The Indian Startup Show

Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to  over the past 12 months. You will hear from  Raghav Gupta, the co-founder of Nymble labs. (2.57)  His team has built a personal cooking assistant called Julia, so we talk about his appearance on TV. He talks about how they have developed the robot since we last spoke, talks about raising finance ,setting up offices in China and California. Next we have Nitesh Salvi Founder & CEO of Pocket52 (39.11)  on building India’s largest poker platform .He talks about how he went from playing poker in the late nights in his student dorm with friends to building India’s largest poker platform. And last but not least we have Yash Pariani  (1h.08m) co-founder of The Indian Gaming League (IGL) . On building India’s most popular e-sports league & the booming indian e-sport scene.Catching up with Raghav Gupta, the co-founder of Nymble labs.(2.57)  He came on the show back in November 2017 and he is back again with an update. His team has built a personal cooking assistant called Julia. We talk about his appearance on TV. How they have developed the robot since we last spoke, talks about raising finance ,setting up offices in China and California. Talks about why they are changing market focus from India to US. Gives great advice on customer development and how they qualify customers. Talks about becoming comfortable with uncertainty. He talks about how they demoed the robot at TechCrunch robotics conference without paying $$$$ for a booth. And finally we got some music at the end of the show.in this conversation we talk about:-Being VC backed & new business modelHow they came up with research goalsDeveloping a Customer Development process that helped gather more insights about consumers.How they separate feedback from noiseHow they capture the feedback.Taking the cooking robot to the houses of people who had signed up in SF, San Diego and LADealing with the coronavirusThoughts on the b2b and b2c marketsDealing with the competitionDon't fall in love with your product. Fall in live with the problem!Nitesh Salvi Founder & CEO of Pocket52 (39.11)You Got to Know When to Hold Them, Know When to Fold Them! Today I speak to Nitesh Salvi,  founder and CEO of Pocket52.   He talks about how he went from playing poker in the late nights in his student dorm with friends to building India’s largest poker platform. He talks about how they build trust and loyalty on the platform. Talks about getting rejected over 150 times despite already having a previously successful exit. He talks about creating a white label business as well as a B2C model. Talks about the psychological side of Poker. Dealing with fraud. And we talk about gambling responsibly  and finally he talks about his  biggest wins and losses on the poker table! and much more.in this conversation we also talk about Growing the user baseSpending 6/7 researching the marketCoin dumpingBuilding a scalable productThe importance of using Lava lamps!Pitch deck adviceCreating the right environment for customersAdvice for first time entrepreneursPlaying poker with his familyReading peopleYash Pariani  (1h.08m) co-founder of The Indian Gaming League (IGL) The Indian e-sport scene is booming. So today I speak to Yash Pariani co-founder of The Indian Gaming League. IGL is India’s most popular competitive gaming and esports league that hosts gaming tournaments online and they are growing fast!  IGL hosts daily online tournaments and battle royales across all your favourite game titles like Call of Duty Mobile, Fortnite, Dota 2, Fifa 20, 8-Ball pool, Clash Royale, Pubg and many more. So in this episode he talks about how he is creating an infrastructure for Indian gamers. Talks about building trust within the community. How demonetisation helped the esports industry in India. Talks about esports as a respectable career.and finally he talks about Steve Jobs, dealing with concerned parents and dealing with cheats!In this conversation we also talk about:Stats so farKey learnings as an entrepreneurWhy Fortnite became a hit gameWhat you need to be a top esports player?Streaming gamesEsports v traditional sportsWill it become an Olympic eventOffline tournaments v online tournamentshow much can you win?Thoughts on starting your own Esports teamFemale E-gamersSeeking challengesif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/track/4XfCbGXHPfStMMtghzjqfe?si=f79e5abeed7c480e   Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

India’s fintech adoption is booming. So today my guest is Ankur Joshi  CEO & Co-founder of Nuclei,a bootstrapped software enterprise startup that helps banks improve digital banking services by integrating its API platform to increase customer engagement through merchant marketplace and wealth management services. He talks about how he got this off the ground. Mistakes made in the early days. He talks about why they bootstrap and not raise any capital. He explains why the primary product is the team. He then talks about building partnerships, thoughts on B2C and B2B business models.  Talks about sharing equity with staff. Talks about why they think globally from day one & the tech hiring challenges in India. Talks about going fully remote and  building culture. And finally he talks about mental toughness and What he looks for in a co-founder.In this conversation we talk about:Having patienceBeing a serial entrepreneurDon't worry about the vanity metrics!Onboarding new employees. Choosing attitude over skill set.Management style - depends on the maturity of the other person. Building an integrated API platformProcessing 3 million transactions a month.Partnering with 18 banks in India and S.E Asia. And much moreLinkshttps://gonuclei.com/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

The wearable devices market in India is expected to reach a sales volume of 16.22 million units by 2024. So today I speak to Anmol Saxena, the CEO & founder of Ashva Weartech. They develop wearable solutions for chronic knee pain & spine. So in this episode she talks about her own battles with knee pain that inspired to build a prototype at a hackathon. And since then they not looked back! She talks about how the products work, quitting her job at Ford. Building a MVP. Talks product development. She talks about her research in the early days. She went to 50 clinics and spoke to over 110 knee pain patients. She talks about  dealing with feature requests and how they kill products. Getting paying customers and then having to refund them and then getting to pay again! Why they use an Excel spreadsheet when things go wrong. Partnering with one of India's leading physiotherapist.Talks about an offline marketing campaign that worked really well. Talks about sales forecasts for next year. How they onboard customers. And finally she talks about how the lean business model canvas can help you with your pitch.In this conversation we also talk about:-The wearables market in IndiaHaving a great teamMudra - a motion sensor worn on the upper back. It corrects your spine posture with sensory feedback.Sales forecasts for next yearCreating a reporting system for chronic knee painGetting support from Mum and Dad after quitting Ford.Book recommendation - The art of startup fund raising - Alejandro Cremades3 stages of building the first MVP.8/10 patients do not turn up to the clinic after the first session.The two business modelsStress!Going through an incubatorNot having access to high quality physio in the early daysand much morelinks https://www.ashvaweartech.com/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Building bionic arms for people with disabilities! Today I speak to Rishi Krishan, the CEO & Co-Founder of Symbionic. Symbionic is an affordable, assistive technology startup that makes smart prosthetic devices. It all started due to a freak bus accident which led to him losing his arm.  So in this episode he talks about the huge challenges building a bionic arm. He talks about how he validated the idea by being a human guinea pig. Talks about how they build empathy into the product and the market size. Talks technology and the business model. Talks about the key takeaways in building the first prototype  , talks about user experiences and 3D printing. Talks about what makes this bionic arm so special. Why your users should be your first investors. Getting great advice from AssisTech Foundation (ATF). Talks about being able to ride a bike again! Predictions for 2022. And finally he talks about advice he would give to his younger self and what first time founders should be focusing on.In this conversation we also talk about:-Using 3D printing customisation and sensorsBreaking out of the biases.Having small breakthroughs 10 million amputees in India. How would he sum up his journey so far?Thoughts on recruiting & why you shouldn't always hire the most experienced person. Working with a great teamExisting solutions did not workBuilding something cooler, functional and cheaper.Using it in public and dealing with the reaction.FundingCreating crowdfunding campaignsWorking in a niche marketFeedback loops & dealing with the steep learning curves. and much more!Links http://thesymbionic.com/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Ganesh Shankar is back! He came on the show in October 2017 (EP68) & he is celebrating 10 years as an entrepreneur! Ganesh is the co-founder & CEO of FluxGen FluxGen is on a mission to help industries become water positive, and aims to help save 1 billion litres of water everyday using his product AquaGen, a smart real-time water flow and level monitoring system. So in this episode he talks about improving the product using design thinking. He talks about time spent in the Cisco Launchpad Tech accelerator. Talks about dealing with the water crisis. He gives bootstrapping advice. Talks about digitising water structures and how they reduce water consumption by 30%. He talks about bringing water transparency and data to clients.‘Who will marry you now’ - his mom's reaction to him quitting General Electric to do this (he got married!) He talks about  India being the largest groundwater extractor in the world, bigger than China & USA. He talks about the original MVP back in 2017. Having big clients onboard. Questions you should ask yourself before quitting your 9-5 job to do a startup. and finally we reminisce about his epic bike journey from Bangalore to Goa and getting a proposal on Valentines Day, but not that type of proposal! and much more!In this conversation we talk about:10 years as an entrepreneur!Looking back would he change anything?A commencement speech that still motivates himNew projects in solar using dronesBootstrapping is good if you don't have a scalable plan Getting criticism in the early days The true cost of waterHow does he keep on top of things?The ongoing climate crisisA question you must ask → What is the primary driver for buying your solution? Transitioning from projects/consulting company to a product company. Not getting too worried about not getting sales in the early days. Start with the customer or start with the idea?How they de-risk industries and facilities from the water crisis. Dealing with the pandemicBuilding AI & IoT based end to end water management solutions.Being the founder and director of the non-profit The Sustainability Mafia (Susmafia.org). And much more!Links https://fluxgen.com/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Nivedha is back on the show!  I spoke to her back in December 2017 (Ep 72). She is the Co-founder of TrashCon. They have created a machine that helps solve India's huge waste management problem by converting mixed waste into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Waste. They started with one tiny machine doing 100kg/day to now doing 200,000 kgs/day!  Last year they did a million dollars revenue and have 3 million dollars in the pipeline this year. She talks about spending 2.5 years working in a dumpsites around India . She talks about working with big corporations and municipalities.  Nivedha then talks about how they launch & test MVP’s and product development. She talks about when to use experts &  when NOT to use experts. Going from 3 to 60 staff & what they look for in hiring, having a great co-founder  and finally she talks about how you shouldn't look for 100% perfection in building a startup..85% is ok! ,  Doing TedX talks  (Failure is when you decide to fail...) Winning awards, and why they have banned the word ‘impossible’ and looking back would she change anything? and much more! In this episode we talk about:Creating wow boardsHaving more downs then upsPatentsHas india's attitude to waste changed?Having no credibility at the start to now working with big corporations & municipalities.Having a co-founder who is a chartered accountant &  engineer helps. How they use the technology to separate the wasteBuilding a culture & not micromanaging everythingHaving a strong vision.Advice for first time founders - Have a clear problem statement.Don't look for perfection! The market is not looking for perfection. Going global.and much more Linkshttps://trashcon.in/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Logistics is the hottest industry to be in right now , according to my guest Mudasar Mohamed, Co-Founder & COO of Ezyhaul. Ezyhaul is a logistics tech startup based in India and South East Asia. They are on a mission to transform transportation logistics by building an ecosystem around shippers, truckers, government agencies, and third party service providers. So in this episode he talks about how they validated the MVP by talking to experts & truck drivers. Talks about being very close to going bankrupt but are now growing fast!  300% in 2 years with $180 million in revenue.  Talks about how they digitize the trucking process. Talks about how they use data, dashboards and analytics to improve decision making.  Talks about the two reasons why startups fail. Why three is the magic number in founding a startup. What to look for in a co-founder and the qualities you need to be a COO. Talks about the golden rule in growing a 2 sided market. Why do they employ data scientists? Talks about not getting carried away with valuations & Why is the transport industry still 20 years behind? And finally he talks about whether you!.. YES YOU! should pursue entrepreneurship or stay in your 9-5  job and much more! So please enjoy the show. In this conversation we also talk about:Ecommerce is booming.How they matching supply & demandDealing with resistance to change.Beating the competition by entering Tier 2 cities.First impressions of his co-foundersHe shares what he looks for in hiring (do something entrepreneurial)Books/podcasts recommendationsCreating a blue ocean & staying away from the red oceansWhy the focussed initially on Delhi and BangaloreHow they improve the life of truckers.75K trucks on the platformand much more!Linkshttps://www.ezyhaul.com/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

If everything is going digital why not theatre? Today I speak to Shreyas Talpade, actor , director , producer and now he is entering the exciting world of entrepreneurship building India's first ever streaming platform dedicated to Theatre and Performing Arts called Nine Rasa. This platform  gives you access to several hours of plays, skits, story-telling, stand-Ups, chats and more across several languages. In this episode he talks about how the idea got conceptualised during the pandemic. Talks abut how the platform works, developing the ecosystem and being a first time entrepreneur. He talks about the decision making process on what goes on the platform and what doesn't. Shreyas then goes on to talk about his acting career including his big break,  learning the craft, getting recognised for the first time. Talks about dealing with directors & writers and finally he talks about why you should ignore the critics , stop overthinking and just go do it!In this conversation we also talk about:Streaming 100hrs of contentThe rise and fall and now the rise of theatre in india. Millennials liking the conceptWho are they targeting?Everyone's a critic!Could he have made it as a cricketer after staring in Iqbal?Dealing with the emotional side of acting. Getting out of the comfort zone & thinking outside the boxTheatre classics v  new content.Not spending any money on marketingAdvice for first time entrepreneursWhy he is not competing with  Netflix and other streaming services? And much more!Links https://www.ninerasa.com/portal/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Making it easier and cheaper for e-rickshaw drivers to earn a livelihood. Today my guest is Varun Goenka, CEO & Co-Founder of ChargeUp. Charge-up offers the simple solution of Battery as a Service (BAAS)  to a growing community of 2.4 million E-Rickshaws. The company enables the e-rickshaw drivers to join the service without any upfront costs. By subscribing to a daily battery rental plan. Charge-up allows the drivers to visit the swapping station as many as 2-3 times a day to swap the discharged batteries with fully charged batteries. In this episode he talks about how he got started by talking to over 500 drivers, finding huge pain points on the way. He will explain what they are. Talks about working backwards to create product market fit , which they did in 12 months. Talks about traction, the business model  and how they use technology and data to grow the business. E.g driver behaviour, patterns, performance analytics and how they leverage the data.   Talks about missing out on the opportunity in solar and what he  learned. Talks about the positive impact they have on drivers earnings and the environment.  Talks about trying influencer marketing, partnerships with dealers. How fast they are growing. Thoughts on oil/fossil  companies. He talks why reading Bhagavad Gita helps and finally he talks about having a growth mindset and why being a backbencher at school helped!In this conversation we talk about:Battery technologyProduct researchHelping drivers overcome range anxiety & increase revenueOvercoming negative feedback from the battery dealers.How they stop the theft of batteriesHow they build trust with drivers and dealersHaving a co-founder with 'no attitude'Pay per use v buying the asset'Imagination is more important than knowledge' - Albert EinsteinLast mile connectivity/shared mobilityThoughts on the indian Government role in the clean tech space.Working on B2B deliveriesThe experience of driving an electric vehicle.Thoughts on bootstrappingand much moreLinkshttps://echargeup.com/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Every year 300,000 wheelchairs are sold in india. 95% of all wheelchairs are one -size fits all. Imagine wearing shoes and everyone has to wear size 14 shoes! So today my guest is Swostik Dash, CEO & Co-Founder of Neomotion. This Chennai-based startup has developed a personalised wheelchair, and a battery-powered clip-on device that converts the wheelchair into a roadworthy electric vehicle. So they helping people with disabilities to live a more independent life with their products. So in this episode he talks about how the journey started by talking to 200 Wheelchair users in 40 locations around india. Talks about the initial stages product development. You will learn how  he makes decisions around feature requests.Talks about how they balance creating impactful products, social change while making money at the same time. Talks about the main 5 metrics he checks every morning. Why don't they go after fancy features.  Interesting thoughts on what Wheelchairs will look like in 100 years time . Talks about the donation drive business model, major milestones. And finally talks about the huge impact he is making on people's lives.In this conversation we also talk about:Why they don't want VC funding yet.Traction & sales so farCustomisations -No two wheelchairs are the same. Supply chain managementManufacturing / fulfilling orders/ quality controlProof of conceptsAdvice on product development Product iterationsWhat they are working on right now.What went wrong in the early days.Enabling wheelchair users to live life to the fullest. Advice for first time founders.Using a whiteboard to deal with negative and positive feedbackProduct design adviceWhy you shouldn't get stuck on your idea‘Startup is a systematic risk minimisation’ - Warren Buffet. Solving the problem of Indoor and outdoor mobilityand much moreLinkshttps://www.neomotion.in/P.Sif you need something to do during these challenging and difficult times and want some inspiration and need some creativity. check out Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, tech, and more. Anyone can join the millions of members in our community to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities.Try Premium free for 2 months and access all my classes!https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/neilpatelmusic by Punch Deck. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV