The Neon Show

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.

In this episode of The Neon Show, we bring you into the room with someone who’s spent over a decade backing India’s most ambitious companies.We're joined by Prayank Swaroop, Partner at Accel. With over 14 years in venture capital, Prayank walks us through his journey of discovering and building expertise in specific sectors—from cybersecurity and developer tools to SaaS and marketplaces—and how VCs identify the categories they truly understand.We dive into how Accel chooses best founders, and the balance between backing founder versus business across stages. Prayank shares his candid thoughts on why India has been slow and late to the AI race, and what a realistic way forward could look like for Indian startups.He also offers a glimpse into Accel’s evolving investment thesis around AI, sector by sector, and talks about how the enterprise landscape is changing—and what that means for Indian founders building in this space.Tune in!0:00- Trailer1:45 – Finding Great Founders6:30 – What We'd Do Differently10:16 – Sector Expertise Matters13:15 – Where AI Money Should Go18:00 – Accel’s GenAI Bets21:18 – Sector-Wise Thesis in AI23:24 – Growth means Product in AI26:45 – Rise of Founder-Influencers29:10 – $650million India Fund31:35 – Beyond Roti, Kapda, Makaan34:07 – Why Accel is Big on Content36:03 – 15 Years in VC38:16 – Highs & Lows of VC Ecosystem43:36 – Knowledge Compounds in VC49:45 – Conviction over Consensus51:06 - Conclusion-------------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

Dev Khare, a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners with over 13 years of experience, discusses the changing investment landscape in India. He contrasts two funding models: the traditional Silicon Valley approach with high initial burn rates versus the 'compounder' model that promotes gradual growth and profitability. Khare shares insights on the evolution of Indian startups, the rise of AI in enterprise solutions, and the increasing significance of second-time founders. His experiences highlight the unique challenges and opportunities within India's burgeoning tech ecosystem.

Avnish Bajaj, Founding Partner at Z47 and co-founder of Matrix Partners India, brings two decades of VC experience to the table. He discusses how founders should select the right VCs, the importance of operational support in building relationships, and why second-time founders have an edge in today’s market. Bajaj reveals insights into India’s evolving startup landscape, emphasizing the significance of founder-market fit and a long-term investment perspective. Tune in to learn what truly drives success in the competitive world of venture capital.

Sharad Sharma, founder of iSPIRT and a key player in India's digital innovation, dives into the future of India's digital landscape. He discusses the rise of UPI, its transformative effect on transactions, and the necessity for strategic autonomy in tech. Sharma highlights the challenges of maintaining first-mover advantages and critiques reliance on foreign payment systems. He also underscores the importance of collaboration in building effective AI ecosystems and the need for robust regulatory frameworks to secure India’s leadership in global technology.