1947 Rise cover image

1947 Rise

117: Why Resilience Pays Off in India & The Truth About Starting Up in India | Ashish of Fundamentum

Feb 5, 2025
01:18:41

Ashish Kumar is a co-founder and General Partner at Fundamentum Partnership, an early growth-stage fund launched in 2017 with Nandan Nilekani and Sanjeev Aggarwal. Fundamentum backs tech-driven startups with product-market fit, leading or co-leading $25M-$40M rounds. Its second fund closed in 2022 at $227M, with a portfolio including unicorns like Pharmeasy and Spinny. Collectively, its companies have raised over $1B in follow-on funding. 00:00 - Top moments 01:29 - Intro 03:20 - Key influences during Ashish's early years. 06:26 - Ashish's hometown and educational background. 08:38 - Ashish's journey from moving to the US to working at Microsoft. 11:16 - Ashish's self-discovery through professional experiences. 14:33 - Ashish's reasons for returning to India and initial experiences. 17:36 - Ashish's returning companionand starting the first business. 19:31 - Explanation of a trade fair. 23:32 - Origin and story behind TBO.com. 28:24 - Ashish's interest in venture capital and journey with Fundamentum. 35:25 - Overview of Fundamentum’s role and operations. 40:00 - Investment examples and insights into fund operations. 44:03 - Growth investing reaching critical mass and need for local understanding. 48:10 - Blurring lines between private equity and venture capital and its impact on non-linear bets in India. 54:11 - Explanation of "outlier" business models. 01:03:23 - Ashish's advice for those abroad considering opportunities in India. 01:10:02 - Ashish's daily routine and work-life structure. 01:12:18 - Ashish's personal obsessions outside of professional life. 01:15:26 - Ashish's strategies for achieving highest potential. 🔗 CONNECT WITH Ashish Kumar 👥 Linkedin -   / ashishk   🐦 Twitter- https://x.com/ashishkumar?lang=en 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHIVA 💌 Sign up to my weekly email newsletter - https://1947tech.substack.com/ 🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiQ... 🐦 Twitter -   / shivassangwan   🐦 Twitter -   / 1947rise   👥 Linkedin -   / shiva-sin.  . 🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST Our purpose is to help startups go mainstream in 🇮🇳! 1947 Rise Podcast is helping in accelerating the speed of reverse brain drain and 1947 Operators Podcast is helping in increasing the number of operator-angels in the startup ecosystem. 🎧 LISTEN FOR FREE Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3KI3bZi Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3AEO5z5 🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode