The Neon Show

Geopolitics is now measured in Nanometers. Anything with a battery or a plug has a semiconductor inside. But these chips aren’t just tech anymore, they’re shaping who becomes the next Superpower.In the 1980s, India was just two years behind the world in semiconductors. Today, we’re 12 generations behind. What went wrong?India’s top semiconductor expert, Raja Manickam, returns to The Neon Show to break it all down.We discuss how the U.S. lost the chip race it started, China’s strategic rise, and how one visionary turned Taiwan into the most valuable island in the world.Raja Manickam dives into what the $10B India Semiconductor Mission is getting right and where we may fall behind. He explains why <$5 chips might be India’s best shot, and how founders can enter semiconductors with just ₹1 Crore.This episode isn’t just about chips, it’s about who gets to shape the next decade of tech, trade, and power. From the role of the government to private capital and Mr. Raja’s own vision through his company iVP Semiconductor, this episode tells you how semiconductors are deciding India’s Future.0:00 – Trailer1:26 – Masters of Chips will rule the world8:24 – Why US is falling behind despite its head start11:22 – Does the US have the talent to win?12:54 – How Taiwan became World’s most valuable island18:51 – The US vs China dilemma for Taiwan22:21 – China’s rise is strategic, not accidental29:09 – Will India only be a chip-outsourcing hub?32:41 – Does India want to build for itself or others?34:07 – Why the US wants to kill the Chips Act38:21 – US-China chip war for global power40:16 – How can India win in <$5 chips?43:31 – Should the Indian govt give grants or take equity?45:05 – Semiconductor will not create jobs47:50 – What went wrong for India post-80s?50:11 – Why Mr. Raja returned to India52:04 – Can India democratise chips too?55:23 – How India’s govt is supporting chip startups58:06 – India’s $10B Semiconductor Mission1:03:19 – Why Raja is disappointed with Private sector1:08:48 – iVP’s ambition to be a chip giant from India1:10:47 – What’s India still missing?1:16:39 – Is India not ready for 3nm Chips?1:21:43 – How can new founders enter semiconductors?-------------​​India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text

There are No Checklists or Frameworks on HOW TO BE A VC?So how do you even know if it’s the right path for you?Unlike most jobs, venture capital comes with an extremely long feedback loop. It can take years before you know whether the bets you made actually worked out. That’s why most seasoned VCs say: only choose this path if you're in it for the long haul.This conversation will help you think through that choice. Whether you’re considering VC as a career, love building businesses, or just want to understand who really calls the shots on a cap table.On The Neon Show, we have with us two operators turned investors:Gaurav Ranjan, Principal at Prime Venture Partners, has led deals including Dozee, Hitwikcet, Poshn and Gallabox.Naman Lahoty, Partner at Stellaris Venture Partners has been part of investments like Zouk, Nestasia, Dashtoon and Lumio.They share lessons from evaluating thousands of startups - what they’ve unlearned about pattern-matching in investing, why Excel projections mostly fail and why founder empathy might be the most underrated edge in venture capital.It’s truly a conversation between three VCs on what it really takes to be a VC today.0:00 – Stellaris Partners X Prime Ventures0:43 – How Founders Turn Into VCs4:19 – Do VCs Need an MBA or Consulting Background?6:32 – Why Startup Projections Rarely Come True8:43 – Are VCs Naturally Good Founders?11:19 – Startups we Evaluated & Founders we Met14:51 – From First Pitch to Deal Close19:02 – Why VC Feedback Loops Are Extremely Long21:00 – No Checklists. No Frameworks.25:27 – Why On-Demand Rebranded as Quick Commerce Won?29:20 – The Stellaris Framework to Evaluate Founders35:53 – Why Indian VCs Must Think Independently38:28 – Rapid Fire: The Big One We Missed39:16 – The One We Loved But Didn’t Back42:23 – Startups We Wish We’d Invested In43:55 – Investors We Admire the Most47:20 – Do We Believe Peter Thiel’s Theory?52:35 – Startup Stories: Slack, Flickr, Dozee, Rupicard57:15 – The GTM Hack That Led to Product Discovery58:15 – Babygogo & Atomic Work59:55 – All-Nighter Code Sprint for the Demo1:00:55 – Lessons Founders Taught Us1:06:30 – What We Miss About Being a Founder1:10:28 – When Do You Decide If You Are a Good VC?1:13:28 – Building a Fund V/S Building a Startup-------------​​India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text

Vertical SaaS customers don’t buy software for 10 months, they buy it for 10 years. That’s the opportunity and the challenge. Switching costs are high, which makes it hard to get in but once you’re in, you’re in.But regular SaaS playbooks don't work here. Forget PLG. Forget design partners. These industries have been burned too many times by bad software. Here, Trust defines GTM. Think warm introductions and on-site meetings, not cold emails and Zoom calls.But for founders building in vertical SaaS, there’s little to learn from. So in this episode of The Neon Show, we bring together three founders who are building in the trenches of Vertical SaaS.Omkar Patil, Co-founder of Pienomial, helping biopharma companies run faster clinical research and unlock insights from complex drug data.Kumar Siddhartha, Co-founder of Merlin, rebuilding ERP from the ground up for the US construction industry.Divyaanshu Makkar, Co-founder of WizCommerce, modernising sales and commerce tools for wholesale distributors.If you’re building SaaS for niche markets or wondering why traditional playbooks are failing, this episode is for you.0:00- Pienomial X WizCommerce X Merlin0:51 – What are we building in Vertical SaaS?4:29 – Vertical SaaS buyers are sticky by nature6:57 – How to build for industries used to Below-Par Tech?10:46 – Fix what your customer hated about the last vendor12:17 – Why these industries pay billions for implementation?13:38 – How we got our First customers?20:03 – Warm intros and word-of-mouth still win23:56 – Why Design Partners don’t work in Vertical SaaS?27:17 – Why you should never sell your first product for free?30:29 – Can you Co-build products with early customers?34:33 – Building Your Own Platform Vs Building on Top of one39:33 – Building alongside Legacy players or innovating around them?44:31 – SaaS isn’t going anywhere, AI will amplify it46:49 – Can AI agents really be reliable?48:42 – Which roles shouldn't be automated?52:16 – How to approach GTM where users guide you?54:43 – Why trust is everything here?58:54 – How to sell softwares used for 10 years?1:01:02 – How to win when the product demo comes last?1:03:16 – Why NOW for traditional industries with unsolved problems1:09:17 – Thoughts on agentic workflows1:13:02 – Why be Bearish on the “AI Employee Concept”?1:16:57 – Rapid Fire : Google or Perplexity?1:17:37 – LLMs: Open-source or Closed?1:18:19 – Favorite work software + We're hiring!1:19:42 – One business buzzword that should disappear1:20:55 – A Vertical SaaS company we admire (and why)-------------​​India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are thosSend us a text

Saurya Prakash Sinha, co-founder of Recko, a pioneering financial reconciliation platform acquired by Stripe, dives into his entrepreneurial journey. He shares the struggles of nearly running out of cash and the process of finding product-market fit amidst skepticism from investors. Saurya underlines the importance of customer validation, explaining how usage trumps annual recurring revenue in early-stage B2B success. He also reflects on the dynamics of high-profile acquisitions and the key role of effective communication in fostering a strong company culture.

The dollar will lose its status as the world’s reserve currency & the greatest wealth transfer in history is already underway - warns the founder of one of India’s fastest-growing unicorns!In this episode, Deepak Garg, founder of Rivigo and AnywhereJobs shares why Rivigo's iconic Relay model succeeded, and what ultimately limited it. He predicts Zomato's dominance, questions funding choices of startups and shares why India may miss the AI revolution without a radical energy shift.From Bitcoin vs. gold and Trump’s potential Nobel Peace Prize to Tesla becoming a $30 trillion company, Deepak’s predictions are bold and grounded in years of pattern recognition.If you're a founder, investor, or macro nerd, this is an episode you won’t forget.0:00- Rivigo & Anywhere Jobs02:16 – When your business outgrows the market04:18 – Capital raising is a Double-edged sword05:02 – Which ideas truly need funding?07:33 – Build teams with Accuracy, not Kindness09:39 – How to know if you've chosen the right market?10:41 – Why Zomato is India's best Consumer tech bet16:00 – How the Power is shifting b/w nations today?20:18 – Will Dollar cease to be a Reserve currency?22:36 – Is Bitcoin better than Gold?26:59 – Who will be the Next global Superpower?31:56 – India in the Next 20 years34:22 – When 2 players control 80% of India’s Private sector35:52 – Why China is far ahead of India in Nuclear Energy?40:17 – Will Trump win a Nobel Peace Prize in 2025?42:01 – How Tesla could become a $30 trillion company?47:15 – Wealth transfer from Wall Street to Main Street50:30 – Where India should focus in AI-------------​​India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text

Kushal Bhagia, Fund Manager at All In Capital, and Karthik Prabhakar, Founder of Peer Capital, share their unique journeys from engineers to venture capitalists. They discuss why not all builders should become VCs and how curiosity drives success in this field. The duo explores the evolving fundraising landscape in India, emphasizing the need for strategic partnerships. They also examine qualities needed in VCs, like patience and resilience, and reflect on the challenges facing emerging managers in a competitive market.

Rahul Sasi is the Co-founder and CEO of CloudSEK, specializing in AI-driven digital risk, while Ananda Krishna is the Co-founder and CTO of Astra Security, focused on cybersecurity. Together, they delve into the magical impact of AI on product development and team dynamics. They discuss the necessity of adapting job roles in response to AI, the importance of coding skills for all employees, and how entrepreneurs can navigate failure effectively. The episode reveals insights into AI's profound transformation of traditional businesses and customer service.

In this engaging discussion, Vijay Rayapati, Co-founder of Atomicwork, and Khadim Batti, Co-founder of Whatfix, share their entrepreneurial wisdom. They delve into the importance of cultivating a genuine company culture that balances humility and ambition. The conversation touches on innovative hiring strategies, the significance of mentorship for founders, and the challenges of AI adoption. They also address the need for flexibility in work hours and the evolving role of leaders in fostering a psychologically safe workplace, ultimately shedding light on how to build enduring companies.

CRM is a category often equated with its market leader, Salesforce.Hence, companies and investors question the viability of building a business in this space.Nilesh Patel, founder of Leadsquared, who built a Unicorn in CRM, joins us today.We discuss the category, the business, and its competitors.With Byju’s as their first large deal, Edtech brought over 40% of their customers.Then the industry went through a downfall, but Leadsquared survived by a well timed expansion.From lack of capital restricting entry into the US market, to fast-forward today, where they have gone global.Nilesh shares his thoughts on the skills founders need and the decisions they have to make -on exits, acquisitions, and hiring.Tune in for more!0:00-Trailer1:35 – Building Leadsquared3:19 – First large deal with Byjus7:12 – Fundraising from Private Equity9:58 – CRM as an Undesirable Investment12:10 – Should Co’s enter the CRM Space?13:35 – How to price SAAS in India?15:23 – Diversifying beyond EdTech16:49 – How to build market differentiation?20:29 – Highest annual deal of <$10M23:37 – India spends $500M-$1B on CRM26:39 – Are Indian founders underpricing?28:40 – GTM in the US Market33:26 – What would Leadsquared do differently?47:32 – When Should a Founder Exit?49:03 – How AI Will Transform CRM55:09 – Views on Byju Raveendran56:55 – When founders think like VC’s-------------Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys. Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text

Sharad Sanghi, CEO of Neysa and pioneer of India's first data center, discusses his journey from cloud computing to AI. He shares insights on making AI accessible with low-code solutions that streamline model training and deployment. Sanghi emphasizes the need for local AI clouds in India and explores the evolving dynamics in AI adoption, particularly in banking. He delves into the challenges of scaling data centers and the importance of ethical considerations in AI. With $50M in funding, Neysa is positioned to play a key role in India's AI landscape.