Sankar Bora is the Co-founder &amp; COO, Dealshare, a social ecommerce startup in India, that has raised close to $400M in venture money from marquee investors such as Alpha Wave Global, Tiger Global, Matrix India, Alteria Capital and WestBridge Capital. Prior to this, he co-founded Myntra in 2007, which was sold to Flipkart in 2010. . . .  Episode Notes:  Why entrepreneurship? (2:30) What gave Sankar the conviction to embark on the path of entrepreneurship (5:50) Early days of Mantra (10:32) A few mistakes made at Myntra (14:25) How to pick co-founders? (20:34) Learnings from building Myntra (22:50) Validating the thesis around Dealshare (27:50) What did Sankar get right about building Dealshare and early signs of success (33:45) Understanding the diversity of Indian customers  Nurturing consistency at Dealshare (43:25) What has entrepreneurship taught Sankar (46:20)  . . .  Social Links: Dealshare on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dealshareindia Sankar on Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/SankarBora6 Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/sankarbora" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Sankar Bora</a> is the Co-founder &amp; COO, <a href="Dealshare.in" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Dealshare</a>, a social ecommerce startup in India, that has raised close to $400M in venture money from marquee investors such as Alpha Wave Global, Tiger Global, Matrix India, Alteria Capital and WestBridge Capital. Prior to this, he co-founded Myntra in 2007, which was sold to Flipkart in 2010. . . . Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Why entrepreneurship? (2:30)</li> <li>What gave Sankar the conviction to embark on the path of entrepreneurship (5:50)</li> <li>Early days of Mantra (10:32)</li> <li>A few mistakes made at Myntra (14:25)</li> <li>How to pick co-founders? (20:34)</li> <li>Learnings from building Myntra (22:50)</li> <li>Validating the thesis around Dealshare (27:50)</li> <li>What did Sankar get right about building Dealshare and early signs of success (33:45)</li> <li>Understanding the diversity of Indian customers </li> <li>Nurturing consistency at Dealshare (43:25)</li> <li>What has entrepreneurship taught Sankar (46:20)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: Dealshare on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/dealshareindia" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/dealshareindia</a> Sankar on Twitter: <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/SankarBora6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://mobile.twitter.com/SankarBora6</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E123: Sankar Bora (Co-founder & COO, Dealshare)

Aloke Bajpai is the Co-founder and CEO of ixigo.com a platform that aggregates and compares real-time travel information, prices and availability for flights, trains, buses, and hotels, and allows ticket booking through its associate websites and apps. Since ixigo's launch in 2007, the company has gone from a bootstrapped startup to India’s leading travel search and planning business, with over 20 million active users every month across mobile and web.  Aloke graduated from IIT Kanpur in 2001 and started his career at Amadeus in Europe where he held key product and technology roles, building and managing large scale web-based products and networks for the first four years of his career. He then went to INSEAD for his MBA, and returned to India to build ixigo. . . .  Episode Notes:  Intro (2:15) Why entrepreneurship (4:11) What frameworks did Aloke decide to take the plunge into entrepreneurship (11:20) Why did Aloke pick travel as an industry to disrupt (14:35) The Aha-moment for Ixigo (17:38) Conversations with VCs in the early-stages (24:15) How did Aloke and team convince their first investors (30:00) Leveraging VCs to grow the company (32:40) Evolution of Aloke’s leadership styles over the Yeats (37:40) How do you build a strong internal company culture (42:15) How did Ixigo navigate the pandemic and the challenges that came with it? (46:50) Overall learnings building Ixigo (55:20) Advice to younger self (59:18)  . . .  Social Links: ixigo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ixigo Aloke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alokebajpai Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/alokebajpai" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Aloke Bajpai</a> is the Co-founder and CEO of <a href="ixigo.com" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">ixigo.com</a> a platform that aggregates and compares real-time travel information, prices and availability for flights, trains, buses, and hotels, and allows ticket booking through its associate websites and apps. Since ixigo's launch in 2007, the company has gone from a bootstrapped startup to India’s leading travel search and planning business, with over 20 million active users every month across mobile and web. Aloke graduated from IIT Kanpur in 2001 and started his career at Amadeus in Europe where he held key product and technology roles, building and managing large scale web-based products and networks for the first four years of his career. He then went to INSEAD for his MBA, and returned to India to build ixigo. . . . Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Intro (2:15)</li> <li>Why entrepreneurship (4:11)</li> <li>What frameworks did Aloke decide to take the plunge into entrepreneurship (11:20)</li> <li>Why did Aloke pick travel as an industry to disrupt (14:35)</li> <li>The Aha-moment for Ixigo (17:38)</li> <li>Conversations with VCs in the early-stages (24:15)</li> <li>How did Aloke and team convince their first investors (30:00)</li> <li>Leveraging VCs to grow the company (32:40)</li> <li>Evolution of Aloke’s leadership styles over the Yeats (37:40)</li> <li>How do you build a strong internal company culture (42:15)</li> <li>How did Ixigo navigate the pandemic and the challenges that came with it? (46:50)</li> <li>Overall learnings building Ixigo (55:20)</li> <li>Advice to younger self (59:18)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: ixigo on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ixigo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/ixigo</a> Aloke on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/alokebajpai" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/alokebajpai</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E122: Aloke Bajpai (Co-founder & CEO, ixigo)

Rajat Tandon is the President of IVCA, India's apex body representing the interests of PE/VC industry, Real estate, Infrastructure and Credit funds, Limited Partners, Family offices &amp; Corporate VC's. Rajat leads the planning, development, and implementing IVCA’s regulatory advocacy activities, while also effectively influencing regulatory outcomes in support of the alternate asset class. Previously, Rajat was part of the leadership team at NASSCOM, where he headed NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups initiative, providing crucial support to technology startups in India.  With his early stint as entrepreneur and extensive corporate experience in the IT &amp; Telecom and GIS/Navigable maps, Rajat competently bridges the gap between boardroom expertise and on-the-ground experience. Over the past 25+ years, he has worked in various positions ranging from technical support, sales leadership, service delivery to strategic initiatives at Siemens, Nortel, and Nokia. Rajat also brings with him his extensive network in the startups space, having worked closely with most of the eminent industry leaders. His knowledge of the startup ecosystem, its constituents, successes, opportunities, and challenges run deep. He is also a member of CII National Start-up Council. A Post-Graduate in Business Management from the Indian Institute of Management Technology (IIMT), Ghaziabad, Rajat also has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Pune University. When not busy with the VC-PE and startup communities, you will find him spending quality time with family or enjoying a game of Golf.​ . . .  Episode Notes:  Introduction (2:00) The evolution of the Indian VC ecosystem in the past decade (3:20) IVCA's pivotal role in the advancement of the Indian VC ecosystem (5:06) Rajat's career path (7:45) IVCA's remarkable milestones and contributions (17:55) Envisioning a thriving startup ecosystem (26:04) Inspiring success stories from India's vibrant startup landscape (42:20) Rajat's lasting legacy: Shaping the future of Venture Capital (51:29)  . . .  Social Links: IVCA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/indianvca Rajat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rajattandy Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash 

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/rajat-tandon-india" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Rajat Tandon</a> is the President of <a href="https://www.ivca.in/" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">IVCA</a>, India's apex body representing the interests of PE/VC industry, Real estate, Infrastructure and Credit funds, Limited Partners, Family offices &amp; Corporate VC's. Rajat leads the planning, development, and implementing IVCA’s regulatory advocacy activities, while also effectively influencing regulatory outcomes in support of the alternate asset class. Previously, Rajat was part of the leadership team at NASSCOM, where he headed NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups initiative, providing crucial support to technology startups in India. With his early stint as entrepreneur and extensive corporate experience in the IT &amp; Telecom and GIS/Navigable maps, Rajat competently bridges the gap between boardroom expertise and on-the-ground experience. Over the past 25+ years, he has worked in various positions ranging from technical support, sales leadership, service delivery to strategic initiatives at Siemens, Nortel, and Nokia. Rajat also brings with him his extensive network in the startups space, having worked closely with most of the eminent industry leaders. His knowledge of the startup ecosystem, its constituents, successes, opportunities, and challenges run deep. He is also a member of CII National Start-up Council. A Post-Graduate in Business Management from the Indian Institute of Management Technology (IIMT), Ghaziabad, Rajat also has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Pune University. When not busy with the VC-PE and startup communities, you will find him spending quality time with family or enjoying a game of Golf.​ . . . Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Introduction (2:00)</li> <li>The evolution of the Indian VC ecosystem in the past decade (3:20)</li> <li>IVCA's pivotal role in the advancement of the Indian VC ecosystem (5:06)</li> <li>Rajat's career path (7:45)</li> <li>IVCA's remarkable milestones and contributions (17:55)</li> <li>Envisioning a thriving startup ecosystem (26:04)</li> <li>Inspiring success stories from India's vibrant startup landscape (42:20)</li> <li>Rajat's lasting legacy: Shaping the future of Venture Capital (51:29)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: IVCA on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/indianvca" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/indianvca</a> Rajat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/rajattandy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/rajattandy</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E121: Rajat Tandon (President, IVCA)

Rohit Sood is the Partner at Bertelsmann India Investments (BII), an investment firm that invests in companies in the digital, education, media, and services sectors. The firm also focuses on early-stage, as well as growth-stage investments. Rohit was the founding team member and has been part of Bertelsmann from Day 0 having seen the growth of the fund over the last decade as well played an instrumental part in shaping India’s startup ecosystem. Prior to Bertelsmann, he spent some time at Deutche Bank and holds an MBA from IIM-Kohzikode with a Bachelors from IIT Delhi. . . .  Episode Notes:  Intro (1:50) Why did Rohit pick a career in venture (3:42) Trading vs venture capital (7:30) Indian growth story: 2010-present (10:37) Learnings from backing companies that haven’t scaled as per expectations (16:10) How does Berterslman conduct its post mortem on startups (20:40) How does one build a great working relationship with their portfolio founders and guide them (28:06) How and what do investors mean when they talk about market? (32:42) Can the market be manipulated (35:42) Thoughts on investing in the ‘Valley of death’ (41:15) Exits for VCs (50:10) Insights from investing in winners (54:50) What can we expect from India in the coming years (1:03:01) How has Rohit evolved as an investor over the years (1:07:30)  . . .  Social Links: BII on Twitter: https://twitter.com/biifund Rohit on Twitter: https://twitter.com/doostihor Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash 

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/sdrohit" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Rohit Sood</a> is the Partner at <a href="https://www.biifund.com/" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Bertelsmann India Investments</a> (BII), an investment firm that invests in companies in the digital, education, media, and services sectors. The firm also focuses on early-stage, as well as growth-stage investments. Rohit was the founding team member and has been part of Bertelsmann from Day 0 having seen the growth of the fund over the last decade as well played an instrumental part in shaping India’s startup ecosystem. Prior to Bertelsmann, he spent some time at Deutche Bank and holds an MBA from IIM-Kohzikode with a Bachelors from IIT Delhi. . . . Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Intro (1:50)</li> <li>Why did Rohit pick a career in venture (3:42)</li> <li>Trading vs venture capital (7:30)</li> <li>Indian growth story: 2010-present (10:37)</li> <li>Learnings from backing companies that haven’t scaled as per expectations (16:10)</li> <li>How does Berterslman conduct its post mortem on startups (20:40)</li> <li>How does one build a great working relationship with their portfolio founders and guide them (28:06)</li> <li>How and what do investors mean when they talk about market? (32:42)</li> <li>Can the market be manipulated (35:42)</li> <li>Thoughts on investing in the ‘Valley of death’ (41:15)</li> <li>Exits for VCs (50:10)</li> <li>Insights from investing in winners (54:50)</li> <li>What can we expect from India in the coming years (1:03:01)</li> <li>How has Rohit evolved as an investor over the years (1:07:30)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: BII on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/biifund" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/biifund</a> Rohit on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/doostihor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/doostihor</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E120: Rohit Sood (Partner, Bertelsmann India Investments)

Saurabh Saxena

Saurabh Saxena is a serial edtech entrepreneur who has co-founded Lakshya, Vedantu and Power Club (previously known as Uable). He has been an educator and Edtech entrepreneur for 15 years now. After graduating from IIT Roorkee in 2005 he started Lakshya, a chain of offline learning centres. After a successful exit, Saurabh then co-founded Vedantu in 2012 which then went on to become one of the leading online test prep companies. Shortly after becoming a parent himself, Saurabh realised that our current education system does not prepare our children with real-world life skills required to lead a happy and successful life. That led him to found his third edtech venture, Power Club, aimed at preserving and nurturing our children’s creative intelligence and preparing them for an uncertain future. Links to topics discussed: Poistive Intelligence and Letter to younger self by Salman Khan (Khan Academy) . . .  Episode Notes:  Intro (1:43) Why entrepreneurship? (2:32) Why is Saurabh passionate about education (6:32) Takeways from building three companies in edtech (9:35) Aha-moments while building Vedantu and Lakshya (22:00) How should founders think about scale (27:50) How has Saurabh matured and evolved as a founder (31:50) How to build mission-driven businesses (39:50) Frameworks for decision-making and navigating tough days as a founder (43:35) How does Saurabh leverage his success to motivate him further (51:52) Advice to his younger self (55:55)  . . .  Social Links: Powerclub on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/join.power.club/ Saurabh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saurabh_learn Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabh-learn" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Saurabh Saxena</a> is a serial edtech entrepreneur who has co-founded <a href="https://in.linkedin.com/school/lakshya-institute/" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Lakshya</a>, <a href="https://www.vedantu.com/" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Vedantu</a> and <a href="https://power.club/" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Power Club</a> (previously known as Uable). He has been an educator and Edtech entrepreneur for 15 years now. After graduating from IIT Roorkee in 2005 he started Lakshya, a chain of offline learning centres. After a successful exit, Saurabh then co-founded Vedantu in 2012 which then went on to become one of the leading online test prep companies. Shortly after becoming a parent himself, Saurabh realised that our current education system does not prepare our children with real-world life skills required to lead a happy and successful life. That led him to found his third edtech venture, Power Club, aimed at preserving and nurturing our children’s creative intelligence and preparing them for an uncertain future. Links to topics discussed: <a href="https://www.positiveintelligence.com/" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Poistive Intelligence</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/@sal_54692/hi-9af45ccc6a70" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Letter to younger self by Salman Khan</a> (Khan Academy) . . . Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Intro (1:43)</li> <li>Why entrepreneurship? (2:32)</li> <li>Why is Saurabh passionate about education (6:32)</li> <li>Takeways from building three companies in edtech (9:35)</li> <li>Aha-moments while building Vedantu and Lakshya (22:00)</li> <li>How should founders think about scale (27:50)</li> <li>How has Saurabh matured and evolved as a founder (31:50)</li> <li>How to build mission-driven businesses (39:50)</li> <li>Frameworks for decision-making and navigating tough days as a founder (43:35)</li> <li>How does Saurabh leverage his success to motivate him further (51:52)</li> <li>Advice to his younger self (55:55)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: Powerclub on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/join.power.club/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/join.power.club/</a> Saurabh on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/saurabh_learn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/saurabh_learn</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E119: Saurabh Saxena (Co-founder, Vedantu & Power Club)

Nandini Mansinghka

Nandini Mansinghka is the CEO of Mumbai Angels, an investment firm that now operates under the 360 One umbrella. She came on board as the third Co-Founder, operating partner, and CEO in 2017. She has vast years of experience across the Investment Banking, Media, and Education industries and worked for 5+ years with J.P. Morgan in India in leadership positions in the Investment Banking research group. Before J.P. Morgan, she has worked for over 5 years with the Times of India Group. She also holds a professional degree as a Chartered Financial Analyst. Episode Notes:  Intro (2:11) Career trajectory (3:40) The role of families in career progression (17:11) Nandini's stint as an entrepreneur (23:49) Growth of the average Indian angel investor in the last 5-10 years (34:15) Mumbai Angels' deal flow management in the context of macro trends explained (49:53) The role of Mumbai Angels in the next chapter of India's growth (57:00)

Nandini Mansinghka is the CEO of Mumbai Angels, an investment firm that now operates under the 360 One umbrella. She came on board as the third Co-Founder, operating partner, and CEO in 2017. She has vast years of experience across the Investment Banking, Media, and Education industries and worked for 5+ years with J.P. Morgan in India in leadership positions in the Investment Banking research group. Before J.P. Morgan, she has worked for over 5 years with the Times of India Group. She also holds a professional degree as a Chartered Financial Analyst. Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Intro (2:11)</li> <li>Career trajectory (3:40)</li> <li>The role of families in career progression (17:11)</li> <li>Nandini's stint as an entrepreneur (23:49)</li> <li>Growth of the average Indian angel investor in the last 5-10 years (34:15)</li> <li>Mumbai Angels' deal flow management in the context of macro trends explained (49:53)</li> <li>The role of Mumbai Angels in the next chapter of India's growth (57:00)</li></ol>

E118: Nandini Mansinghka (CEO, Mumbai Angels)

Dr. Pankaj Jethwani is the Executive Vice President at W Health Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build the future of healthcare delivery in the US and India. Over the last ten years, Dr. Jethwani has been involved in improving care delivery in several care settings in the US and India as a physician leader, operator, management consultant, and investor.Dr. Jethwani started his career as a Primary Care Physician in Mumbai, India. Through this experience, he witnessed first-hand the gaps in health care delivery in both the public and private sectors. Motivated to bring about reform in this system, he joined The Boston Consulting Group in India where he helped shape BCG’s work with Government agencies to improve delivery of healthcare at scale. He later co-founded The Breakfast Revolution (TBR), a social enterprise fighting the malnutrition epidemic in India. TBR has served 220,000+ children over 20 million fortified meals.More recently, Pankaj worked at Iora Health, a Boston-based innovative primary care company that serves seniors on Medicare. This experience helped shape his perspective on building and scaling a technology-enabled value-based care organization, taking global risk, and creating a delightful model of care for patients and providers. At W Health Ventures, Dr. Jethwani leads investments in disruptive technology-enabled healthcare services companies in the US and India. Pankaj holds an MBBS (MD-equivalent) degree from MUHS (India) and received an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Episode Notes:  Introduction (2:30) How did Pankaj venture into the world of VC following his career as a doctor? (3:05) Which is more challenging: transitioning into VC or practicing medicine? (6:12) Insights gained from Pankaj's experience as an operator (8:44) The healthcare industry in India: an in-depth analysis (17:48) The transformative impact of VC in healthcare: an exploration (31:11) Valuable lessons derived from high-performing portfolios (36:47) W Health Ventures' investment strategy and approach (44:53) The pivotal role of capital in shaping India's healthcare landscape (51:20) Unlocking growth and fortifying the Indian healthcare industry (55:40) Words of wisdom Pankaj would impart to his younger self (58:25) 

Dr. Pankaj Jethwani is the Executive Vice President at W Health Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build the future of healthcare delivery in the US and India. Over the last ten years, Dr. Jethwani has been involved in improving care delivery in several care settings in the US and India as a physician leader, operator, management consultant, and investor. Dr. Jethwani started his career as a Primary Care Physician in Mumbai, India. Through this experience, he witnessed first-hand the gaps in health care delivery in both the public and private sectors. Motivated to bring about reform in this system, he joined The Boston Consulting Group in India where he helped shape BCG’s work with Government agencies to improve delivery of healthcare at scale. He later co-founded The Breakfast Revolution (TBR), a social enterprise fighting the malnutrition epidemic in India. TBR has served 220,000+ children over 20 million fortified meals. More recently, Pankaj worked at Iora Health, a Boston-based innovative primary care company that serves seniors on Medicare. This experience helped shape his perspective on building and scaling a technology-enabled value-based care organization, taking global risk, and creating a delightful model of care for patients and providers. At W Health Ventures, Dr. Jethwani leads investments in disruptive technology-enabled healthcare services companies in the US and India. Pankaj holds an MBBS (MD-equivalent) degree from MUHS (India) and received an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Introduction (2:30)</li> <li>How did Pankaj venture into the world of VC following his career as a doctor? (3:05)</li> <li>Which is more challenging: transitioning into VC or practicing medicine? (6:12)</li> <li>Insights gained from Pankaj's experience as an operator (8:44)</li> <li>The healthcare industry in India: an in-depth analysis (17:48)</li> <li>The transformative impact of VC in healthcare: an exploration (31:11)</li> <li>Valuable lessons derived from high-performing portfolios (36:47)</li> <li>W Health Ventures' investment strategy and approach (44:53)</li> <li>The pivotal role of capital in shaping India's healthcare landscape (51:20)</li> <li>Unlocking growth and fortifying the Indian healthcare industry (55:40)</li> <li>Words of wisdom Pankaj would impart to his younger self (58:25)</li> </ol>

E117: Dr. Pankaj Jethwani (EVP, W Health Ventures)

Saurabh Pandey, co-founder and CEO of EloElo. EloElo is an app that enables live-social experiences through games and entertainment. It is currently among the top 10 Apps on the Google Play Store in India with over 10M downloads. It accommodates 34,000 creators and offers a staggering 400 million minutes of live content. The company has raised $15M from Kalaari Capital, KB Investment, Lumikai, WaterBridge Ventures and Better Capital.  Before Eloelo, he accumulated a decade of experience in various domains such as marketing, product and growth at Flipkart and P&amp;G.   Episode notes:  Introduction (2:05) Rationale behind entrepreneurship: Saurabh's motivation for founding EloElo (2:59)  Resilience and conviction: Saurabh's renewed pursuit of entrepreneurship following a prior setback (10:25) Early Validation of EloElo (18:03) Standing out in a competitive landscape: EloElo's approach to capturing attention in the content and entertainment industry (26:16)  Building alongside ICPs (34:14) The significance of timing in the company's growth trajectory (41:12)  Insights gained as a CEO: Key lessons learned by Saurabh (49:18)  Saurabh's framework for decision making (59:42) Non-negotiable principles: Saurabh's core values and beliefs (1:10:26) Saurabh's reflections – advice to the younger self (1:16:55)  . . .  Social Links:  EloElo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eloeloapp Saurabh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Saurabh65616912 Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/saurabh1609" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saurabh Pandey</a>, co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://m.eloelo.in" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">EloElo</a>. EloElo is an app that enables live-social experiences through games and entertainment. It is currently among the top 10 Apps on the Google Play Store in India with over 10M downloads. It accommodates 34,000 creators and offers a staggering 400 million minutes of live content. The company has raised $15M from Kalaari Capital, KB Investment, Lumikai, WaterBridge Ventures and Better Capital. Before Eloelo, he accumulated a decade of experience in various domains such as marketing, product and growth at Flipkart and P&amp;G. Episode notes: <ol> <li>Introduction (2:05)</li> <li>Rationale behind entrepreneurship: Saurabh's motivation for founding EloElo (2:59) </li> <li>Resilience and conviction: Saurabh's renewed pursuit of entrepreneurship following a prior setback (10:25)</li> <li>Early Validation of EloElo (18:03)</li> <li>Standing out in a competitive landscape: EloElo's approach to capturing attention in the content and entertainment industry (26:16) </li> <li>Building alongside ICPs (34:14)</li> <li>The significance of timing in the company's growth trajectory (41:12) </li> <li>Insights gained as a CEO: Key lessons learned by Saurabh (49:18) </li> <li>Saurabh's framework for decision making (59:42)</li> <li>Non-negotiable principles: Saurabh's core values and beliefs (1:10:26)</li> <li>Saurabh's reflections – advice to the younger self (1:16:55)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: EloElo on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/eloeloapp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/eloeloapp</a> Saurabh on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Saurabh65616912" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Saurabh65616912</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E116: Saurabh Pandey (Co-founder & CEO, EloElo)

Karan Desai is the Founder and Managing Partner at Interface Ventures, an early-stage venture fund based out of Mumbai, India. He’s an operator turned investor who brings a diverse skill set that encompasses extensive experience in operations, investment banking, and financial consulting.  Prior to Interface, he was the Joint Managing Director at Trucap Finance Ltd., a rapidly expanding NBFC listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange which specializes in providing finance to MSME businesses in India. In addition to this, Karan founded exerFIT, a globally recognized lifestyle nutrition and supplementation brand endorsed by top athletes and Bollywood stars.  Throughout his career, Karan has held key roles at distinguished brands such as Bank of America, PwC, Centrum Capital, and the HEAL Institute. His academic credentials include a Masters from the University of Westminster, London, and a Bachelors from Narsee Monjee College, Mumbai, where he graduated with distinction. Episode Notes:  Intro (2:28) Journey into venture capital (3:53) How is Interface Ventures structured? (11:20) Looking back at Karan's founder stint: ExerFit (17:55) How to keep things lean and bootstrap (25:06) How does Karan invest, knowing what he knows today as a former founder? (29:25) How has venture impacted Karan as a person? (36:11) Learning from founders that Karan has invested in and worked with (40:56) Advice to a younger self (45:49)  . . .  Social links: Interface Ventures on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/interfaceven/ Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/karandesai/?originalSubdomain=in" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Karan Desai</a> is the Founder and Managing Partner at <a href="Interface.Ventures" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Interface Ventures</a>, an early-stage venture fund based out of Mumbai, India. He’s an operator turned investor who brings a diverse skill set that encompasses extensive experience in operations, investment banking, and financial consulting. Prior to Interface, he was the Joint Managing Director at Trucap Finance Ltd., a rapidly expanding NBFC listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange which specializes in providing finance to MSME businesses in India. In addition to this, Karan founded exerFIT, a globally recognized lifestyle nutrition and supplementation brand endorsed by top athletes and Bollywood stars. Throughout his career, Karan has held key roles at distinguished brands such as Bank of America, PwC, Centrum Capital, and the HEAL Institute. His academic credentials include a Masters from the University of Westminster, London, and a Bachelors from Narsee Monjee College, Mumbai, where he graduated with distinction. Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Intro (2:28)</li> <li>Journey into venture capital (3:53)</li> <li>How is Interface Ventures structured? (11:20)</li> <li>Looking back at Karan's founder stint: ExerFit (17:55)</li> <li>How to keep things lean and bootstrap (25:06)</li> <li>How does Karan invest, knowing what he knows today as a former founder? (29:25)</li> <li>How has venture impacted Karan as a person? (36:11)</li> <li>Learning from founders that Karan has invested in and worked with (40:56)</li> <li>Advice to a younger self (45:49)</li> </ol> . . . Social links: Interface Ventures on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/interfaceven/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/interfaceven/</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E115: Karan Desai (Managing Partner, Interface Ventures)

Yohei Nakajima is the General Partner at Untapped Capital, a pre-seed and seed-stage focused fund investing in under-represented founders in the US. At Untapped Capital, the sweet spot is investing $100k-$250k checks into startups based raising at $3-7m in valuation.  Yohei has been supporting early-stage startups for 15 years, originally starting on the community side organizing events and educational courses for founders out of coworking spaces. He has spent the last 7 on the investing side, initially at Techstars where he helped spin up the Disney Accelerator alongside The Walt Disney Company, followed by his role as Director of Pipeline, supporting all 30+ Techstars accelerator programs in recruiting the best startups worldwide. Prior to Untapped, he was at Scrum Ventures, where he led the development of Scrum Studio, designing, leading, and overseeing our partner programs with Nintendo, Dentsu, Panasonic. . . . Episode Notes:  Intro (2:38) Why venture? (3:52) Thesis origin and resonance with founders (8:04) Yohei's builder persona and its influence on his investor persona (16:03) Sourcing through outbound (23:40) Non-negotiables as an investor (28:40) Knowledge sharing as a fund manager (33:34) Future of Untapped Capital (35:15) LP's learnings from Yohei (36:26) Advice for emerging fund managers (39:26) Fundraising surprises as a fund manager (42:05) Learnings from portfolio founders in early stages (44:52) Yohei's decision-making process and framework (48:48) Advice for his younger self (50:30)  . . .  Social Links:  Untapped Capital on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UntappedVC Yohei on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yoheinakajima Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoheinakajima" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Yohei Nakajima</a> is the General Partner at <a href="untapped.vc" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Untapped Capital</a>, a pre-seed and seed-stage focused fund investing in under-represented founders in the US. At Untapped Capital, the sweet spot is investing $100k-$250k checks into startups based raising at $3-7m in valuation. Yohei has been supporting early-stage startups for 15 years, originally starting on the community side organizing events and educational courses for founders out of coworking spaces. He has spent the last 7 on the investing side, initially at Techstars where he helped spin up the Disney Accelerator alongside The Walt Disney Company, followed by his role as Director of Pipeline, supporting all 30+ Techstars accelerator programs in recruiting the best startups worldwide. Prior to Untapped, he was at Scrum Ventures, where he led the development of Scrum Studio, designing, leading, and overseeing our partner programs with Nintendo, Dentsu, Panasonic. . . . Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Intro (2:38)</li> <li>Why venture? (3:52)</li> <li>Thesis origin and resonance with founders (8:04)</li> <li>Yohei's builder persona and its influence on his investor persona (16:03)</li> <li>Sourcing through outbound (23:40)</li> <li>Non-negotiables as an investor (28:40)</li> <li>Knowledge sharing as a fund manager (33:34)</li> <li>Future of Untapped Capital (35:15)</li> <li>LP's learnings from Yohei (36:26)</li> <li>Advice for emerging fund managers (39:26)</li> <li>Fundraising surprises as a fund manager (42:05)</li> <li>Learnings from portfolio founders in early stages (44:52)</li> <li>Yohei's decision-making process and framework (48:48)</li> <li>Advice for his younger self (50:30)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: Untapped Capital on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/UntappedVC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/UntappedVC</a> Yohei on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/yoheinakajima" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/yoheinakajima</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E114: Yohei Nakajima (General Partner, Untapped Capital)

The Desi VC is a weekly podcast hosted by Akash Bhat, devoted to interviewing angel investors and venture capitalists investing in tech startups in India across all sectors and of all check sizes. Tune in to hear India's leading investors discuss current trends in venture capital and touch upon topics such as fund-raising, valuation, pricing, business models, exit scenarios, sustainable investing among others.  About the host: Akash Bhat works on the investment team at Scrum Ventures, a San Francisco based sector agnostic VC firm investing in Seed and Series A startups. Follow him on Twitter - @bhatvakash or visit https://www.thedesivc.com

Prateek Agarwal is the Investment lead at First Cheque, a micro VC fund based out of Bangalore that invests $100K in pre-seed startups in India. Prior to this role, Prateek worked with the India Business Head at Dr. Reddy's where he was responsible for tracking business metrics, identifying areas of improvement, and leading strategic projects. His background as both a consultant and operator at firms like Dr. Reddy's and EY has allowed him to develop skills in strategic planning, project management, and data analysis across multiple industries. Prateek's ability to shift between the big picture and details has also been strengthened through his diverse experiences. First Cheque was originally conceived by India Quotient but is now an independent firm with its own brand. During its first fund, First Cheque worked with more than 20 venture partners and added over 100 startups to its portfolio, which includes well-known ventures such as Fashinza, Giva, Rocketlane, Fleetx, Wint Wealth, Plaza/Rigi, Global Fair, Drink Prime, and Bellatrix Aerospace.

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fcwalaprateek/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Prateek Agarwal</a> is the Investment lead at <a href="https://www.firstcheque.vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">First Cheque</a>, a micro VC fund based out of Bangalore that invests $100K in pre-seed startups in India. Prior to this role, Prateek worked with the India Business Head at Dr. Reddy's where he was responsible for tracking business metrics, identifying areas of improvement, and leading strategic projects. His background as both a consultant and operator at firms like Dr. Reddy's and EY has allowed him to develop skills in strategic planning, project management, and data analysis across multiple industries. Prateek's ability to shift between the big picture and details has also been strengthened through his diverse experiences. First Cheque was originally conceived by India Quotient but is now an independent firm with its own brand. During its first fund, First Cheque worked with more than 20 venture partners and added over 100 startups to its portfolio, which includes well-known ventures such as Fashinza, Giva, Rocketlane, Fleetx, Wint Wealth, Plaza/Rigi, Global Fair, Drink Prime, and Bellatrix Aerospace.

E113: Prateek Agarwal (Investments Lead, First Cheque)

Nitin Jain is a well-known name in the Indian startup ecosystem as the co-founder and Chief Business Officer of OfBusiness, a tech-enabled platform that provides raw material procurement and credit solutions to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India. With a strong background in structured solutions trading, Nitin has played a key role in OfBusiness' success, helping the company raise over $875M from top investors like Tiger Global, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Matrix Partners, among others. Today, OfBusiness is valued at around $5B and has become a leading player in the Indian SME ecosystem. Nitin Jain is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and has had a successful career prior to his entrepreneurial journey. Episode Notes:  Nitin Jain discusses his journey into entrepreneurship (2:10) Discovering Co-Founders and Creating the OfBusiness Idea (3:55) Nitin Jain shares his perspective on what's more critical: the team or the idea (6:30) The Early Days of OfBusiness: A Look Back at the "Aha Moment" (9:15) Coping with the Struggles and Insecurities of Being a Founder (12:30) Understanding the Composition of Winning Founding Teams (16:30) Nitin Jain's Unique Leadership Style and Approach (23:10) Fostering a People-First Culture at OfBusiness (27:10) Developing a Strong Company Culture as Companies Grow (29:18) How to Maximize the Benefits of Your Investors (32:22) Overcoming the Toughest Days as a Founder (39:20) Nitin Jain's Biggest Lesson as an Entrepreneur (41:57) Advice to His Younger Self: What Nitin Jain Would Have Done Differently (46:03)  . . .  Social Links:  OfBusiness on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ofbusiness_com  Abhishek Goyal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/njain351 Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/nitin-jain-17b82310" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nitin Jain</a> is a well-known name in the Indian startup ecosystem as the co-founder and Chief Business Officer of <a href="https://ofbusiness.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OfBusiness</a>, a tech-enabled platform that provides raw material procurement and credit solutions to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India. With a strong background in structured solutions trading, Nitin has played a key role in OfBusiness' success, helping the company raise over $875M from top investors like Tiger Global, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Matrix Partners, among others. Today, OfBusiness is valued at around $5B and has become a leading player in the Indian SME ecosystem. Nitin Jain is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and has had a successful career prior to his entrepreneurial journey. Episode Notes: <ol> <li>Nitin Jain discusses his journey into entrepreneurship (2:10)</li> <li>Discovering Co-Founders and Creating the OfBusiness Idea (3:55)</li> <li>Nitin Jain shares his perspective on what's more critical: the team or the idea (6:30)</li> <li>The Early Days of OfBusiness: A Look Back at the "Aha Moment" (9:15)</li> <li>Coping with the Struggles and Insecurities of Being a Founder (12:30)</li> <li>Understanding the Composition of Winning Founding Teams (16:30)</li> <li>Nitin Jain's Unique Leadership Style and Approach (23:10)</li> <li>Fostering a People-First Culture at OfBusiness (27:10)</li> <li>Developing a Strong Company Culture as Companies Grow (29:18)</li> <li>How to Maximize the Benefits of Your Investors (32:22)</li> <li>Overcoming the Toughest Days as a Founder (39:20)</li> <li>Nitin Jain's Biggest Lesson as an Entrepreneur (41:57)</li> <li>Advice to His Younger Self: What Nitin Jain Would Have Done Differently (46:03)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: OfBusiness on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ofbusiness_com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/ofbusiness_com</a> Abhishek Goyal on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/njain351" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/njain351</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E112: Nitin Jain (Co-founder & CBO, OfBusiness)

Beerud Sheth

Beerud Sheth is the co-founder and CEO of Gupshup, the world's leading platform for cloud messaging and conversational experiences. It is used by over 30K+ developers and handles over 4.5 billion messages per month. The company has raised more than $480M from marquee investors such as Helion Venture Partners, Tiger Global, CRV, White Oak among many others.  He was previously the co-founder of Elance (now Upwork), the world's largest online services marketplace, which went public in 2018. Prior to founding Elance, he worked in the financial services industry – modeling, structuring, and trading fixed income securities and derivatives at Merrill Lynch and before that at Citicorp Securities. His graduate research, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, involved developing autonomous learning software agents for personalized news filtering. Beerud earned an M.S. in computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology &amp; a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Bombay. Episode Notes:  What made Beerud an entrepreneur? (3:48) A Retrospective on the entrepreneurial journey (13:13) Unpacking the drive of serial entrepreneurs (20:15) The evolution of Beerud's entrepreneurial career (23:23) Navigating the pressures of entrepreneurship (28:30) Insights and guidance for first-time founders (32:40) The distinctive traits of exceptional founders (40:52) The founder's role in business pivots (43:50) Words of wisdom for his younger self (51:11)  . . .  Social Links:  Gupshup on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gupshup Beerud Sheth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beerud Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/beerud" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beerud Sheth</a> is the co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.gupshup.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gupshup</a>, the world's leading platform for cloud messaging and conversational experiences. It is used by over 30K+ developers and handles over 4.5 billion messages per month. The company has raised more than $480M from marquee investors such as Helion Venture Partners, Tiger Global, CRV, White Oak among many others. He was previously the co-founder of Elance (now Upwork), the world's largest online services marketplace, which went public in 2018. Prior to founding Elance, he worked in the financial services industry – modeling, structuring, and trading fixed income securities and derivatives at Merrill Lynch and before that at Citicorp Securities. His graduate research, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, involved developing autonomous learning software agents for personalized news filtering. Beerud earned an M.S. in computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology &amp; a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Bombay. Episode Notes: <ol> <li>What made Beerud an entrepreneur? (3:48)</li> <li>A Retrospective on the entrepreneurial journey (13:13)</li> <li>Unpacking the drive of serial entrepreneurs (20:15)</li> <li>The evolution of Beerud's entrepreneurial career (23:23)</li> <li>Navigating the pressures of entrepreneurship (28:30)</li> <li>Insights and guidance for first-time founders (32:40)</li> <li>The distinctive traits of exceptional founders (40:52)</li> <li>The founder's role in business pivots (43:50)</li> <li>Words of wisdom for his younger self (51:11)</li> </ol> . . . Social Links: Gupshup on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Gupshup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Gupshup</a> Beerud Sheth on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/beerud" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/beerud</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E111: Beerud Sheth (Co-founder & CEO, Gupshup)

Abhishek Goyal is the Co-founder, Vice Chairman, and Executive Director of Tracxn, a leading research firm that provides market intelligence data on private companies. Since its founding in 2012, Tracxn has secured funding from top investors like 3one4 Capital, Elevation Capital, Prime Venture Partners, and angel investors including Sachin and Binny Bansal, and has grown to become a highly profitable business. After much success, Tracxn debuted on the NSE in October 2022, becoming one of the few venture-backed startups to go public. Abhishek's strategic leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence have been vital in the growth and success of the company. Before Tracxn, Abhishek gained experience working with esteemed organizations such as Amazon Development Centre (India) Private Limited, Yahoo Software Development India Private Limited, and Accel. He also served as a consultant with 3i Infotech Limited and Erasmic Consulting Private Limited. Abhishek has been recognised as part of the '40 under 40' list by Fortune India in both 2018 and 2019, highlighting his success as a young entrepreneur. He holds a bachelor's degree in technology with a specialization in computer science and engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Episode Notes: 1. What was it like before and after Tracxn's IPO? (3:38) 2. Why did Tracxn's founders choose to go public instead of selling the company? (6:10) 3. How has Abhishek's leadership role changed since the IPO? (7:30) 4. How did Tracxn's investors learn about the IPO process, and what was their reaction? (15:53) 5. What's the best analogy for a company going public? (20:20) 6. Why did Abhishek choose to become an entrepreneur? (22:30) 7. What was Tracxn's first milestone? (26:00)  8. Would Abhishek do things differently if he had to build Tracxn again? (30:30) 9. What were some of the toughest days as a founder? (33:33) 10. What is Abhishek's superpower as an angel investor? (38:18) 11. What's the biggest lesson Abhishek has learned over his career? (44:23) 12. Abhishek tips on leadership and management (47:15) 13. What advice would Abhishek give his younger self? (57:00) . . .  Social Links:  Tracxn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tracxn Abhishek Goyal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbhishekTracxn Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/abhishekgoyal" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">Abhishek Goyal</a> is the Co-founder, Vice Chairman, and Executive Director of <a href="https://tracxn.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tracxn</a>, a leading research firm that provides market intelligence data on private companies. Since its founding in 2012, Tracxn has secured funding from top investors like 3one4 Capital, Elevation Capital, Prime Venture Partners, and angel investors including Sachin and Binny Bansal, and has grown to become a highly profitable business. After much success, Tracxn debuted on the NSE in October 2022, becoming one of the few venture-backed startups to go public. Abhishek's strategic leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence have been vital in the growth and success of the company. Before Tracxn, Abhishek gained experience working with esteemed organizations such as Amazon Development Centre (India) Private Limited, Yahoo Software Development India Private Limited, and Accel. He also served as a consultant with 3i Infotech Limited and Erasmic Consulting Private Limited. Abhishek has been recognised as part of the '40 under 40' list by Fortune India in both 2018 and 2019, highlighting his success as a young entrepreneur. He holds a bachelor's degree in technology with a specialization in computer science and engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Episode Notes: 1. What was it like before and after Tracxn's IPO? (3:38) 2. Why did Tracxn's founders choose to go public instead of selling the company? (6:10) 3. How has Abhishek's leadership role changed since the IPO? (7:30) 4. How did Tracxn's investors learn about the IPO process, and what was their reaction? (15:53) 5. What's the best analogy for a company going public? (20:20) 6. Why did Abhishek choose to become an entrepreneur? (22:30) 7. What was Tracxn's first milestone? (26:00) 8. Would Abhishek do things differently if he had to build Tracxn again? (30:30) 9. What were some of the toughest days as a founder? (33:33) 10. What is Abhishek's superpower as an angel investor? (38:18) 11. What's the biggest lesson Abhishek has learned over his career? (44:23) 12. Abhishek tips on leadership and management (47:15) 13. What advice would Abhishek give his younger self? (57:00) . . . Social Links: Tracxn on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Tracxn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Tracxn</a> Abhishek Goyal on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/AbhishekTracxn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/AbhishekTracxn</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E110: Abhishek Goyal (Co-founder, Tracxn)

Sanam Rawal is the Founder and Partner at Metamorph (previously known as Passion Connect), a Blume Ventures-incubated human resource advisory platform that helps startups grow with talent acquisition, talent branding, acquisitions, research, learning and development and more. With offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Pune, Metamorph has assisted in the hiring of more than 800 candidates, including CEOs and senior vice presidents for well-known startups such as Unacademy, Slice, HealthifyMe, Dunzo, Cashify, Purplle, and many more. Episode Notes: 1. How did Sanam become involved in the world of venture capital? (3:45) 2. Sanam's perspective on working within the Blume ecosystem (15:25) 3. A glimpse into the early days at Metamorph (18:36) 4. How does talent matching occur at the portfolio level? (26:08) 5. What makes founders choose to work with Metamorph despite having their own HR teams? (30:10) 6. The role of HR firms in M&amp;A processes (35:04) 7. Overcoming challenges when working with portfolio startups (42:57) 8. Metamorph's strategy for hiring the best employees to support startup growth (48:45) 9. Addressing the reverse brain drain phenomenon (51:50) 10. Key takeaways from building and developing Metamorph (54:06) 11. Sanam's proudest achievement during her time at Metamorph (1:00:33) . . .  Social Links:  Sanam Rawal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sanam_Speaks Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanam-rawal-3576a76b/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanam Rawal</a> is the Founder and Partner at <a href="https://Metamorph.work" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metamorph</a> (previously known as Passion Connect), a Blume Ventures-incubated human resource advisory platform that helps startups grow with talent acquisition, talent branding, acquisitions, research, learning and development and more. With offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Pune, Metamorph has assisted in the hiring of more than 800 candidates, including CEOs and senior vice presidents for well-known startups such as Unacademy, Slice, HealthifyMe, Dunzo, Cashify, Purplle, and many more. Episode Notes: 1. How did Sanam become involved in the world of venture capital? (3:45) 2. Sanam's perspective on working within the Blume ecosystem (15:25) 3. A glimpse into the early days at Metamorph (18:36) 4. How does talent matching occur at the portfolio level? (26:08) 5. What makes founders choose to work with Metamorph despite having their own HR teams? (30:10) 6. The role of HR firms in M&amp;A processes (35:04) 7. Overcoming challenges when working with portfolio startups (42:57) 8. Metamorph's strategy for hiring the best employees to support startup growth (48:45) 9. Addressing the reverse brain drain phenomenon (51:50) 10. Key takeaways from building and developing Metamorph (54:06) 11. Sanam's proudest achievement during her time at Metamorph (1:00:33) . . . Social Links: Sanam Rawal on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Sanam_Speaks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Sanam_Speaks</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E109: Sanam Rawal (Partner, Metamorph)

Jen Abel

Jen Abel is the accomplished Co-Founder of JJELLYFISH, a Boston-based firm renowned for its pioneering approach in assisting B2B startups to achieve early-stage sales proficiency and success in the United States, as well as the UK and Australia markets. With over six years of experience in the industry, JJELLYFISH has empowered over 200 B2B/enterprise startups to validate their sales process and go-to-market strategy, demonstrating a commitment to delivering exceptional results. The firm's highly skilled team has a proven track record of generating impressive revenue and driving substantial outcomes for companies headquartered in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. JJELLYFISH's range of services caters to diverse needs, including acquiring first-time US customers, defining US go-to-market strategies, or transitioning from the SMB market to mid-market/enterprise levels. The firm's expertise in these areas is unparalleled, and they have demonstrated a remarkable capacity to navigate and succeed in complex markets. Episode Notes: 1. The inspiration behind co-founding JJELLYFISH (2:52) 2. The evolution of the sales process in the US over the years(8:27) 3. The benefits of founder-led sales for startups (15:20) 4. The right time to invest in sales teams (23:15) 5. Jen's definition of PMF (33:55) 6. Common pitfalls Indian founders face while selling in the US (45:34) 7. Tips for improving sales skills for founders (50:47) 8. Advice for founders entering US markets (57:37) . . .  Social Links:  JJELLYFISH on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjellyfish_co Jen Abel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjen_abel Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenabel/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jen Abel </a>is the accomplished Co-Founder of <a href="https://www.jjellyfish.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JJELLYFISH</a>, a Boston-based firm renowned for its pioneering approach in assisting B2B startups to achieve early-stage sales proficiency and success in the United States, as well as the UK and Australia markets. With over six years of experience in the industry, JJELLYFISH has empowered over 200 B2B/enterprise startups to validate their sales process and go-to-market strategy, demonstrating a commitment to delivering exceptional results. The firm's highly skilled team has a proven track record of generating impressive revenue and driving substantial outcomes for companies headquartered in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. JJELLYFISH's range of services caters to diverse needs, including acquiring first-time US customers, defining US go-to-market strategies, or transitioning from the SMB market to mid-market/enterprise levels. The firm's expertise in these areas is unparalleled, and they have demonstrated a remarkable capacity to navigate and succeed in complex markets. Episode Notes: 1. The inspiration behind co-founding JJELLYFISH (2:52) 2. The evolution of the sales process in the US over the years(8:27) 3. The benefits of founder-led sales for startups (15:20) 4. The right time to invest in sales teams (23:15) 5. Jen's definition of PMF (33:55) 6. Common pitfalls Indian founders face while selling in the US (45:34) 7. Tips for improving sales skills for founders (50:47) 8. Advice for founders entering US markets (57:37) . . . Social Links: JJELLYFISH on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/jjellyfish_co" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/jjellyfish_co</a> Jen Abel on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/jjen_abel" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/jjen_abel</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E108: Jen Abel (Co-founder, JJELLYFISH)

Rahul Chowdhury is the Managing Partner at N+1 Capital, India’s first revenue based debt fund. He brings 18+ years of intensive entrepreneurial and operating experience. He is a two-time founder, having founded and sold DenuoSource, a Chicago-based data analytics firm, in 2011. He later founded Reboot, India's first refurbished IT asset lifecycle management firm.  How does revenue-based-financing (RBF) work? N+1 will provide startups access to capital, at a premium, without taking any equity share or collateral from the company. Further, it collects a percentage of the borrowing entity’s monthly revenues to pay the capital back, and gives steady returns to its limited partners on a quarterly basis. Unlike venture debt firms, N+1 isn’t dependent on future fund-raise of the startup, but will invest on the basis of its revenue outlook.  Episode Notes: 1. What motivated Rahul to pursue a career as a venture capitalist? (3:38) 2. The impact of Rahul's operator journey on his venture capital journey (6:02) 3. With whom does Rahul do business? (12:50) 4. Key characteristics of successful entrepreneurs (15:41) 5. Rahul’s decision making process (23:10) 6. How important are metrics and numbers in investment decision making? (35:40) 7. How does Rahul view black swan events and their impact on predicting the trajectory of startups seeking revenue-based financing? (38:18) 8. Evaluating businesses of varying sizes with respect to revenue based financing (45:31) 9. How significant is TAM to a revenue-based-financing investor? (55:20) 10. Challenges of revenue based financing in India (58:38) 11. Why VCs like to collaborate with a revenue-based-financing firm? (1:04:20) 12. What were the LPs' concerns about a revenue-based-financing firm? (1:09:51) 13. Personality-Fund-Fit for a fund manager (1:15:35) 14. Things about India that continue to surprise Rahul (1:21:28) . . .  Social Links:  N+1 Capital on Twitter: https://twitter.com/np1capital Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchowdhuryds/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rahul Chowdhury</a> is the Managing Partner at <a href="https://www.np1.in/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">N+1 Capital</a>, India’s first revenue based debt fund. He brings 18+ years of intensive entrepreneurial and operating experience. He is a two-time founder, having founded and sold DenuoSource, a Chicago-based data analytics firm, in 2011. He later founded Reboot, India's first refurbished IT asset lifecycle management firm. How does revenue-based-financing (RBF) work? N+1 will provide startups access to capital, at a premium, without taking any equity share or collateral from the company. Further, it collects a percentage of the borrowing entity’s monthly revenues to pay the capital back, and gives steady returns to its limited partners on a quarterly basis. Unlike venture debt firms, N+1 isn’t dependent on future fund-raise of the startup, but will invest on the basis of its revenue outlook. Episode Notes: 1. What motivated Rahul to pursue a career as a venture capitalist? (3:38) 2. The impact of Rahul's operator journey on his venture capital journey (6:02) 3. With whom does Rahul do business? (12:50) 4. Key characteristics of successful entrepreneurs (15:41) 5. Rahul’s decision making process (23:10) 6. How important are metrics and numbers in investment decision making? (35:40) 7. How does Rahul view black swan events and their impact on predicting the trajectory of startups seeking revenue-based financing? (38:18) 8. Evaluating businesses of varying sizes with respect to revenue based financing (45:31) 9. How significant is TAM to a revenue-based-financing investor? (55:20) 10. Challenges of revenue based financing in India (58:38) 11. Why VCs like to collaborate with a revenue-based-financing firm? (1:04:20) 12. What were the LPs' concerns about a revenue-based-financing firm? (1:09:51) 13. Personality-Fund-Fit for a fund manager (1:15:35) 14. Things about India that continue to surprise Rahul (1:21:28) . . . Social Links: N+1 Capital on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/np1capital" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/np1capital</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E107: Rahul Chowdhury (Managing Partner, N+1 Capital)

Tarun Sharma is Managing Partner at MegaDelta Capital Advisors, a sub-advisor to Millenna Capital, a Mauritius based investment fund as well as an investment manager of MegaDelta Capital Fund I, a SEBI registered Category II Alternate Investment Fund. The fund has invested in companies such as GOQii, Nova, IDfy, Naaptol, Firstcry, MoneyTap etc. and others. MegaDelta typically invest $15-25M across sectors of such as Healthcare, Enterprise technology and Engineering Services. Tarun has more than 18 years of work experience, including 16 years in principal investing and investment advisory in India and around the world. He currently serves on the boards of GreytHR Software, Intelligence Node, Panacea Medical Technologies, and Air Works Engineering, as well as Nova Fertility and FirstCry.com as a Board Observer. Tarun formed the core investment advisory team for NEA India prior to joining MegaDelta Capital, leading investments in consumer, healthcare, and technology companies. And before that, he worked for Peepul Capital Private Equity, where he was involved in transaction structuring and execution, as well as actively managing portfolio companies in the consumer and media sectors. He began his career at Goldman Sachs International in London, first with the Equity Derivatives team and then with the Global Macro Proprietary trading team, where he developed a strong understanding of macro themes and translated them into investible opportunities. Tarun received an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, India and earned his B.Tech. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Delhi, India. Episode Notes: 1. Intro (2:45) 2. Tarun’s journey into venture capital (4:12) 3. The evolution of the Indian venture capital landscape over the last 15 years (12:05) 4. How has Tarun evolved as an investor over the years? (16:20) 5. The role of a successful fund manager (21:35) 6. Takeaways from investing and collaborating with portfolio founders (case in point: Firstcry.com) (31:02) 7. Healthcare in India: Why haven't venture capitalists done more in this sector? (43:21) 8. Where is the real opportunity in healthcare in the next 4-5 years? (48:13) 9. Advice Tarun would give himself (55:20) . . . Social Links: Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/tarunsharma05" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tarun Sharma</a> is Managing Partner at <a href="http://www.megadeltacapital.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MegaDelta Capital Advisors</a>, a sub-advisor to Millenna Capital, a Mauritius based investment fund as well as an investment manager of MegaDelta Capital Fund I, a SEBI registered Category II Alternate Investment Fund. The fund has invested in companies such as GOQii, Nova, IDfy, Naaptol, Firstcry, MoneyTap etc. and others. MegaDelta typically invest $15-25M across sectors of such as Healthcare, Enterprise technology and Engineering Services. Tarun has more than 18 years of work experience, including 16 years in principal investing and investment advisory in India and around the world. He currently serves on the boards of GreytHR Software, Intelligence Node, Panacea Medical Technologies, and Air Works Engineering, as well as Nova Fertility and <a href="http://FirstCry.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FirstCry.com</a> as a Board Observer. Tarun formed the core investment advisory team for <a href="https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_24017/india" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NEA India</a> prior to joining MegaDelta Capital, leading investments in consumer, healthcare, and technology companies. And before that, he worked for Peepul Capital Private Equity, where he was involved in transaction structuring and execution, as well as actively managing portfolio companies in the consumer and media sectors. He began his career at Goldman Sachs International in London, first with the Equity Derivatives team and then with the Global Macro Proprietary trading team, where he developed a strong understanding of macro themes and translated them into investible opportunities. Tarun received an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, India and earned his B.Tech. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Delhi, India. Episode Notes: 1. Intro (2:45) 2. Tarun’s journey into venture capital (4:12) 3. The evolution of the Indian venture capital landscape over the last 15 years (12:05) 4. How has Tarun evolved as an investor over the years? (16:20) 5. The role of a successful fund manager (21:35) 6. Takeaways from investing and collaborating with portfolio founders (case in point: <a href="http://Firstcry.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Firstcry.com</a>) (31:02) 7. Healthcare in India: Why haven't venture capitalists done more in this sector? (43:21) 8. Where is the real opportunity in healthcare in the next 4-5 years? (48:13) 9. Advice Tarun would give himself (55:20) . . . Social Links: Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a> Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a> Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E106: Tarun Sharma (Managing Partner, MegaDelta Capital)

Kanika Mayar is a Partner at Vertex Ventures SEA &amp; India (VVSEAI), a fund part of the global Vertex Ventures network of funds, with portfolio companies such as Licious, FirstCry, Nium, Binance, Grab, Yatra, and Happy Fresh. In addition to Southeast Asia and India, the Vertex Global Network is comprised of affiliates in Silicon Valley, China and Israel. Kanika joined Vertex Ventures in 2020 and focuses on opportunities in India in agritech, B2B, consumer, and health tech. Kanika has worked in private equity, asset management, and investment banking for over 9 years.Prior to joining Vertex, Kanika was an Investment Officer with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) where she focused on investing in early-stage technology, telecom, renewable energy and infrastructure companies across India and South Asia. Before IFC, Kanika was with Goldman Sachs’s Investment Banking team covering transactions in natural resources in Europe.Kanika holds a Bachelor in Economics from the Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.Episode Notes:1. Intro (1:30)2. Kanika's professional trajectory (2:42)3. A general overview of the VC industry in recent years (7:00)4. India's macro trends (14:22)5. Kanika's India thesis (21:23)6. Portfolio startup learnings (31:51)7. Establishing long-term relationships with founders (41:20)8. Advice to anyone entering venture capital (51:30). . . Social Links: Vertex Ventures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VertexVenturesKanika Mayar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KanikaMayarPodcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vcAkash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakashPodcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivcAkash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanika-mayar-43449211/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kanika Mayar </a>is a Partner at <a href="https://www.vertexventures.sg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vertex Ventures SEA &amp; India</a> (VVSEAI), a fund part of the global Vertex Ventures network of funds, with portfolio companies such as Licious, FirstCry, Nium, Binance, Grab, Yatra, and Happy Fresh. In addition to Southeast Asia and India, the Vertex Global Network is comprised of affiliates in Silicon Valley, China and Israel. Kanika joined Vertex Ventures in 2020 and focuses on opportunities in India in agritech, B2B, consumer, and health tech. Kanika has worked in private equity, asset management, and investment banking for over 9 years.Prior to joining Vertex, Kanika was an Investment Officer with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) where she focused on investing in early-stage technology, telecom, renewable energy and infrastructure companies across India and South Asia. Before IFC, Kanika was with Goldman Sachs’s Investment Banking team covering transactions in natural resources in Europe.Kanika holds a Bachelor in Economics from the Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.Episode Notes:1. Intro (1:30)2. Kanika's professional trajectory (2:42)3. A general overview of the VC industry in recent years (7:00)4. India's macro trends (14:22)5. Kanika's India thesis (21:23)6. Portfolio startup learnings (31:51)7. Establishing long-term relationships with founders (41:20)8. Advice to anyone entering venture capital (51:30). . . Social Links: Vertex Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/VertexVentures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/VertexVentures</a>Kanika Mayar on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KanikaMayar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/KanikaMayar</a>Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a>Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a>Podcast on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thedesivc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/thedesivc</a>Akash Bhat on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/bhatvakash</a>

E105: Kanika Mayar (Partner, Vertex Ventures - SEA&I)

Aprameya Radhakrishna is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Koo, an Indian microblogging and social networking app also known as the Indian Twitter. The company has raised a little over $50M from marquee investors such as Accel, Kalaari Capital, Blume Ventures, 3one4 Capital, Tiger Global among many others.  He founded his first venture, TaxiForSure with Raghunandan, which was acquired by OLA in 2015 for $200 million. In 2017, Aprameya launched his second venture, ‘Vokal,’ a user-generated content platform in Indian languages, with partner Mayank Bidawatka. After that, he realised that content in regional Indian languages was sparse, as most social media platforms carry an English-first approach and are built primarily for English speakers residing in urban centres. This gave him the idea of developing a multi-lingual micro-blogging platform for Indians, Koo, to communicate and connect with their linguistic and cultural communities.  In July 2020, he won the Prime Minister’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge. Episode Notes: 1. Intro (2:20) 2. Reflections on free expression in the context of microblogging and social media (3:50) 3. Growing Koo within different sections of the Indian populations (8:55) 4. How did the idea for Koo come about, and what factors aided the company's growth? (12:50) 5. Learning from building TaxiForSure that translates to building Koo (17:10) 6. The initial set of milestones that established the Koo brand (20:04) 7. Expansion during the pandemic (23:48) 8. Lessons from India's growth that will help Koo expand to the United States (26:47) 9. Creating richer community experiences (29:40) 10. Taking on Twitter (33:52) 11. Scaling values as businesses grow (37:44) 12. Creating a brand with a purpose (41:38) 13. How do investors perceive Koo’s growth in the coming years? (47:37) 14. Lessons learned as a serial entrepreneur in India (50:18) . . .  Social Links:  Koo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kooindia Aprameya Radhakrishna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aprameya Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprameyaradhakrishna/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aprameya Radhakrishna</a> is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.kooapp.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Koo</a>, an Indian microblogging and social networking app also known as the Indian Twitter. The company has raised a little over $50M from marquee investors such as Accel, <a href="https://thedesivc.com/the-desi-vc-podcast/2020/2/14/e3-dev-bajaj-venture-partner-kalaari-capital" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kalaari Capital</a>, <a href="https://thedesivc.com/the-desi-vc-podcast/tag/sajith+pai" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blume Ventures</a>, <a href="https://thedesivc.com/the-desi-vc-podcast/2021/10/18/bonus-the-desi-vc-summit-deep-tech-investing-in-india" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3one4 Capital</a>, Tiger Global among many others. He founded his first venture, TaxiForSure with Raghunandan, which was acquired by OLA in 2015 for $200 million. In 2017, Aprameya launched his second venture, ‘Vokal,’ a user-generated content platform in Indian languages, with partner Mayank Bidawatka. After that, he realised that content in regional Indian languages was sparse, as most social media platforms carry an English-first approach and are built primarily for English speakers residing in urban centres. This gave him the idea of developing a multi-lingual micro-blogging platform for Indians, Koo, to communicate and connect with their linguistic and cultural communities. In July 2020, he won the Prime Minister’s <a href="https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/digital-india/koo-app-wins-atma-nirbhar-app-challenge/77459695" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge</a>. Episode Notes: 1. Intro (2:20) 2. Reflections on free expression in the context of microblogging and social media (3:50) 3. Growing Koo within different sections of the Indian populations (8:55) 4. How did the idea for Koo come about, and what factors aided the company's growth? (12:50) 5. Learning from building TaxiForSure that translates to building Koo (17:10) 6. The initial set of milestones that established the Koo brand (20:04) 7. Expansion during the pandemic (23:48) 8. Lessons from India's growth that will help Koo expand to the United States (26:47) 9. Creating richer community experiences (29:40) 10. Taking on Twitter (33:52) 11. Scaling values as businesses grow (37:44) 12. Creating a brand with a purpose (41:38) 13. How do investors perceive Koo’s growth in the coming years? (47:37) 14. Lessons learned as a serial entrepreneur in India (50:18) . . . Social Links: Koo on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/kooindia" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/kooindia</a> Aprameya Radhakrishna on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/aprameya" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/aprameya</a> Podcast on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc</a> Akash Bhat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bhatvakash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bhatvakash</a>

E104: Aprameya Radhakrishna (Co-founder & CEO, Koo)

A diverse set of speakers with great content and narration

Great content, provides insights about the Indian ecosystem

Off to a good start. Looking forward to hearing more episodes.

Good format, good questions, much needed

The Desi VC is a weekly podcast hosted by Akash Bhat, devoted to interviewing angel investors and venture capitalists investing in tech startups in India across all sectors and of all check sizes. Tune in to hear India's leading investors discuss current trends in venture capital and touch upon topics such as fund-raising, valuation, pricing, business models, exit scenarios, sustainable investing among others. About the host: Akash Bhat works on the investment team at Scrum Ventures, a San Francisco based sector agnostic VC firm investing in Seed and Series A startups. Follow him on Twitter - @bhatvakash or visit <a href="https://www.thedesivc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.thedesivc.com</a>

The Desi VC: Indian Venture Capital | Angel Investors | Startups | VC

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