The Indian Startup Show

Sit back & enjoy some of the best moments of The indian Startup Show. But first I would like to pay tribute to everyone listening and subscribing to show for the past four years. Without you, this podcast would not have been possible! I’m very grateful. You will hear from ­Anupama Gowda, Co-founder of Workbench Projects - On building a maker space for tinkerers, artists, makers, engineers & anyone with an inspired spirit! Next up is Raghav Gupta, Co-founder of Nymble Labs - On creating a curry cooking robot! Freeing Indians from their kitchen! And finally Nivedha R.M - Co-founder of TrashCon - On a mission to solve India’s huge waste management problem.

"Growing up in a country that has been credit starved"- Satyam Kumar. Satyam is the CEO & Co-founder of Loan Tap a digital lending platform for salaried employees. They are one of the fastest growing Fintech startups in India. So in this episode he talks raising $22 million in funding from bootstrapping the business 3 years ago. The Indian lending ecosystem, shares digital marketing strategies including Diwali marketing tips. He talks about mistakes startups make when pitching for investment. Learn how they deal with fraud. He also shares excellent financial advice and finally some Amitabh Bachchan chat.

Being very Indian & doing something non Indian! my guest is Sanjay Manaktala Sanjay is one of India’s best stand-up comedians, based out of Bangalore and performs at different places all over India. So in this episode we talk about his amazing career so far. He talks about his digital content that has been viewed over 35 million times across Facebook and YouTube. We talk about his background in mixing humor and comedy while spending 10 years in the IT Industry. He also talks about dealing with Internet fame, working with Russell brand , Imposter syndrome, stage fright and dealing with hecklers! much more.

The explosion of online dating & matchmaking apps in India has led to a huge rise in the number of private investigators tasked with exposing love cheats. Today my guest is Akriti Khatri , the founder of Venus Detective Agency . She is like the female Miss Marple, So in this exciting episode she talks about how she got started and turned this into a very successful business with offices around india. She gives great advice for first time founders and she will also talk about going undercover to check up brides and grooms before they get married , she talks dating, using high technology gadgets, conflicts, emotions. Why business is booming due to soap operas and why spending 30 days in the office doing nothing set her up for big success!

Nothing gratifies the soul than a good read! Today I speak to Dalbir Kaur Madan - The founder of One Up Library a unique entrepreneurial venture that aims to revitalize the idea of traditional libraries into inviting child-centered learning space designed for the 21st century child. In this episode she talks about how it was a difficult concept to sell in the early days. You will learn how she builds a community. She talks about the business model. Talks about getting kids off smartphones and getting them to read 150 books a year. How reading Malcolm Gladwell helps her with the business strategy. Great book recommendations so check the show notes for more details. Some Harry Potter chat and some surprising research & data on why you should read out loud to you kids.

After losing both grandparents Ananya Grover & her fellow classmates decided to build something in the social sector space. So she and her fellow classmates aka 'The Tech Witches' decided to build an app called Maitri. An app that connects children at orphanages to senior citizens in nursing homes, allowing them to spend time together. In this episode I will talk to two of the ladies. CEO Ananya Grover & CTO Arefa Muzaffar. They talk about how it all works. Flying out to San Francisco and pitching the app to Google Ventures. They talk about how this app can fight depression in two groups. Being the only indian team in the Technovation Girls competition - A global competition featuring 19,000 kids and 170 teams from across 38 countries . They talk about what makes a great entrepreneur, how they work together and finally some Michelle Obama & Malala Yousafzai chat.

'Get out of bed! & do the stuff your excited about' - Today I speak to Advait Gupt founder of Supari Studios an award winning digital content studio. They help brands build scalable, immersive content to Gen Y and Gen Z audiences online. Over the past 7 years, they have produced over 450 projects that have been viewed over half a billion times online, for brands such as Red Bull, Google, Estee Lauder and Twitter. In this episode he talks about creating content at scale. How they manage the creative side with making money. You will learn how to grow your own content on Youtube. He also talks about the streaming wars in India. And finally he talks about creating a Simpsons type animation show set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have gone extinct. It follows the adventures of a cow , chicken , goat and a pig four crime fighting vigilantes. & working with one of Indians biggest rappers Divine.

Anyone fancy a lab-grown chicken burger? Today I speak to Dr Siddaharth Manvati Co-founder of Clear Meat. This company seeks to produce India’s first cell-based chicken minced meat. In this exciting episode you will learn how they create lab grown meat from molecules. He also talks about business models B2B & B2C. He talks about being part of an accelerator a global food accelerator programme shaping the future of food. He talks about the importance of being patient. Raising finance and discusses price points. Working with farmers not against. And finally some interesting ideas on what were going to eat and drink in a 100 years time!

With over $1.85 Billion invested in the Indian FinTech space so far, I speak with Tanul Mishra CEO of Afthonia labs. Afthonia labs focuses on early stage startups in Fintech and provides them with a trusted ecosystem to grow and succeed. She talks about what startups should be focussing on and what they are looking for . She also reflects on her time as the co-founder of Eatelish, a successful food service that is a bridge between artisan foodmakers from across India and consumers. She talks about surviving the early days, breakthrough moments, having a successful exit and an interesting story about pickles and sorting things out over a cup of hot chocolate!

Disability is a large problem, 1 Billion people in the world have some or the other kind of disability. 2. 2 Billion people will need at least 1 assistive product by 2030. Today I speak to Prateek Madhav the Co-founder & CEO of the Assistive Technology Accelerator . ATA is india’s first ever assistive technology accelerator. They help startups build tech based solutions for people with disabilities. He talks about how it all got started , examples of tech for good products. He talks about funding, product market fit and the biggest challenges within the disability ecosystem. He talks about the mistakes startups make when pitching to investors , how to scale , thinking globally and after the doom and gloom of India getting knocked out of the World Cup. We talk about an Indian cricket team who are world champions.

Being a kid obsessed with J.A.R.V.I.S Aarushi a 17 year old student Entrepreneur has created Aaru - an AI-based virtual , personal assistant. Aaru is a one-stop solution to integrate any application to various interfaces and mode of communications. So in this exciting episode she talks about how it all got started. Being inspired by her father. Getting customers, learning to code , what motivates her. She gives us a demo , she talks about balancing school life with startup life, pitching to investors , lessons learned so far, and finally her love of physics.

The Indian electric vehicle market is estimated be worth $30 Billion in 6 years. So today i speak with Nishchal Chaudhray founder of BattRE Electric Mobility they have introduced a new electric scooter in India at an affordable price. In this episode we talk about the phenomenal growth in the electric vehicle market due to product innovation and changes in government policies. He talks about building a distribution and after sales service network from scratch. He talks about what first time founders should be focussing on. Dealing with the skeptics . Planning Series A funding next year. Great advice on changing careers and why he doesn't want to be the next Elon Musk. and much more, so please enjoy the show!

India has a growing obesity problem! Today I speak with Dr Siddhant Bhargava co-founder and nutritionist at Food Darzee. Food Darzee is a health and nutrition company offering fresh, healthy food delivered daily to your doorstep. So in this episode he talks about his rollercoaster startup journey so far. Overcoming challenges, shares great advice for first time founders. Why obesity is a growing problem in India to dealing with Bollywood celebrities. Helping comedian Tanmay bhatt lose weight. Learn about the practical diet changes for a fit body. Advice on losing weight, nutrition being body positive, and finally his love of butter chicken!

"I never expected to an entrepreneur if you asked me when I was graduating from Columbia university what would I be I would say a philosopher! " Today I speak to Cathy Guo. Cathy is the CEO & Co-Founder at Dunya Labs. Dunya Labs is a global blockchain product company and innovation lab based in India. She talks about how she got started , what they are actually building. She talks about why she moved to india. She also talks about the blockchain ecosystem in india. favorite blockchain projects, dealing with the indian rules and regulations and finally her love of dhal and rice!

What happens when a successful entrepreneur, who built and managed the world's largest independent payphone company when he was still in his early thirties, begins questioning his identity as a value-creator? Today I speak to Ravi Kailas and Cathy Guo authors of an amazing new book called Myth of the entrepreneur. Its an intimate exploration of Ravi’s 30 year entrepreneurial journey. We talk about his life experiences . including having a heart attack . Shares his observations on the misconceptions surrounding entrepreneurship and ideas for the future of value creation.