Founder Thesis

After a career in U.S. investment banking, Nikhil returned to India to build Imarticus, offering offline-focused boot camps to upskill fresh graduates. Unlike many in the space, Nikhil views Imarticus as an education business rather than an edtech company, with a fundamental focus on delivering real learning outcomes. This approach has helped the company grow and reach an annual revenue of 300 cro...

Every year millions of young people migrate for jobs or education, creating a big market for hostels and paying guest accommodations. However, succeeding in this business depends on managing the operational complexities and getting the small details right. Zolo, one of India’s largest co-living companies, has mastered this challenge, currently managing living spaces for 60,000 people. In this epis...

Neeraj Khandelwal is a passionate Indian who aspired to serve his country as a civil servant. When his initial plan fell through, he channelled his determination into exploring new ways to fulfil this objective. He saw the transformative potential of cryptocurrency and invested in building India's crypto infrastructure, leading to the creation of CoinDCX. In this episode, he decodes how crypto wil...

"The enterprise AI market is completely open; everyone needs it. Adoption will grow dramatically in the next ten years." Anand Mahurkar's insight underscores the explosive growth and universal demand for AI solutions in the enterprise sector. Anand Mahurkar is the Founder & CEO of Findability Sciences, a Boston-based AI solutions firm. Under his leadership, Findability Sciences has grown signi...

Deepak Sahni shares his remarkable journey of building one of the largest diagnostics companies in the preventive space. Starting his entrepreneurial journey as a teenager, Deepak has consistently dared to dream bigger with each venture over the last two decades. In this episode, he reveals the secrets behind scaling Healthians to a revenue run rate of over 500 crores and raising 80 million dollar...

Small businesses in India often face delays in payments from large corporations due to complex bureaucratic processes and stringent payment terms. The TReDS system, developed by the RBI, aims to resolve this. With TReDS, businesses can receive immediate payment by selling their invoices to a financier, who then collects the payment from large corporations. In this episode, Sundeep shares his exper...

"We were not building a short term new age brand, we were building a very disruptive new age product. But we wanted to build a legacy brand." Priyanka Salot shares a powerful insight: The Sleep Company isn't just chasing trends; they're building a lasting brand with a revolutionary product, focusing on long-term impact and customer loyalty over quick wins. Priyanka Salot is the Founder of The Slee...

As solar panels become more affordable and government subsidies make them attractive, homeowners can now switch to solar energy for the same cost as their current electricity bills. In this episode, Shreya Mishra provides practical advice and insights from her entrepreneurial journey- she talks about her first venture, Flyrobe, and how she joined SolarSquare to build its retail side. She also shed...

Edul Patel founded Mudrex with a strong belief in cryptocurrency as the future of money. For the past 7 years, he has been building the infrastructure for its mass adoption. He estimates it might take another 10 years to see widespread use. This episode dives into the concept of money and the potential future of currency, offering thought-provoking insights for those curious about how the world wo...

Every few years, a new trend in the startup world catches the attention of VCs and this episode features a founder who has successfully navigated multiple such trends in the Indian startup scene. Gaurav Agarwal began his entrepreneurial journey with ZipGo, a ride-hailing startup that competed with industry giants like Ola and Uber. After an exciting journey with ZipGo, which eventually led to its...

Sriram started his journey solving security problems for Texas Instruments, but his passion for tackling hard issues led him to the world of entrepreneurship. Now, 17 years later, he’s taken on the challenge of building a platform enabling companies to provide convenient, safe transportation for their employees while minimising the number of vehicles needed. In this conversation, he talks about bu...

Kunal is reimagining banking with Freo, a digital platform that covers all three key financial services: payments, savings, and lending. In this conversation, he spills the tea on the rollercoaster journey of his first business in talent assessments, which eventually got acquired, teaching him valuable lessons along the way. He talks how these experiences helped him hit the bullseye with Freo and...

"Every skin has its own story." Romita Mazumdar's profound statement encapsulates the core philosophy of Foxtale, a skincare brand built not just on efficacy, but on deeply understanding the individual narratives behind every customer's skincare journey. It's a rejection of a one-size-fits-all approach, embracing the diversity of needs and experiences. Romita Mazumdar is the Founder & CEO of F...

Explore the critical role of high-quality schools in addressing the root causes of low education standards in India. While Edtech solutions provide temporary relief, Kunal argues that building and running schools is a lasting solution. He shares his journey, his significant challenges, and how he successfully scaled JBCN Education. Get notified about the latest releases and bonus content by subscr...

From services to SaaS: how Pankaj Bansal scaled PeopleStrong into an APAC-ready HCM and payroll platform, spun out Taggd (RPO) , exited Wheebox to ETS, and brought Goldman Sachs in to fuel GCC expansion. If you care about HR tech , payroll compliance , and AI in recruiting , this is a playbook episode. Pankaj traces the early downturn that forced hard choices, the 2011–12 pivot to cloud HR, and th...

Rohit Bhayana, founder of Lumis Partners, one of India's oldest venture investment firms, discusses his latest project, Oister Global. Oister Global is a leading institutional investor endeavouring to invest in a curated selection of top-tier alternative funds in India. Rohit talks about how private investing became mainstream in India, his journey building Lumis Partners, the operator mindset and...

Once a tech wizard at Intel, Bhaktha Keshavachar shifted gears to co-found Ezetap that shook up India's fintech scene with its innovative digital payment solutions, and was eventually acquired by Razorpay. Now, at Chara Technologies, he is engineering a revolutionary Reluctance motor engine that's free of toxic rare-earth minerals. This nifty invention is not just eco-friendly and cost- effective,...

Did you know about 10 to 12% of India’s GDP goes into logistics? That's even more than what the software or automotive industries get! In this episode, we delve into the remarkable journey of Shiprocket as it shakes up the world of e-commerce. Akshay Ghulati talks about Shiprocket’s vision and how they're tackling unique challenges in India's market. Learn how Shiprocket makes e-commerce smarter a...

We’re living in the golden age of automobiles when they’re shifting from gas-guzzlers to clean, cool electric vehicles (EVs). This shift is creating room for new iconic brands to emerge. One such future iconic brand is the performance EV bike-maker Ultraviolette Automotive whose EV bike F77 has been turning heads. In this episode, Niraj Rajmohan and Narayan Subramaniam talk about their journey of...

Building a successful SaaS business is both challenging and rewarding. There is a real risk that you may end up solving a problem so narrow that it has a very small market but if you focus deeply on solving a common problem, more people will choose your product over a one-size-fits-all solution. In this episode, Sanjay Ghare spills the beans on building Vervotech as a vertical SaaS in the travel t...

Discover the amazing success story of EcoSoul Home Inc, a homegrown company that started small but quickly emerged as a global leader. By building eco-friendly products and strategizing effective global distribution, they've penetrated markets in over 70 countries, achieving a staggering $30 million in revenue with a mere $10 million in initial funding. Rahul Singh is a hands- on leader and in thi...

Delve into the massive and fast-growing staffing industry- a sector estimated to touch nearly $50 bn dollars by 2030. In this episode, V C Karthic shares insights about the industry, and offers insightful observations on entrepreneurship, company culture, management principles, and founder aspirations. Get notified about the latest releases and bonus content by subscribing to our newsletter at www...

Md. Imthiaz shares insights from his startup journey, reflecting on the lessons learned from his first venture, Hoppr, which raised 5 million dollars in 2012 but struggled to scale. Now, with a new focus on solving inefficiencies in logistics through a first principles approach, he talks about the value of a sharp, narrow focus in building sustainable businesses. This episode delves into the chall...

Krishna Kumar shares his remarkable journey from a small village in Bihar to leading a company poised to achieve a turnover of almost 1500 crore. Kumar discusses the strategies for effective marketing and fighting competition in the global arena, highlighting Simplilearn's pioneering role in the Indian Edtech space since its inception in 2010. Get notified about the latest releases and bonus conte...

Discover how Stable Money is tapping into the lucrative market of Fixed Deposits, a product widely used by Indians for savings yet overlooked by most founders. Within just one year of operation, Stable Money has already secured 10 mn dollars in funding from some of the best VCs in India. In this conversation, Saurabh shares how he figured out the whitespace, why he believes hiring a Chief of Staff...