The Indian Startup Show

India's drone whizz kid Harshwardhan Zala is on the show today. He has built a drone that sniffs out landmines. So In this conversation we talk about how it all got started at the age of 9. Spending 6-8 hours in  a cyber cafe with his grandfather.  Being inspired  by a YouTube video where soldiers were trying to defuse a mine. Talks about the remarkable  journey from not being taken seriously to be mentioned in the speech by PM of Israel. Talks about working with the indian government and military. Talks about how they implement AI/Machine learning and GPS in the drone and how it all works. Talks about being invited to Silicon Valley, Talks about The early prototypes, accuracy rates, the successful demos and not so successful demos! Working with adults. Talks about the future of drones  . He then goes on to talk about burnout, and some insights on the drone community in India. And what makes a great developer. 

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Teaching engineering graduates at the age of 12 for extra pocket money
• Thoughts on being called a child prodigy/genius
• Completing 40+ projects by the age of 12
• The hardware,  software and design challenges.
• Dropping out of school
• How you can get started with hardware development
• Public perception of drones
• Not having enough drone parts in India.
• Great tips on staying focus
• The problem - 110 active mines buried around the world.
• Developing code in-house v open source
• When will it go live?

and much more

Links

https://www.aerobotics7.com/

P.S

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P.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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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

and finally ...PLEASE STAY SAFE!!

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

Don’t be a Vanity SaaS. Be a value SaaS business. Today my guest is Shekar Nair - Partner & co-founder of Upekkha a business accelerator for early stage SaaS startups.  They help founders build value based startups not vanity based startups. So he talks about why they focus on SaaS startups only. We talk about pricing strategies. Launching strategies &  getting your first customers. We talk about co-founder issues, setting up in Delaware, USA. Why is there no Microsoft equivalent in India yet? and who could it eventually be and finally what  he learned most about himself during lockdown .

in this conversation we also talk about:

• Developing the fundamentals of the SasS flywheel
• Growing fast
• What does Upekkha mean?
• Biggest insights do far
• Future of SAAS.
• Advice first time founders
• What are they looking for?
• What is a vanity SaaS business?
• Being a thought leader for SaaS based businesses in India.

and much more

links

https://www.upekkha.io/

P.S

Podcast Hosting Special Offer for Indian Startup Show Listeners.

50% Off Your First Two Months on Simplecast

subscribe with the promo code ONSIMPLECAST  below

https://simplecast.com?fp_ref=neil34

P.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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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

and finally ...PLEASE STAY SAFE!!

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

 I speak to Yashika Shah the co-founder of Nandoo. Nandoo is India's only FUN health & wellness startup. Since launching they already have 200,000 members. So in this episode she talks about how it all works. You will learn how she manages a full time job working in investment banking, while working on this startup. Being married to the co-founder. She talks about building a community & targeting stressed out Indian millennials and find out how many minutes you need to walk to get an IPhone!

In this episode we also talk about:

• 4.30AM starts!
• Taking fun seriously! Today
• How they went from 0-200,000 in under 6 months
• Future business models
• Indian marketing strategies - what worked, & what didn't work
• Work life balance

Next up I Rajiv Talreja India’s Leading Business Coach and is the author of the International Bestseller called – “Lead or Bleed” So in this episode You will learn how to stand out from the competition. Mistakes entrepreneurs make. Examples of core strategies that you can use in your business. And why the customer is not the king! 

in this conversation we also talk about:

• Having a strict father
• Being in debt
• "If you don't lead in your business you will bleed!" 
• Two failed businesses.
• Anyone who has scaled a business is not the most intelligent person on the team.
• Spirituality.
• Business heroes
• Being a selfish cricketer
• Being a freak of work life balance.
• Living an 'And' life not an 'Or' life
• TedX talk
• Why self employment is a trap.

Next up Akshaara Lalwani founder of Communicate India one of the fastest growing Marketing and PR companies in India. She started this business from her bedroom age 23 and now in the 10th year employs over 100 people has clients around the world and won a number of awards. So in this episode she talks about her amazing journey. Some of her favourite PR campaigns - including flying pizzas. You will learn about client relationships and how she measures success , and dealing with crisis management and finally some chat about Margaret Thatcher , sushi , Will Smith, Tequila, insects and eating pizza 14 days in row!

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Challenging first year
• Growing 150% in the last year
• 'You can't please everyone - Not even chocolate can!'
• Getting a pizza delivered by a drone!
• The dream company she would like to work with.
• Being careful of how you use social influencers
• Establishing a 90:10 gender ratio
• Learning on the job
• What she has learned as a female entrepreneur
• Being called the Margaret Thatcher of the PR industry
• Expecting the worst not the best

And Finally Venk Potula. Venk is an award-winning Indian-American filmmaker and actor, producer & creator of the new Indian-American fiction podcast called Masala Jones. A subversive and daring new comedy about one man's journey to become the world's first Indian-American adult actor. Venk talks about his life in Hollywood as an Indian-American , how he come up with idea. his entrepreneurial spirit. An amazing story of how he got discovered. What fame is really like and what comes with it. His dream role. We go through his IMDB appearing in VEEP and finally a great story about playing a zombie (make sure your not eating anything!)

in this conversation we also talk about

• How much research did he do?
• Working with hall of fame AVN actress Aurora Snow
• Virtual Reality in the theater
• Appearing on Veep was he star struck?
• Time spent at UCLA
• Hollywood parties
• Stay out of L.A!
• Making money in the entertainment business
• Taking acting classes - Running around staring at walls
• Being a hustler

P.S

Big News I am starting a production company creating Indian based dramas documentaries & animation shows package them up for multicultural audiences around the world. So if you are writer ,scriptwriter, producer animators or know someone who is or has an original and interesting story tell or want to pitch me your concepts Then get in touch and we can turn this into the next big Netflix / Amazon Prime show. Please get in touch , 

P.P.S

Podcast Hosting Special Offer for Indian Startup Show Listeners.

50% Off Your First Two Months on Simplecast

subscribe with the promo code ONSIMPLECAST  below

https://simplecast.com?fp_ref=neil34

P.P.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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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

and finally ...PLEASE STAY SAFE!!

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

Minakshi started with an Excel spreadsheet back in 2006. And this year has recently been awarded the best bar in  India , and in Asia’s  50 best bars list of 2020. Amazing achievement considering women working in bars is extremely uncommon. it's a bit  of a  taboo subject. So she talks about how she overcame those challenges. She talks about finding her passion, Working 14-15 hours a day. She  reveals how she got  people in India to drink an Old Fashioned & Whisky Sour’s! What she learned about herself during  lockdown. We talk about  indian’s complicated relationship with alcohol.  And finally she shares her secrets to making a great cocktail. It's truly an amazing story and one that will inspire you as well.

in this conversation we also talk about:

• How she came up with concepts and themes
• Building a bar from scratch or buying an established business.
• Non alcoholic v alcoholic cocktails
• Favorite cocktails.
• Dealing with the lockdown.
• Getting an adrenaline rush from bartending 
• Why being a bartender is similar to giving a theatre performance .
• Not taking it too seriously
• Dealing with bureaucracy 
• Advice on building your own bar,
• Getting women into the industry

Links

https://sidecarbarindia.com/

P.S

Podcast Hosting Special Offer for Indian Startup Show Listeners.

50% Off Your First Two Months on Simplecast

subscribe with the promo code ONSIMPLECAST  below

https://simplecast.com?fp_ref=neil34

P.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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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

Vivek Bajaj is back on the show! He is co-founder of StockEdge & Elearnmarkets.com. He appeared back in August 2016 (EP39) and since then his app has gone from 50K downloads to 1.5million downloads. And has gone from employing 25 staff to over 140 staff. So in this episode he talks about how they have scaled the operation.  Talks about finding great business partners. Thoughts on the current stock market, Common mistakes first time investors make. Shares formulas for investing including the ‘10 10 10’ rule. Talks about his best investments and worst. Why Reliance stock is a ‘buy’. Why he doesn't invest in Bitcoin. Talks about raising finance. Gives great advice for entrepreneurs And finally the most important lesson about money he has learned so far! 

in this conversation we talk about:

• Revenue stats so far
• What problem are they solving
• Which product makes most revenue?
• Are they still a startup?
• Dealing with the big losses
• Never comprising on sleep
• Why you shouldn't just look at the price of a stock
• Using you gut/intuition  picking stocks
• The importance of interest rates on the stock market
• What is going to happen  to the stock market in the next 6 months
• Thoughts on robo advisors
• Why your tech product should always be in 'beta'

And much more!

Links 

https://twitter.com/vivbajaj

P.S

Podcast Hosting Special Offer for Indian Startup Show Listeners.

50% Off Your First Two Months on Simplecast

subscribe with the promo code ONSIMPLECAST  below

https://simplecast.com?fp_ref=neil34

P.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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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

If sex sells, why is it so difficult to make money? Well today we are going to find out! I speak to Shakun Sethi  founder of Tickle.life - The world's first community based discovery platform for sexual wellbeing and sexuality.She talks about her desire to build this. She goes in depth about building not one but two MVP and spending a year visiting over 100 sex toy shops for research. She talks about getting user feedback, using the sprint model. What metrics they use and the design issues faced. She talks about what really matters when building a community from scratch. She talks about the Indian market. And finally she talks about how to improve your EQ.

In this episode we talk about:

• What are the users needs
• getting 5k people to download the app with marketing.
• Indian customers being ready but still having reservations
• What she learned from her first startup
• Having a therapist
• why she gets DM's but no RT's! 
• Failure is ok!
• Building a discovery platform not a social network
• Her leadership style
• Idea V Execution
• What she googled before telling her parents!

Links

https://www.tickle.life/

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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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

I catch up with Dr Siddharth Manvati, co-founder of Clear Meat. He came on the podcast last year (EP125)  And a lot has changed since we last spoke. He finally talks about the magical moment he finally tasted the first product. He talks about the science behind evaluating taste and  smell. The economics of making lab based chicken. Talks about raising finance. Talks about proof of concepts,  having 14 sleepless nights , why they are moving from the Indian market to the global markets.  When will this be available to the general public? And how they plan to scale the company.

In this conversation we talk about:-

• shifting from the lab to industry.
• Plant based v  cell based thoughts
• What does it taste like?
• Why they not ready to start branding yet
• How they hire scientists
• Not being a salesperson
• Thoughts on the China market
• Chicken nuggets chat. 
• What does the law say?
• An update on what we will be eating  & drinking in 100 years time! 

and much More

links

https://www.clearmeat.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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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

Indians don't pay for news! Well they do and today my guest is Abhinandan Sekhri, co-founder of Newslaundry,  a news, current affairs & media analysis organisation. They are building an alternative news model , so in  this episode he talks about building this high risk venture. Old media & new media business models. Not being dependent on eyeballs. Find out which newspaper is worth reading. Dealing with Twitter trolls. Govt interference in the news. Thoughts on  PM Modi, Arnab Goswami and what kept him going in the early days. And why the  'self made man' is a  myth. Finally we talk about his experience of directing/producing  Highway On My plate , the award winning travel and food program. 

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Subscription stats
• How he got started
• Mistakes made
• The culture of paying for news
• Advice on building your own media company
• What questions would he ask PM Modi
• Working on a piece about the Delhi riots
• Great food experiences & not so great food experiences.
• Podcast recommendations

and much more 

links

https://www.newslaundry.com/

P,S

I am producing a brand new indian comedy drama called he 'The Great indian Startup' Check out the first episode now! 

Rajeev quits his boring corporate job to start his own venture on comic books with his two friends Veronica and Siddharth. The plot revolves around various issues the entrepreneur faces in starting up - conflicts with girlfriend, family, fundraising, hiring, scaling. Original Scripted Comedy Drama coming soon!

https://soundcloud.com/indianstartupshow/new-updated-version-the-great-indian-startup-ep1

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

The Indian e-sport scene is booming. So today I speak to Yash Pariani co-founder of The Indian Gaming League. IGL is India’s most popular competitive gaming and esports league that hosts gaming tournaments online and they are growing fast!  IGL hosts daily online tournaments and battle royales across all your favourite game titles like Call of Duty Mobile, Fortnite, Dota 2, Fifa 20, 8-Ball pool, Clash Royale, Pubg and many more. So in this episode he talks about how he is creating an infrastructure for Indian gamers. Talks about building trust within the community. How demonetisation helped the esports industry in India. Talks about esports as a respectable career.and finally he talks about Steve Jobs, dealing with concerned parents and dealing with cheats!

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Stats so far
• Key learnings as an entrepreneur
• Why Fortnite became a hit game
• What you need to be a top esports player?
• Streaming games
• Esports v traditional sports
• Will it become an Olympic event
• Offline tournaments v online tournaments
• how much can you win?
• Thoughts on starting your own Esports team
• Female E-gamers
• Seeking challenges

links 

https://www.iglnetwork.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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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

W.V. Raman’s vast experience as a player and coach at the top level will provide wonderful learnings on how to achieve one’s potential in all walks of life.  - Sachin Tendulkar.   Today  I speak with Mr W V  Raman - Former test match cricketer ,  and coach of the indian women's team. We talk about his book The Winning Sixer , leadership lessons to master. He talks about how anyone can be a leader. He talks about building credibility. Biggest mistakes leaders make. He talks about  life changing advice from a non-cricketer which led him to break all records in 88-89 season and  scoring one of the best knocks overseas by an indian batsman. Talks about dealing with the pressure of playing for India. Nasser Hussain's perceptions on the Indian touring sides in the 1990's and how S.Ganguly changed it. Thoughts on the winner takes all 'mentality' and finally we talk about his current coaching career .

In this conversation we also talk about:

• Dealing with Sledging
• Getting bowled out for 66 in Durban
• Do you have to be selfish to be a top cricketer?
• Going back to school
• Listening to talking ratios
• Talks about underrated Indian cricket players
• How he got his big break as a top order batsman
• Facing a prime Allan Donald!
• Life in the dressing room

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 2 months and access all my classes!

https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatel

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