Y Combinator Startup Podcast

#127 - Vidit Aatrey and Adora Cheung

May 22, 2019

Vidit Aatrey, co-founder and CEO of Meesho, discusses how his platform empowers local entrepreneurs in India to resell products using social media. He shares insights on the macro trends favoring social commerce and the importance of trust within communities. Vidit reveals transformative stories of women entrepreneurs and how affordable internet access shapes consumer behavior. The conversation also touches on balancing growth with quality and the unique challenges of competing against giants like Facebook and Amazon.

50:27

Creator website

Episode guests

Vidit Aatrey

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Empowering Local Entrepreneurs in India

13min

Balancing Growth and Quality in Startups

2min

Navigating Competition in the Online Commerce Landscape

2min

From College Projects to Startup Aspirations

2min

From Fashion to Empowerment: The Startup's Pivot

6min

Navigating Pivots: Trust and Team Consensus in Startup Decisions

3min

The CEO's Guide to User Connection

20min

Vidit Aatrey is cofounder and CEO of Meesho. Meesho is a platform in India that allows people to resell products using their social networks. They were in the Summer 2016 batch of YC and you can check them out at Meesho.com.

Adora Cheung is a Partner at YC. Before working at YC she cofounded Homejoy.

You can find Vidit on Twitter @viditaatrey and Adora is @nolimits.

Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.

Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

***

Topics

00:00 - Intro

01:20 - What is Meesho?

3:20 - Why not just sell directly to consumers?

5:05 - What are the macro trends in Meesho's favor in India?

7:30 - A trust deficit market

8:55 - How does Meesho help users get online and start selling?

11:45 - Most impactful user stories

13:50 - Growth drivers

15:50 - Balancing growth and quality

17:25 - What if Facebook copies Meesho?

18:50 - When did Vidit and his cofounder know they wanted to start a startup?

21:20 - Their first startup idea and the inspiration for Meesho

25:40 - When did they know Meesho was working?

27:20 - How hard was it to pivot the business and how did they manage it?

30:05 - As a CEO how does he stay in touch with users?

34:50 - How has Vidit's role changed over time?

36:55 - How has he learned to be a CEO?

38:30 - What mistakes have they made?

39:35 - What was his best decision?

40:15 - What's a strong opinion he had about running a startup that he's changed since running Meesho?

41:45 - How has the Indian startup ecosystem evolved?

43:20 - Big problems worth solving in India

43:05 - Can foreigners come to India and start a startup?

45:10 - Best advice for aspiring Indian founders

46:20 - After Meesho, what's the most exciting startup in India?

47:20 - Why is Delhi the best IIT?

48:15 - What's a must read book and why?

49:10 - What's a startup idea he'd be working on if Meesho didn't happen?

49:25 - In 100 years, what does he hope Meesho is?

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.