Founder Thesis

Addverb is breaking barriers by exporting cutting-edge robotic solutions worldwide, revolutionizing factory and warehouse automation. Sangeet’s daring spirit and innovative approach propel Addverb to outshine even established foreign competitors, cementing its position as a leader in the global robotics industry. Discover their inspiring journey from software giants to hardware innovators and their profound impact on the future of technology.Get notified about the latest releases and bonus content by subscribing to our newsletter at www.founderthesis.comRead more about Addverb:-1.Addverb unveils three robots for varied use cases2.Addverb's mega robot-making unit in UP touted to power 3,000 jobs3.India's coolest start-ups: Meet the founders of automated solutions provider Addverb Technologies4.Future of automation! Addverb’s trio of robots pave way for industry automation5.Meet the four founders of Addverb, the company revolutionising warehousing and robotics whose biggest shareholder is Mukesh Ambani6.Addverb's Bot Verse: Exploring The 'World's Largest' Mobile Robot Factory7.Addverb: Automation company making robots in India, for the world

"Don't fall in love with the solution, fall in love with the problem because the problem is the one that's going to make you money."Krish Ramineni shares this powerful advice, emphasizing the importance of deep customer understanding over attachment to a specific product idea. This founder mindset was crucial in navigating Fireflies.ai's journey through various experiments before landing on their core product.About the Guest:Krish Ramineni is the Co-founder & CEO of Fireflies.ai, an AI meeting assistant used by over 200,000 organizations. Recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, Krish led Fireflies.ai through a $4.9M seed round and a $14M Series A, building a capital-efficient company focused on automating work from meetings. Before founding Fireflies.ai, he was a Product Manager at Microsoft on the Office growth team.Key Insights from the Conversation: Finding Product-Market Fit: The journey to Fireflies.ai involved numerous experiments; the key signal for success was finding a core group of users who "absolutely love your product and can't live without it". Product-Led Growth (PLG): Fireflies.ai achieved significant growth with zero paid marketing initially, relying purely on organic adoption and viral loops built into the product. Leveraging LLMs: Adapting early to Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI's was a pivotal moment, significantly enhancing the quality of notes and summaries and enabling the "magic moment" for users. Fireflies evolved from basic transcription to sophisticated, customizable AI summaries and plans to become a platform with numerous AI apps. Building a Moat: While transcription/summarization tech becomes commoditized, Fireflies builds its moat through its robust SaaS platform, user base, enterprise features (like security and access controls), viral loops, and the vision of becoming a workflow platform and knowledge base for organizations.Chapters: 00:00:00 - Krish Ramineni's Origin Story: From Wanting to be a Doctor to Tech Entrepreneur 01:18:60 - Early Career: Product Management at Microsoft's Office Growth Team 03:07:38 - The Genesis of Fireflies.ai: Solving the Meeting Memory Problem 05:14:80 - The "Desert Walk": Finding the First True Fans 07:18:71 - Early Product Experiments Before Fireflies Meetings 11:42:43 - Building the Meeting Bot: From Twilio to Custom RPA 16:37:00 - Defining and Delivering the "Magic Moment" for Users 18:25:90 - Pivoting to LLMs: The OpenAI Integration Journey 22:17.66 - Building a Moat Beyond Transcription & Summarization 27:26.72 - Fireflies as an Enterprise Knowledge Base 37:20.16 - The Product-Led Growth (PLG) Strategy & Philosophy 47:01.11 - Pricing Strategy & The Introduction of AI Credits 59:20.55 - Funding Journey, Revenue Growth & Capital Efficiency 01:11:22.60 - Advice for Aspiring Founders: Fall in Love with the ProblemHashtags:#FounderThesis #KrishRamineni #Firefliesai #StartupIndia #Entrepreneurship #SaaS #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ProductLedGrowth #PLG #MeetingAssistant #Productivity #TechStartup #SiliconValley #Fundraising #VentureCapital #LLM #OpenAI #FutureOfWork #StartupJourney #Microsoft #IndianFounders

How is Dr. Pankaj Jethwani building 2070 Health into India’s first healthcare venture studio—while using AI to collapse care costs in obesity and oncology? This Founder Thesis deep-dive blends startup playbooks with digital health, funding winter realities, and India’s policy rails (ABDM, DPDP) to decode what it really takes to scale healthtech.Dr. Pankaj Jethwani (Managing Partner, W Health Ventures; CEO, 2070 Health) breaks down how a venture studio model can systematically create patient-centric companies in India’s digital health ecosystem. We unpack the rigorous PMF gates, high-margin care models, and the “AI as margin engine” thesis across obesity programs and oncology (including the Everhope Oncology partnership with Narayana Health). Expect a founder-first masterclass on distribution, clinician workflows, and SaMD validation—plus contrarian takes like “clinics, not just apps,” and “studio > fund” for ops-heavy care delivery. Timely and relevant for 2025: GLP-1 adoption in India, data protection and consent design under DPDP, and building on ABDM/UHI. If you’re building or backing healthtech in India (or exporting to the US), this is your blueprint for execution in a funding-constrained market.• How Dr. Pankaj Jethwani built 2070 Health’s venture studio to launch scalable clinics & platforms • Lessons from scaling during India’s funding winter: PMF gates, unit economics, and trust windows • AI as margin engine: shifting coaching and care navigation from people to validated AI • GLP-1 obesity care and oncology at scale: Everhope Oncology x Narayana Health • Building on India’s policy rails: ABDM/UHI integration, DPDP consent flows, SaMD compliance • Distribution playbooks: 6–12 month trust building, clinician design, and partnershipsSubscribe to the Founder Thesis PodcastFollow Akshay Datt on LinkedIn for exclusive contentVisit founderthesis.com for more founder stories00:00 - Pankaj Jethwani’s Founder Story 03:15 - Why 2070 Health Venture Studio 09:40 - W Health Ventures Investment Lens 16:05 - AI in Healthcare Cost Curves 23:20 - GLP-1 India & Obesity Care 31:45 - Everhope Oncology with Narayana Health 42:10 - Policy: ABDM, DPDP, SaMD 54:20 - PMF, Margins, Moats Playbook#PankajJethwani #2070Health #WHealthVentures #DigitalHealth #HealthtechIndia #VentureStudio #AIinHealthcare #GLP1 #ObesityCare #Oncology #EverhopeOncology #NarayanaHealth #ABDM #DPDP #SaMD #TelemedicineIndia #FundingWinter #IndiaStartups #HealthcareStartups #FounderThesis

Maneet Gohil, started Lal10 as a side hustle while in college and after a roller coaster journey of multiple pivots, scaled it to a ₹200cr ARR business.Lal10 is an asset light manufacturer. Think of it as an Oyo Rooms model for Indian craft manufacturing. They build the market connection and generate demand, and in the back end, digitize small scale factories to manufacture, thereby helping Indian handcrafted textile suppliers to make their inventory available on global platforms.He talks about: How to scale a side-hustle successfully How the ‘Jugaad’ culture works in the Indian creative manufacturing sector and how to use it to make a profitable ‘dhanda’ How to sell in dollars and spend in rupeesGet  notified about the latest releases and bonus content by subscribing to our newsletter at founderthesis.com

Delve into the evolution of cybersecurity in this episode- with firsthand experience, Kiran sheds light on the ever-changing landscape of cyber threats and recounts the journey of BluSapphire, a full-stack threat detection and response platform for enterprises. Tune in to gain insights into the frontline of defence against digital adversaries.Get notified about the latest releases and bonus content by subscribing to our newsletter at www.founderthesis.comRead more about BluSapphire:-1.Cybersecurity platform BluSapphire in expansion mode, unveils new office in Hyderabad2.Cybersecurity platform Blusapphire raises $9.2m funding in series A round

How did V.S. Kannan Sitaram turn early D2C bets like Mamaearth, boAt and Yogabar into IPO/M&A outcomes—while helping build Fireside Ventures into India’s leading consumer VC? In this episode, we dive into the operator-to-investor playbook powering India’s next wave of iconic consumer brands.From Dabur COO to co-founder at Fireside Ventures, Kannan breaks down how to find PMF in consumer, why category > product, and what it really takes to scale D2C brands in India. We unpack Fireside’s thesis on premiumisation and health, the omnichannel math behind CAC→LTV, and why manufacturing can be a real moat. Expect candid learnings from portfolio journeys (Mamaearth IPO, Yogabar→ITC), boardroom discipline, and working with platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Meta and Google. If you’re building or investing in consumer brands in India’s funding winter, this is a masterclass in exits, governance, and durable growth.• Building consumer PMF: insight-led category creation vs feature-led products • Omnichannel economics: CAC control, retention cohorts, LTV, and offline ramp • Manufacturing as a moat: quality, margins, innovation speed vs asset-light • Funding winter tactics: capital efficiency, SKU focus, and unit economics • Exit readiness: audit hygiene, supply chain, IPO/M&A timing (Mamaearth, Yogabar) • India’s consumer decade: premiumisation, wellness, and brand-led scaleSubscribe to the Founder Thesis Podcast Follow Akshay Datt on LinkedIn for exclusive content Visit founderthesis.com for more founder stories00:00 - Fireside Ventures: Operator to VC 04:30 - Thesis: India’s D2C Consumer Boom 10:10 - Finding PMF: Category > Product 16:45 - Omnichannel Economics: CAC to LTV 23:00 - Manufacturing as Moat in Consumer 29:40 - Funding Winter Tactics for D2C 36:15 - Exits: Mamaearth IPO, Yogabar M&A 42:50 - What’s Next: Premiumisation & HealthTags: V.S. Kannan Sitaram, Fireside Ventures, consumer brands India, D2C India, D2C startups, venture capital India, funding winter India, omnichannel strategy India, CAC LTV playbook, Mamaearth IPO, boAt story India, Yogabar ITC acquisition, premiumisation India, health and wellness brands India, brand building India, supply chain manufacturing India, exit strategy IPO M&A, Founder Thesis podcast#FounderThesis #KannanSitaram #FiresideVentures #D2C #ConsumerBrands #VentureCapital #IndiaStartups #FundingWinter #Omnichannel #Mamaearth #boAt #Yogabar #Premiumisation

"My purpose has been and will always be to build something that delights people."Shankar Prasad shares a powerful perspective: true business success isn't solely about scale, but about creating genuine customer delight. This is a core tenet of Plum Goodness that got built in during their 5 year bootstrapping journey.Shankar Prasad is the founder of Plum Goodness, a rapidly growing Indian direct-to-consumer beauty brand. Starting with a mere 15 SKUs in 2014, and bootstrapping for the first five years, Plum is now on track to achieve a ₹500 crore annual revenue run rate.Shankar, a chemical engineer from IIT Bombay and an MBA from ISB, with experience at Hindustan Unilever, McKinsey, and as a leader at Faces Canada, built Plum with a unique customer-centric and frugality-first approach.Key Insights from the Conversation: Frugality as a Core Value: Shankar's upbringing instilled a deep sense of frugality, influencing Plum's operations from its inception, allowing the company to reach profitability in its early years. Customer Obsession: Plum prioritizes customer delight above all else, reflected in its product development, customer service, and even the founder's personal involvement in addressing customer complaints. Product DNA: A focus on high-quality, "goodness"-driven products is central to Plum's identity, differentiating it in a crowded market. Bootstrapping Benefits: The initial five years of bootstrapping allowed Plum to solidify its brand DNA and values before seeking external funding. Capital as an Input: Shankar views investment capital as a resource to fuel growth and achieve the brand's vision, not as an end in itself. Channel Agnostic: For Plum, the most important aspect is to build a brand, and be present where the customer is. Experiment to grow: Shankar explains the multiple experiments across channels and products, and how that helps Plum, not only expand its offering, but also learn what works, and become better. 00:00:00 - Intro: Accidental Beauty Founder 00:05:14 - Ice Cream to Beauty: Unilever & Faces 00:09:52 - Defining "Goodness": Plum's Purpose 00:24:44 - Bootstrapping & ₹100 Facebook Ads 00:38:21 - Saying "No" to Fairness 00:58:24 - Frugality's Downside 01:09:12 - Online vs. Offline: Plum's Strategy 01:14:38 - No Tech Team?! 01:29:37 - Customer Delight: Only View 01:22:23 - Anti-Unicorn Philosophy 01:48:53 - Future Vision: Billion Lives 01:59:12 - Key TakeawaysHashtags:#PlumGoodness #ShankarPrasad #D2C #BeautyBrand #IndianStartup #Entrepreneurship #FounderJourney #Bootstrapping #CustomerObsession #Frugality #BrandBuilding #Skincare #Makeup #Haircare #IndianBeauty #VentureCapital #StartupIndia #BusinessStrategy #CustomerExperience #Goodness #Podcast #FounderThesis #IIT #ISB #Unilever #FacesCanada

Discover Roshini Sanah Jaiswal's journey from starting Bangalore’s very first premium bar and night club to leading the India franchise of the global Hard Rock Cafe. Learn lessons in leadership and resilience as she recounts navigating countless challenges to turnaround one of India’s oldest liquor companies. Now, she's building Swanrose, a global D2C brand in the beauty and wellness space, her most ambitious project yet.Get notified about the latest releases and bonus content by subscribing to our newsletter at www.founderthesis.comRead more about Swanrose:-1.From launching a preventive healthcare vertical to making a loss-making liquor company profitable amid the pandemic: the story of Roshini Sanah Jaiswal2.The beauty business uses the most petrochemicals linked to numerous health problems: Roshini Sanah Jaiswal3.Justhuman launches in India & the USA ushering in a new generation of clean beauty products, powered by Neurocosmetics4.This Lady is Giving Her Male Counterparts a Run for Their Money5. Swanrose eyes disruption in hygiene and personal care space

Arjun Nair, co-founded Great Learning, an ed-tech company by bootstrapping it and took it to a $600m acquisition by Byju’s. He speaks to Akshay Datt about: Creating effective cohort based courses (using ‘flip classrooms’!) Bootstrapping with a maniacal focus on profitability Why they sold to Byju’s and the way forwardGet notified about the latest releases and bonus content by subscribing to our newsletter at www.founderthesis.com

Rohan Shravan’s journey is a testament to the never-say-die spirit of the Indian founder. He created the world's first Android tablet, Notion. And even though his dream of building a hardware devices company from India did not work out, he's now pioneering Tresa Motors, set to launch India's finest EV truck. Hear about his journey and his determination to make a difference on a big scale.Get notified about the latest releases and bonus content by subscribing to our newsletter at www.founderthesis.comRead more about Tresa Motors:-1.Tresa Motors' axial flux motor, Lidar-enabled driver assistance aim at new standards for electric trucks in India2.Tresa Motors unveils India's first electric truck for the global market: See Pics3.Tresa Motors launches its first EV