ASYMMETRIC

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: CEO, Mosaic Wellness

Shantanu: Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik

00:00 Coming Up

00:57 Introduction

02:21 TCS Layoffs and Industry Implications

04:32 Challenges in IT Services

11:36 Congratulations to Shailesh Jejurikar

13:45 Leaders Have to Generate Followership

18:54 Emotional Regulation for Founders & Leaders

25:53 Leadership Dynamics in Growing Companies

32:50 How to Minimize Politics in Your Company (Ben Horowitz)

40:54 Thoughts on Leadership Coaching

52:38 The Shift from Offline to Online Shopping

58:31 India Has More Instagram Users Than WhatsApp

1:03:57 Concluding Thoughts

Charts referred in the episode:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Z0tULM1CD8qTTN3G5A2xOO46bZ9tL3M/view?usp=drive_link

How to Minimize Politics in Your Company (Ben Horowitz):

https://a16z.com/how-to-minimize-politics-in-your-company/

Nobody Cares (Ben Horowitz):

https://a16z.com/nobody-cares/

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: CEO, Mosaic Wellness

Shantanu: Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company

Arjun Purkayastha: SVP & Managing Director - Greater China & North Asia at Reckitt

00:00 Coming Up

00:58 Intro and Welcome, Arjun :)

01:58 Consumer Attention and Brand Building

07:46 Moats Must Evolve

10:51 From Art to Algorithm: Brand Survival

15:21 Where Is the Consumer Headed?

19:56 Live Commerce and China’s Influence

28:03 Lessons for Indian Brands from China

35:00 Quick Commerce Is India’s Live Commerce

47:49 Does the Rule of 40 Apply to Consumer Brands?

56:37 Founder-Led vs. CEO-Led Businesses

1:02:36 The IPO–CEO Conundrum

1:13:34 Concluding Thoughts

Follow us on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theasymmetriccrew/

X: https://x.com/ASYMMETRICCREW

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theasymmetriccrew

Clips channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ASYMMETRICPodcastClips⁩

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: CEO, Mosaic Wellness

Shantanu: Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik

Aditya Sehgal: Founder, Asgard.world & Ex-President & COO, Reckitt

Chapters

00:00  Coming Up

01:17  Intro and Welcome Back, Adi :)

03:35  China’s Energy Strategy

09:12  AI’s Impact on Power Consumption

11:30  Introduction to Entity AI

14:23  The Concept of Presence

17:14  AI’s Role in Shaping Human Relationships

23:02  Shantanu Bot

27:31  Challenges in AI Adoption

31:42  Creating a Digital Twin

42:05  Business Needs to Be Reimagined

53:08  AI Job‑Risk Framework

56:04  AI Use Cases for Business

57:10  The ASYMMETRIC Song!

57:55  Swarm of Agents

01:02:36  The  $1T India AI Opportunity

01:11:25  Building AI‑First Companies

01:15:10  AI Workflows for Marketing

01:20:24  Reviewing the BSC Amazon Page

01:30:02  Creating Efficient Workflows with AI

01:35:18  What Is Adi Building with AI?

01:38:47  The Swarming Framework

01:43:31  Concluding Thoughts

Charts referred to in the episode:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1If25P2KZn6XYivg29Qb6cxzjP09SpT6S/view?usp=drive_link

Follow us on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theasymmetriccrew/

X: https://x.com/ASYMMETRICCREW

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theasymmetriccrew2

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: Founder, Mosaic Wellness

Shantanu: Founder, Bombay Shaving Company

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik

Aditya Sehgal: Founder, Asgard.world & Ex-President & COO, Reckitt

00:00 Coming up

01:13 Intro

03:24 Building an incentive system

06:18 Lessons from China

08:49 China post-liberalization

11:20 Understanding the S-curve

17:10 China: A capitalist nation in disguise?

21:04 China’s 9-9-6 work culture

25:55 China's mindset change post COVID

32:16 China’s rise to manufacturing powerhouse

37:04 US-China trade imbalance

40:46 The shift to tech economy

45:32 What we can learn from Chinese startup culture?

01:00:27 Quality vs. price in consumer products

01:09:19 Inside China’s manufacturing excellence

01:12:07 Adapting to local needs

01:15:17 Is India ready for live commerce?

01:18:53 KPIs that define sales & marketing success

01:23:55 The 5-Pillared stack of Chinese Brand Dominance

01:28:57 Roasting BSC’s pitch deck with GPT

01:32:59 Adi’s thoughts on Wealth vs Status Games

01:37:16 How to stay self-aware in leadership

01:41:39 The art of balancing speed and quality

01:45:30 Pivoting to high ownership in high growth

01:55:24 How to ensure a performance-oriented culture

Charts referred to in the episode:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u3x7dtoNmbXqGoUodCf97

wRH0Wprxn6o/view?usp=drive_link

In this episode of The Asymmetric Podcast, we’re joined by Vaibhav Porwal, Co-founder of Dezerv, as we dive deep into the rapidly evolving world of big IPOs and capital markets in India. With ₹13,000 crore in fund management, Vaibhav brings a wealth of knowledge on the dynamics shaping India’s capital markets.

Vaibhav shares his expert insights on the booming IPO landscape, the emerging trends in investment, and the key factors influencing the future of Indian capital markets. Whether you're an investor, a startup founder, or simply curious about India’s financial growth, this episode is full of valuable insights.

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: Founder, Mosaic Wellness Mosaic Wellness

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik GoKwik

Shantanu: Founder, Bombay Shaving company

Vaibhav Porwal: Co-founder, Dezerv

In this episode of The Asymmetric Podcast, we’re joined by Anand Datta, Partner at Nexus Venture Partners, as we dive deep into the dynamic world of Fintech and IPOs in the Indian market. From the rise of digital payments to the evolving landscape of initial public offerings (IPOs), Anand breaks down the current trends and future potential of India’s Fintech sector.

Anand offers his expert insights on the shifting tides of Indian IPOs, the regulatory environment, and the role of venture capital in driving innovation. Whether you're an investor, a startup founder, or someone interested in the ever-changing landscape of India’s financial markets, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: Founder, Mosaic Wellness

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik

Anand Datta, Nexus Venture Partners

Chapters 2:30 - Should you register Company in India, US or Cayman Islands?

21:58 - YC investments in India over the years 23:40 - Silicon Valley culture

28:40 - IPOs filing in confidential mode 35:00 - Groww listing?

43:30 - How can AI be leveraged in Fintech?

56:00 - BNPL business history in India

1:06:30 - UPI Autopay: Boon or Bane? 1:35:00 - Closing!

In this episode of The Asymmetric Podcast, we chat with Rahul Chowdhri, Managing Director at Stellaris Ventures, to explore the exciting convergence of AI and consumer tech. From AI-driven content creation to transforming industries like astrology, gaming, and fashion, we dive into how these innovations are reshaping the way we interact with technology.

Rahul shares his insights on how AI will continue to evolve in consumer tech, the potential for India to lead in certain sectors, and how founders and investors can leverage these shifts. If you’re interested in how AI is influencing everything from personal assistants to the future of content creation, this episode is a must-watch!

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: Founder, Mosaic Wellness

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik

Rahul Chowdri, Stellaris Venture Partners

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: Founder, Mosaic Wellness

Shantanu: Founder, Bombay Shaving Company

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik

Ankit Agarwal: Managing Partner at Alteria Capital

00:00 Coming Up

01:10 Intro and Welcome, Ankit!

03:07 Debt vs. Equity

07:08 Startup Funding Journeys

09:04 How Founders Think About Debt

14:40 Venture Debt Provider Portfolio Allocation

17:25 Debt vs. Equity - The Trade-Off

21:07 Lessons from Failed Startups & Over-Leverage

28:44 Venture Debt: How Do LPs Get Comfort?

35:19 Growth Runways & Cash Flow

41:20 Managing Debt While Chasing Growth

42:02 Case Study: Using Debt to Scale

54:59 Risk and Reward for LPs

01:00:18 Operations of Venture Debt Funds

01:06:32 Risks in Acquisition Deals

01:08:22 Challenges in Indian Banking for Startups

01:15:58 Venture Debt vs. Traditional Lenders

01:18:24 Competition in Venture Debt

01:20:34 Concluding Thoughts

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: Founder, Mosaic Wellness

Shantanu: Founder, Bombay Shaving Company

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik

Rahul Garg: Partner, General Catalyst

0:00 Coming Up

1:13 Intro & Welcome to Rahul Garg

1:59 The Q-Comm Disruption - or Evolution?

6:51 Grocery & QuickCommerce

12:39 Thoughts on Big Box Retailers

17:38 Does “Quick” Really Matter?

22:13 Grocery & Food Margin Outlook

28:30 DMart vs Q-Comm - ROE Analysis

32:40 A Deepdive on “Fresh”

36:56 Horizontal vs Vertical Market Opportunities

41:41 Q-Comm for Fashion - Does it Work?

46:12 “Try and Buy" in Quick Fashion

48:39 Nature of Demand in Fashion

52:02 Understanding User Behaviour in Fashion

57:00 Understanding Fashion Logistics & Operations

1:01:33 QComm for Health & Wellness - Pharmacy

1:06:21 Opportunities in Quick Health

1:08:45 Opportunities for Logistics Players

1:16:44 The Need for Non-Enterprise D2C Logistic Players

1:25:47 Thoughts on Conflicting OKRs

Charts from the episode:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zUiVcIYLxjM7Iqe6QAFeMijPp_RHQs2o/view?usp=drive_link

The ASYMMETRIC Crew today:

Revant: Founder, Mosaic Wellness

Shantanu: Founder, Bombay Shaving Company

Chirag: Founder, GoKwik

00:00 Coming up

01:09 Intro and Welcome to Sameer Maheshwari!

02:03 Health & Wellness in India Over the Years

6:09 HealthKart’s Evolution Since 2009

13:27 Health & Wellness TAM

14:24 The Arc Product-Market Fit Framework

22:23 Health & Wellness: Hard Fact or Hair on Fire?

29:40 What is a Brand, Really?

36:08 Product & Marketing for Health & Wellness

38:37 Consumer Trends in Protein Consumption

42:05 Social Media - The Gamechanger?

45:48 How Much Protein Do We Actually Need?

50:13 Making Protein for the Indian Masses

57:55 Making Protein Mainstream

01:09:01 Market Dynamics in Sports Nutrition

01:11:36 Challenges of Subscription Models

01:16:00 Direct-to-Consumer Strategies

01:25:27 Going Public: Timing and Strategy

Charts referred to in the episode:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wu6bJzd1lVjOFQztALYV5R6YjGx4XN2H/view?usp=drive_link

MuscleBlaze ad referenced in the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG9Ii3MyOzw