The Neon Show

Harish Bhat spent 38 years with the Tata Group, working across businesses that reach millions of Indians every day, including Titan, Tanishq, and Tata Tea.

He joins Neon Show for a 3rd time and reflects on what it meant to build inside a 150+ year-old institution. The conversation begins in 1991, the year Ratan Tata took over as Chairman, a role he would hold for 21 years. Harish explains how Ratan Tata prepared Tata Sons at a time when the Indian economy was opening up and competition was changing rapidly.

We discuss landmark moments in the group’s history, including the Tetley acquisition in 2000, the first time an Indian company acquired a major global consumer brand. Harish shares how this decision transformed not only the Tata Group’s mindset but also the way ambitious Indian businesses think about their potential.

Harish speaks about Ratan Tata not as a distant icon, but as a leader he worked closely with. He shares stories of how decisions were made, how conflicts were handled, and why dignity, compassion, and keeping one’s word were always non-negotiable for Ratan Tata.

The conversation also draws from his book Doing the Right Thing, where he transfers these experiences into practical lessons on leadership shaped over decades.

https://www.amazon.in/Doing-Right-Thing-Bestselling-Tatastories/dp/0143479857

00:00 — Trailer
01:07 — Paying tribute to Mr. Ratan Tata
05:53 — The Tata family legacy
06:53 — Early childhood and education of Ratan Tata
07:48 — The decision to return to India
08:44 — How Ratan Tata prepared the Group for a liberalised economy
14:35 — How Tata Sons became a global business
16:45 — The $450 million Tetley acquisition
20:08 — Tata Group’s acquisition of Global Brands
23:33 — A visionary leader who chose to remain deeply private
25:04 — How Ratan Tata dealt with Conflict
28:58 — Dignity above all
31:29 — The only concern on renovation of Bombay House
34:41 — How the Tata Group gives back to Mumbai
39:44 — Four lessons from Ratan Tata’s Life
42:50 — The deeper purpose that drives the Tata Group
44:45 — Emotional gestures that speak to people’s hearts
48:45 — Ratan Tata as a philanthropist
51:26 — A life guided by the principle: “Do the right thing”
53:06 — The story behind the book

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India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.

Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.

-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7

-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

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Founders are often seen as superhumans. In this new series, we look at the humans behind the superhuman journey. The thrill of building, the guilt of missing out, the learnings, the failures, and why they still do it and would do it all over again.

Arpita is a second-time founder, now building Mysa. Her first startup, Mech Mocha, was acquired by Flipkart. Ananda is the Co-Founder and CTO of Astra Security. They are building in two different spaces, finance and cybersecurity, but the journeys are similar, that of a founder.

This is an unfiltered conversation between two founders about what building a company really looks like: the choices they didn’t make, the people who bet on them early, and how their identities, relationships, and sense of self changed along the way.

This episode is for anyone who is building, thinking of building, or simply curious about what being a founder really feels like.

0:00 – Becoming a Founder in 20s
05:10 – The odd realities of being a founder young
07:51 – Placements we got, but never took
10:56 – Learning to ask for help as founders
16:39 – The people who bet on you early
23:05 – Co-founder dynamics as life partners
25:40 – Handling co-founder conflict
27:21 – Making it to Forbes 30 Under 30
31:54 – How the PM award helped during house-hunting
34:10 – Being a Topper is Not Important anymore
35:45 – How close should founders be to their teams?
37:40 – Why advice hasn’t worked much for me
39:27 – Getting addicted to the thrill of being a founder
41:27 – When a founder’s identity becomes tied to their company
43:18 – Setting boundaries as founders
43:40 – Why I don’t share my Instagram with my team
44:07 – Realising that your team may not be forever
49:10 – Startups are marathons, not sprints
50:24 – Why founders need to be humanized
53:43 – Living life in the limelight as a founder
57:55 – Why work friends often don’t exist for founders
59:09 – Would you do it all over again?
01:01:36 – How family react when one decides to be a founder?
01:02:32 – Is it easier the second time as a founder?
01:03:27 – Why not knowing was actually a gift

-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.

Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

Send us Fan Mail

In 1992, Roopa Kudva walked into CRISIL’s CEO Pradeep Shah’s office without an appointment, starting her 23-year career there. She spent over two decades at CRISIL, rising from analyst to CEO. 

Roopa has spent over 3 decades in leadership roles in India and has witnessed three key phases in India’s growth: the closed economy in the 80s, the post-liberalisation era, and the rise of tech entrepreneurs.

She shares bold decisions that defined her journey. Like when she proposed to the then CRISIL CEO to create the Chief Ratings Officer role and pitched herself for it. She got the role, which set her on the path to becoming CEO. We also discuss the leaders who shaped her thinking, K.V. Kamath of ICICI, Piyush Gupta of DBS, and Katharine Graham of the Washington Post.

Throughout the conversation, Roopa returns to one idea: there is no single leadership style or fixed playbook. Her journey shows how ambition and initiative to act at the right moment can define a career and the organizations one builds along the way.

0:00 —Trailer
01:21 — IIM to IDBI
03:54 — Work Culture in the 80s
05:58 — Rise of New-Age Companies
06:55 — The Aha Moment of Leadership View
08:52 — Leaving CRISIL After 23 Years
10:49 — Choosing Omidyar & Impact Investing
16:03 — India’s Evolving Risk Appetite
20:40 — Deciding the Next Career Move
26:08 — How She Got the CRISIL Job
31:09 — Asking for the CRO Role
35:48 — Promotions Are Bets on the Future
37:37 — The Leader Who Changed Her Philosophy
43:40 — ICICI as a Women-CEO Factory
45:36 — What Holds Women Back from Rising
51:38 — DBS: The Piyush Gupta Transformation
55:06 — Entrepreneurs for the Next Half Billion
1:02:47 — The New Indian Founder Profile
-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.
What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Most conversations in startups begin at zero: what’s the idea, who’s the customer, how big is the market. But the stage before that, when you know you’re ready to be a founder yet the direction is still completely undefined. That strange, uncomfortable, high-potential zone Aditya Agarwal calls “minus one.”

In this episode, Aditya and Prateek Mehta breaks down what happens in this “figuring out” stage. The questions people avoid, the habits that matter, and why some of the best companies begin long before their founders have any conviction.

We get into how this stage is evolving in the AI era. Exploration cycles are faster, technical founders can test more directions than ever, and the gap between “I’m experimenting” and “I’m running a real company” has narrowed. India’s builder ecosystem is shifting too: more second-time founders, more people with real outcomes behind them, and far more comfort sitting with ambiguity.

Aditya shares his own minus-one moment after Facebook, his startup acquisition, Dropbox’s IPO, and Flipkart, and why that transitional period changed the way he thinks about early-stage startups. Prateek brings on-the-ground view from Bangalore, where ambition, technical depth, and the appetite to explore hard problems from robotics to voice models to AI infra are rising.

This episode is for anyone who feels they’re between missions. Anyone who wants to understand why the most important part of building a company might actually be the time you spend before you even know what you’re building.

00:00- Trailer
01:06- Aditya’s journey to starting SPC after Facebook & Dropbox 
03:48- A “learning club” for people in figuring-out stage
06:23- 3 Northstars of the SPC community
07:02- How SPC evolved from a community to a fund
10:32- Not everyone should be a founder
11:51- 1% selection rate
13:53- Building conviction in 1 of 3 outcomes
16:36- SPC is at PMF stage
18:38- Mismatch of traditional VC’s v/s rapid pace startups
19:04- How AI has impacted investing at SPC
26:32- How AI has changed VC firms
29:02- Axis of curiosity replacing thesis
30:17- Star Companies of SPC US
33:34- Binny Bansal’s role in starting SPC India
37:16- Questions & confusions as founders in early stage
39:50- Number of great entrepreneurs is NOT small
41:49- Talent density in India vs Bay Area
44:04- Founders don't need a culture of permission
45:08- India tier 2 and 3 does invest heavily in AI
46:11- AI is truly democratizing tech
49:09- Math gives India advantage in AI
51:48- A lot of science fiction is coming true

-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.

-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7

-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

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If you’re a startup selling to enterprises, understanding how a CIO discovers and evaluates you can change everything. 

Most founders believe that cold emails and polished decks drive attention, but Karthik Chakkarapani, CIO of Zuora shares that nearly 80% of the startups he evaluates are found through outbound - while researching solutions, through peers, or even on LinkedIn. For many startups, this alone can reshape how they think about go-to-market.

How does an enterprise decide whether to buy from a startup or not? Karthik walks us through Zuora’s three-step buying process. It starts with understanding the problem the startup solves and how quickly the product can show value. If the early signals are strong, the next step is a deeper look at ROI, integration, security and whether the company is mature enough to be a long-term partner. The final stage is legal and procurement, which is where many early-stage startups slow down.

If you’re building a startup, this episode offers a practical look into how CIOs think, how they make decisions and what it really takes to go from a first conversation to a signed contract.

0:00 – Trailer
0:53 – Buying process of startups
05:19 – How Zuora’s SaaS portfolio looked 2 years ago
09:00 – Inbound vs outbound
10:53 – How initial contact with potential customers works
13:34 – Startups should be thought partners
16:57 – How long it takes to create value for customers
19:59 – Where startups draw the line in growth vs efficiency
23:06 – Top 5 largest spends
24:01 – Why only 1-year contracts for new AI startups?
26:12 – Why legal & procurement struggle to understand startups
29:46 – 20% of portfolio is 0–5 year old companies
30:46 – Are startups not backed by VCs a red flag?
34:29 – 60% in growth + 40% in day-to-day
37:42 – Learnings from peer CIOs
41:38 – Featurely: Case Study
45:14 – Atomicwork: Case Study
46:55 – Trupeer: Case Study
47:51 – How Zuora uses OpenAI & Anthropic
49:39 – How AI is helping personal productivity
51:26 – How agents will be managed
54:02 – Number of SaaS apps will go down, agents will go up
55:45 – Building the right security for AI
56:31 – India vs US: where founders are building from

-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.

-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7

-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

Send us Fan Mail

After 20+ years at some of the most important Silicon Valley tech companies like Yahoo, LinkedIn, Oracle, Informix and NerdWallet, Bhaskar today leads investment of enterprise infrastructure companies at 8 VC.

Bhaskar Ghosh spent 20+ years at some of the most important Silicon Valley tech companies before moving into venture capital as a Partner at 8VC.

After completing his PhD in computer science from Yale, he worked across Yahoo, LinkedIn, Oracle, Informix and NerdWallet. He brings this experience to founders building the next generation of enterprise infrastructure companies.

In this episode Bhaskar explains how IT services are being reimagined for India, a country that over the last 25 years turned its skilled workforce into a global services engine. We discuss the shift happening inside workflows most people do not think about: mid-office ops, call centers, insurance, travel and HR. These are areas where thousands of people move information every day, and where AI is now good enough to take over entire workflows.

Bhaskar talks about the founders already building in this space, including those buying traditional services companies and rebuilding them with AI at the core. He also explains why this new wave will not behave, scale or be valued like SaaS, because this is no longer pure software. It is the reinvention of services.

If you are a founder making engineering decisions, someone curious about the less visible layers of software, or interested in people who move technology forward, this conversation with Bhaskar is for you.

00:00 –Trailer
03:03 – How India will reimagine IT services (TCS, Infosys)
04:32 – “why now” of services
06:07 – How unstructured data became easier to handle?
07:53 – What LLMs can do today with high precision
10:35 – Use of GenAI will increase margins in services
11:54 – Front & mid offices will become more productive and lean
14:30 – Will a pure services business scale anymore?
15:55 – Legacy service businesses + AI-first software
20:04 – Real challenge to operate and scale such businesses
20:33 – 3 reasons on why SaaS companies get higher multiples?
22:06 – Network-effect players win big in SaaS
24:18 – Replacing software v/s replacing services
26:16 – Business without inherent network effects (yet)
28:22 – Is AI unlocking TAM larger than Software era?
30:57 – How prosperity of a country influences growth of Co’s
32:50 – India’s tech talent is key to India-US corridor
39:36 – Deeply disruptive AI Co’s will come from India
43:04 – How new-age AI services companies of India should grow in US?
44:39 – Current BPOs have an unfair advantage
47:21 – Will older BPOs understand the importance of AI?
49:22 – A Moat in outcome-based pricing can replace old businesses
51:50 – Has the US ever been sensitive to cost?
55:23 – The new AI-enabled services have a Palantir-risk flavour
58:47 – Where to build when model Co’s eat forward & backward revenue?
01:06:10 – What type of founding teams are needed?
01:08:10 – How founders think about GTM is changing

-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
Link

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130 IPOs from over 400 startups. IVP is now in its 18th fund, with companies like Perplexity, Glean, Slack, Figma, Twitter, Uber, and Abridge in its portfolio. Somesh Dash, general partner at the 45-year-old firm, has been part of IVP for more than 20 years.

We start with something we are both passionate about, building in the US-India corridor. Somesh talks about the group of people who put the silicon in Silicon Valley, the immigrants. From Andy Grove to Elon Musk to Chennai-born Aravind Srinivas.

He recalls the first time he met Aravind at a WeWork, when Perplexity had just 20 employees and a beta product or how Dylan (Founder of Figma) had the vision nobody else had on the future of design, way before ai. The early signals Somesh saw in these founders, long before any signs of massive success were visible. He also talks about the companies they missed, giants like DoorDash, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

Though this seasoned investor truly believes in AI, he says the sector is due for a correction. The bubble will burst. Most Gen 1.0 AI companies are unlikely to reach billion-dollar valuations or go public. But as always in tech, the lessons from this first wave will shape Gen 2.0 companies. And the teams that understand and adapt from this early wave will build the next generation of successful AI companies. 

Also, when the bubble bursts, that's the time to invest. Why?
Somesh Dash shares in this episode.

0:00 – Trailer
1:12 – Immigrants who built Silicon Valley
4:27 – India’s incredible contribution to the Valley
5:30 – How the India–US friction will actually help
6:29 – What’s at stake for both countries
10:42 – Where India stands in AI
11:45 – First meeting with Aravind Srinivas
13:47 – Why IVP invested in Perplexity two years ago
17:11 – In AI, don’t take product–market fit for granted
18:43 – Courage to fail & double down on early wins
19:36 – Why multiple investors on a cap table isn’t bad
22:14 – How IVP invested in Figma
24:28 – IPO is a milestone, not the end
25:56 – Why US public markets are not overvalued
27:50 – How a VC defines startup success
31:08 – The best thing about failed startups
32:12 – Why IVP missed DoorDash
34:54 – How IVP decides to invest or pass
38:27 – The doctor who builds tech
45:05 – Future of Content is honesty and vulnerability
47:11 – Meeting OpenAI & Anthropic in the early days
48:52 – AI “startups” with capex the size of nations
49:53 – The power law in venture capital
50:45 – Why we’re close to an AI correction
54:11 – Gen 2.0 startups are built on Gen 1.0 foundations
56:45 – Will the AI bubble burst?
1:01:32 – Do high valuations during peaks still make sense?
1:05:04 – What keeps IVP strong for five decades
1:08:11 – The Co’s making IVP more bullish on India–US corridor

-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.

-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7

-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advi

Send us Fan Mail

When Shreesha Ramdas left Medallia after a $6.5B acquisition he decided it was time to reinvent.

At his 4th startup Lumber, before writing a single line of code, he hired a sales person and ran 200+ interviews across the industry to understand the real pain points. The interviews gave Shreesha the insight that though payments were a problem, it was neither big enough nor urgent. 

But it was very difficult to hire workers, and even more difficult to retain skilled craft workers. In the U.S alone 41% of construction workers will retire in the next six years, leaving a massive gap in talent and experience. As a big believer in vitamin vs. painkiller, Shreesha is now building where the pain is deepest. 

We discuss what truly needs to happen before building a startup, the foundation that will shape everything that follows. From his days at Yodlee during the dot-com boom to leading StrikeDeck and selling it to Medallia, he is now building again with clarity and intent for one of the most traditional industries: construction.  

But here’s one thing that probably tells you more about Shreesha than the companies he has built and scaled. He said, “My heart beats for other founders. Startup is my world, this community is my tribe.”

0:00 – Trailer
1:04 – Why build tech for Construction industry?
3:54 – 200+ interviews to find the real customer pain
5:05 – Big believer in Vitamin vs. Painkiller
6:25 – The 2 core problems in this industry
7:02 – Repeat founders Know structure better
7:42 – First startup during the dot-com boom
8:29 – Bay Area is Disney Land for tech founders
9:23 – From engineering → sales → marketing
10:37 – Founders should trust the team, above everything
11:55 – The survey company that banned “survey”
12:17 – First startup was all about me; now it’s all about team
13:57 – Dream big, but execute in small steps
15:47 – The cost of speed in startups
16:18 – I’m a marketing-first CEO
17:27 – Hire a salesperson before the product exists
18:17 – Is Founder-led selling good or bad?
19:37 – Mean, lean & go all in
23:55 – Don’t bring humility to storytelling
27:25 – How the story should evolve as startups scale
35:30 – How Lumber will challenge giants in construction
38:53 – Do repeat founders build more in verticals?
43:39 – How to hire right people from traditional industries
44:29 – What wealth unlocked for Shreesha
45:34 – Legacy is moving the industry forward
46:38 – What the next 20 years mean for software founders
49:18 – AI should remove soul-draining work
51:19 – “My heartbeats for other founders”

-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.

-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7

-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

Send us Fan Mail

You rarely meet someone who has built and sold five companies. Sachin Aggarwal is now building his sixth, Stackgen. 

The depth of lessons from someone who has been through that journey five times and still chooses to build again is simply unmatched. Even after five successful exits, he still builds like a first-time founder. He studies every new domain from scratch, speaks to 60 or 70 people before committing to an idea, and surrounds himself with people who are smarter than him. 

What stood out most is his mindset. That is what truly sets him apart. We have always been told that time is money, but he believes timing is money. Founders should time everything, including their exits because the best startups are always bought, not sold. 

From building his first company during the Asian Financial Crisis in Indonesia, to creating a healthcare startup that grew with Obamacare, to pioneering cloud security before it became mainstream, Sachin has mastered the art of timing. 

0:00 – Trailer
0:46 – From KPMG to becoming an entrepreneur
2:05 – Why the best startups are bought, not sold
4:30 – Does luck play a role in repeated success?
5:24 – Why is timing money?
6:46 – Exit at $8M ARR in just 18 months
8:10 – The first exit that gave financial freedom
10:14 – 26-year-old who bought an Indonesian Co.
12:42 – What drives repeat founders?
13:53 – Co’s are either Born secure or they’re not
19:40 – Founders must master timing
21:24 – How tech-savvy should a tech founder really be?
22:35 – The right way to time your exits
27:07 – How to observe new markets to build?
28:30 – The process behind starting a company
29:32 – How to find the right co-founders?
31:53 – What really builds trust?
33:05 – What founders learn building across industries
35:25 – How Stackgen’s founders met
43:36 – Industries with the best Timing today
44:41 – Where should young founders build?
48:06 – Winning InMobi as a customer
51:11 – What AI agents are doing at Stackgen
55:14 – How Stackgen could be a billion-dollar opportunity?=

-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.

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Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
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Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7

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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

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India is the 2nd largest startup ecosystem now. But, can it be at par with Silicon Valley?

With 37 years of experience in the valley, Avanish sahai believes it can. But what made Silicon Valley the ultimate startup ecosystem? It was investors, universities and an environment where people dreamed to come live and work. And, in the last 25 years India has been going through the same transformation. And the changes are nothing short of  admirable.

Avanish started his career from a Mckinsey office in 1999 which ideated India’s software dream,  with policy changes the country needed to lead in Technology. Since then, he’s held senior roles at Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Google Cloud, and served on HubSpot’s board through its journey from $500M to $2B.

Avanish talks with great passion about startups that are disrupting the world today, taking lessons from small companies that took over legends who were believed to be indestructible. Even with all the hype around AI, Avanish reminds us that ultimately it's all about people. 

0:00 – Trailer
1:13 – 37 years in Silicon Valley
2:33 – McKinsey’s “Vision 2020” for India (in 1980)
7:30 – When only $8 was allowed for migrants to the U.S.?
9:48 – “India is the ultimate definition of a startup ecosystem”
11:30 – How openness to the world has changed India
13:08 – India’s tech stack should go global
14:09 – Why “India is hot” right now
17:41 – Global disruptors building for the world
19:48 – Think big and fail often
24:09 – HubSpot: Single product → multi-product → platform
27:11 – How today’s startups can compete with legends
30:45 – Salesforce had APIs from day one (in 1999)
35:51 – How AI is redefining Legends vs. startups
41:51 – Life as a Stanford DCI fellow
42:53 – How should the world adapt for 20–25 extra years?
45:29 – How to spot the right wave and players in Career
45:16 – Get mentors, stay curious, and take risks
48:00 – Why it’s still all about PEOPLE
51:53 – How AI could disrupt vertical SaaS industries

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India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.
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Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

Send us Fan Mail