The Neon Show

Is it time for investors to move beyond the valley when analyzing India? Dev Khare, Partner at Lightspeed agrees.  He shares with us an interesting view on two funding models: The Silicon valley model begins with raising millions of dollars & going through huge negative cashflow for years. Hopefully building a great product or maybe even creating a new market. And a few years later, comes out...

In this episode, Avnish Bajaj, Founding Partner at Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners India), shares what it takes to build one of India's most competitive VC firms and land the best startup deals. With over 20 years of experience, Avnish has been at the forefront of India’s venture capital industry. He co-founded Matrix Partners India in 2006 after a successful entrepreneurial journey with Baazee...

In this episode of The Neon Show, we have Sharad Sharma, founder of iSPIRT, the technology think tank behind India Stack, Health Stack, and other digital public goods.  If you want to understand where India’s digital space is headed, how AI can shape its future, and why strategic autonomy is critical, this episode is a must-watch! 0:00 – Introduction 03:12 – India’s aim to prevent digital coloniza...

In this episode, we have Vishal Jain, CEO of Zerodha Fund House, who brings over two decades of experience in building ETFs and passive investment products. From launching India’s first-ever ETF with Benchmark AMC in 2001 to now leading the country’s first passive-only AMC, Vishal has contributed through various roles to India's financial markets. We break down: - The history of mutual funds...

A seasoned investor who ran India's Finance Ministry. This week on The Neon Show, we welcome Jayant Sinha—Investor, Policy Maker, and former Minister of Finance & Civil Aviation. Mr. Sinha shares how the government builds innovative investment solutions for startups and large-scale funding programs for institutions. He played a key role in launching a ₹2,000 crore Fund of Funds, which inv...

In this episode, Sharath shares his journey of building two successful AI-driven enterprise solutions. Sharath Keshava Narayana, founder of Sanas and Observe shares his market-product fit approach of winning enterprise clients in the US- Identifying large, underserved markets and solving their biggest problems.  He also dives into fundraising stories, from getting into Y Combinator to attracting t...

Venture Capitalists on Venture Capital In this episode we have Alok Goyal and Ritesh Banglani, Partners at Stellaris Venture Partners, one of India’s top VC firms. We go into details on running a VC firm in India.  We discuss the ambition of Indian founders, what are the next B2B SaaS billion-dollar outcomes, market-first vs. founder-first investments, decision-making process at Stellaris and why...

Ganesh Krishnan is the man behind some of India’s most iconic startups, including BigBasket, Bluestone, Homelane, and TutorVista—India’s first ed-tech startup before ed-tech was even a category. Ganesh explains how he thinks about business opportunities in India, why he keeps it simple, and why Indian entrepreneurs need to keep it simple. He shares candid stories—from raising BigBasket’s first $10...

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the fascinating history of semiconductors, their evolution over the years, the rise of old giants and new disruptors, and explore why India has yet to produce a leader in one of the most important technological races of all time. Raja Manickam, a serial entrepreneur in the semiconductor industry, shares from his decades of experience about the business and...

India’s leadership story is a fascinating journey full of lessons for anyone looking to make an impact. In just two years, opening up the space economy has led to over 100 new startups in aerospace, sparking innovation and fueling the dreams of a new generation of changemakers. And it doesn’t stop there—India is heavily investing in future-focused areas like green hydrogen, quantum computing, and...

Harish Bhat, ex-Brand Custodian of the Tata Group, joins us to share unique moments from the extraordinary life of Ratan Tata.  From creating India’s first indigenous car, Tata Indica, to his on-ground response during the 26/11 Taj Hotel attacks, to the Tata Finance crisis, to leading India’s fight against cancer, Ratan Tata led from the front. Harish shares how he first met Ratan Tata and the per...

In 2010, Facebook opened its first office in India, four years after it went online. They needed someone bold to lead their journey in India which had a major customer base potential. That someone was Kirthiga Reddy. Under Kirthiga’s leadership, Facebook not only grew its user base but also planted deep roots in a complex and rapidly evolving digital ecosystem. Today, India has the most Facebook u...

How a 1,500-Year-Old Game Became an Online Sensation It started as a simple idea in 2005—a hub for chess enthusiasts to connect, chat, and share their love for the game. Erik Allebest and Jay Severson, two college buddies with a shared passion for strategy, had just purchased the domain Chess.com for $55,000.  Initially, it was a forum, but then the demand for online play began to soar. In 2007, t...

These farmers lost around $1.72B in a single morning. It was all because of tit-for-tat import taxes. But what really happened and who were these farmers? It all started when Donald Trump walked into the White House in January 2017, promising to take on what he called “unfair trade” with China. March 2018, Trump slapped $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, aiming straight at the heart of China...

In this episode of the NEON Show, Boris Wertz, a renowned venture capitalist and entrepreneur, shares his extensive journey through the tech and investment world over the past 25 years. From founding a company that was acquired by Amazon to becoming an investor and backing emerging fund managers globally, Boris offers a rich and unique perspective on the evolution of venture capital. Timestamp 00:...

In this episode of the NEON Show, Ashok K. Lahiri, a leading economist and former Chief Economic Advisor, talks about India’s economic journey and the changes in its tax system. Lahiri shares why India has fallen behind some countries, pointing to missed opportunities in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. He also highlights the importance of India’s democracy and federal system in shaping...

The world’s largest tech-focused venture capital fund. And the man behind it is Masayoshi Son, often referred to as Masa. At 16, Masa moved to California, drawn by the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley. Before he turned 21 years old, Son sold his first company— a multilingual translator bought by Sharp for about $1 million. Masa returned to Japan and founded SoftBank as a software distribut...

Why does 50% of India’s workforce remain in agriculture while the U.S. has just 2%? Despite all those hands in the soil, the sector contributes just 15-18% to the GDP.  While countries like the U.S. and Europe shifted quickly from agriculture to industry, India's progress was pretty slow. So, is it too late for India to catch up and move on from agriculture? Although India did build textile m...

In India, financial security often seemed just out of reach, especially when it came to insurance. For many, insurance was complex, filled with hidden terms, and often mis-sold. That’s exactly what happened when an engineer-turned-consultant discovered that his father had been duped by insurance agents into purchasing a policy that was both confusing and overpriced. Instead of just shrugging it of...

Ever heard of the M Document? Montek Singh Ahluwalia, an economist in govt of India, saw that India needed to make some big changes to keep up. So, he started working on what would become the M Document.  The M Document suggested bold reforms. Many government officials thought these ideas were too radical.  Then, something unexpected happened: the M Document got into the hands of journalist Ashok...

After India’s big economic shift in 1991, each state grew at different rates—but they didn’t all get there at the same speed. Western and southern states saw major benefits, while many in the east and north struggled to keep up. In fact, by 2021-22, the per capita income in the top five states was 3.3 times higher than in the bottom five—a clear sign of the widening divide. So, what does this unev...

The breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a game-changer for India, shaking up its economy, defence strategy, and foreign relations.  For years, the USSR had been India’s largest trading partner, pumping in vital support through the rupee-ruble trade agreement.  But then, December 25, 1991, arrived, and the Soviet Union collapsed.  While the Soviet Union’s collapse seemed like a disaster at firs...

From Baker's Son to Global Investment Legend. Mark Mobius is known as a foundational figure in emerging markets investing. He is the chairman of Mobius Emerging Opportunities Fund. Before that, he led the Templeton Emerging Markets Group for over 30 years, during which the group's assets under management grew from $100 million to over $50 billion. In this episode of The NEON Show, Mark s...

In 1947, India gained independence with a per capita of around $2000(adjusted with inflation). But over the next few decades, the govt adopted socialist policies, emphasising self-sufficiency and state-led development. As a result, India’s economy grew at a slower pace of 3.5% per year. In 1991, India introduced a series of reforms— liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation. India’s growth...

How the 1991 crisis got India to rethink its economic approach. By early 1991, India’s reserves were nearly gone. The government took a desperate step—it sent 67,000Kg  of gold abroad to secure a loan from the IMF. This was a last-ditch effort to avoid default, but it only bought a little time. But soon, the govt collapsed again, leading to a new election. In June 1991, P.V. Narasimha Rao became P...