Today's episode is all about Akshay Gurnani. He is the C.E.O & Co-founder of Schbang- one of India's leading marketing agencies with $20M+ in ARR.

He shares his journey of co-founding Schbang from scratch in 2015 and rapidly scaling it to a 1,150-member integrated marketing solutions powerhouse.

Akshay also gets candid about the hustle in the early days - winning clients door-to-door (almost) with no reputation. He talks about the processes he implemented to maintain quality as they expanded across multiple offices.

We then talk about his evolution as a leader - from the initial leadership style to adapting the approach for a large team. Akshay dives deep into the importance of company culture and challenges of preserving it while scaling.

Ofcourse, we also discuss angel investing. He reveals his personal investment thesis for startups like Kaatil and WickedGud. Akshay also provides insights into balancing his many responsibilities, emerging marketing channels he's bullish on, Schbang's vision for global growth, improving business education and more.

The episode ends with a rapid-fire round covering advice ignored, outdated sales tactics, marketing myths busted and other surprises. Get a glimpse into this accomplished marketer-entrepreneur's mind.

Plug in your headphones for an enriching conversation, where Akshay's journey through his own career, personal growth, and becoming a great leadership comes to life.

New episodes every now and then.

Connect with me on Linkedin: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/neogyspandan/

Decisions, Democratization and Fintech: Today we sit down with Ajinkya Kulkarni, the CEO and Co-founder of Wint Wealth. It is a candid discussion about his riveting journey as we delve into Ajinkya's life and accomplishments in the fintech in India. From his formative years, we uncover the roots of his entrepreneurial zeal and how they shaped his path to becoming the driving force behind Wint Wealth. Ajinkya takes us through pivotal moments at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, recounting mentors who ignited his passion for entrepreneurship. With a transition from Mswipe Technologies, where he built a remarkable portfolio from scratch, to the inception of Wint Wealth, we explore the driving forces that fuel Ajinkya's unwavering conviction in innovation and financial growth. We also walk through the personal facets of entrepreneurship as Ajinkya shares the impact on his relationships and the art of harmonizing personal life and professional ambitions. His candid guidance for recent graduates caught between corporate careers and entrepreneurial pursuits offers a unique perspective. He underscores the transformative power of learning and its role in shaping his trajectory from early days to ongoing growth. As we peer into the fintech future, Ajinkya unveils his vision for the next decade, where Wint Wealth is poised to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. Join us for an enriching conversation, where Ajinkya's journey through fintech, personal growth, and inclusive leadership comes to life in a candid and inspiring narrative.

New episodes every second Sunday

Connect with me at: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/neogyspandan

Opportunities, Opulence and David Beckham: In today's episode, join me as we welcome Mr. Raghav Belavadi, the dynamic Founder and CEO of Hype Luxury. From starting his career at Satyam sans coding skills to mastering multiple languages, Raghav's unconventional route to success is inspiring. He shares intriguing tales from his stint at Infosys and his thrilling encounters with global icons, like David Beckham and Nithin Gadkari. We explore his journey from the failure of his first HR analytics startup to the successful acquisition of his fintech venture. With candid insights about founding and scaling Hype Luxury, India's premier luxury mobility startup, Raghav delves into the importance of team training and his unique approach to maintaining a high-end atmosphere for his employees. He reveals his aspirations for space tourism, explains why he still refers to his established enterprise as a startup, and how his personal relationships influence his customer service philosophy. This episode is a must-listen for those interested in the intersections of luxury, mobility, and entrepreneurship, brought about by your host, Spandan Neogy.

New episodes every second Sunday

Connect with me at: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/neogyspandan

Internships, Investments, Incubation: Rishav Agarwal: In this episode, we welcome Rishav, a prodigious entrepreneur and dynamic investor, who's disrupted traditional norms with his audacious stint of 43 work-from-home internships during college, to bootstrapping a startup and foraying into fintech with TransBnk. We navigate through a broad spectrum of conversations from Rishav's early money mindset, his unique approach to finding the perfect product-market fit, to the exhilarating journey of turning down venture capital to stay bootstrapped. As we traverse the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey, Rishav unveils enlightening insights into the startup investing landscape, his passion for mentoring early-stage startups, and the future of fintech in India. This episode, laced with exciting investment tales, strategic advice, and a quickfire round that uncovers untold personal tidbits, is a captivating exploration of the relentless pursuit of entrepreneurial excellence in an increasingly digital era, brought about by your host, Spandan Neogy.

New episodes every second Sunday

Connect with me at: ⁠https://linktr.ee/neogyspandan

Startups, Careers and the Future: Aditya Kulkarni, an entrepreneur who is on a mission to redefine business education in India. A serial innovator and BITS Pilani and IIM-B alumnus, Aditya's entrepreneurial ventures, from Learning Outcomes to BabyOnBoard and now Stoa, have consistently pushed the boundaries of what's possible. In this episode, we dive into a discussion that traverses the realms of Quantum Physics, ancient Greek philosophy, post-industrial-age career planning all the way to the heart of nuanced business principles. Aditya shares his unique insights into the dynamics of entrepreneurship, the evolution of startups, and the future of business education in an increasingly digital era. We also tackle deep philosophical questions about reality and perception, especially in light of emerging brain-computer interface technologies. Can these advances redefine our understanding of 'reality'? And what implications might they have for diverse strata of society? Join us in this intellectual odyssey as we navigate through unconventional topics, interspersed with light-hearted banter and rapid-fire insights. Expect a conversation that stretches the boundaries of traditional business discussions, offering you a fresh perspective, brought about by your host, Spandan Neogy.

New episodes every second Sunday

Connect with me at: https://linktr.ee/neogyspandan

There are some people you come across in your life who end up fundamentally altering the way you perceive this journey, the way you contextualize relationships, build bridges or even perceive intent- Steve has had that influence on me. In the last episode of the first season, I want to talk about something unique, and that special is Steve’s life for me because this is a journey I want more and more people to be subjected to. So gear up, one last time, to embark on a journey celebrating the man who changed the world, from early years to reinventing technology for the world as a whole to partake and be enshrined in our hearts forever. This is an episode to celebrate the legacy of Steve, and that being said, here's to the crazy ones, one last time. As always, Thank You so much for taking the time in listening as well as reading this. Do not forget to follow the podcast on any platform you are listening to and review it if you are on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you want to get in touch with me, here is everything I am accountable for - Have a great day! > www.linktr.ee/neogyspandan

Ah yes, my great nation- India. What a journey it has been through. From being accountable for 26 percent of global GDP to being used as fuel for the British empire and to now being a 3 trillion dollar economy India’s economic history itself is a very riveting story. So today, let’s backtrack. Individual, economic, social, and political freedom were envisioned by independence. Almost 76 years later, India seeks to join the $5 trillion club, changing these ideals. Today, we examine the influences of socialism, post-socialism, liberalization, and after on economic policy and India's millennial transition along with present statistics and obviously, a detailed view of the future in the coming decade and more. As always, Thank You so much for taking the time in listening as well as reading this. Do not forget to follow the podcast on any platform you are listening to and review it if you are on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you want to get in touch with me, here is everything I am accountable for - Have a great day! > www.linktr.ee/neogyspandan

Just think with me for a second here. Let’s go on a journey. We live in a society; I am sorry I had to. So we live in a society where there is no division, at least among the nationalities themselves. In this hypothetical world, we all live in one country called “the world” as the human race's collective. This can have a lot of implications, from living together in harmony to nuclear war, but we will not go into that. However, what I am interested in talking about is a hypothetical question. So living in this hypothetical world has a consequence. We use one currency to buy everything—one single currency across the globe. Keeping the whole World War that would follow in deciding whose currency we use aside, we will skip right to the harmonious days when humanity is living under a unified banner and using one single currency and understand the implications of having one single economic unit and everything else that consequently comes with it. As always, Thank You so much for taking the time in listening as well as reading this. Do not forget to follow the podcast on any platform you are listening to and review it if you are on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you want to get in touch with me, here is everything I am accountable for - Have a great day! > www.linktr.ee/neogyspandan

Regardless of which side of the spectrum you belong to, here is one hard fact no one can dispute. Capitalism has single-handedly lifted more people out of poverty than any other economic methodology. In fact, all other economic models combined; perhaps the most widespread example is China's being a hunger-stricken, impoverished, famine-ridden communist country to witnessing the most pervasive eradication of poverty in human history after embracing the market. In just 40 years, China is very well on its way to becoming the biggest economy in the world. At about 17 trillion US dollars, the second-largest economy globally has a fascinating story. In today’s episode, we go back half a century to a war-torn ravaged China, which was then again followed by another 20 years of stagnated economic growth, terrible genocidal policies, and an overall collapsing economy, and then, the miracle that stuck and how communist China ended up weaponizing capitalism with a layer of tyranny. As always, Thank You so much for taking the time in listening as well as reading this. Do not forget to follow the podcast on any platform you are listening to and review it if you are on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you want to get in touch with me, here is everything I am accountable for - Have a great day! > www.linktr.ee/neogyspandan

This episode will be all about me giving away information and hoping the Feds do not get involved. I mean, it’s a pretty safe gamble; if they could forgive me for going after the Vatican’s private equity fund, they can let this one happen too. Money Laundering. No, this is not in any way connected to an Ozark episode. Okay, so let’s just say, hypothetically, you did things that do not precisely adhere to the constitution, but you end up filthy rich. That might sound pretty good, right, minus the morality part? But what if I told you that money is entirely useless to you unless you figure out a way to make it legal? That sounds weird? I know. But the fact is, The goal of many criminal acts is to make money for the person or group who commits the crime. Let me tell you a few stories. Suharto was President of Indonesia from 1967 to 1998 and ranked first on Transparency International's list of the world's most corrupt leaders. Time Asia magazine estimated the Suharto family's wealth at $15 billion after his forced resignation, with $9 billion allegedly deposited in an Austrian bank. It was also claimed that up to $73 billion passed through the family's coffers during Suharto's presidency. He died in 2008 at the age of 86, and due to his advanced age, he was never tried. We also have ex-lawyer Ferdinand Marcos, who served as President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 before being deposed by a popular uprising. He laundered billions of dollars in stolen public funds through banks in the United States and Switzerland during his reign. The money, estimated at US$7.5 billion, was recovered by the Philippines through a massive operation known as "Operation Big Bird." According to legend, Marcos' opulent lifestyle was epitomized by his wife Imelda's collection of over 2,500 pairs of shoes. Who else do you know? The most well-known of America's mobsters was instrumental in developing modern money laundering schemes. He is thought to have laundered $1 billion through various companies. His first businesses were laundromats, which, because they were cash-only, were ideal for concealing and disguising illegal gains. The fact that Capone worked in the laundry business is frequently cited as the source of the term "laundering."So what exactly is it? Criminals conceal their heads, change their form, or move the funds to a location where they are less likely to attract attention, and that is exactly what we will discuss in today's episode. Everything from the complexities of money laundering to a hypothetical, step-by-step process for cleaning your dirty money is covered, in one single episode. As always, Thank You so much for taking the time in listening as well as reading this. Do not forget to follow the podcast on any platform you are listening to and review it if you are on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you want to get in touch with me, here is everything I am accountable for - Have a great day! > www.linktr.ee/neogyspandan