The BarberShop with Shantanu

Everyone talks about building a brand. Few talk about what actually breaks when growth starts becoming real. This is the very first episode of Founder's Meet, and it's happening in Pune. Shantanu Deshpande sits down with founders building across skincare, AI, home décor, food, climate action, travel, experiences, and consumer brands to unpack the real questions behind scaling in India. From a ₹50...

India’s next big consumer brands won’t be built on taste. They’ll be built on habits. In this episode of Khul Ke Scale, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) sits down with Rahul Jain (Co-founder, Beanly Coffee) and Samayesh Khanna (Co-founder, Beanly Coffee), along with industry veterans Shiv Shivakumar (Operating Partner, Advent | Ex-SVP, Nokia | Ex-CEO (India), PepsiCo)...

Everyone thought women needed “safe” razors. Turns out, that was the biggest mistake the industry made. In this episode, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) breaks down how one insight led to building Bombae, a ₹150 Cr brand in just a few years. From understanding how women actually shave to rejecting the entire “make it pink” playbook, this is a masterclass in building...

Everyone thinks luggage is a simple business… until they try building one. So how did Nasher Miles build a ₹150 Cr brand in one of the toughest consumer categories in India? In this episode of Khul Ke Scale, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) sits down with Lokesh Daga (Co-Founder & CEO, Nasher Miles) and Shruti K. Daga (Co-Founder, Nasher Miles) along with Revant B...

Everyone thought Karan Johar’s jewellery brand was just another celebrity play. It wasn’t. Behind Tyaani is a sharper bet: build a ₹250 Cr profitable jewellery brand inside a category that is barely 1% of India’s jewellery market. So what did Karan Johar and Shravan Satyani understand that most jewellery brands missed? Today, jewellery is emotion. It is vanity. It is Instagram. It is weddings. It...

India’s richest buyers still choose SIPs over Mercedes. Why? When a ₹1 Cr car loses to a ₹10k SIP, you’re not fighting competitors, you’re fighting mindset. In this episode, Shantanu sits down with Santosh Iyer (MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd.) for a no-filter conversation on why India’s luxury car market is still tiny, what really drives high-ticket purchases, and how culture, family...

Everyone said electronics retail would die. Yet, Vijay Sales built a ₹13,000 Cr empire offline…anyway. So what did they understand that everyone else missed? Not by moving faster… but by thinking differently when everyone else followed the same playbook. In this episode, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) sits down with Nilesh Gupta (MD, Vijay Sales) to unpack how a 57-...

A ₹30 Cr pickle brand built from traditional recipes… now aiming for ₹500 Cr. But can a digital-first FMCG brand scale in India without going offline? In this episode, Niharika Bhargava (CEO, The Little Farm) and Aditya Bhargava (COO, The Little Farm) join Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company), along with Arjun Purkayastha (SVP & Managing Director, Greater China and No...

What happens when Joe Rogan talks about your product… without being paid? In this episode of BarberShop Specials, Shantanu Deshpande sits down with Kent Yoshimura (Co-founder & CEO, Neuro) to break down how Neuro scaled from a niche idea to a global brand. Kent shares how a product built out of personal need turned into a business doing millions in revenue, and how one unexpected moment change...

In this episode, Gaurang Marvania (Founder, Little Rituals) joins Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company), along with Arjun Purkayastha (SVP & Managing Director - Greater China & North Asia, Reckitt), for a sharp conversation on building a premium baby-care brand focused on safe formulations and long-term trust with parents. Little Rituals started with just ₹50L and...

Not every child needs to grow up to be Elon Musk. And maybe that’s okay. In this episode, Shantanu Deshpande and Harpreet Singh Grover (Founder of The Curious Parent) discuss the myth of pushing kids to become high achievers like billionaires and the overwhelming pressure children face in today's education system. Harpreet shares his views on the competitive culture in India, and how it often lead...

₹15 Cr in revenue. A crowded toy market. And a big ambition to build a brand that can go global. In this episode, Yash Thombare and Vedang Nalawade, Co-Founders of Clapstore Toys, join Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) along with Aditya Sehgal (Founder, Asgard. world | Ex-President & COO, Reckitt) for a sharp conversation on building a fast-growing toy brand focuse...

This episode explores the realities of building a modern apparel brand from zero. Sanya and Adit, founders of Cove & Lane, are building a modern, quiet luxury clothing brand for ambitious professionals. Timeless pieces designed for people moving from boardrooms to social evenings. They join experts, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company), along with industry leaders Shi...

This episode goes inside the real shift from founder hustle to founder design. Gopal built SOLARA by staying close to operations in the early years. Today, his role has shifted. He focuses on growth, while others run execution. But that transition is not automatic. As a founder, you are constantly switching between operator, shareholder, and long-term architect. The hard part is knowing when to st...

This episode goes inside the realities of scaling a D2C brand. Yash Kalra, Founder of Goat Life, started his journey in Kota. Before crores in monthly revenue and national visibility, there were 80 plus offline events and constant product iteration. He joins Shantanu Deshpande and Aditya Sehgal, Founder, Asgard.world and Ex-President & COO, Reckitt, for a direct conversation on what it really...

This episode is a personal one. Kuldeep Jain, Founder and MD at CleanMax | Former Partner at McKinsey & Company, was Shantanu Deshpande’s senior at McKinsey. They share a close bond, and Kuldeep has also invested in Bombay Shaving Company. That trust makes this conversation unusually honest. Kuldeep talks about leaving the safe path, early mistakes, and the phase where he lost 80–90% of his sa...

What happens when two people realise India isn’t lacking luxury, but starving for togetherness? They walked away from stable careers and built a ₹120 CR hospitality brand that proves ‘luxury’ isn’t always required to succeed! In this episode of The Barbershop, Shantanu sits down with Deven Parulekar (Founder of SaffronStays), who built his brand on one simple belief: where families bond. From a ho...

Men are breaking silently, and most people do not notice until it is too late. This Men’s Day conversation brings Shantanu together with Chirag Taneja and the GoKwik team to talk about the quiet struggles that shape a man’s life. Men live shorter, visit doctors less, hide pain behind work, and carry pressure they never learned to talk about. Many grow up without strong male role models. Many lose...

Scared of interviews? Maybe you're following the wrong rulebook. In this episode, Shantanu sits with a group of students to break down what interviews actually are. Not tests. Not interrogations. But human conversations where trust, honesty and connection matter far more than memorised answers. Shantanu pulls apart the fear, the overthinking, the nervousness that students walk in with, and reveals...

In the chaos of laughter, how does a comedian think of conquering the unpredictable world of business? In this exciting episode of Barbershop, Shantanu sits down with Kenny Sebastian, who is stepping into the world of entrepreneurship with his own perfume brand, The Stage. But the twist is he’s not just launching a fragrance, but is ready to challenge big players in the market with a daring entrep...

What’s it really like to work inside one of India’s most loved D2C brands? In this episode, Shantanu visits Ashoka University to talk to students about the journey of Bombay Shaving Company - how it started, why it was built, and the values that continue to guide its growth story. From startup stories and brand-building lessons to honest conversations about risk, purpose, and culture, it’s a peek...

No matter where you are with money, this episode is for you. In this episode, Shantanu’s college best friend Anuj takes us through his journey - from the pressures of corporate banking and quarterly targets to building My Fundbox, a financial services platform helping people like us manage, invest, and grow our money smarter. Along the way, he’s experienced all the highs and lows, cleared the mutu...

How to become a great salesperson? Confidence? Product knowledge? Or the courage to face rejection again and again? In this final episode of Razorpreneur 3.0, Shantanu dives deep into the art of selling, live at Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune. From breaking the ice to breaking records, this one is packed with hustle, wit, and raw energy. And in classic Shantanu style, it all comes...

What if a simple idea could start a trend? What if one spark could change the way people live, shop, and even groom themselves? In this episode of Razorpreneur 3.0, Shantanu takes us on a journey through the last decade of Indian entrepreneurship at Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune. He exhibit how investing in different brands transformed sellers, shaped trends, and set the stag...

Every career is built on selling. Especially an entrepreneur’s! That’s what Shantanu and Ankush (Co-Founder and CEO at Rebel Foods) suggested at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Navi Mumbai, and we couldn’t agree more. In this episode of Razorpreneur 3.0, Shantanu teams up with Ankush to bring the hustle as well as their friendship alive on campus. They kick off with a power-packed m...