The Termsheet Podcast

Imagine a network of over 100,000 kirana stores doubling as hubs to supply goods to other kirana stores and consumers directly. This allows FMCG brands and eCommerce platforms to directly access millions of rural consumers without having to invest heavily in distribution networks. This is exactly what ElasticRun has achieved. Today almost all top FMCG brands work with ElasticRun to distribute their products to the remotest regions of the country. I spoke with Sandeep Deshmukh the co-founder and CEO of ElasticRun about his journey so far. 

Also, catch a sneak peek into CloudPhysician, an early stage healthcare startup providing a smart ICU solution. CloudPhysician is founded by Dr. Dhruv Joshi & Dr. Dileep Raman.

You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com. Intro music by Andy Slatter. Additional background music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au 

True grit is the phrase that comes to my mind when I am asked to describe PC Musthafa. His story is truly a rags to riches one and a testament to his perseverance and never quit attitude. How else would one describe somebody who went from being a daily wage laborer to an IIM graduate to building a company that is worth INR 1500 crore.

But, the story of ID Fresh Food in itself is a very special one too. To standardize and organize the Indian breakfast market by introducing pre-packaged Idli Dosa batter is truly disruptive. It seems very obvious now but as an idea many have dismissed it and even ridiculed it. As with many disruptive ideas it takes a visionary to visualize and execute it. 

On today’s show PC traces his journey from being a school dropout who was struggling to get three meals a day to becoming Breakfast King of India.

You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com. Intro music by Andy Slatter. Additional background music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au 

Some startups disrupt the incumbents and some are category creators. Healthkart and Muslceblaze belong to the latter. In just 10 years Sameer Maheshwari, Founder & CEO of Healthkart successfully created a giant in nutrition market. 

Until 2010 when he started out nutrition supplements as a category barely saw any product innovation. For a young nation that has taken a fancy to working out and physical fitness, there was an unhealthy choice between expensive imports and harmful knockoffs. And this has changed now, thanks in no small part to Healthkart & Muscleblaze. Today Healthkart is a company with revenues exceeding INR 250 crores a year and a 20% marketshare.  

On today’s show we talk to Sameer about his journey building Healthkart. Business has always been in him. As a kid an enterprising Sameer sold Bhelpuris to make some pocket money. I had a blast doing this episode.

You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com. Intro music by Andy Slatter. Additional background music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au

This podcast is always about bringing unique stories of maverick founders. 42Hertz's story is as unique as it comes. 42Hertz is a software solutions founded by Manoj Nuthakki. Manoj & his brother Madhav were able to achieve something that many startups are hoping to do too; to build a profitable company and give an exit to themselves & their investors. 42Hertz was built by the brothers without raising any external capital and was acquired by Cisco in 2019 in a multi-million dollar deals.

On today’s show we talk to both Manoj & Madhav about their journey building a sizable business fast and delivering a multi-million dollar exit. We also talked about what this acquisition means to them and their employees and what's in store for them in the near future. 

You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com. Intro music by Andy Slatter. Additional background music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au

World Health Organization recommends a doctor-population ratio of 1:1000. In India we have 0.7 doctors for every 1000 citizens. Unfortunately this ratio is not set to improve dramatically over the next decade, even as the number of doctors graduating every year is steadily increasing. To make matters worse India spends only 3.5% of its GDP on healthcare, compared to 5.2% of China’s and 17% of the USA. And majority of this is by private sector.

So, policy makers are increasingly turning to technology which could hold the solution. Only technology through Artificial Intelligence could provide an answer to this incredible shortage of medical professionals in our society. And our guest today is building India’s leading AI driven healthcare platform. 

On today’s show we talk to Prasad Kompally of MFine and how he is building an AI-powered healthcare platform that provides instant access to high-quality and reliable healthcare, especially for non-emergency conditions.

You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com. Intro music by Andy Slatter. Additional background music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au

Out of an estimated 500+ million internet users only 200 million or about 35% are women. This imbalance extends to India's fledgling startup ecosystem as well. In 2019, only 12% of funded startups had at least one woman founder.  But, there are already a few woman founders who are dreaming big and building companies that could impact India in a massive way. Sairee Chahal, founder & CEO of Sheroes, is one such woman founders. Sheroes is India's largest women only social network with over 20 million registered users.

In this episode, I ask Sairee about her experiences growing up in a small town and dreaming to leave a mark on this country through her work. We also talked about her vision for Sheroes and what motivates her. She still has the spark of an entrepreneur and her passion is contagious.

You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com. Intro music by Andy Slatter. Additional background music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au

Since Penicillin was discovered, bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics. As a result, antibiotics become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others. Every year some 700,000 people die of Anti-Microbial Resistance. This toll is worse than the Covid19 pandemic and is getting worse by the year. By 2050, an estimated 10 million people will die due to AMR. 

But, large big pharma has no interest in addressing this pressing need due to the unique economics of antibiotics. So a handful of smaller biopharma companies are picking up the slack. Bugworks Research, founded by Anand Anandkumar, is one such company. 

In today's episode, I ask Anand about his journey and experiences in building Bugworks. We also talked about his childhood, his family, and what motivated him to gravitate towards biomedical space despite his engineering background.

You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com. Music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au

'Taking chances' doesn’t always result in disproportionate success. It could also result in spectacular failures. But, a failure can become the catalyst for producing a new success and a new win. I am a huge fan of such stories of resilience and perseverance. I love them because they give us the power to hope for a better future even during trying times just as we find ourselves in today.

Today’s episode is all about taking chances. Wakefit Mattresses is a testament to the determination and resolve of its founders. Between the two of them, the founders, Ankit Garg and Chaitanya Ramalingegowda have endured a total of 3 startup failures before they built Wakefit. 

In the inaugural episode, I sat with Chaitanya, to track his journey from a failed startup founder to building one of India’s wildly successful D2C businesses with sales of over INR 250 Crores annually. 

You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com. Music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au

Welcome to the Termsheet a show about the dreamers, innovators, over-acheivers and their ideas that are building the tomorrow today. It’s about celebrating the people who take chances and display true grit and resolve against formidable odds. 
The stories of entrepreneurs are stories of hope and inspiration. Hope, because despite evidence to the contrary, it emboldens these otherwise ordinary people to dream of extraordinary things. Inspiration, because it’s just not enough to wish for something. They need to inspire others to see their vision, share their dreams and give life to that vision.  Termsheet is an attempt to bring these stories of hope and inspiration to you.
Each week I interview game changing founders from the Indian startup ecosystem who are hell bent on changing the status quo. Join us every Monday for stories of people who are reinventing themselves while changing the lives of millions around them.
I am your host is Karteek Pulapaka, co-founder and partner at Java Capital. You can find me on Twitter @tweet_kp. And, check out our website at https://www.thetermsheetpodcast.com.

Music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au