Founders Unfiltered

By A Junior VCBusiness Entrepreneurship

Founders Unfiltered episodes

April 24, 2025 Ep 129: Your Code Can Blow, Not The Pressure Cooker ft. Beyond Appliances
Join us as we talk to Eshwar K Vikas, the Co-founder of Beyond Appliances about their story.Eshwar holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from SRM University and later pursued Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.He began his career as an Associate at Ichiban Consultants, followed by a role as Executive Assistant to the CEO of Amar Group. Eshwar is the CEO and Co-founder of Mukunda Foods, a company he has successfully led for the past 13 years.In 2024, he co-founded Beyond Appliances, marking his latest entrepreneurial venture.🏢 About Beyond Appliances:Beyond Appliances is dedicated to transforming everyday cooking into a more enjoyable experience.
43 min
April 06, 2025 Ep 128: Robinhood of MSMEs ft. M1xchange
Brought to you by the Founders Unfiltered podcast by A Junior VC - Unscripted conversations with Indian founders about their story and the process of building a company. Hosted by Aviral and Mazin.Join us as we talk to Sundeep Mohindru, the Founder Director of M1xchange about their story.Sundeep Mohindru is a visionary entrepreneur and Chartered Accountant with over 18 years of experience in consulting, audit, and finance. He is the Founder Director of Mynd Solutions, a leading business process solutions firm with over 1,200 employees, serving clients across India, APAC, and MEA. Under his leadership, Mynd Solutions launched M1xchange in 2017, a transformative platform that has revolutionized the industry.🏢 About M1xchange:M1xchange is an RBI-approved TReDS platform launched in 2017, enabling MSMEs to digitally access collateral-free invoice financing from banks and NBFCs. It ensures fast, competitive funding through a secure bidding process—recognized as the Best Digital Solution of 2017 by NITI Aayog.
55 min
March 24, 2025 Ep 127: Lending To Borrowers New To Credit ft. mPokket
Join us as we talk to Gaurav Jalan, the Founder & CEO of mPokket about their story.Gaurav pursued his Bachelor's degree in Economics and Computer Science from Amherst College, US, followed by an MBA from Columbia Business School. He later worked at Bain & Company and Fidelity International before serving as the MD and Chief Investment Officer at Avant Garde Wealth Management. In 2015, he founded mPokket.🏢 About mPokket:mPokket empowers India’s youth with quick personal loans up to ₹50,000. With over 50 million customers and a 4.4 Google Play rating, it supports part-time earners, professionals, and the self-employed. Beyond finance, it fosters a culture of learning and innovation while driving social impact through education and skill development initiatives.🌐 For more visit - https://ajuniorvc.com/podcast/
49 min
March 09, 2025 Ep 126: Engineering The Future ft. Tessolve
Join us as we talk to Srini Chinamilli, the Co-founder & CEO of Tessolve about their story.Srini earned his B.E. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from BIT Mesra, followed by an M.S. in the same field from the University of Southern California.Later, he served as Director at Cirrus Logic and Director of Engineering at Centillium Communications before co-founding Tessolve in 2004.🏢 About Tessolve:Tessolve provides turnkey ASIC solutions, integrating pre- and post-silicon expertise for efficient silicon bring-up. With 3000+ employees and advanced testing labs, it offers design services, embedded product development, and R&D in areas like 5G, mmWave, and silicon photonics. Serving Tier 1 clients, including 9 of the top 10 semiconductor companies, Tessolve operates globally with offices and test labs across multiple countries.
45 min
February 23, 2025 EP 125: From Packaging to Full-Stack Supply Chain ft. Bizongo
Join us as we talk to Sachin Agarwal, the Co-founder of Bizongo about their story.

This is yet another episode with a Bizongo co-founder! Last time, in March 2022, we had Ankit Deb.

Today, we have Sachin, who completed his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2012.
He went on to work with leading companies like PepsiCo and Biocon before serving as a Risk Manager at Gravitas.
In 2014, he co-founded Bizongo.

🏢 About Bizongo: Bizongo simplifies business with technology, enabling Business On the Go.
As India’s fastest-growing B2B platform, they help SMEs and enterprises scale through business financing and raw material procurement.
They’ve powered ₹14,000+ Cr in financing and 1,00,000+ MT of raw materials for 500+ brands.
With BizongoFin, businesses get fast digital financing via 30+ NBFC & bank partners, while BizongoBuy ensures seamless raw material procurement.
48 min
February 09, 2025 Ep 124: The Sri Lankan Unicorn ft. WSO2
Brought to you by the Founders Unfiltered podcast by A Junior VC - Unscripted conversations with Indian founders about their story and the process of building a company. Hosted by Aviral and Mazin.Join us as we talk to Sanjiva Weerawarana, the founder of WSO2 about their story.Sanjiva earned his bachelor's and master's in Mathematics/CS from Kent State University, Ohio, and later completed a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Purdue University.He worked as a Research Staff Member at IBM and held visiting professorships at Purdue University, the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, and the University of Moratuwa.Beyond academia, he served on various committees, including the Arthur C. Clarke Institute, the University of Colombo, the University Grants Commission, The Apache Software Foundation, and several Sri Lankan institutions in technology, finance, and science.He founded multiple organizations, including WSO2 (2005), Thinkcube Systems, Sahana Software Foundation, Lanka Software Foundation, Lanka Data Foundation, and Avinya Foundation.Interestingly, he also served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Sri Lanka Army.🏢 About WSO2:WSO2 enables enterprises, universities, and governments to drive digital transformation, handling 60 trillion transactions and 1 billion identities annually. Its API-first tools for application development and CIAM help organizations securely build and deliver seamless digital experiences across cloud and on-premises environments. WSO2 has 800+ employees with offices in Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
55 min
January 26, 2025 Ep 123: How to Do an SME IPO ft. Veefin
Join us as we talk to Raja Debnath, the Managing Director of Veefin about their story.
Raja holds a BE from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology, an MMS in Marketing from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, and an MBA from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Over his career, he has held several prominent roles, including Manager at Whirlpool, Citi and ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Zonal Head at GE Capital, and Country Head at Kotak Mahindra Bank. He also served as Managing Partner at Cogence Labs and contributed to esteemed organizations like EY and IFC in various capacities.
Additionally, Raja has acted as an advisor to The London Institute of Banking and Finance and as an investor in ventures such as TREDX and CAYESH.
Since 2019, he has been serving as the Managing Director of Veefin.
🏢 About Veefin:
Veefin, India and South Asia's leading SCF technology provider, offers a globally recognized end-to-end product stack for digitizing onboarding, underwriting, and SCF loan management.
Designed by bankers for bankers, its solutions support retail, SME, and corporate finance for lenders worldwide. In India, Veefin powers the SCF ecosystem via the Public Sector Bank Alliance, connecting banks, NBFCs, SMEs, and fintechs through a unified platform for enhanced efficiency.

46 min
January 12, 2025 Ep 122: Surprisingly Predicting 2025 ft. Aviral Bhatnagar
Join us as we talk with Aviral Bhatnagar, the Founder and Managing Partner of A Junior VC, as he shares his predictions for the startup ecosystem in 2025.
Aviral Bhatnagar is the founder and managing partner at A Junior VC. He has spearheaded investments across SaaS, consumer, and AI sectors while also managing and expanding the student venture program at Venture Highway.
Previously, he played a pivotal role in establishing Guild Capital's India investing practice, leading investments and serving on the boards of companies in edtech, D2C, and SaaS.
Aviral holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, where he was recognized on the Director's List (top 3% of the class), and a BTech in Engineering Physics from IIT Bombay. Notably, he ranked 9th nationally out of over 200,000 applicants in the prestigious Common Admission Test (CAT).
🏢 About A Junior VC:
A Junior VC was founded in 2018 with the belief that there was a gap in the conversations by venture capitalists within India’s startup ecosystem.
When Aviral started AJVC six years ago, he was a junior with limited knowledge of venture capital. The name "A Junior VC" reflects its core ethos: staying curious, hungry, and driven—remaining young at heart.
By 2024, AJVC had grown into AJVC Fund, a pre-seed fund designed to empower India’s entrepreneurs at the earliest stages—a vision first outlined in a 2022 piece about its future.

18 min
December 29, 2024 Ep 121: 200 Cr Founder Who Does Not Own Anything ft. Rentomojo
Brought to you by the Founders Unfiltered podcast by A Junior VC - Unscripted conversations with Indian founders about their story and the process of building a company. Hosted by Aviral and Mazin.
Join us as we talk to Geetansh Bamania, the Founder of Rentomojo about their story.
Geetansh completed his B.Tech from IIT Madras and subsequently gained valuable experience working with renowned companies such as Flipkart, HopeMonkey, Pepperfry, and KPMG.
In 2012, he ventured into entrepreneurship by founding Click2Skill.com, a community-driven marketplace for skill exchange. Building on his innovative spirit, he established Rentomojo in 2014.
🏢 About Rentomojo:
Rentomojo simplifies relocations with affordable asset leasing and hassle-free packages, embracing "Smart Ownership" to revolutionize home setup.
48 min
December 15, 2024 Ep 120: You Shouldn't Startup ft. A Junior VC
Join us as we talk to Aviral Bhatnagar, the Founder and Managing Partner of A Junior VC about their story.
Aviral Bhatnagar is the founder and managing partner at A Junior VC. He has spearheaded investments across SaaS, consumer, and AI sectors while also managing and expanding the student venture program at Venture Highway.
Previously, he played a pivotal role in establishing Guild Capital's India investing practice, leading investments and serving on the boards of companies in edtech, D2C, and SaaS.
Aviral holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, where he was recognized on the Director's List (top 3% of the class), and a BTech in Engineering Physics from IIT Bombay. Notably, he ranked 9th nationally out of over 200,000 applicants in the prestigious Common Admission Test (CAT).
🏢 About A Junior VC:
A Junior VC was founded in 2018 with the belief that there was a gap in the conversations by venture capitalists within India’s startup ecosystem.
When Aviral started AJVC six years ago, he was a junior with limited knowledge of venture capital. The name "A Junior VC" reflects its core ethos: staying curious, hungry, and driven—remaining young at heart.
By 2024, AJVC had grown into AJVC Fund, a pre-seed fund designed to empower India’s entrepreneurs at the earliest stages—a vision first outlined in a 2022 piece about its future.
40 min