Prime Venture Partners Podcast

🚀2025 feels like a turning point for the Indian startup ecosystem.In this special year-end episode of the Prime Venture Partners podcast, we take a step back and look at the journey from the early days of 2010 to where we are today and what lies ahead.We talk about:• The wild early years when founders were figuring things out as they went• How Aadhaar, UPI and cheap data quietly changed everything• What COVID revealed about founder resilience• How AI is being used inside real companies today• Why India’s startup ecosystem took longer to take off, but is now scaling bigger than expectedThis is a candid, experience-led conversation from the Prime partners, shaped by nearly two decades of building and investing in Indian startups.🎙 Episode Timestamps00:00 Introduction03:17 The Three Phases of the Indian Startup Ecosystem05:16 Early Founder Reality (2010–2015)08:09 What It Was Like to Be an Investor in Early 201011:36 When No One Even Talked About Exits12:49 Early Unicorns and the First Belief Shift15:05 Founders We Underestimated and Why It Changed Our Thinking19:07 Backing People Over Plans23:29 India’s “Too Operational” Companies That Scaled Big27:46 Jio and the Moment the Internet Became Affordable29:33 When the Internet Truly Reached Bharat31:43 Aadhaar, India Stack, and Building at Population Scale35:16 COVID: Revenue to Zero and Zero-Based Accounting39:00 Crisis Decisions, Calm Leadership, and Founder Resilience43:20 The Crypto Wave: Knowing What Not to Chase46:34 Practical AI Use Cases Inside Real Companies54:07 Lessons From 15 Years of Venture Investing58:59 India’s Startup Ecosystem in One Minute If you care about startups, founders, or the future of technology in India, this episode will resonate.#IndianStartups #VentureCapital #FoundersJourney #StartupEcosystem #IndiaStack #UPI #StartupLessons #Entrepreneurship #TechInIndia #InvestingInsights #PrimeVenturePartners 

Umesh Sachdev, cofounder and CEO of Uniphore, joins Shripati Acharya for a deeply insightful and very real conversation about what it actually takes to build and scale enterprise AI. Whether you are a founder, a product leader or someone thinking seriously about enterprise AI, this episode will give you clarity on business AI you won’t find elsewhere.What you’ll take away:• A clearer understanding of what Uniphore does as an end-to-end enterprise AI and data platform• Why so many AI pilots “fail” at first and how that failure can actually be meaningful progress• How enterprises are achieving predictable outcomes using unitary agents, workflow orchestration, guardrails and fine-tuned SLMs• The inside story of Uniphore’s strategic raise and why some of the world’s biggest AI and data companies chose to back them⭐Episode Timestamps00:00 Introduction03:00 – What Uniphore Actually Does 05:47 – Why Enterprise AI Struggles to Scale Beyond Pilots10:08 – The Determinism Problem: Why AI Gives Different Answers Each Time12:32 – Unitary Agents and Workflow Orchestration for Predictable AI14:00 – Small Language Models vs Large LLMs for Enterprise Use Cases15:25 – Why Guardrails and Governance Matter in Real Deployments16:39 – One Big Agent Fails but Ten Small Agents Work Better20:40 – Why AI Pilots Fail and Why That Is a Good Thing22:20 – Converting Experiments into Enterprise-Scale Adoption24:26 – 35,000 Invoices a Week with Only Four Humans: ROI Case Study26:25 – What Enterprises Really Look for in AI Systems28:45 – Lessons from Building Across India and the US32:51 – Why Founders Must Be Close to Their Biggest Market34:44 – Structuring Teams Across Geographies for Global Scale38:10 – The Journey of Building Uniphore Over Seventeen Years42:36 – Hard Lessons Learned Along the Way46:45 – Why NVIDIA, Snowflake, AMD and Databricks Invested51:17 – How the Strategic Round Came Together52:22 – Closing NoteIf this conversation resonates with you, drop your biggest takeaway in the comments and subscribe for more in-depth founder and VC discussions.#EnterpriseAI #Uniphore #ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents #SmallLanguageModels #AIInnovation #AIinBusiness #FounderInsights #StartupLessons #TechLeadership #GlobalScale #FutureOfWork #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

Ameen Haque, founder of Storywallahs and a top storytelling coach in India, discusses the power of narrative in leadership and business. He argues that we’re all natural storytellers, emphasizing that actions often speak louder than words, as shown by Ratan Tata's example. Ameen shares how to make customers the heroes of your brand story and highlights the importance of crafting strong openings to engage audiences. He also touches on the allure of visual language and the necessity of editing for impactful storytelling. This conversation is a treasure trove for aspiring founders!

Apple’s China story is more than a business case — it’s a mirror of globalization itself.In this eye-opening conversation, Patrick McGee, Financial Times journalist and author of Apple in China, sits down with Pankaj Agarwal to explore how Apple’s greatest triumph became its biggest challenge.💬 In this episode:How Apple helped build modern ChinaThe lessons India must learn as it becomes Apple’s next manufacturing hubThe trade-offs between innovation, control, and national interestsWhat this means for founders, investors, and policymakers shaping India’s tech future📌 Episode Timestamps00:00 – Introduction01:11 – Why Patrick Wrote Apple in China03:33 – How Apple Ended Up in China06:25 – Researching the Untold Story08:21 – The Three Phases of Apple in China11:03 – Lessons for Founders on Supply Chains12:26 – The ‘Siren Song’ of China13:13 – Apple’s Moral Dilemmas and Trade-offs16:27 – Innovation, Arrogance & Plateau19:04 – The Economics of Dependence22:27 – What Can India Learn from China?23:53 – Why Does Apple Need India?25:45 – Are iPhones Made in India?26:55 – The Future of Globalization & Supply Chains31:31 – Why Should You Read Apple in China A conversation for those who think beyond valuations — about strategy, sovereignty, and the soul of global business.🎧 Full episode out now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.#PrimePodcasts #PatrickMcGee #AppleInChina #GlobalBusiness #IndiaStartups #Leadership #TechGeopolitics #Apple #China #PrimeVenturePartners

Madhav Sheth, - the driving force behind Realme, now the Founder of Ai+, opens up about the inside world of smartphone wars, the rise (and fall) of Indian brands, and his vision to rebuild from scratch.🔍 In this episode:• How Realme rewrote India’s smartphone playbook• Why most Indian brands couldn’t survive the global onslaught• The hidden monopoly controlling 60% of the market• The next revolution: AI-powered smartphones built for India• Lessons on leadership, innovation, and staying hungry after success📌 Episode Timestamps00:00 – Introduction03:00 – Building Realme: From Idea to Global Brand04:15 – The White Space in India’s Smartphone Market06:20 – Understanding Indian Consumers: From Price to Value08:10 – Scaling Through Value, Not Volume10:00 – The Future: Hardware + Software + AI12:00 – Why India Missed the Smartphone Opportunity14:10 – Inside BBK Group: Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus & Realme16:55 – What Killed Indian Smartphone Brands19:05 – Inside the Smartphone Monopoly20:35 – Building NextQ: Madhav’s New Mission23:00 – Leadership Lessons & Founder Mindset25:30 – Advice for India’s Next-Gen Tech Founders🎧 Watch the full episode and discover what’s next for India’s tech future.#MadhavSheth #Realme #AI #IndiaTech #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Innovation #TechRevolution #MadeInIndia #Smartphones #FounderStories #ScaleUp #BusinessGrowth #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #DigitalIndia #FutureOfTech #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

Discover the secrets of venture capital from the investment team as they reveal how to navigate the fundraising maze. Learn why not every business is suitable for VC funding and the importance of personalizing your approach. Unpack common pitfalls in pitch decks and the essential elements every founder should include. Explore the interplay of skill and luck in VC success, and find out how to choose the right VC partner beyond just capital. This masterclass is packed with practical insights that could shape your fundraising journey!

In this episode, we sit down with Prateek Jain (Principal Scientist & Director at Google DeepMind) for an unfiltered deep dive into:How AI research has evolved from handcrafted features → deep learning → transformers → generativeWhy safety and efficiency matter just as much as scaleIndia’s once-in-a-generation chance to lead in deep AI researchThe founder’s playbook: building sustainable AI-first companiesThe next big bottlenecks — and opportunities — in this spaceThis is more than a conversation. It’s a blueprint for the future of AI. 🚀📌 Episode Timestamps00:00 – Introduction 03:00 – How Prateek stumbled into AI research in college 07:00 – The AlexNet moment and why it mattered 14:30 – GPUs, TPUs & scaling AI 16:20 – The ChatGPT moment & mass adoption 21:40 – Long reinforcement learning: the biggest surprise 24:00 – Bottlenecks in AI: data, efficiency, alignment 26:49 – India’s deep AI research challenge 50:44 – Founder advice for building with AI👉 Watch the full episode now and subscribe for more thought leadership from India’s top founders and innovators.#ArtificialIntelligence #DeepLearning #GenerativeAI #MachineLearning #AIInnovation #TechTrends #FutureOfAI #AIForStartups #IndiaTech #Entrepreneurship #StartupEcosystem #GoogleDeepMind  #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

In this episode of the Prime Venture Partners Podcast, host Jerome Manuel sits down with Prof. Venkat Ramaswamy, Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business, and a globally recognized thought leader on innovation and co-creation.Prof. Venkat is the co-author of the seminal The Future of Competition with C.K. Prahalad and the new book, The Co-Intelligence Revolution.In this conversation, they discuss:Why the next decade will be shaped by co-intelligence — humans + AI co-creating valueHow experience innovation is transforming industries across the worldReal examples from Indian farmers to L’Oréal & SiemensWhat startups, founders, and enterprises must do to thrive in the AI era💡 A must-watch episode for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and innovators building in the age of AI.Episode timestamps00:00 Introduction01:03 The origins of co-creation with C.K. Prahalad02:37 Humans vs AI - subjective experiences 04:24 Opportunities for entrepreneurs in co-intelligence05:32 Jugalbandi case: WhatsApp assistant for farmers using AI + government services17:36 L’Oréal’s AI in beauty 19:30 Porso example: AI transforming consumer beauty experiences25:31 The Intelligent Enterprise: AI transforming how businesses operate29:16 Siemens case: digital twins & industrial AI ecosystems30:00 Enterprises and ecosystems 39:00 Risk-managed value - how enterprises evaluate startups43:24 Power of prototyping for startups 45:00 AI’s role in startup speed & compressing time-to-value📕 Learn more about Prof. Venkat’s book The Co-Intelligence Revolution: https://www.penguin.co.in/book/the-co-intelligence-revolution/📌 Subscribe for more such content.#TheCoIntelligenceRevolution #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Startups #Entrepreneurship #CoCreation #ExperienceInnovation #FutureOfWork #BusinessStrategy #VentureCapital #Leadership #TechTrends #DigitalTransformation #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

In this PrimeVP Podcast episode, we go back to the roots of the internet with Sabeer Bhatia, the man who gave the world Hotmail. 📧From his Hotmail journey to his bold perspectives on today’s most pressing themes, Sabeer shares unfiltered insights on:1️⃣ How an email problem at work sparked the idea that changed global communication forever2️⃣ Why communication skills — not just capital — make or break founders3️⃣ Why health & discipline matter more than hustle in the long run4️⃣ Why India’s education system needs urgent reinvention to foster critical thinking5️⃣ Why AI today feels like the early days of the internet — and what it means for the future⏱ Timestamps00:00 – Introduction02:50 – The serendipity behind Hotmail’s creation06:40 – Storytelling vs. features: what consumers really buy09:00 – The importance of thinking like a consumer12:30 – The $99 smartwatch that beats Apple Watch15:00 – Communication as a founder’s superpower17:37 – From supercars to bicycles: redefining success19:37 – Why AI will be bigger than the internet20:00 – Critical thinking as the #1 future skill24:30 – AI in medicine & education disruption38:37 – Health as the real wealth for entrepreneurs44:00 – Advice to young founders💡 Top Takeaways for Founders & Professionals:✔️ Simplicity + storytelling beats features every time✔️ Health & discipline > hustle culture✔️ Communication is the most underrated startup skill✔️ India must prioritise critical thinking to stay globally competitive✔️ AI’s impact will rival the internet revolution💡 A must-watch for founders, operators, and anyone curious about what it takes to build, scale, and stay relevant across decades.🎙 Hosted by Amit Somani#SabeerBhatia #Hotmail #PrimePodcast #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast #Entrepreneurship #IndianStartups #CriticalThinking #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #FutureOfWork #FounderMindset #CommunicationSkills #HealthAndWealth #Leadership

How do you pivot from an early idea that didn’t work ➝ to building a global SaaS leader trusted by 700+ enterprises?In this full episode of the Prime Podcast, Khadim Batti (Co-founder & CEO, Whatfix) reveals the raw founder journey:The pivot moment that sparked WhatfixHustling with 500 cold emails to close first customersLanding a Fortune 10 client at $25/month (and why logos matter more than price)Why product-market fit keeps evolvingScaling SaaS from India ➝ US with 85+ Fortune 500 clientsRaising $270M and turning investors into growth partnersHow AI is shaping the future of digital adoption📌 Hosted by Gaurav Ranjan, Principal at Prime Venture Partners📌 Episode Timestamps00:00 – Introduction 02:40 – Creating a Category Before It Existed 08:30 – PMF as a Moving Target 12:20 – 500 Emails & First Customers 15:50 – Why Focus on the US Market 18:40 – Fortune 10 Customer at $25 22:10 – Narrowing Down GTM 25:00 – Selling to Enterprises 30:00 – India vs US Sales Teams 37:00 – Fundraising Lessons 44:20 – How AI is Changing Digital Adoption 47:19 – Making Investors Work for You📺 Subscribe for more founder journeys #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #Whatfix #Founders #StartupJourney #VentureCapital #ScalingStartups #IndiaToGlobal #DigitalAdoption #Leadership #StartupEcosystem #FounderLessons #CategoryCreation #PrimeVenturePatnersPodcast