Until recently, the prospect of an IIM offering a standalone undergraduate degree seemed unlikely. Traditionally known for their elite postgraduate programs, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have long been synonymous with MBA excellence. That image is now undergoing a significant shift.

IIM Sirmaur is among the many who have introduced a bachelor’s program. IIM Kozhikode and IIM Sambalpur have followed suit. IIM Bangalore and IIM Lucknow are also preparing to launch similar courses. After decades of focusing solely on postgraduate education, the IIMs are moving into new academic territory.

What’s driving this transformation? And why now?

Tune in.

To apply to The Ken’s podcast team, click here

Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

Just last year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sat across from Mukesh Ambani at the company’s first-ever AI summit in India.

Dressed in his trademark black leather jacket, Huang addressed a packed room of tech founders, policymakers, and academics. He made a bold prediction: India, long known for exporting software, will soon be exporting AI.

But this wasn’t just another keynote. It was a power play.

At the same event, Nvidia and Reliance announced a major partnership to build AI infrastructure in India -- everything from data centers to foundational models. And Reliance wasn’t alone. Nvidia also inked deals with Infosys, Tata, Tech Mahindra, and Flipkart.

This episode dives into why Nvidia is betting big on India, how that fits into India’s own messy AI ambitions, and what’s really at stake when a $4 trillion company becomes a country’s AI backbone.

Tune in. 

*Correction: In the episode, it was mentioned that TCS has 50,000 AI-trained engineers. We’d like to clarify that the accurate figure is that over 1,14,000 TCS associates have been trained in higher-order AI skills. 

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

47 million Indians just lost their life insurance coverage. But not one of the country’s biggest insurers seem bothered.

In this episode, we look at the silent collapse of credit-linked life insurance—policies that were once bundled with microloans and quietly protected millions of low-income borrowers. But now, that model is breaking down.

Blame mounting defaults, shaky microfinance lending, and a post-pandemic spike in death claims. As lenders pull back and insurers retreat, entire communities are being pushed out of the safety net—with barely a ripple in the headlines.

Why the regulator won’t step in and what persistent high mortality means for the future of group insurance?

Tune in.

To apply to The Ken’s podcast team, click here

Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

Private credit is having a moment in India. Hardly a week goes by without a blockbuster deal. Whether it’s Deutsche Bank’s $3.4 billion debt package, KKR’s $600 million loan to Manipal, or a fresh round of financing for Shapoorji Pallonji.

But beneath the surface, pressure is building.

As interest rates fall and competition heats up, yields are tightening. Banks, once sidelined, are eyeing a comeback. They are realising they should once again lend to companies they gave up to non-bank lenders first when their own bad loans shot up to over 11% in the year ended March 2017, and now increasingly to private-credit funds.

Tune in. 

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

After swearing off startups post a $300 million exit, Karan Bajaj is back with Complement 1, a healthtech venture offering personalised coaching for cancer patients. But this isn’t just a pivot, it’s a whole new playbook.

This time, it’s personal: Bajaj’s mother had cancer, and he says this is the product he wishes she had.

Built for the American market, Complement 1 is taking a B2B route, targeting insurers, employers, and cancer centres. But early traction has been tough. Unlike edtech, healthcare demands more than just hustle. We look at whether Bajaj’s old playbook still works in a world where good intentions must meet rigorous standards and sustainable business models.

Tune in. 

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

Ajio was supposed to be Reliance Retail’s e-commerce success story. While other digital bets like Jiomart, Dunzo, and Urban Ladder struggled to find their footing, Ajio surged ahead powered by aggressive discounts, brand partnerships, and the deep pockets of India’s largest retailer.

But behind the scenes, the momentum was already beginning to crack.

Today, we go inside the fashion platform’s sharp pivot. Over the past year, Ajio has gone through major leadership reshuffles, mass layoffs, and shifting strategies—from launching ultra-fast delivery to pushing premium fashion, only to walk parts of it back. 

And as profitability pressure mounts from the top, teams are left scrambling to do more with less.

Tune in.

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

Karnataka’s bike taxi ban has thrown Bangalore’s commute into chaos.

Since June 16, services like Rapido, Ola, and Uber Moto have been off the roads, thanks to a High Court-backed state ban.

But for thousands of gig workers and commuters, bike taxis were more than a convenience, they were a lifeline. As protests intensify and surge pricing spikes, this episode unpacks the policy deadlock, the Centre’s new guidelines, and why even women commuters are asking for the ban to be lifted.

Tune in.

To apply to The Ken's podcast team, click here

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

Rare-earth magnets, made from elements like neodymium and praseodymium, are essential to EV motors. But nearly all of them come from China. And since April, not a single shipment has arrived. Maruti Suzuki has already slashed production. TVS and Bajaj are counting down to a July deadline. Others, like Mahindra and Omega Seiki, saw this coming and started building workarounds.

This isn’t just a supply chain issue. It’s a geopolitical move. China controls over 90% of rare-earth processing and has tightened export rules, stalling approvals to countries like India. Now, even importing magnets requires a bureaucratic maze of guarantees, embassy sign-offs, and unanswered emails.

How are Indian EV makers are coping? 

Tune in to find out.

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

Post-pandemic, retail giants like Reliance and Aditya Birla Fashion were ready to bounce back and they weren’t being very subtle about it. Reliance Retail for instance opened nearly 6000 stores across fashion, groceries, electronics just in FY22 and FY23. But the retail dream of a booming post-Covid shopping spree that companies had sold themselves never really happened. Soon these companies had to hit rewind. Thousands of jobs were gone and hundreds of stores had to be closed down. 

Turns out, India’s fashion retail scene is scrambling for a reset.

But what exactly went wrong? Why did giants like Reliance, Aditya Birla, and Shoppers Stop stumble? And what’s the new playbook they’re following to survive?

Tune in.

To apply to The Ken's podcast team, click here

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.

Everybody wants to invest, but not everyone knows how. There just aren’t many who can point investors in the right direction.

Registered investment advisors, or RIAs—either individuals or corporates licensed by the stock-market regulator—are an endangered species in India. While the country had about 192 million demat accounts as of March 2025, there were only about 941 advisors. That’s one advisor for over 200,000 investors. Pressure much?

You’d think the problem goes away if there were more Sebi-registered advisors. If only. In fact, the number of registered advisors in India has been declining over the past few years. Just in 2020, there were over 1,500 of them. The drop was largely attributable to the regulator.

Meanwhile, fintechs like ET Money and Value Research are attempting to plug this gap by offering investors automated advice for direct investment. But it's far from a done deal. 

Tune in. 

P.S The Ken’s podcast team is hiring! Here’s what we’re looking for.

Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.Listen to the latest episode of Two by Two here

One channel. Every show. No more switching feeds.

Follow The Ken on Apple Podcasts or tune in on The Ken app.