The Spotlight

Join us for an enlightening episode featuring Binu Jacob, MD & CEO of Experion Technologies, as he recounts his extraordinary transition from aspiring professor to thriving entrepreneur in the product engineering services arena.   

Binu is the MD & CEO of Experion Technologies, a Global Product Engineering Services company offering enterprises future-ready and transformative digital solutions. He is a visionary with a proven track record for driving growth over his 30 years of professional experience.  

Akshay Datt, a serial entrepreneur having run ventures in Employability Training and hiring, is the host of "The Spotlight", presented by the Founder Thesis podcast. He has interviewed 400+ founders to date.

How do deep tech VCs pick future-defining startups in India? In this episode, we uncover the journey of Vishesh Rajaram, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Speciale Invest, a seed stage venture capital fund backing India’s most audacious deep tech entrepreneurs. From rockets to EVs to AI SaaS, this conversation dives into the mechanics of zero-to-one investing, portfolio discipline, and why deep tech is India’s next frontier.

Vishesh shares how personal experiences shaped his risk appetite, his decade-long apprenticeship at VentureEast, and the contrarian leap to start Speciale Invest with a focus on exponential rather than incremental innovation. He explains the philosophy behind investing in companies like Agnikul Cosmos, Ultraviolette, Seinler Robotics, and Rocketlane, and why early-stage VCs must operate like startups themselves. Hosted by Akshay Datt, this candid discussion is packed with lessons for founders, VCs, and startup enthusiasts navigating India’s evolving venture capital ecosystem.

• How Vishesh Rajaram built Speciale Invest into India’s deep tech VC
• Lessons from backing Agnikul Cosmos, Ultraviolette, Seinler and Rocketlane
• Secrets to portfolio construction and finding the 1 percent of investable startups
• Contrarian philosophy of exponential over incremental innovation
• The role of discipline, patience and risk appetite in venture capital
• Macro shifts driving India’s space, EV and AI startup ecosystem

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00:00 - Vishesh Rajaram journey into venture capital
05:20 - Founding story of Speciale Invest
13:10 - Portfolio construction and VC discipline explained
21:35 - Betting on India’s EV revolution with Ultraviolette
29:10 - Agnikul Cosmos and India’s space tech breakthrough
36:55 - Robotics, AI and exponential innovation bets
45:20 - Lessons from Rocketlane and SaaS investing
52:40 - Building a venture capital fund like a startup
59:30 - Advice to founders on when to raise VC

#VisheshRajaram #SpecialeInvest #DeepTechStartups #IndiaVentureCapital #AgnikulCosmos #Ultraviolette #Rocketlane #SeinlerRobotics #DeepTechVCIndia #SeedFundingIndia #SpaceTechIndia #EVStartupsIndia #AISaaSIndia #FounderThesis #AkshayDatt #StartupFundingIndia #ZeroToOneStartups #FutureOfDeepTech #IndiaStartupEcosystem

In this episode of The Spotlight, we delve into the world of air quality innovation with Dmitry, the visionary founder of Airvoice. This episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the transformative solutions Airvoice is pioneering to address air quality challenges in urban environments.

Dmitry shares his personal journey and how his experiences have shaped his passion for creating healthier indoor environments. He describes the "smell of freedom" he associates with his work and how it has influenced his decision to make this country his home for the next few years.

Listen to this episode as Dmitry, explains Airvoice's cutting-edge products, including advanced air filtration systems and indoor air quality monitors, designed to enhance both air quality and energy efficiency in buildings.

How did a Japanese investment banker turn into one of India’s most influential seed stage venture capitalists? In this episode of the Founder Thesis Podcast, Nao Murakami, Founder and General Partner of Incubate Fund Asia, shares his journey from Nomura to building one of the most active seed VC funds in India and Southeast Asia.

Nao recounts his move from Tokyo and New York to Delhi, the failure of his first startup, and the serendipitous meeting that led to launching Incubate Fund Asia. From backing early bets like ShopKirana, Captain Fresh, and Yulu to now co-running a 200 million dollar fintech growth fund with SMBC, Nao brings unique insights from Japan’s profitability-first culture to India’s dream-big ecosystem. In this candid conversation with Akshay Datt, he unpacks founder quality as the ultimate success factor, Japan-India cross border synergies, and the evolving exit landscape in Indian startups. This episode is a must-listen for founders, investors, and operators curious about the future of early stage venture capital in India.

Key highlights:

• How Nao Murakami transitioned from Nomura to founding Incubate Fund Asia
• Lessons from investing in ShopKirana, Captain Fresh, Yulu and Plum
• Insights on founder quality as the biggest driver of success in India
• How Japanese LPs and corporates are entering India through venture funds
• The changing Indian startup exit story from 2016 to today
• Sectors where Incubate Fund Asia is placing bold bets in 2025

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Follow us on LinkedIn (podm.in/ad) for exclusive content
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00:00 - Nao Murakami’s journey from Nomura to VC
02:20 - Launching Incubate Fund Asia in India
06:10 - Seed fund strategy and portfolio highlights
12:00 - Japanese vs Indian startup mindset
18:15 - Betting early on ShopKirana, Yulu and Captain Fresh
25:00 - Why founder quality drives success in India
31:20 - LPs from Japan entering Indian startup ecosystem
37:50 - The evolving exit landscape for Indian startups
44:40 - New bets in fintech, D2C, deeptech and greentech
51:10 - Nao’s advice for Indian founders looking at Japan

#NaoMurakami #IncubateFundAsia #FounderThesisPodcast #IndiaStartupEcosystem #SeedStageVC #VentureCapitalIndia #CaptainFresh #Yulu #ShopKirana #PlumInsurance #JapaneseVC #FintechIndia #FundingWinter #StartupExitsIndia #B2BCommerceIndia #EarlyStageInvesting #SMBCAsiaRisingFund #DeeptechIndia #EVStartupsIndia #D2CIndia

Inspired by his Gujarati family's business background, Kulin Shah of Onsurity, shares his entrepreneurial journey. His journey began during his college days, where he and a colleague attempted to start a business in exporting wedding cards and an EdTech platform, both unsuccessful.

In this episode he shares how he pivoted  from the early business ventures and his roles at Aditya Birla group and Reliance, Free Charge and Acko to create Onsurity, a holistic platform for health and wellness, including mental wellness plans, gym memberships, and insurance options.

Kulin shares his key learnings that helped him to understand the financial realities and  how he differentiated in a competitive market by adopting unique positioning strategies.

Listen to the episode to learn more about how Kulin built Onsurity.

Ghost kitchens are a hot trend in the food scene, and Karan Tanna, Founder and CEO of Ghost Kitchens, is here to guide you through it. Listen in to learn about how this former automobile engineer and successful F&B entrepreneur launched Ghost Kitchens after scaling and exiting two startups. In this episode, Karan reveals his exciting journey, offers insights into the franchising model and fulfillment partner program, discusses celebrity collaborations, and shares how he bounced back after being forced to shut down his kitchens during COVID.

Modern washrooms in airports and corporate offices have evolved into style statements, offering both an elegant look and an exceptional user experience.

In this episode, Viknesh Jain, CEO & MD of Euronics, shares how a chance brainstorming session with a distributor sparked the creation of India’s largest washroom automation brand.

With around 600 SKUs and ₹200 crores in revenue for the last financial year, discover how this bootstrapped company leveraged Bollywood celebrity endorsements, embraced technology to better understand customer needs, and capitalized on the surge in demand for automated accessories driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to VAMA, India's top astrology and mandir app, you can now experience the convenience of performing pooja, mandir darshan, and more, all from the comfort of your home.

In this episode, Manu Jain  discusses the opportunities and challenges within the Indian spirituality market, particularly emphasising how COVID-19 spurred the adoption of such virtual astrology and pooja services. Tune in to understand how VAMA is disrupting the conventional offline model of spiritual businesses, making it more easily accessible and convenient than ever before.

Have you ever wondered what happens to your smartphones and laptops and EV batteries after they hit their end of life or become faulty? Join us to discover how the passion and perseverance of two engineering students catalyzed the birth of India’s leading lithium-ion battery recycling startup, BatX Energies. Through innovative manufacturing processes and strategic initiatives, BatX Energies leads the industry in transforming old batteries into sustainable energy solutions. Tune in to explore their incredible journey and pioneering contributions to a cleaner, greener future.

How did Piyush Goenka turn two decades of private equity investing into the launch of Prath Ventures, one of India’s most disciplined early stage consumer funds? In this episode of the Founder Thesis Podcast, we dive deep into his journey of building consumer brands, backing founders with grit, and blending PE rigor with VC vision.

From his early days at First Global and Tano Capital to boardroom successes like Safari Industries and Jimmy’s Cocktail Mixers, Piyush shares how Prath Ventures is positioning itself as the go-to fund for India’s rising consumer economy. He explains why frugality, category passion, and capital efficiency matter more than vanity GMV, and why the next decade belongs to entrepreneurs who understand India’s discretionary consumption boom. Hosted by Akshay Datt, this candid conversation captures contrarian insights on how to scale consumer brands in an evolving market.

• How Piyush Goenka built Prath Ventures into a consumer-first VC fund
• Lessons from Safari Industries’ 100x journey in Indian luggage
• Why consumer brands need PE-style rigor in a VC world
• Insights into India’s discretionary spending and Gen Z consumption trends
• The future of consumer startups amidst funding winter and IPO boom
• What it takes to build a career in private equity and venture capital

Subscribe to the Founder Thesis Podcast
Follow us on LinkedIn (podm.in/ad) for exclusive content
Visit founderthesis.com for more founder stories

00:00 - Piyush Goenka’s journey to Prath Ventures
05:15 - From PE to VC, what changed
13:40 - Safari Industries 100x consumer growth story
22:55 - PE vs VC investing in India explained
31:30 - Why consumer startups must focus on frugality
40:20 - India’s discretionary consumption boom and Gen Z trends
48:45 - Building Assembly and Jimmy’s into breakout brands
57:30 - Career advice for aspiring VC and PE professionals

#PiyushGoenka #PrathVentures #FounderThesis #ConsumerStartupsIndia #VCfundingIndia #PrivateEquityIndia #SafariIndustries #JimmysCocktailMixers #HustleEnergyDrink #AssemblyLuggage #ConsumerVCIndia #CapitalEfficiencyStartups #IndianConsumptionGrowth #EarlyStageVCIndia #ConsumerBrandsFunding #FiresideVentures #SixthSenseVentures #IndiaIPO #FundingWinterIndia #VCcareersIndia