Founder Thesis

From being almost penniless to finding product-market fit to becoming a powerhouse- with his first startup TravelTriangle, Sanchit went through it all. But almost like the monk who sold his Ferrari, Sanchit realised that he was seeking something deeper and that started his journey of building up Inner Fit.Read the text version of the episode here.Read more about the startups :-1.The journey of travel triangle from a bootstrapped holiday marketplace to a well-funded platform serving travellers to 60 destinations.

"In our current capacity, we are 100 people strong working equivalent to 20,000 Warm Bodies."This staggering metric from Manish Gupta highlights the sheer efficiency and disruptive potential of AI in traditional industries like call centers. Rezo.ai isn't just automating tasks; it's achieving workforce multiplication through technology, fundamentally changing how businesses scale customer interactions.Meet the Guests: Manish Gupta & Rashi Gupta (Ph.D.) are the Co-Founders of Rezo.ai, the husband-and-wife duo revolutionizing customer experience with AI. Manish (CEO) holds an M.Tech from IIT Delhi and previously served as CTO at RateGain. Rashi, a data science expert, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki and two Master's degrees from IIT Delhi. Together, they've built Rezo.ai into a profitable venture (for 8 consecutive quarters!) handling 30 lakh calls daily and targeting a $10 Million ARR.Key Insights from the Conversation: Value-Based Pricing: Shifting from simple rate cards to demonstrating clear ROI based on the enterprise's cost savings and value gained was key to unlocking larger B2B deals. Human + AI Collaboration: AI excels at handling high-volume, short (<3 min) interactions, freeing up human agents for complex, empathetic, or emergency situations requiring a human touch. Vernacular is Crucial: Supporting multiple Indian languages (10+) is essential for the Indian market, requiring sophisticated NLP and speech engines beyond simple translation. AI Augmentation, Not Replacement: Implementing AI hasn't led to agent layoffs; instead, employees are upskilled and redeployed for higher-value tasks. Enterprise AI Needs Guardrails: While powerful, generative AI like ChatGPT needs careful implementation with boundaries in B2B settings to ensure compliance and prevent brand damage. Funding Purpose: Raise capital strategically to fuel growth (like US expansion), not just because VC money is available.Chapters: 0:00 - Intro: Meet Manish & Rashi Gupta 1:18 - What is Rezo.ai? The AI-Powered Call Center Explained 2:23 - The Human Touch: Where AI Stops & Agents Step In 5:46 - Founder Journey: IIT Days, First Startup Failure & Rezo's Genesis 10:18 - Finding PMF: Pivoting from Text Chatbots to Voice AI 16:02 - Landing Maruti: Building Trust & Vernacular Voice Capability 19:04 - Tech Deep Dive: Speech Engines, NLP & Handling Indian Languages 26:58 - Integrating Generative AI (ChatGPT) Responsibly 31:57 - Pricing B2B AI: The Power of Value-Based Selling 38:39 - Rapid Deployment: Onboarding Enterprise Clients in Days 49:48 - Scaling & Profitability: Reaching $10M ARR Target 51:43 - Funding Strategy & US Expansion Plans 55:35 - Competition & Advice for Aspiring FoundersHashtags: #RezoAI #ManishGupta #RashiGupta #AICallCenter #ConversationalAI #VoiceAI #CustomerExperience #CX #B2BStartup #SaaS #EnterpriseAI #StartupIndia #IndianStartups #IITDelhi #FounderThesis #Podcast #AIinIndia #VernacularAI #NLP #MachineLearning #Profitability #Bootstrapping #ValueBasedPricing #FutureOfWork #Automation #CustomerSupport #TechPodcast #Entrepreneurship

Rohit started FinancePeer - a peer-to-peer lending startup but showing remarkable agility, he soon pivoted the company to become a leading player helping fund school fees for parents. He shares his journey of discovering product-market fit for LEO1, and the journey of building multiple moats for what is a very profitable and sticky business.Read the text version of the episode here.Read more about LEO1:-1.LEO1’S Unique Fee Financing Model Making Quality Education Accessible To Parents In Karnataka2.How fee financing is creating a win-win situation for parents and schools3.Education’s commercialisation: Unraveling the constraints4.“Blended education is the way forward for the education sector.” Rohit Gajbhiye5.Financepeer founder Rohit Gajbhiye features in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list

HomeLane changed India's home interior design scenario by using technology to offer personalized and professional interior services. Starting from his humble beginnings in 1993, Srikanth takes us all the way to the present with his current venture HomeLane.Read the text version of the episode here.Read more about HomeLane:-1.From 90 Days at Wipro to Founding a Rs 268 Crore Empire: A Young Techie's Incredible Journey2.How third-time entrepreneur Srikanth Iyer got it right3.[The turning point] How the book ‘uncommon service’ helped Homelane hit a home run in profitability4.Your business can't be good at everything; choose focus area carefully: Srikanth Iyer, co-founder and CEO, HomeLane.com

Not one to fit into the corporate straitjacket, Aanan kept experimenting until finding his calling in consumer health with his brainchild, Wellversed. Wellversed is a house of brands which are digital native with an online first sales strategy. The startup has 40+ brands in its kitty and it achieved this feat with just 3 mn dollars in funding!Read the text version of the episode here.Read more about Wellversed:-1‘Full stack wellness’: Indian brand Wellversed on ‘owning the ecosystem’ to understand the consumer2.How Wellversed is Planning to be a Unilever of the Wellness Category3.Creating a universe of modern-day health and wellness products4.Wellversed’s vision to make wellness accessible to all5.Wellversed Acquires And Scales Consumer Health and Wellness Brands To Build A House Of Brands

Quizzizz is the most unique ed-tech startup in India. It does not have a large sales team responsible for acquiring users. But it’s a product with massive global adoption. Deepak talks about his journey of finding product market fit and then scaling up through a product-led growth strategy.Read the text version of the episode here.Read more about Quizzizz :-1.Why US kids are raving about an Indian quiz app2.Edtech Startup Quizizz See Huge Spike In Global Adoption With 65 Mn MAU3.After tasting success in US, edutech startup Quizizz makes India debut4.Quizizz raises $31.5  million  from Tiger Global, Yahoo’s Yang

Ace Turtle is a 55 million-dollar fashion retailer behind some of the most loved brands in India and is truly setting a benchmark for retailers to go omnichannel. Nitin is a veteran of the retail space. He shares his journey from founding Ace Turtle as a SaaS venture, helping brands become omnichannel, to the pivotal aha moment of becoming a retainer themselves!Read the text version of the episode here.Read more about Ace Turtle :-1.Exclusive: Nitin Chhabra,Ace Turtle: Physical stores are now hubs for brand immersion, data acquisition and consumer satisfaction2.Vertical Commerce: The next chapter of the retail industry3.Technology implementation critical for omnichannel retailers4.Lee, Wrangler to transform India biz to omnichannel entities5.Ace Turtle enables puma, fossil, arrow and ray ban slash omnichannel transformation cost

Running a restaurant is incredibly operations-heavy, and making it profitable is even harder. Ashish discusses how he developed Posist to streamline operations and enhance profitability for his restaurant. He reveals insights into building a prosperous global SaaS business.Read the text version of the episode here.Read more about Posist:-1.For NewGen restaurateurs, technology is a natural starting point: Ashish Tulsian2.POSist Expands its Cloud-Based Restaurant Platform for F&B Industry3.POSist Takes Marketplace Route To Boost Foodtech Adoption, Digitise Restaurants4.Restaurant Technology Platform POSist to Empower Businesses with Digital Ordering and Digital Postpaid Dining Experience5.POSist Bridges Technology Gap In The Restaurant Industry, Introduces An Integrated Marketplace

HackerEarth is a platform powering the hiring of remote tech teams. Sachin talks about his rollercoaster journey, which started when he became a founder pretty much straight after passing out of IIT Rorkee, the years he spent bootstrapping HackerEarth, the journey of going global and his take on building a great organisation.Read more about HackerEarth:-1.Tech Talent Demands Transparency And Unbiased Hiring Practices: HackerEarth Study2. HackerEarth CEO: How to recruit talent for Web33.How Tech Companies Can Reassess Their Hiring Strategy In Times Of Economic Uncertainty

Vikalp Sahni is the man responsible for building the Aarogya Setu app in record time. Building the Aarogya Setu app inspired him to create Eka Care, a platform for managing personal health data. Eka Care's ambitious mission is to provide individuals with easy-to-understand line graphs, similar to tracking financial health, but for monitoring personal health metrics.Read the text version of the episode here.Read more about Eka Care:-1.Eka Care health app incorporates HRM, medical record management2.Eka Care Health App Brings Heart Rate Monitoring and Medical Record Management to Your Fingertips3.Eka Care releases Health Report 20224.Eka Care, a startup helping digitize health records of Indian patients, raises $15 million