The Indian Startup Show

Enabling the well-being of more than 355 million Indian women through products, experiences, and experts. Today my guest is Aruna Chawla, founder of Salad, a lifestyle planner mobile app that support women to better manage their health throughout the menstrual cycle by providing personalised nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle advice. 

She talks about her own personal journey of being in and out of hospital. She talks about building an MVP without  a CTO or developers. Aruna talks about why they don’t want to go viral and or build landing pages. She talks about the first version of Salad,  a condom company which sold 20,000 in only two months with no paid marketing. 

She talks about her time at the Antler India residency , where they raised a  pre-seed round and met her co-founder. She talks about being a FemTech founder in India and the size of the market.  Every month, nearly 1.8 billion people across the world menstruate, and nearly 85% of this group suffer from hormonal imbalances. 

She talks about hormones , period tracking and finally she talks about her super strength and advice on how to build healthier habits and goals  using behavioural  science and much more!

In this conversation we talk about:

• Keeping it lean
• Stats so far
• Having a bias of action
• Not wanting to be a founder or do a startup in the beginning. 
• First impressions of her co-founder
• The state of the sexual wellness and FemTech industry india. 
• Conducting over 1000 interviews with women across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. 
• 6 years of research 
• Her motivations.
• Shaking up the healthcare industry.

and much more

Links

https://www.grabsalad.com/

music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Bye Bye Potholes! Today I have the pleasure to talk to Sourabh Kumar, co-founder of PotHoleRaja, a social venture that 's on a mission to make India & the world pothole-free.  He got the idea After reading a tragic story about a woman who lost her life due to a pothole. He gave up his highly paid corporate job to fill in potholes around the streets of Bangalore at 5AM!  He didn't tell his parents but he started getting goosebumps when random strangers started to praise his work and efforts. 

Without any background in civil engineering he started doing crazy google searches and ended up creating a number of cool products including Gridmats. a revolutionary patented product that’s eco-friendly, durable and crafted entirely from 100% recycled plastic waste to construct pavements/roads. 

He talks about a life changing moment meeting his co-founder. Talks about key learnings in the early days. Thoughts on social entrepreneurship in India some do’s and don’ts  (You can make money!) Why waste is the new gold. Talks about why you must be a risk taker and good at sales. 

Talks about the uncomfortable question he asks people when hiring.  Talks about keeping the faith and business models including franchise models. He talks about growing rapidly (100% growth) He reflects on this past year (2022). Thoughts on building a culture of being open.  And finally he talks about the biggest pothole he has ever seen and explains how filling a pothole is as easy as making 3 min Maggi noodles and much more.

In  this conversation we talk about:

• Why potholes
• Going to Singapore and reflecting on it's infrastructure. 
• The promise he made to himself when quitting
• Becoming a problem solver
• Thoughts on why the government are not doing this despite everyone paying taxes.
• 15000 km road trip checking out the potholes.
• Expanding into different countries.
• Civic tech  helping the government
• What does leadership mean to Sourabh
• Dealing with and the war with waste.
• Just him and his co-founder for the first two years

And much more 

Links

https://www.potholeraja.com/

Check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities. Join for free for 1 month and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/en/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Content is king! Today my guest is Gautam Madhavan CEO & founder of Mad Influence and influencer management agency. They do more than just connect creators and brands. They do digital marketing, social media management, content authoring, and providing consulting services to businesses. 

They are trying to create the biggest content companies in the world. In this episode he talks about how he got this off the ground by seeing the shift from Blogging to Vlogging 2017/18, realising the power of video and was laser focussed on tiktok in the early days before it was popular.  He explains why you shouldn't plan too much when starting up. 

Talks about dealing with uncertainty in the early days and hiring strategies. Advice for all you budding social media creators (Don’t do it for the $$). Building an AI platform for content creators and why you shouldn't worry about the algorithms. Thoughts on Twitter for content creators. 

Talks about who are the upcoming social media influencers in India.  His favourite content creators. Talks about research, conversation rates and analytics. Talks about how they Influence the influencers and why you cannot learn this at University, it’s all about building relationships. And he gives great advice on building relationships (be transparent) and why they don’t poach clients/creators/staff. 

He talks about what he looks for when choosing social media influencers (it's not just the numbers) And finally we talk about his favourite campaign promoting the movie Bachchhan Paandey  which got a billion organic views which involved kidnapping a bunch of influencers on a train. 

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Running India’s & Asia’s biggest content creator festival in Goa (2023)
• First mover advantage.
• Being down to earth and humble.
• Short video culture. 
• What excites him most about building this company.
• Why he prefers content creators instead of social media influencers. 
• Getting support from Mum and Dad. 
• Bootstrapping
• hiring advice

And much more 

Links 

https://www.madinfluence.com/home

Check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities. Join for free for 1 month and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/en/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Building the next wave of technology. Today my guest is seasoned investor Nitin Sharma, general partner & co-founder of Antler India. A global early-stage venture capital firm that invests in the defining technology companies of tomorrow. They're one of the fastest growing VC firms in the world. 

In this episode he talks about his 15+ year investing experience. He talks about how they help early stage founders. He talks about the differences between American entrepreneurs and Indian entrepreneurs. Talks about the No1 mistake founders make after raising money and how he deals with startup failure. 

He talks about Web3, Metaverse, Fintech and ONDC.  Gives important advice if you want to become an investor.  And finally he talks about the importance of mentorship and gives great startup advice based on Aristotle's persuasion triangle (character,emotion, logic)

In this conversation we also talk about:

• His first year (2008) as a VC
• How many startups they invest in and how much
• How to help founders with the residency program.
• Values, vision and skills.
• Going global from day one
• Pitching advice (why you & why now?)
• The importance of building a global network.
• Validating ideas.
• Dealing with new technologies
• Being passionate but not emotional.

and much more!

links

https://www.antler.co/india

Check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities. Join for free for 1 month and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/en/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

India is expected to be home to 700 million gamers by 2025. So Today my guest Piyush Kumar, he is the Founder and CEO of Rooter.  A game streaming and E-Sports platform. Rooter has emerged as the largest player in the Indian gaming category, with close to 50 million downloads, making it the No. 1 app in the ‘sports’ category on the Google Play Store since October 2020. 

Rooter is at the perfect intersection of Gaming and Content surge in India. So he talks about how it got this off the ground. He talks about what your MVP should look like. Talks about hiring strategies and philosophies. Mistakes made in the early days. Talks about why the future of social networking is gaming. Talks about the business model & raising $25+Million. 

Talks about finding his co-founder via Twitter and talks about the E-Sports landscape in India including dealing with the parents! Talks about how to build a consumer app and pivoting. Gives some great book recommendations and finally he talks about why everyone should try entrepreneurship at least once in their life and much much more so please enjoy the show.

In this conversation we talk about:

• E-Sports in the Olympic games.
• Being an Esports player is becoming a respectable job.
• Stats
• Influencer marketing 
• Performance marketing
• Research.
• Can anyone be an entrepreneur?
• Book recommendation - How to build a billion dollar app.
• Advice for first time founders.
• Esports tournament. 

Links.

https://web.rooter.gg/

P.S

if you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more.

Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.

Try Premium free for 1 month.

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck.

 https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Sports tech and driving sports engagement. Today my guest is  Amit Purohit  CEO & founder of Fantasy Akhada, a fantasy sports platform that provides you with an opportunity to play Fantasy Cricket, Fantasy Football and Fantasy Kabaddi by using your sports knowledge and skill. 

So today he talks about building a hyper growth sports tech startup, going from the 181st fantasy app to being in the top 5 , amazing stuff. He talks about the USP - focusing on customer delight. Talks about marketing and why they focus on quality not volume. 

A great story about getting  legendary cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle into becoming a brand ambassador and investor with a cold email. Gives advice for first time founders and his primary role as a founder. Nearly giving up , raising finance and finally some fantasy sports do’s and don'ts for first time players.

In this conversation we talk about:

• Why didn't they go for a subpar cricketer to promote the brand.?
• Dealing with customer service calls  on New Year Eve
• Being an ex-Star Sports employee.
• Getting support from friends and family
• Being a very competitive market because of the Low barrier to entry
• Key learnings and customer feedback in the early days.
• What is the business model?
• Having all the skill sets to get this off the ground.
• Raising finance.
• Talks about the team.
• How fast are they growing?
• Stats and engagement so far.

Links

https://www.fantasyakhada.com/

P.S

if you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more.

Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.

Try Premium free for 1 month.

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Get your popcorn ready! Today my guest is Shalibhadra Shah, CEO & Co-founder of ABC Talkies. An online movie platform for filmmakers to submit  their  films and for cinema lovers to watch independent cinema on a pay-per-view model. 

He talks about what motivated him to get this off the ground and  what problem they are solving . He talks about how they add value to the filmmaker and talks about the business model & revenue streams including variable ticket pricing.  

He talks about being blessed with failure in the early days and keeping the faith.  Talks about the current state of the movie industry in India and the booming regional content in tier 2/3 cities.  And finally he talks about the time he spent working with PM Modi sharing some interesting tales and insights including the Modi masks  and much more .

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Having an interesting background in digital media
• leadership
• Digital consumption trends
• How it works & who owns the copyright. 
• Short film market is booming
• The team and hiring process.
• Huge amount of content not being monetized 
• Wanting to be the Youtube of Movies.
• Being a stepping stone 
• Favorite movies.

and much more

links

https://abctalkies.com/

P.S

if you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more.

Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.

Try Premium free for 1 month.

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Launching rockets into space! My guest is Srinath Ravichandran CEO & co-founder of Agnikul, a Chennai-based Indian aerospace manufacturer specialising in building launch vehicles capable of taking micro and nano-satellites to Low Earth Orbit, on-demand. 

He started as an outsider , working in finance but his heart was always in aerospace. In this episode he talks about the crazy amount of networking, cold calling professors and asking himself some existential questions to get this off the ground! 

He talks about going through the Airbus Incubator. Raising $11million in Series A funding. Talks about 3D technology, the business model. Great product milestones. Why India is the best place to build rockets. Talks about the Space Tech community in india. 

Thoughts on Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos endeavours. Talks about dealing with red tape & the government. He gives great advice on networking if you're a bit shy and finally he talks about why he thinks there is life on other planets and why it could be a good thing!

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Making the experience of going into space , like booking an Uber
• Meeting his co-founder playing cricket.
• Advice for first time founders.
• Personalising the building of the rocket.
• Advice on starting your own space tech startup.
• Educating investors using a 3 step process
• Dealing with the doubters. 
• Living close to SpaceX in the early days.
• Building the engine using 3D tech. 
• Why building a rocket company is like running a transportation business. 

And much more 

https://agnikul.in/#/

P.S

if you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more.

Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.

Try Premium free for 1 month.

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Transforming storytelling. Today my guest is Summit Nayak - Co-founder of Ekank. They are building a storytelling platform,   democratising non-fiction by bringing lost and forgotten history to the forefront. He talks about how they got this off the ground. 

Talks about ignoring the experts who told him not to build the product because it wasn't cool enough. But since launching  they have  13.8 million monthly active users, spending in total 74 million minutes on the app and have raised a cool $1million in funding. 

He talks about building the community, gives thoughts on product management. He talks about building a niche product. Why they are  different from other platforms. Talks about the creator economy and scaling too fast in the early days. Pitching & fundraising insights. Declining attention spans. Having a pool of creators & storytellers. And finally he shares his favourite stories (The Battle of Plassey)  and much more.

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Building a culture company
• What problem are they solving?
• Research & customer development
• Having a proven track record in building startups
• First impressions of his co-founder.
• Understanding what the market wants
• Is it pressure off or on after raising $
• Gamification
• Talking to the experts - William Dalrymple
• Business model
• Key metrics they focus on
• Why they invite creators
• Hiring/interview process

And much more 

https://www.ekank.com/

P.S

if you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more.

Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.

Try Premium free for 1 month.

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Disrupting the traditional fashion supply chain with digital intervention. Today my guest is Pawan Gupta.  Co-founder and CEO of Fashinza. They are digitising the supply chain to make it more efficient, transparent, fast, and sustainable. 

It all started with a trip to Jaipur the clothing manufacturing capital of India - not to talk about manufacturing but pain points. He will discuss what those pain points are! He talks about how they went from  building the MVP using WhatsApp, AirTable and Excel in 2020 to now being one of the biggest companies in the world in this sector. Amazing stuff!  

He talks about how they use technology (new and old)  to digitise the supply chain. Thoughts on scaling. How they work with brands and how they onboard customers. Talks about building trust in the early days. Dealing with fast fashion and ethical issues. Gives great  advice for first time entrepreneurs, Being 2x entrepreneur. 

Talks about having a successful exit. Talks about his 2 part hiring process. And finally he talks about NFT's  his sporting hero Sourav Ganguly and why you should think BIG!

In this conversation we talk about:

• How they connect customers, buyers and suppliers. 
• Growing 20% each month. 
• Digitising the shop floor.
• Personalised fashion being the next big thing.
• What motivates him?
• It's a data problem. Not tech or people problem
• What was his best day so far. 
• What will this company look like in 10 years time?
• Being a technology first company
• Providing real time data, to save costs and be more efficient. 
• Reducing rejection rate  on an assembly line from 20% to 3%

And much more!

Links

https://fashinza.com/

P.S

if you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.

Try Premium free for 1 month. 

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on

music by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@indianstartupshow

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV