The street believes struggle makes the founder, so we removed the struggle — twenty-five strangers, a brand and four crores each, ninety days in one house in Alibaug and then sat down to ask the only question that scared us: does a head start make a founder, or unmake one? Nikhil Kamath, Kishore Biyani and Ronnie Screwvala audit the model, the equity split everyone questions, the two philosophies built into this house, and what the three of us will do if twenty brands don't sell.

00:00 Introduction

06:18 Is The Foundery a selfish bet?

12:29 Why building new beats the capitalist high

18:28 How the company-builder model formed

24:47 The new consumer categories driving the bets

30:41 What happens after Day 90

35:13 The equity split everyone questions: 25% vs 75%

43:11 Where the ideas come from, and how the gates work

50:56 Founder–idea fit and the flaws each founder owns

58:05 Why equity beats an endorsement fee

1:05:14 What happens if the brands fail

1:11:08 What actually drives Nikhil

1:17:46 Abundance vs scarcity in one house

1:23:54 Social mobility and India's bubbles

1:28:54 What the founders are unlearning

1:33:09 Twelve months out: what they'd change

#NikhilKamath

Co-Founder of Zerodha and Gruhas

Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF'

• Twitter: @nikhilkamathcio on X
• Instagram: @nikhilkamathcio on Instagram
• LinkedIn: Nikhil Kamath LinkedIn
• Facebook: Nikhil Kamath Facebook

The Foundery is a venture builder that forges entrepreneurs into co-founders and builds companies with them from the ground up.

• Website: The Foundery
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCtJssM5FzLXSWIf5VWUmT2w
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jointhefoundery/?hl=en

Kishore Biyani – Founder & CEO of Future Group

Ronnie Screwvala – Co-Founder & Chairperson of upGrad, Founder of UTV Group

• LinkedIn: Ronnie Screwvala LinkedIn

Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify

WTF is Podcast on Spotify

Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify

People by WTF Podcast on Spotify

Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify

WTF Online on Spotify

#WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline

So we ran an experiment. We call it The Foundery. Sixty days ago, twenty-five people we'd never met moved into a house in Alibaug — each one handed a new-age consumer brand, four crores, and ninety days to build a real business with us. Not a college, not an accelerator: a place where we become your co-founders and build the company alongside you. In this first conversation, Nikhil Kamath, Kishore Biyani and Ronnie Screwvala get into why we built it, what we're risking, and what happens if none of it works.

#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha and Gruhas

Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast

• Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/

The Foundery is a venture builder that forges entrepreneurs into co-founders and builds companies with them from the ground up.

• Website: https://www.thefoundery.in/

Kishore Biyani – Founder & CEO of Future Group

Ronnie Screwvala – Co-Founder & Chairperson of upGrad, Founder of UTV Group

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronniescrewvala/

Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn

Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59

Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th

#WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline

I got two of the biggest names in Indian pharma into one room, Rajeev Juneja of Mankind and GV Prasad of Dr. Reddy's, who'd somehow never actually met before this, and what came out was part masterclass and part origin story, from why being relentlessly contrarian beat following the herd, to how a college dropout from Meerut turned everything he hated about a medical store into a pharma giant, to why a chemical engineer who says he owes his career to his marriage spent decades chasing one original molecule, and somewhere in between we got into why India makes the world's generics instead of discovering its own drugs, what it really takes in time and money to bring a single drug to market, why GV thinks the AI-will-cure-everything story is overstated, where GLP-1s go next, and the one thing they'd tell a 25-year-old trying to build in pharma.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

04:27 Rajeev Juneja's path from medical-store apprentice to building Mankind

10:11 Mankind's contrarian OTC and bottom-up market strategy

16:23 G.V. Prasad on science and the Dr. Reddy's lineage

23:06 Segmenting the industry and how generic drugs are made

29:15 Why drug purity standards are shared but enforcement differs

36:40 Why India is the pharmacy of the world by volume, not revenue

41:00 How margins are split across the pharma value chain

45:17 Whether online pharmacy and consumer brands are real openings

53:15 Whether hospital roll-up valuations are justified

59:10 Tariffs, Jan Aushadhi and drug price controls

1:03:21 How China built a pharma-innovation ecosystem in a decade

1:10:02 Long-horizon governance and removing entrepreneurial fear

1:15:40 China's incentives, talent and leverage over the US

1:22:01 Why the Ayush and wellness market outgrows pharma

1:25:05 The evidence, quality and standardisation debate around Ayurveda

1:35:13 The sexual-wellness opportunity and the stigma problem

1:40:26 The fertility, IVF and egg-freezing opportunity

1:43:45 The API narrative debate and how a drug is synthesised

1:50:54 Biologics, monoclonal antibodies and vaccines explained

1:55:57 Stem cells and peptides, separating therapy from hype

2:00:06 The semaglutide story and how GLP-1 works

2:05:01 Mankind's ethical-selling philosophy on GLP-1

2:08:06 Why India leads in small molecules but lags in biologics

2:15:07 Where a young founder can enter the GLP-1 wave

2:23:38 The yin and yang of innovators and generics

2:29:05 Diagnostics, CDMO and the China-plus-one opportunity

2:37:18 Applying AI to pharma and the expired-medicine problem

2:43:01 Why founders should never copy a set formula

2:45:30 Succession, home diagnostics and the microfluidics frontier

#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha and Gruhas

Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast

• Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/

Rajeev Juneja-Vice Chairman & Managing Director at Mankind Pharma Ltd

• LinkedIN- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeev-juneja-27882a24b/

G.V Prasad Reddy-MD & Co-Chairman at Dr. Reddy's

• Linkedin-https://www.linkedin.com/in/gvprasadster/

Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn

Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59

Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th

#WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline

I always assumed India was becoming the pharmacy of the world, until this conversation made me sit with the sharper truth that we're the generic pharmacy of the world, and from there we got into whether China really killed our API industry or whether Indians still quietly lead it, why a drug like semaglutide turns into a miracle and a problem the second everyone wants it, the side effects nobody wants to talk about, the ethics of running a prescription-driven business, whether the global enthusiasm around Indian hospitals is actually justified, and why fear might be the single biggest thing holding Indian entrepreneurship back.

#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha and Gruhas

Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast

• Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/

Rajeev Juneja-Vice Chairman & Managing Director at Mankind Pharma Ltd

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeev-juneja-27882a24b/

G.V Prasad Reddy-MD & Co-Chairman at Dr. Reddy's

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gvprasadster/

Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn

Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59

Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify

https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th

#WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline

Spent a few hours with young bright founders below the age of 25 from the 3rd WTFund cohort. WTFund is a non-dilutive ₹20 lakh grant. From over 3,000 applications, we shortlisted 8 startups. We spoke about what they’re building, but also about doubt, ambition, money, and the uncertainty that comes with starting early. Some clear ideas. Some unfinished thoughts. A conversation that felt more real than structured.

https://www.allthingswtf.com/wtfund

00:00 - WTFund Bootcamp

02:02 - Intro

03:20 - Prava - AI-Led Transactions

10:22 - Astraeus Innovus - Preventive Cancer Screening

18:45 - Turocrates AI - AI-Driven Diagnostics

26:35 - AntiMattr - Voice-First Computing

32:12 - O3 security - Securing AI Systems

39:05 - Bloom Rehab - Tech-Enabled Recovery

42:00 - Journey to Building

46:22 - Philosophies of life

50:31 - Placestation - Automating PCB Assembly

55:32 - AEYI : AI-Powered CCTV Monitoring

57:50 - Q&A with Nikhil

01:04:14 - AI Girlfriend & Dating

01:05:35 - Schools of Psychology

01:08:26 - Nikhil's Birthday Plans

01:09:11 - Golden Hour

01:10:10 - Healthcare & Longevity

01:12:33 - Trading

01:16:32 - Advice for Young Founders 

#NikhilKamath Co-founder of Zerodha, Gruhas Host of ‘WTF is’ & ‘People by WTF’ Podcast

• Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio 

WTFund India’s premiere non-dilutive grant fund for emerging entrepreneurs.

• Twitter: https://x.com/TheWTFund
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/wtfund 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewtfund 

O3 Security A security platform that stops software supply-chain attacks in real time — whether it’s AI-generated or human-written code to production.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/o3_security/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aeyi/ 

Aeyi Aeyi is a GENAI-powered system that turns normal CCTV cameras into real-time safety and monitoring tools.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aeyi_surve/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aeyi/ 

Antimattr AI-powered earbuds for hands-free audio computing.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antimattr.one/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/antimattr/about/ 

BloomRehab Rehabilitation robots for neuro and ortho recovery.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomrehab/ 

Astraeus Innovus A ₹100 saliva test that screens for oral cancer in under 5 minutes.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/astraeus-innovus/about/ 

PlaceStation A desktop system that automates PCB assembly for faster, accessible electronics manufacturing.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/placestation_/ 

Prava A payments infrastructure layer built specifically for AI shopping assistants and agents.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pravapayments/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prava-payments/ 

Turocrates Improving patient outcomes using a digital and AI-driven operating system for diagnostic labs.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/turocrates-ai/ 

#WTFund

I sat down with His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s youngest minister and the world’s first AI Minister, to unpack how modern governments think about the future and the role younger leaders play in shaping it. A last-minute conversation in Dubai that opened up a thoughtful discussion on youth in politics, leadership, and how AI is beginning to influence the way nations are governed. Big thanks to @IndiaGlobalForum for creating the space for conversations like this, and Manoj Ladwa, a dear friend and a rare connector between India and the rest of the world. People like him, through IGF are helping frame the ideas that will define this decade, and bring them to life

00:00 – Introduction 

01:24 – Why AI Changes the Power Balance Between Countries 

05:05 – Jobs, Intelligence, & What AI Takes Away From Humans 

13:20 – Why This Conversation Happened at IGF 

15:42 – Making of a Minister 

22:18 – Why does anything matter? 

24:42 – Machiavelli 

30:23 – Fear or love? How are Leaders Remembered? 

33:26 – UAE's Legacy & It's Perpetual Importance 

38:04 – How UAE goes about it's diasporic Governance 

48:13 – Taxes, Value Exchange, and What Citizens Expect 

55:09 – Education, Work, and the Path to Government 

1:12:19 – The Phone Call That Made Him AI Minister at 27 

1:14:22 – Corruption, Incentives, and Power Structures 

1:24:46 – AI & Governance 

1:27:55 – Global Neutrality, Building Bridges & Restraint 

1:37:49 – Blockchain, Discourse, and Closing Reflections 

#NikhilKamath Entrepreneur & Investor Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast

• X: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 

#omarsultanalolama : Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications at Government of the UAE

• Twitter - [https://x.com/OmarSAlolama]
• LinkedIn - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-sultan-alolama-305b8366/?originalSubdomain=ae]

Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn 

Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59 

Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th 

#WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline

Came for a conversation, Left with a shift in perspective. A solid case to prove that age isn’t the barrier we think it is. A big thank you to  @IndiaGlobalForum  for hosting this dialogue. And to Manoj Ladwa, for being the bridge that makes conversations like this happen. 

#NikhilKamath Entrepreneur & Investor Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast

• X: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 

#omarsultanalolama : Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications at Government of the UAE

• Twitter - [https://x.com/OmarSAlolama](https://x.com/OmarSAlolama) 
• LinkedIn - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-sultan-alolama-305b8366/?originalSubdomain=ae](https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-sultan-alolama-305b8366/?originalSubdomain=ae) 

• Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn 
• Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59 
• Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th 

#WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline

Three founders leading India’s skincare wave – Bhakti Modi (Tira), Shantanu Deshpande (Bombay Shaving Company), and Diipa Khosla (Inde Wild) join me to share the highs and lows of building beauty and skincare brands and the trends shaping this booming industry.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:39 - Bhakti’s journey & love story

05:14 - Diipa’s road to Inde Wild

10:34 - Persona’s role in brand building

15:07 - How Shantanu started

20:48 - Valuations & industry secrets

27:30 - Decoding the salon industry

34:58 - How Inde Wild made Champi cool again

38:01 - Market size & shifting narratives

45:14 - Marketing quality & building a community

52:41 - Why fragrance is exploding

1:00:42 - Community’s role in branding

1:08:04 - Cracking the BPC industry

1:22:26 - Omnichannel: A must-have?

1:27:15 - Tariffs, growth & social selling

1:31:00 - Can Indian brands go global?

1:34:51 - Cracking influencer marketing

1:42:15 - Sampling, distribution & minis

1:48:07 - Sustainability: Do founders still care?

1:52:54 - What’s the next wave?

2:04:39 - How the world perceives India

2:09:48 - Tech’s role in customising

2:16:10 - Nikhil’s & Diipa’s tattoos

2:18:14 - Why founders need grit

2:19:47 - Bhakti & Tira’s origin story

2:34:10 - Inside Tira: From concept to customer

2:38:34 - Do celebrity brands work?

2:44:51 - Why Diipa started Inde Wild

2:48:25 - Mass, premium, prestige: Which segment is winning?

3:05:45 - Quick commerce & Tier 2 markets

3:11:11 - Ayurveda: Still a novelty?

3:14:43 - The making of Bombay Shaving Company

3:21:39 - From idea to product: Manufacturing & patents

3:30:14 - Advice to aspiring skincare founders

#NikhilKamath - Investor & Entrepreneur

Twitter: [https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio] (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?even...)

Bhakti Modi - CEO, Tira

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhaktim679/...

LinkedIn: / bhakti-modi-98a32293 

Diipa Khosla - Founder, Inde Wild

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diipakhosla...

LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/diipa-khos....

Website: https://india.indewild.com/?utm_campa...

Shantanu Deshpande - Founder, Bombay Shaving Company

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shantanudes...

LinkedIn: / shantanudeshpandebsc  

Bhakti Modi (Tira), Shantanu Deshpande (Bombay Shaving Company), and Diipa Khosla (Inde Wild) joined forces to answer one question:

What should 25-year-old Dilip build next?

Bhakti Modi

CEO, Tira

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhaktim679/...

LinkedIn: / bhakti-modi-98a32293 

Diipa Khosla

Founder, Inde Wild

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diipakhosla...

LinkedIn : https://in.linkedin.com/in/diipa-khos....

Shantanu Deshpande

Founder, Bombay Shaving Company

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/shantanudes...

LinkedIn : / shantanudeshpandebsc 

In this unfiltered conversation, we discuss bad bets, overhyped markets, and where VCs should actually put their money. I sat down with Deedy Das (Principal, Menlo Ventures), Nikunj Kothari (Partner, FPV Ventures), and Niko Bonatsos (Early-Stage Venture Capitalist) to get their hot takes on industries.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:58 - Deedy’s journey & the Anthropic story

05:10 - Nikunj’s background

11:32 - Niko’s story

13:31 - Sectors to avoid as an investor

23:17 - Today’s hottest sectors

27:31 - Emerging AI trends

38:37 - Declining birth rates + AI’s role

48:19 - Abundance & capitalism

53:19 - Raising kids in an Instagram world

55:39 - No tech: the next big business?

1:00:55 - The future of dating apps

1:06:52 - Key predictions for the next frontier

1:10:14 - Will urbanisation continue?

1:13:51 - Longevity & wellness industry

1:16:01 - Which sector will boom by 2035?

1:25:59 - Rethinking senior living

1:32:52 - Content vs. product: what builds a brand?

1:43:50 - Individual vs. legacy brands

1:47:30 - EVs & mobility: the road ahead

1:58:03 - Opportunities in beauty & luxury

2:02:17 - Where live events are headed

2:06:14 - Climate tech & its impact

2:11:49 - Data centers: the best bet?

2:15:13 - Vices as an industry

2:24:18 - Wrapping it all together

2:29:02 - Legal AI: opportunities & challenges

2:32:29 - India in the global AI race

#NikhilKamath - Investor & Entrepreneur

Twitter: [https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbm9WZVh3cHVTX3JEeGptVjlOZ1R3cW5rVkZJUXxBQ3Jtc0tuekFjWnRXME9XUUVLcDNCTk9YcHd5OU1MV1NMamE0cWE1T25meGJ4VWRMa21OY3VYLWM2T05iOUJtYTNWbWRSLW5YUXNzTTRHUUpjOGdZSGJzNEYxMkt2Y2hmWVNUeU51Nk5MRFVieVNtSTJwMkFXZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fnikhilkamathcio&v=wHQiewz8k9g)

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/

#DeedyDas - Principal, Menlo Ventures

Twitter: https://x.com/deedydas

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debarghyadas/

#NikunjKothari - Partner, FPV Ventures

Twitter: https://x.com/nikunj

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikunjk/

#NikoBonatsos - Early-Stage Venture Capitalist

Twitter: https://x.com/bonatsos

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonatsos/