Founder Thesis

"This monthly salary is nothing but a trap... you need to come out of this comfort... take some risk." This powerful statement from Amit Agarwal captures the core dilemma for many successful professionals dreaming of entrepreneurship. It’s a call to action to escape the "golden handcuffs" of a stable, high-paying job and embrace the uncertainty of building something new, a leap Amit himself took t...

"What does it really take to build a D2C brand from zero in today's market?" This episode unpacks the challenging yet rewarding journey of building a D2C brand with Anurag Kedia. Go beyond the headlines and learn about the grit, strategic decisions, and relentless execution required to take an idea like Pilgrim from concept to reality. Anurag Kedia is the Co-Founder of the D2C beauty brand Pilgrim...

‘To crypto or not to crypto?’ remains a burning topic for the regulators in the country, but for start-ups and investors, it is definitely a hot currency. Founder Thesis brings you the journey of one such founder, who is riding high on this crypto wave. In this edition, Akshay Datt speaks with Ashish Singhal, Founder and CEO, CoinSwitch Kuber, one of India’s largest cryptocurrency exchan...

‘Grind in your 20s… Hustle in your 30s… Retire in your 40s.’ Sounds like a perfect plan, right! Founder Thesis brings you the journey of Amit Gupta, the mind behind India’s first unicorn InMobi, who in his current avatar is heading Yulu, the country’s leading shared micro-mobility service provider. In a candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Amit harks back to his earlier days, when he aspired to s...

Pivoting is not the end of the disruption process but the beginning of the next leg of your journey. This is exactly the essence of the journey of our next guest on Founder Thesis. In this episode, Akshay Datt speaks with Raghu Ravinutala, Co-founder and CEO, Yellow.ai, a hardcore techie who has worked with Texas Instruments and Broadcom before charting his entrepreneurial path. In 2014, he met hi...

Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for more than half of India’s population. And with more than 3/5th of land under cultivation, the scope of incorporating technology becomes even more evident. In this episode of Founder Thesis, Akshay Datt talks with Shashank Kumar, Co-founder and CEO, DeHaat. He is an alumnus of IIT Delhi and has previously worked in the management consulting domain...

As joyful as it sounds, motherhood can also be a painful journey. The extent of decisions taken by new mothers is bound to make them nervous and apprehensive. In this episode of the Founder Thesis, Akshay Datt speaks with Tamanna Dhamija, Co-founder, Convosight. She is an alumnus of MDI, Gurgaon and has previously worked in the Investment Banking domain. But like many entrepreneurs, she realised t...

While numerous FinTech start-ups have started working towards empowering rural India, Spice Money is one such start-up that is working categorically towards the financial inclusion of rural India. Founder Thesis brings you the inspirational journey of Dilip Modi, Founder, Spice Money, where he tells Akshay Datt about his experiences, from setting up a business in the then-nascent Telecom Indu...

‘Innovation happens when you work on a problem, but adoption happens only during a crisis.’ – Nimish Sharma (WorkEx) The pandemic tested us in unimaginable ways. Many around us lost jobs, and as the economy slowed down, unemployment became a serious issue. In a candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Nimish Sharma, Co-founder and CEO, WorkEx, takes us through his journey. He started his entrepreneur...

Most of us love animals. But is it easy to live in balance with other living beings without harming them? Founder Thesis brings you the journey of a bureaucrat who has taken his love for animals to the next level. In a candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Abhishek Sinha, Co-founder and CEO, Good Dot, takes us through his journey. He has served the Indian Revenue Service before exploring the entre...

As busy as it can get, health, in these times, has taken a back seat. We often fail to consume a proper diet which leads to numerous deficiencies. Founder Thesis brings you the journey of one such founder who has made it his mission to make Ayurveda an integral part of the day-to-day life of the modern consumer. In a candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Ameve Sharma, Co-founder, Kapiva, has taken...

Neobanks are one such disruptor that one day will completely eclipse the traditional banking system. In this episode of Founder Thesis, Akshay Datt speaks with Vinay Bagri, Co-founder and CEO, Niyo Solutions Inc, which is one of India’s fastest growing neobanks. After spending more than a decade in banking companies like Standard Chartered, ING and Kotak, Vinay took a leap of faith and started Niy...

Financial independence is an essential life skill, and it has been a concept dominated by men. But not anymore! In this episode of Founder Thesis, Akshay Datt speaks with Priti Rathi Gupta, Founder, LXME, who is spearheading the mission to bridge the gap between women and finance. A self-proclaimed financial feminist, Priti has been heading Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers Ltd. It was through...

Getting access to loans, that too timely is a painful process in India. There are numerous parameters for approval and one’s request might be denied for reasons which are nowhere related to a borrower’s credibility. In this episode of the Founder Thesis podcast, Akshay Datt speaks with Bhavin Patel, Co-founder and CEO, LenDenClub, which is one of India’s pioneer Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending pla...

Catch them young, watch them grow! Great thought! But when it comes to managing money, it’s always the elders who have taken decisions. And that is the sole reason that as adults, people still struggle with savings, taxes and investments and why financial literacy in India is a tough nut to crack. In this episode of the Founder Thesis podcast, Akshay Datt speaks with Sambhav Jain, Founder, Fa...

Innovation and disruption are the hallmarks of the technology world. Amidst the fintech revolution and the subsequent rise of digital banks in India, going to a bank branch is no longer in vogue. And with neobanking, this metamorphosis has reached a new level with state-of-the-art technologies and providing customers with easy, quick, and efficient financial services. The Founder Thesis podcast pr...

Innovation and disruption are the hallmarks of the technology world. Amidst the fintech revolution and the subsequent rise of digital banks in India, going to a bank branch is no longer in vogue. And with neobanking, this metamorphosis has reached a new level with state-of-the-art technologies and providing customers with easy, quick, and efficient financial services. The Founder Thesis podcast pr...

In India, Cryptocurrency is one of those tech innovations that has hit more headlines than any other! From influencers promoting it on social media to companies sponsoring major sporting events, the popularity of these virtual digital currencies has risen in India. In this episode of the Founder Thesis podcast, Akshay Datt speaks with Rahul Pagidipati, CEO, ZebPay, India’s biggest cryptocurrency e...

The end of the 2000s saw the rise in radio taxi services. In the next decade, the urban mobility market in India was captured by Ola and Uber. You might wonder what’s in store for commuters in this decade! In a candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, Co-founder, and CTO, The ePlane Co, takes us through his amazing journey. A veteran in the Indian aerospace arena, he is...

"How do a bunch of imperfect people, who are all in some sense imperfect, come together and make a perfect product?" This profound question from Srinath Ravichandran encapsulates the immense challenge and human element behind building something as complex and precise as a rocket. It’s not just about flawless engineering, but about creating systems where imperfect individuals can collectively achie...

Ever heard of the Japanese proverb, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” That’s exactly the premise of the story of our guest on this episode of the Founder Thesis podcast. In a candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Ankit Prasad, Founder, and CEO, Bobble AI, has shared interesting anecdotes about his early days and the journey of Bobble. As he says, “Entrepreneurship ka keeda bachpan...

How did Rajiv Srivatsa go from building one of India’s most beloved furniture brands, Urban Ladder, to backing the next wave of founders at Antler India? In this episode of the Founder Thesis Podcast, we explore his journey through IIT, Infosys, Yahoo, Urban Ladder, and finally into venture capital, while uncovering timeless lessons for entrepreneurs navigating India’s startup ecosystem. Rajiv Sri...

Online content creation saw a drastic boom when the pandemic struck. This made content creators spend more hours with their gadgets. In a candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Raj Kundra, Founder and CEO, JL Stream, shares his journey. Born and brought up in London, Raj started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 18. After running multiple businesses, he became an entrepreneur in I...

"Today's D2C brands will become FMCG giants of tomorrow." Shantanu Deshpande shares his conviction that the direct-to-consumer wave is creating the next generation of major Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies, challenging established players by building brands directly online. Shantanu Deshpande is the Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company. He left a successful consulting career at McK...

All of you must be familiar with the phrase silver lining. Where the pandemic forced us to maintain social distancing, it has also enabled entrepreneurs to come up with innovative and disruptive business ideas. In a candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Shailaz Nag, Co-founder and CEO, DotPe, takes us through his amazing journey of working in top corporates to building ventures like PayU and DotPe...