Interstellar by Stellaris

Before the world caught on to online services, Saurabh Jain was already building them.In 2014, he launched DezignUp - a bold bet on home design services going digital. His journey took a turn when the company was acquired by Livspace. From there, there was no looking back. Saurabh went on to become the third co-founder and CEO of Livspace India, helping scale the brand to 65+ cities and redefining how India does interiors.In this episode of Interstellar, Saurabh shares the stories behind early pivots, bold decisions, and what it really takes to build a category-defining business.Reach Saurabh Jain: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabh-jain-88237814/Reach Rahul Chowdhri:X: https://x.com/rchowdhriLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchowdhri/In this episode, we cover:(00:00): Episode Summary(01:09): Welcome, Saurabh!(01:59): Saurabh’s journey to starting DezignUp and its acquisition(04:45): Rationale behind continuing with Livspace post-acquisition (06:14): Co-founder vs. senior leadership role(07:49): Saurabh’s role as a CEO(09:03): Inflection points in Livspace’s journey(14:41): Livspace’s “Personalisation at Scale” strategy(18:05): Impact of COVID(19:40): Scaling the organisation (22:46): Decisions on resource allocation(25:27): Tech at Livspace(27:62): Future trends in the home interiors industry(30:46): Use of GenAI(31:57): Retention vs Referral metric(33:18): Hiring senior professionals(37:15): The “Virat-Anushka” Brand campaign(39:16): Rapidfire questions(46:25): Closing notesFind us on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/550RoqvavxjC2pl8Ma7LHa?si=0ebd5040b11c4ac5Apple podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/interstellar-by-stellaris/id1794113841Visit our website at www.stellarisvp.com

Zero Commission Models: Disruptive or Just a Pricing Play?

Startups like Meesho, Rapido, and Namma Yatri have disrupted their industries with zero commission models, by removing sales-based commissions while keeping costs low for customers.

But the big question remains: Are these models really unique, or are they a different way of arriving at the same business economics?

In this bonus episode of Interstellar, Rahul & Ritesh break down how Zero Commission Models work, where they thrive, and the untapped opportunities for emerging founders.

Reach Rahul Chowdhri:

X: https://x.com/rchowdhri

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchowdhri/

Reach Ritesh Banglani:

X: https://x.com/banglani

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riteshbanglani/

Find us on

YouTube - youtu.be/CmkCZvXI65c

Apple podcasts - apple.co/41HGKvU

Visit our website at www.stellarisvp.com

In this episode of Interstellar, we cover:

00:00 Trailer

00:57 What are zero commission models?

03:10 How do companies that adopt a zero commission model make money?

04:22 Does ‘zero commission’ mean zero fees?

06:24 What kind of scale is necessary to sustain a zero commission model?

07:30 Does unbundling of operations create a more scalable business?

10:18 Does this translate to unbundling-led price discrimination?

13:23 On the incentive alignment between the supplier and platform

16:01 Is there danger of concentrating demand in the hands of suppliers with the deepest pockets?

19:11 Who handles customer experience in zero commission models if so many services are unbundled?

25:05 In cases where customers can tell a good supplier from a bad one, can zero commission models work?

Today, Fastrack, Wildcraft and Licious are household names that we all recognize.Behind these iconic brands is the creative mind of Simeran Bhasin – and her story is one for the ages.After making a mark at Titan and Wildcraft, Simeran ventured into the startup world. In 2016, she launched India’s first and only young girl-focused innerwear brand. While she has made her fair share of mistakes, she has gained invaluable insights into what works – and what doesn’t.In our second episode of Interstellar, we talked to Simeran about her journey, her experiences as a founder, marketer, and business leader in a startup, and the lessons she has learned along the way.

Reach Simeran Bhasin:

X: https://x.com/simbhasin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeran-bhasin-2082397/

Reach Rahul Chowdhri:

X: https://x.com/rchowdhri

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchowdhri/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Episode Summary

(00:50) Welcome, Simeran!

(01:39) Simeran's leap into entrepreneurship

(03:24) The inspiration behind Brag

(05:00) Simeran's offline-first bet for D2C brands

(07:50) Simeran's advice to someone switching from a corporate career to starting up

(10:26) On the willingness to "unlearn"

(11:44) From Fractional CMO to Head of Business at Licious

(15:08) Why Licious?

(16:35) On Licious' alternative protein brand 'Uncrave'

(20:16) How did alternative protein & mock meat appeal to a meat-lover?

(22:09) Why "Uncrave" and not "Licious Green"?

(23:25) The story behind the iconic Fastrack advertisement

(27:37) How has the role of a CMO evolved?

(31:17) Advice to founders shifting from performance marketing to brand marketing

(32:39) Simeran on whether founders today care about brand marketing

(33:33) Org-building in a corporate set-up v/s startups

(36:03) What to expect when you're going to join a startup

(39:00) Rapidfire questions

(43:42) Closing comments

Find us on

Apple podcasts - apple.co/41HGKvU

YouTube - bit.ly/3DkQrbT

Visit our website at www.stellarisvp.com

In the first episode of Interstellar, we sit down with Kirti Varun, former CPO of Meesho, who has worked across Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho, witnessing firsthand how Indian e-commerce has evolved.

Here's what we unpack:

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Reach Kirti Varun:

Reach Rahul Chowdhri:

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Episode Summary

Meesho fastest growing e-comm player; GMV tops $5Bn: Report - https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/e-commerce/e-tailing/meesho-fastest-growing-e-comm-player-gmv-tops-5-bn-report/107153844

Flipkart Plus launches: Similar to Amazon Prime , but without subscription fees - https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/flipkart-plus-launched-similar-to-amazon-prime-but-without-subscription-fees-4979151.html

Zero to One: https://www.meesho.com/zero-to-one-by-peter-thill-with-blake-masters/p/2xnk1i?srsltid=AfmBOoopGQLn_CecGuMvXF2n-oboGq7ZrJD_tZjmiE3Uf7ZbJmbBzX4v

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse: https://www.meesho.com/siddhartha-by-hermann-hesse/p/6bohlk?srsltid=AfmBOooaNop8yo79eA5kXG6h82EuNE-zWYj56rCJN_5FtBvjaSnf12Xy

Interstellar takes you behind the scenes with the stellar founders, business builders, and next-gen leaders driving India’s startup ecosystem. Hosted by the Stellaris team, our conversations explore the bold strategies, resilience-building setbacks, and transformative scale that define some of India’s most remarkable businesses. Whether you’re a builder, dreamer, or simply curious, join us as we uncover the insights fueling these journeys.