talks why he almost quit tech, what changed and gives us his new fresh perspective on life. He gives us great insights on mobile app design, development &marketing strategies.

Talks about going from idea to MVP (starts at 25.19 take notes!) and why does not want a co-founder. Talks about becoming a pastry chef. Thoughts on Clubhouse being the next big thing. And finally we take a trip down memory lane and talk about the embarrassing first ever episode of the indian startup show.

in this conversation we talk about:

Starting out writing algorithms on paper & not using existing NLP algorithms
Being the most successful solo iPhone app developer in India (in my opinion!)
Taking risks in your 20’s
Reaction to friends and family on turning down $20million
Setting up Indoor Hydroponic farming space.
Entering the News Summarization space with a new line of products built around the WrapItUp algorithm, L.A.S.T. 5 [Linguistically Advanced Summarization Technique]
Is it still a good idea to build an iphone app in 2021
Helping salesforce administration to learn to code and then getting angry feedback from Salesforce content creators
Being stressed & receiving a cold email that got his life back on track
Growing an inch since we last spoke (6ft 9 inch)
Building a remote first E-commerce agency
Why they don’t do regular marketing to create brand awareness.
Hiring only fans influencers
How he settles arguments with his dad.
Why ‘luck can only take you so far!’
Why you shouldn’t change the world – but change one person’s world
Starting WrapitUp because he was too lazy to read

And much more!

Pankaj Raut CEO & Co-founder of AjnaLens on building Augmenting Human Intelligence with AI-Powered Mixed Reality Glasses

Building India’s first home-grown AR headset. Today my guest is Pankaj Raut the co-founder & ceo of AjnaLens. AjnaLens designs & manufactures AI-powered mixed-reality glasses for defence , education and enterprise customers. He talks about it all got started by being inspired watching James Bond movies. He talks about how the product helps the Indian armed forces & talks about design and development process. He talks about VC funding, future trends & opportunities. He gives us his thoughts on the AR/VR startup community in india. Thoughts on Google glasses 10 years on and dealing with the competition. And finally he talks about leaving India at the age 17 to go study in London. Meeting his co-founders at Google startup weekend. Seeing his first hologram and being inside a tank!

In this conversation we also talk about:

Building the first prototype
Challenges in the AR/VR market
What will VR/AR devices look like in the future.
Getting a scholarship to go London
Where the names comes from.
Common mistakes AR/VR startups make.
Meeting people with the right synergies.
How he resolves differences of opinion with his co-founders
Advice for first time founders – take 2 steps back!

Anish Achuthan co-founder & CEO of Open a neo-banking startup disrupting the traditional banks & helping 700,000 + businesses in India automate their finances.

Building a digital bank to help small businesses in india. My guest today is Anish Achuthan CEO & co-founder of Open – a new age digital banking platform. In this episode he talks about how they raised $37 million from prominent investors, and shares amazing growth statistics. He talks about how they use customer acquisition channels. He shares UX strategies when developing the website & mobile app. Talks about being a 5x entrepreneur. Talks about the importance of branding and PR in getting your startup off the ground. Talks about how they evaluate talent. Going from 10 to 250 employees. Thoughts on demonetisation 4 years on. Hiring a sales guy when they couldn’t afford one. Pitching to investors with a live demo instead of a slide deck.And finally you will learn how to deal with corporate companies if you’re a startup.

In this conversation we also talk about:

User testing
Creating a pilot
Being the first mover in the market
Building Culture & Leadership
Being persistence
Being married to the co-founder
is ‘Cash still king?’
Reaching out to small villages
Banks having reservations in the early days
Integrating legacy systems

Where are they now? ‘The Recycle Man of India’ Dr Binish Desai Forbes 30 under 30 Asia social entrepreneur & founder of Eco-Eclectic on creating environmentally-friendly solutions to various problems.

Nothing is useless in this world. What can be a waste to you is someone’s asset’ – The ‘Recycle man of India’ aka Dr Binish Desai, social entrepreneur & founder of Eco-Eclectic . I spoke to him back in February 2019 (Ep 106) and he is back again to talk about inventing a new type of brick made from recycled PPE material. He talks about creating a female empowerment centre for former sex workers. He then talks about building low cost homes using 3D technology, talks about trust issues after getting ripped off by a business partner. The pillars of success and what we can expect in 2021. And why you should start identifying waste as an asset.

In this conversation we also talk about:

Observe – fail – Learn – Solve framework.
Creating Eco Bins
The process of converting PPE into bricks..Brick 2.0!
Creating affordable housing in the USA, Philippines & india, & Africa
The Recycle man – the book
What did he learn about himself during the pandemic
Making jewellery & crockery out of coffee waste
Carrying 2 bricks around wherever he goes
Stop using single use coffee mugs!
Expanding globally
Trying to create the world’s first recyclable house.
3D printing of the entire home.
Coming from a family of social entrepreneurs.

Siddharth Dialani, Co-founder of BharatAgri. On building a farming technology platform , bridging the gap between technology & agriculture in India

100 million famers are expected to be online in the next 5 years. So today I speak to Siddharth Dialani, co-founder & CEO of BharatAgri a farming technology platform where they work with farmers directly. improving their productivity. Think of it as a digital farming assistant. So in this episode he talks about what inspired him to do this, building the first prototype. The problems farmers face. Time spent working on a farm for a year & being treated like an outsider . He then talks about how they create an algorithm that decreases the cost of production to farmers. Talks about how they use analytics to improve the customer journey. Talks about raising finance , how you should pitch investors. Why ‘investors want you to do less not more’ How they on-board farmers online. And finally he talks about his time at housing.com. The current farmers strike and being awarded Forbes 30 under 30!

In this conversation we also talk about:-

Insights gained from talking to over 400 farmers
Why agriculture is a complicated business.
Farmers not understanding the share icon & notification icon. And how they changed it
Soil/water/weather parameters that go into building an algorithm.
Quickly pivoting to a digital strategy during the pandemic
Thoughts on product market fit
What will farming look like in 20 years time?
Pitching & getting $50k from Uber.
Book recommendations.

Best of The Indian Startup Show

No 1 Best Business Podcast in india! Big Thank You to CEO magazine India. I am humbled and honoured. Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to over the past years. You will hear from Shankar Prasad. Founder of Pureplay Skin Sciences. They are Building India’s fastest growing new-age, values-driven vegan skin care & beauty brand. Next I speak to Akriti Khatri The founder of the Venus Detective Agency – India’s leading female private detective agency And finally I speak to Naina Hiranandani, COO & Co-Founder of Sirf Coffee. A Bespoke dating service revolutionising dating for global Indians.

The indian Startup Show – The Best Bits [Part14]

Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to over the past 5 years. You will hear from The Tech Witches – A group of 5 Indian high school girls. They have built an app that connects children at orphanages to senior citizens in nursing homes, allowing them to spend time together.

Next up Dr Siddhant Bhargava co-founder & nutritionist at Food Darzee.He is tackling India’s growing obesity problem.by creating a health & nutrition company offering fresh, healthy food delivered daily to your doorstep.

And last but not least I speak to Tanul Mishra CEO of Afthonia labs. Afthonia labs focuses on early stage startups in Fintech and provides them with a trusted ecosystem to grow and succeed.

Where are they now? Charanjeev Singh, founder of SinghStyled. The world’s first Sikh brand that caters to 30 million Sikhs around the world.

Charanjeev Singh aka CJ aka The Flying Sikh is back on the show! I spoke to CJ on the show 5 years ago and he is still going strong. In fact they are now launching in Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and Singapore. He talks about acquiring 10% Sikh grooming market just through word of mouth.

Talks about Product development life cycle and why the weather plays a big role. He talks about building a community centric brand. Talks about product failures .Talks about the importance of Sikh culture in 2020. Why the indian hipster phase has died. Launching a streetwear brand. Shopping cart abandon rates. And finally he talks about creating the world’s first beard deodorant and much more.

in this conversation we also talk about:

Not burning money on marketing
The good & bad of Covid
Why it takes 8/9 months to launch a product.
Demonetization & implementing GST issues
New thoughts on entrepreneurship
Being patient
Going offline
Would he change anything
Being the ‘GQ’ for Sikhs
Why beard textures are different around the world

Dr Srimathy Kesan CEO of SpaceKidz India on creating the next generation of scientific thinkers in India & launching the world’s smallest satellite

Making space explorable & economical for the future generation. Today i speak to Dr Srimathy Kesan CEO of SpaceKidz India – SpaceKidz india helps students to pursue their space dreams regardless of their field of education, social status, and geographic location. in this episode she talks about how it got started. How under her guidance, students designed Kalamsat – the world’s lightest satellite ever to be placed in orbit! Her team of students are currently building the world’s lightest rover for the moon. She also talks about how they use ‘ the make or break approach. Using 3D technology. Being mocked in the early days and people refusing to turn up to the first launch .She talks suborbital launches and trusting yourself. She talks about winning 20+ awards , Great advice for first time founders. She talks about being a former paratrooper, why she called herself Indira Gandhi as a 5 year to get into a top school. And is there life on other planets?

In this conversation we also talk about:

Taking a 16 year sabbatical
The space community in India
Vision & redefining space dreams for Indian kids
Going to Nasa
Her initial dream of joining the army was rejected by her father,
Designing & building a satellite from scratch in 6 days
Being emotionally attached to the moon
People refusing to turn up to the first launch
Why her dad turned up at school for 15 days in a row at 5am!
Turning her kitchen into a science lab
Married at a young age, which put all her dreams and wishes on hold.

On a mission to make the world a safer place. Harshwardhan Zala founder of Aerobotics7. A robotics startup working on life-saving technology as a service.

India’s drone whizz kid Harshwardhan Zala is on the show today. He has built a drone that sniffs out landmines. So In this conversation we talk about how it all got started at the age of 9. Spending 6-8 hours in a cyber cafe with his grandfather. Being inspired by a YouTube video where soldiers were trying to defuse a mine. Talks about the remarkable journey from not being taken seriously to be mentioned in the speech by PM of Israel. Talks about working with the indian government and military. Talks about how they implement AI/Machine learning and GPS in the drone and how it all works. Talks about being invited to Silicon Valley, Talks about The early prototypes, accuracy rates, the successful demos and not so successful demos! Working with adults. Talks about the future of drones . He then goes on to talk about burnout, and some insights on the drone community in India. And what makes a great developer.

In this conversation we also talk about:

Teaching engineering graduates at the age of 12 for extra pocket money
Thoughts on being called a child prodigy/genius
Completing 40+ projects by the age of 12
The hardware, software and design challenges.
Dropping out of school
How you can get started with hardware development
Public perception of drones
Not having enough drone parts in India.
Great tips on staying focus
The problem – 110 active mines buried around the world.
Developing code in-house v open source
When will it go live?

Building a value based SaaS startup not a Vanity based SaaS startup – Shekar Nair partner & Co-founder of Upekkha, a business accelerator for early stage SaaS startups.

Don’t be a Vanity SaaS. Be a value SaaS business. Today my guest is Shekar Nair – Partner & co-founder of Upekkha a business accelerator for early stage SaaS startups. They help founders build value based startups not vanity based startups. So he talks about why they focus on SaaS startups only. We talk about pricing strategies. Launching strategies & getting your first customers. We talk about co-founder issues, setting up in Delaware, USA. Why is there no Microsoft equivalent in India yet? and who could it eventually be and finally what he learned most about himself during lockdown.

in this conversation we also talk about:

Developing the fundamentals of the SasS flywheel
Growing fast
What does Upekkha mean?
Biggest insights do far
Future of SAAS.
Advice first time founders
What are they looking for?
What is a vanity SaaS business?
Being a thought leader for SaaS based businesses in India.

The indian Startup Show – The Best Bits [Part13]

Some of the best bits over the past 5 years. Today you will hear from Yashika Shah Co-founder of Nandoo. She has created an app for the 200 million stressed out Indian millennials. The app pays you to walk & be healthy!

Next up is Rajiv Talreja – India’s leading business coach & author of the International Bestseller “Lead or Bleed” – How entrepreneurs and corporate leaders can stop fire-fighting and start accelerating performance and profits.

Next I speak to the Akshaara Lalwani founder of Communicate India – The fastest growing marketing & PR company in India. She started this business from her bedroom age 23 and now in the 8th year employs over 100 people has clients around the world and won a number of awards. And last but not least I speak to

Venk Potula Award-winning Indian-American filmmaker & creator of the new Indian-American fiction podcast called Masala Jones – A daring new comedy about one man’s journey to become the world’s first Indian-American adult actor. Finally I would like to pay tribute to everyone listening and subscribing to the show for the past four years. Without you, this podcast would not have been possible! So I’m very grateful!

Minakshi Singh Co-founder & CEO of Sidecar & Speakeasy on building India’s best bar & being featured in the coveted Asia 50 best bars in 2020

Minakshi started with an Excel spreadsheet back in 2006. And this year has recently been awarded the best bar in India , and in Asia’s 50 best bars list of 2020. Amazing achievement considering women working in bars is extremely uncommon. it’s a bit of a taboo subject. So she talks about how she overcame those challenges. She talks about finding her passion, Working 14-15 hours a day. She reveals how she got people in India to drink an Old Fashioned & Whisky Sour’s! What she learned about herself during lockdown. We talk about indian’s complicated relationship with alcohol. And finally she shares her secrets to making a great cocktail. It’s truly an amazing story and one that will inspire you as well.

in this conversation we also talk about:

How she came up with concepts and themes
Building a bar from scratch or buying an established business.
Non alcoholic v alcoholic cocktails
Favorite cocktails.
Dealing with the lockdown.
Getting an adrenaline rush from bartending
Why being a bartender is similar to giving a theatre performance .
Not taking it too seriously
Dealing with bureaucracy
Advice on building your own bar,
Getting women into the industry

Vivek Bajaj co-founder of StockEdge & Elearnmarkets on building the Bloomberg ecosystem for retail Investors in India.

Vivek Bajaj is back on the show! He is co-founder of StockEdge & Elearnmarkets.com. He appeared back in August 2016 (EP39) and since then his app has gone from 50K downloads to 1.5million downloads. And has gone from employing 25 staff to over 140 staff. So in this episode he talks about how they have scaled the operation. Talks about finding great business partners. Thoughts on the current stock market, Common mistakes first time investors make. Shares formulas for investing including the ‘10 10 10’ rule. Talks about his best investments and worst. Why Reliance stock is a ‘buy’. Why he doesn’t invest in Bitcoin. Talks about raising finance. Gives great advice for entrepreneurs And finally the most important lesson about money he has learned so far!

in this conversation we talk about:

Revenue stats so far
What problem are they solving
Which product makes most revenue?
Are they still a startup?
Dealing with the big losses
Never comprising on sleep
Why you shouldn’t just look at the price of a stock
Using you gut/intuition picking stocks
The importance of interest rates on the stock market
What is going to happen to the stock market in the next 6 months
Thoughts on robo advisors
Why your tech product should always be in ‘beta’

Shakun Sethi founder of Tickle.life. On building the world’s first community based discovery platform for sexual wellbeing and sexuality.

If sex sells, why is it so difficult to make money? Well today we are going to find out! I speak to Shakun Sethi founder of Tickle.life – The world’s first community based discovery platform for sexual wellbeing and sexuality.She talks about her desire to build this. She goes in depth about building not one but two MVP and spending a year visiting over 100 sex toy shops for research. She talks about getting user feedback, using the sprint model. What metrics they use and the design issues faced. She talks about what really matters when building a community from scratch. She talks about the Indian market. And finally she talks about how to improve your EQ.

In this episode we talk about:

What are the users needs
getting 5k people to download the app with marketing.
Indian customers being ready but still having reservations
What she learned from her first startup
Having a therapist
why she gets DM’s but no RT’s!
Failure is ok!
Building a discovery platform not a social network
Her leadership style
Idea V Execution
What she googled before telling her parents!

Where are they now? Dr Siddharth Manvati (Ph.D) Co-Founder of ClearMeat. On building India’s first cell based meat company. Chicken 2.0

I catch up with Dr Siddharth Manvati, co-founder of Clear Meat. He came on the podcast last year (EP125) And a lot has changed since we last spoke. He finally talks about the magical moment he finally tasted the first product. He talks about the science behind evaluating taste and smell. The economics of making lab based chicken. Talks about raising finance. Talks about proof of concepts, having 14 sleepless nights , why they are moving from the Indian market to the global markets. When will this be available to the general public? And how they plan to scale the company.

In this conversation we talk about:-

shifting from the lab to industry.
Plant based v cell based thoughts
What does it taste like?
Why they not ready to start branding yet
How they hire scientists
Not being a salesperson
Thoughts on the China market
Chicken nuggets chat.
What does the law say?
An update on what we will be eating & drinking in 100 years time!

Newslaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri on building an alternative news model & paying to keep the news free!

Indians don’t pay for news! Well they do and today my guest is Abhinandan Sekhri, co-founder of Newslaundry, a news, current affairs & media analysis organisation. They are building an alternative news model , so in this episode he talks about building this high risk venture. Old media & new media business models. Not being dependent on eyeballs. Find out which newspaper is worth reading. Dealing with Twitter trolls. Govt interference in the news. Thoughts on PM Modi, Arnab Goswami and what kept him going in the early days. And why the ‘self made man’ is a myth. Finally we talk about his experience of directing/producing Highway On My plate , the award winning travel and food program.

In this conversation we also talk about:

Subscription stats
How he got started
Mistakes made
The culture of paying for news
Advice on building your own media company
What questions would he ask PM Modi
Working on a piece about the Delhi riots
Great food experiences & not so great food experiences.
Podcast recommendations

Yash Pariani – Founder of The Indian Gaming League. On building India’s most popular esports league & the booming indian e-sport scene

The Indian e-sport scene is booming. So today I speak to Yash Pariani co-founder of The Indian Gaming League. IGL is India’s most popular competitive gaming and esports league that hosts gaming tournaments online and they are growing fast! So in this episode he talks about how he is creating an infrastructure for Indian gamers. Talks about building trust within the community. How demonetisation helped the esports industry in India. Talks about esports as a respectable career.and finally he talks about Steve Jobs, dealing with concerned parents and dealing with cheats!

In this conversation we also talk about:

Stats so far
Key learnings as an entrepreneur
Why Fortnite became a hit game
What you need to be a top esports player?
Streaming games
Esports v traditional sports
Will it become an Olympic event
Offline tournaments v online tournaments
how much can you win?
Thoughts on starting your own Esports team
Female E-gamers
Seeking challenges

The Winning Sixer, leadership lessons to master. W.V Raman. Ex-Indian cricketer & coach of the India women’s national cricket team |

W.V. Raman’s vast experience as a player and coach at the top level will provide wonderful learnings on how to achieve one’s potential in all walks of life. – Sachin Tendulkar.

Today I speak with Mr W V Raman – Former test match cricketer , and coach of the indian women’s team. We talk about his book The Winning Sixer , leadership lessons to master. He talks about how anyone can be a leader. He talks about building credibility. Biggest mistakes leaders make. He talks about life changing advice from a non-cricketer which led him to break all records in 88-89 season and scoring one of the best knocks overseas by an indian batsman. Talks about dealing with the pressure of playing for India. Thoughts on the winner takes all mentality and finally we talk about his current coaching career .

In this conversation we also talk about:

Dealing with Sledging
Getting bowled out for 66 in Durban
Do you have to be selfish to be a top cricketer?
Going back to school
Listening to talking ratios
Talks about underrated Indian cricket players
How he got his big break as a top order batsman
Facing a prime Allan Donald!
Life in the dressing room

Nitesh Salvi – Founder & CEO of Pocket52 on building India’s largest poker platform.

You Got to Know When to Hold Them, Know When to Fold Them!

Today I speak to Nitesh Salvi, founder and CEO of Pocket52. He talks about how he went from playing poker in the late nights in his student dorm with friends to building India’s largest poker platform.

He talks about how they build trust and loyalty on the platform. Talks about getting rejected over 150 times despite already having a previously successful exit.

He talks about creating a white label business as well as a B2C model. Talks about the psychological side of Poker. Dealing with fraud. And we talk about gambling responsibly and finally he talks about his biggest wins and losses on the poker table! and much more.

in this conversation we also talk about

Growing the user base
Spending 6/7 months researching the market
Coin dumping
Building a scalable product
The importance of using Lava lamps!
Pitch deck advice
Creating the right environment for customers
Advice for first time entrepreneurs
Playing poker with his family
Reading people

The Indian Startup Show – The Best Bits [Part12]

Having been stuck inside coronavirus lockdown since late March. I decided to listen back through the archives and put together some of the best interviews.

Today you will here from ‘The Recycle Man of India’ Dr Binish Desai Forbes 30 under 30 Asia social entrepreneur & founder of Eco-Eclectic. He talks about creating environmentally-friendly solutions to various problems.

Next up is Krishnan Nair -CEO of Geektrust he talks about on creating an online platform that connects talented developers with great opportunities.

And finally I speak to the amazing Pooja Dhingra Celebrity chef, entrepreneur & founder of Le15 Patisserie. We talk about how she learned everything from scratch , the challenges she had t