75 Minutes Of Pure Business Insights From The Man Behind BigBasket, BlueStone & HomeLane

Jan 31, 2025

Ganesh Krishnan, a driving force behind BigBasket, Bluestone, and HomeLane, shares his entrepreneurial journey and insights into India's startup ecosystem. He discusses the importance of simplicity in business strategies and reveals captivating stories from his ventures, including raising BigBasket's first $10M on a flight. Ganesh highlights the rise of quick commerce, the challenges in fundraising, and the significance of adapting to consumer behavior. He also delves into the transformative impact of generative AI and opportunities in vertical software markets.

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Intro

00:00 • 4min

Navigating the E-Commerce Landscape in India

03:43 • 26min

Navigating Bluestone's Growth Journey

29:20 • 21min

Navigating Challenges in EdTech and Monetization

50:19 • 15min

The Rise of QCommerce: Instant Gratification

01:05:23 • 3min

Exploring Opportunities in Vertical Software Markets

01:08:36 • 5min

The Irreplaceable Nature of Tech Giants and Modern Business Insights

01:13:12 • 3min

Ganesh Krishnan is the man behind some of India’s most iconic startups, including BigBasket, Bluestone, Homelane, and TutorVista—India’s first ed-tech startup before ed-tech was even a category.

Ganesh explains how he thinks about business opportunities in India, why he keeps it simple, and why Indian entrepreneurs need to keep it simple. He shares candid stories—from raising BigBasket’s first $10M on a flight to successfully exiting an ed-tech company 15 years ago.

If you’re curious about India’s startup ecosystem and want to understand what works in India, this episode is for you!

Read Ganesh Krishnan's latest book: Mastering Disruption: A Practical Guide to Understanding New-Age Business Models

Timestamps
00:00 - Trailer
01:37 - Introduction to K. Ganesh
02:05 - Ganesh's Entrepreneurial Journey
03:32 - The Growth Story Model
06:28 - Challenges and Successes in Fundraising
09:25 - Case Study: The BigBasket Story
22:12 - Business Models and Market Timing
33:51 - Opportunities in India's Broken Systems
41:44 - The Evolution of Business Models
42:15 - Valuation of Loss-Making Companies
42:51 - Network Effects and Demand Economies of Scale
43:51 - Platform Businesses vs Traditional Businesses
46:27 - Challenges in Platform and Marketplace Ventures
50:36 - Exploring SaaS and FinTech Opportunities
51:41 - Growth and Monetization Challenges
57:44 - Consumer Behavior and Microtransactions
01:06:08 - The Rise of Quick Commerce
01:09:21 - Vertical Software and Generative AI
01:15:43 - What’s Next for India’s Startups

Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.

Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.

We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
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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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