The National Stock Exchange is the most popular exchange in India, seeing 95% of all market activity. Being the first exchange in India to be hosted online, the once disruptive entity is facing constant glitches and outages. Factoring this in, the Securities Exchange Board of India seeks to break up its dominance, with a much criticised move.

Story originally reported by Anand Kalyanaraman

How India’s National Stock Exchange turned from solution to problem https://the-ken.com/story/how-nse-india-turned-from-solution-to-problem/

Stonks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E1M8f3PYQ8 

Hosts:

Anushka Chhikara 

Olina Banerji

Guests:

Anand Kalyanaraman, staff writer

Debashis Basu, Moneylife

Nithin Sasikumar, editor of Beyond the First Order

Sarthak Mishra, student trader

Music and editing by Sameer Rahat from Baqsa Studios.

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The decades-old auto rickshaw space had a monopoly over urban mobility in India, and then came the Ola and Uber disruption. They offered cars with comfort and air condition over the hot and dusty auto rickshaw. While these companies expanded with an auto rickshaw vertical, the two industries battled it out for years.

Now the rise of an airborne pandemic has seen a decline in the cab business. Suddenly autos seem to be the answer, with their open structures and ventilation. Even bike taxi player Rapido has realised this potential and entered the space.

In present day it has now set up an interesting three way three wheeler race, with each company having their different strengths and intent to dominate the market.

Story originally reported by Pranav Balakrishnan.

Uber, Ola, Rapido—the 3 wheels of India’s post-Covid auto race

https://the-ken.com/story/uber-ola-rapido-the-3-wheels-of-indias-post-covid-auto-race/ 

Over the last 5 episodes, we tried something different - we decided to do two segments, one narrative that follows a story, and another segment that's an interview or a panel discussion with experts. Our listeners have helped us experiment and shape the voice of the podcast.

But now we’ve decided to discontinue the second segment and continue with just the narrative segment. This will mean shorter episodes, but we may bring back the second segment in some form later. 

Hosts

Anushka Chhikara 

Olina Banerji

Guests

Aditi Surie of IIHS

Shashank Atreya of Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy

Janane Venkatraman on Chennai autos

Rayna Lele on Mumbai autos

Aleser Murtaza on Bangalore autos

Music and editing by Sameer Rahat from Baqsa Studios.

Special offer for our podcast listeners: https://the-ken.com/podcastoffer/

Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/TheKenWeb

Psst share your feedback with us on [email protected]

The Indian Institutes of Management have a legacy of delivering quality business education across India. Through the evolution of the brand, the IIM graduate tag has been a valuable one for both aspirants and recruiters alike.

Starting with three in the 1960s, there are now 21 IIMs across the country. But is more really better for the IIM brand?

Stretching the brand has floated existential questions for these hallowed institutes. And the time has come for the IIM ecosystem to reckon with them.

Stories originally reported by Olina Banerji.

The IIM franchise is denting the IIM brand https://the-ken.com/story/iim-franchise-dents-iim-brand/ 

The leadership storm brewing in IIM- Calcutta

https://the-ken.com/story/leadership-storm-iim-calcutta/ 

Second segment

This episode we are joined by Aprameya Radhakrishna, CEO and co-founder of Koo, along with Rohin Dharmakumar, CEO of The Ken and Praveen Krishnan, COO of The Ken.

We discuss the origins of Koo and ultimately can Koo beat the odds and become successful?

Hosts

Anushka Chhikara 

Olina Banerji

Rohin Dharmakumar

Segment 1 Guests

Rishikesha Krishnan

IIM Vizag student (anonymous)

Segment 2 Guests

Aprameya Radhakrishnan

Praveen Gopal Krishnan

Music and editing by Sameer Rahat from Baqsa Studios.

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Since its entry into India in 2014, Amazon has known and conquered its biggest competitor Flipkart, to become India's number one e-commerce seller. But since its victory a few years ago, leaders in exploding sectors like edtech, epharmacy and food delivery have become formidable giants. With this influx of new rivals, including Reliance and regulators, Amazon is well into its new strategy to face its new reality.

Story originally reported by Seetharaman G https://the-ken.com/story/the-amazon-flipkart-battle-was-over-then-came-the-war/ 

The Ken Southeast Asia offer: www.the-ken.com/sea/the-future/narrative

Second segment: The Matrix

Each edition, The Matrix serves up an unscripted and no-holds-barred discussion on the biggest tech & business stories that matter. Each time, with a new “formula”.

This week, it’s 3x3x2.

3 opinionated participants. 3 very important news events. And only 2 possible views - Yes or No.

Rahul Matthan, co-founder and partner of Trilegal, one of India’s leading law firms joins Praveen Krishnan and Rohin Dharmakumar from The Ken to discuss & answer the following: (a) Does India need more NUEs? (b) Is Google’s FLoC a better alternative to Cookies? (c) Can India trace a few without surveilling all?

Additional Reads 

Offline pharma's omnichannel pill to counter Tata, Reliance, Amazon: https://the-ken.com/story/offline-pharmas-omnichannel-pill-to-counter-tata-reliance-amazon/ 

The Nutgraf: Reliance, Future, Amazon and India proposes. Rest of world disposes:

https://the-ken.com/the-nutgraf/reliance-future-amazon-and-india-proposes-rest-of-world-disposes/ 

The US$11-billion Byju’s juggernaut heads to US shores: https://the-ken.com/story/byjus-juggernaut-heads-to-us/ 

Several big businesses are in fray for setting up NUE: https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/several-big-businesses-are-in-fray-for-setting-up-nue-what-is-it-121030201183_1.html

Google’s FLoC Is a Terrible Idea: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/googles-floc-terrible-idea

Traceability is Antithetical to Liberty: https://exmachina.substack.com/p/traceability-is-antithetical-to-liberty

Host: Anushka Chhikara

Segment 1 Guests: Seetharaman G, Maitri Porecha, Olina Banerji, Pranav Balan, Praveen Krishnan

Segment 2 Guests: Rahul Matthan, Rohin Dharmakumar, Praveen Krishnan

Music and editing by Sameer Rahat from Baqsa Studios.

Raw Pressery started a few years ago to solve a niche problem—to provide fresh juices to elite, urban India. And within that niche, it found roaring success. It even saw a valuation of Rs 500 crore in 2020. Then why did it get acquired by Wingreens for 1/5th that price in 2021? What went wrong?

In the second segment, we are joined by special guest Nitin Pai as we discuss India’s aatmanirbhar digital strategy and the current state of the vaccine rollout.

Additional read

https://the-ken.com/story/how-raw-pressery-ran-out-of-juice-and-into-wingreens-arms/

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The story is originally reported by Bhumika Khatri. Consumer inputs from Abhinav Chhikara, Durga M Sengupta, and Maitri Porecha. Guest panel: Nitin Pai, Rohin Dharmakumar, Praveen Gopal Krishnan, and Olina Banerji. Hosted by Anushka Chhikara and Olina Banerji. Music and editing by Sameer Rahat from Baqsa Studios.

Ever looked at your neighbourhood kirana store and wondered how it stocks all the basic essentials, day in and day out? The supply chain of a kirana is largely offline, with entrenched relationships between manufacturers, middlemen, and retailers. Udaan, a B2B logistics company, wants to change this decades-old system for good.

In the second segment, a panel of The Ken's journalists discuss the week's most important business stories– the amplifying effect of Reddit chatter and Robinhood's services, and real gambling apps in India.

Additional Readings:

https://the-ken.com/story/how-pacman-helped-udaan-survive-a-tumultuous-2020/

Exclusive offer for our podcast listeners: https://the-ken.com/podcastoffer/

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Write to us: [email protected]

The first story is originally reported by Pranav Balakrishnan, with inputs from Sanjana Ramachandran. On-field reporting by Durga M Sengupta, with inputs from Jijesh V of Brother Stores. Guest panel: The Ken staff writers Arundhati Ramanathan and Nithin Sasikumar. Hosted by Anushka Chhikara and Olina Banerji. Music and editing by Sameer Rahat from Baqsa Studios.

According to reports, two of India's biggest and most popular startups are set to go public. Flipkart, the Walmart-owned e-commerce giant, and Zomato—one half of India's foodtech duopoly—are aiming to raise billions of dollars from the public markets. In this episode, we answer two questions: fundraise after fundraise, how are valuations calculated? And for Flipkart and Zomato, are these valuations justified or will public market investors give them a reality check?

In the second segment, a panel of The Ken’s journalists discuss the week’s juiciest and most important stories from the past week—TATA's plans to acquire Bigbasket, r/wallstreetbets, and the Competition Commission's investigation into Amazon

Originally reported by Seetharaman G and Sunny Sabharwal. Hosted by Anushka Chhikara and Olina Banerji. Music and editing by Sameer Rahat from Baqsa Studios.

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In today's world, where there's a need, there's an app. With the onset of the pandemic, many Indians have been struggling to make ends meet, and the demand for credit has skyrocketed. While a plethora of banks and fintech startups exist for just this, opportunistic loan sharks also prowl these waters, looking to prey on vulnerable and desperate borrowers. Over the course of the past year, hundreds of predatory loan apps sprung into existence, offering quick and simple credit to those who seek it. But there’s a catch. What may seem like a simple and inexpensive mode of credit, might end up costing users far more than they signed up for. Sometimes even their lives.

You can find the full story, originally reported by Arundhati Ramanathan, on our website here: https://the-ken.com/story/indias-instant-loan-app-crisis-is-made-in-china/

Arundhati is Bengaluru-based. She is interested in how people use money in the digital age and how new economies will take shape based on that interaction. She has spent over 10 years reporting and writing on various subjects. Previous stints were at Mint, Outlook Business and Reuters.

Your hosts: Anushka Chhikara and Olina Banerji

Music and editing by Sameer Rahat from Baqsa Studios

The guests on this episode: Jenis Makwana, a Mumbai based architect who has faced a personal loss from these illegal lending apps. Ved Prakash, a 33-year-old IT professional who used one such lending app for funds required for a medical emergency.

We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us at [email protected] or tweet us!

Visit our website: https://the-ken.com/ The Ken on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheKenWeb The Ken on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheKenWeb

Stories about businesses in India are complicated, boring and not for everyone. Right? Wrong. They are actually interesting, relevant and fun. It all depends on who you talk to, and more importantly...who you listen to. 

Unofficial Sources is a podcast that analyses what India’s most powerful businesses are doing before they are willing to talk about it. Hosted by Anushka and Olina, based on original reporting from The Ken’s stories and told through conversations with its journalists.