The Indian Startup Show

Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to  over the past 5 years. You will hear from Vineet Rajan.  Co-founder of Scout My Trip  - India's premier do-it-yourself platform for road trips .talks about pivoting, new insights on the India travel market , growing 5x , expanding into S.E Asia, using virtual scouts & life changing road trips! Next we have Aayush Jindal Co-founder of Toesmith. (45m.46sec)  India’s first tech-driven footwear brand, offering customisation of shoes at an affordable price. Next up Vikas Jha CEO & founder of Alore CRM (1h 19m)   - On building one of India's fastest growing sales platform. And last but not least I speak to The Startup Guy aka Vijay Anand , Founder of the Startup Centre (1h 54m)  he talks about the Indian Startup Ecosystem - what's going right, what needs to be tweaked and where to next? So sit back  & enjoy some of the best moments  Vineet Rajan.  Co-founder of Scout My TripThis is an exciting new feature called Where Are They Now ? I catch up with previous guests who came on the show. I catch up With Vineet Rajan the co-founder of Scout My Trip India’s first subscription-based travel planner powered by local travel experts. He gives us an update on what’s been happening since I last spoke to him over 2 years ago including being recognised as being of the top 50 startups to watch in india. Talks about expanding into SouthEast Asia. He explains why they pivoted and now use virtual scouts, talks about raising $500k, talks about content marketing strategies , talks about hot new destinations in india you should visit , talks about a life changing trip to Ladakh and finally he talks about eating ghost chillies in North East India and his second wife latitia(his bike!)In this conversation we also talk about:Growing 5x since 2018A phenomenal 2019 winning 6+ awardsOffline marketing strategiesBusiness Travel marketWorking with HondaClimate change & sustainable travelGreat story how he met his co-founder on the highwayGreat road tripsBeing a startup guy and his co-founder being a corporate guyConsumer mindset in indiaIncome Tax Exemption granted under Startup India ProgrammeHow they use virtual scoutsUsing AI in the futureBeing trapped in the snow for 20hrs!Aayush Jindal Co-founder of Toesmith. (45m.46sec)'It was his birthday & I thought of customising a shoe and gifting it to him on his birthday' And so Toesmith was born! and they haven't looked back . I speak to Aayush Jindal Co-founder of Toesmith , India’s first tech-driven footwear brand, offering customisation of shoes . In this episode he talks how the 3d customisation works. Talks about customer research , pitching his parents the prototype , how they target customers via Facebook and Instagram, how many orders that get a day, quitting the corporate life, how they plan to scale the operation and finally he gives advice on building an e-commerce business & brand in India.In this conversation we also talk about:Pricing strategies that don't pinch!Getting great feedback & design from a tattoo artistWalking away from nice job at BainHow they deal with copyright issuesThoughts on the offline / retail market.Is it pressure off or pressure on?Launching internationally & scalingExperiencing failure on his previous start-upGetting advice from parents who work in the shoe manufacturing business.Vikas Jha CEO & founder of Alore CRM (1h 19m)  India is emerging as one of the fastest-growing markets for SaaS (software as a service)-based customer relationship management (CRM) firms. So today i speak to Vikas Jha founder & CEO of Alore. Alore offers everything needed to run a sales team at scale - from finding business email addresses to running automated drip campaigns to monitoring the performance of sales teams. So he talks about it all got started , how the product works. How they acquire customers around the world organically without spending money on marketing. Talks about nearly going bankrupt , talks about what makes a great salesperson, being an ex-merchant navy officer turned venture capitalist turned entrepreneur. Gives great book recommendations , talks about burnout , mental health. He talks about bootstrapping strategies what worked and what didn't work and finally he talks about how he transitioned from corporate life to startup life.in this conversation we also talk about:Sales so farEarly bootstrap strategies using Facebook groupsProduct design processUnique pricing models2 business modelsIs email still a good way to sell?The 'land & expand' strategyBook recommendation - Atomic Habits by James Clear & OKR by John DorrSeeing 800 business plans in a year as a VC and what to put in a pitch deck.Great hiring advice and processes.How he dealt with mental health & burnoutAdvice on pivotingDealing with rejectionThe Startup Guy aka Vijay Anand , Founder of the Startup Centre (1h 54m) India is the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, what’s going right, and what needs to be tweaked? I speak to Vijay Anand, AKA The Startup Guy, founder of The Startup Centre in Chennai. He is an entrepreneur and has been mentoring startups in India for the past 10 years. So In this episode we talk about the state of the Indian startup ecosystem. Talk about finding India's identity - China has processes & innovation, Germany does precision machinery, US and Israel drive innovation, Japan has quality. What is India's story?The involvement of India's government - the good & bad. Talks about If someone wants to start a venture today, what areas should they focus on? talks about the 2 kinds of entrepreneur, overvaluation of startups, ethics, blockchain, dogs!, space travel, super human beings and what does he go for - the person or the idea? And much more , so please enjoy the show.in this conversation we also talk about:Differences in the Indian eco-system v Israel eco-systemBig observation about indian startupsIndian domestic market v global marketBill gates & Mark Zuckerberg chatHow do you unlearnLooking at a person as asset not a liabilityThe 3rd wave of startupsHow to find co-foundersWhat gets Vijay out of bed?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

Giving a voice to people who don’t have a voice. Today my guest is Meet Singhal. Co-founder of Stamurai.  A Mobile app that helps you learn & practice speech therapy exercises for stuttering & stammering. So in this episode he talks about how stuttering controlled his life almost having a breakdown and how he turned it all around by developing this mobile app.  Talks about the initial prototype & acquiring his first customers. Which now has 40,000+ installs across 155 countries around the world. Talks about the science and psychology around stuttering. Never ordering food he liked only ones that were easy to say. Dealing with speech therapists. (30% sceptical , 70% encouraging) Talks about the best day so far. What you should and should not do when dealing with a person who stutters and telling his first ever joke! Talks about the subscription based business model . Does music work? - We talk about the headphone scene from the King's Speech! And finally gives great advice about raising finance & finding product market fit. Its an inspiring story and one that will inspire you!In this conversation we also talk about:Traditional speech therapy is expensiveGrowing 15% every month.His Initial assumptions - would people use a self-directed product?Honey is not the cure for stammering & other quacky myths! Speech therapy has not changed for the last 100 years.Being a 2x entrepreneurWhy do people stutter?Biggest learning from the initial MVPWhy his first startup failed  (Khan academy for india) Being Inspired by Charlie Munger. App design challenges.‘Getting rich is never easy in a well formed society’How they onboard users. Getting help from Prosus,  a global consumer internet group.Why do products fail? ‘It's a hard journey , but filled with meaning’Product roadmap - expanding into other speech disorders. linkshttps://stamurai.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

Pampering your furry friends the right way! Today my guest is Anjali Kalachand, co-founder of  A Petter Life an e-commerce platform to understand your dog’s nutritional & lifestyle needs. In this episode she talks about why she quit corporate life to do this. Growing 150% after launching only 2 months ago. Talks about identifying gaps in the market and being a bootstrapped startup.   She talks about why the pet industry is similar to the children's industry. Mistakes made in the early days and lessons learned. The rise of dog ownership in India due to the pandemic. Thoughts on the offline competition. And finally she talks about dog friendly vegan ice-cream & why you should buy a dog!In this conversation we talk about:Helping new/existing pet parentsStarting this during the pandemicStray dogs in MumbaiWhat problem are they solving?Dealing with bureaucracy in corporate life.Do dogs have personalities similar to their owners?Is india a nation of dog lovers?and much morelinkshttps://www.apetterlife.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

Dropping out of education to do an EdTech startup! Today my guest is Mohammad Yousuf CEO of Edunify. Edunify assists schools in connecting with prospective parents online and helps parents find the right schools for their children. Think of it like a matchmaking service. So in this episode he talks about great traction so far, talks about how they went about validating the idea. Why is selling to schools is one of the toughest markets you can be in. Thoughts on the indian education system & what can be improved. Talks about being a successful 3 time entrepreneur at the age of 21. Talks about successful SEO strategies to get parents to the website. Getting zero marks on his exams including entrepreneurship! and how he turned it all around despite personal hurdles like significant leg disability. Why pretending to be 24 yr old helps! And finally he talks about time blocking techniques that help him focus and be more productive.  Which you can try as well. In this conversation we also talk about:The business modelThe startup scene in Lucknow & thoughts on moving to Bangalore.Advice for first time founders.Paying his own way through collegeThoughts on paid advertising.Being a big fan of ClubhouseWhat problem are they trying to solve?Customer discovery & feedbackWhat was he like at school?Recalling his first pitch!Thoughts on going globaland much moreLinkshttps://www.edunify.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

I catch up with Dr Geetha Manjunath, CEO & CTO of NIRAMAI, a deep-tech startup, offering a radiation-free, non-invasive, non-touch, breast cancer screening solution. I spoke to her back in Sept 2017 (Ep67) when they only had a handful of customers, now they are one of the top deep tech startups in India.  In this episode we talk about their core technology  called Thermalytix. How they have innovated during the pandemic. Talk about how they create AI/ML models and how they test them before production. Talk about scaling issues & being part of Google Launchpad and Phillips accelerators. How they have shortened the B2C sales life cycle from 6 months to 6 weeks. Thoughts on selling to hospitals. A deep dive on how do they train the machine when there is little data.  She also talks about developing (AI)-based computer-aided software for controlling the spread of River Blindness with the help from Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. She takes a trip down memory lane and talks about  being a member of the C-DAC team which built the first commercial indian supercomputer. And finally she gives great advice for first time entrepreneurs.In this conversation we also talk about:Talk about patents & IP.Being a thought leaderSupervised v Unsupervised learningLaunching a new B2C home screening serviceWorking with data augmentationThermal imagingTaking it to the villagesScaling from 1 to 10 then 10 to 100Using microservicesGetting in the shoes of the usersAre they still a startup?Major milestones reachedHealthcare startups take time!and much more!Linkshttps://www.niramai.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

My first ever guest is back on the show! Harshdeep Singh  Hura founder of WrapItUp - a text summarizer. He appeared on show back in August 2015. We talk about how his app now has 3.5M users. Why he turned down $20 million acquisition for the app. How a anthropology course on apes was a breakthrough moment. Talks why he almost quit tech, what changed and gives us his new fresh perspective on life. He gives us great insights on mobile app design, development &marketing strategies. Talks about going from idea to MVP (starts at 25.19 take notes!) and why does not want a co-founder. Talks about becoming a pastry chef. Thoughts on Clubhouse being the next big thing. And finally we take a trip down memory lane and talk about the embarrassing first ever episode of the indian startup show. in this conversation we talk about:Starting out writing algorithms on paper & not using existing NLP algorithmsBeing the most successful solo iPhone app developer in India (in my opinion!)Taking risks in your 20’sReaction to friends and family on turning down $20millionSetting up Indoor Hydroponic farming space.Entering the News Summarization space with a new line of products built around the WrapItUp algorithm, L.A.S.T. 5 [Linguistically Advanced Summarization Technique]Is it still a good idea to build an iphone app in 2021Helping salesforce administration to learn to code and then getting angry feedback from Salesforce content creatorsBeing stressed &  receiving  a cold email that got his life back on trackGrowing an inch since we last spoke (6ft 9 inch)Building a remote first  E-commerce agencyWhy they don't do regular marketing to create brand awareness.Hiring only fans influencersHow he settles arguments with his dad.Why ‘luck can only take you so far!’Why you shouldn't change the world - but change one person’s worldStarting WrapitUp because he was too lazy to readAnd much more!Linkshttp://harshdeephura.com / @kinngh on Clubhouse and Twitter / http://admin2dev.com / http://wrapitupapp.com (both available on http://harshdeephura.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 India’s first home-grown AR headset. Today my guest is Pankaj Raut the co-founder & ceo of AjnaLens. AjnaLens designs & manufactures AI-powered mixed-reality glasses for defence , education and enterprise customers. He talks about it all got started by being inspired watching James Bond movies. He talks about how the product helps the Indian armed forces & talks about design and development process.  He talks about VC funding, future trends & opportunities. He gives us his thoughts on the AR/VR startup community in india. Thoughts on Google glasses 10 years on and dealing with the competition.  And finally he talks about leaving India at the age 17 to go study in London.  Meeting his co-founders at Google startup weekend.  Seeing his first hologram and being inside a tank! In this conversation we also talk about:Building the first prototypeChallenges in the AR/VR marketWhat will VR/AR devices look like in the future.Getting a scholarship to go LondonWhere the names comes from.Common mistakes AR/VR startups make.Meeting people with the right synergies.How he resolves differences of opinion with his co-foundersAdvice for first time founders - take 2 steps back!and much more!Linkshttps://www.ajnalens.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 a digital bank to help small businesses in india.  My guest today is Anish Achuthan CEO & co-founder of Open - a new age digital banking platform. In this episode he talks about how they raised $37 million from prominent investors, and shares amazing growth statistics. He talks about how they use customer acquisition channels.  He shares UX strategies when developing the website & mobile app. Talks about being a 5x entrepreneur. Talks about the importance of branding and PR in getting your startup off the ground. Talks about how they evaluate talent. Going from 10 to 250 employees. Thoughts on demonetisation 4 years on. Hiring a sales guy when they couldn't afford one.  Pitching to investors with a live demo instead of a slide deck.And finally you will learn how to deal with corporate companies if you’re a startup.In this conversation we also talk about:User testingCreating a pilotBeing the first mover in the marketBuilding Culture & LeadershipBeing persistanceBeing married to the co-founderis 'Cash still king?'Reaching out to small villagesBanks having reservations in the early daysIntegrating legacy systemsand much morelinkshttps://open.money/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

Nothing is useless in this world. What can be a waste to you is someone's asset’ - The ‘Recycle man of India’ aka Dr Binish Desai, social entrepreneur & founder of Eco-Eclectic . I spoke to him back in February 2019 (Ep 106) and he is back again to talk about inventing a new type of brick made from recycled PPE material. He talks about creating a female empowerment centre for former sex workers. He then talks about building low cost homes using 3D technology, talks about trust issues after getting ripped off by a business partner. The pillars of success and what we can expect in 2021. And why you should start identifying waste as an asset.In this conversation we also talk about:Observe - fail - Learn - Solve  framework.Creating Eco BinsThe process of converting PPE into bricks..Brick 2.0!Creating affordable housing in the USA, Philippines & india, & Africa The Recycle man - the bookWhat did he learn about himself during the pandemicMaking jewellery & crockery out of coffee wasteCarrying 2 bricks around wherever he goesStop using single use coffee mugs!Expanding globallyTrying to create the world's first recyclable house. 3D printing of the entire home.Coming from a family of social entrepreneurs.and much morelinkshttps://www.binishdesai.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

100 million famers are expected to be online in the next 5 years. So today I speak to Siddharth Dialani, co-founder & CEO of BharatAgri a farming technology platform where they work with farmers directly. improving their productivity. Think of it as a digital farming assistant. So in this episode he talks about what inspired him to do this, building the first prototype. The problems farmers face. Time spent working on a farm for a year & being treated like an outsider . He then talks about how they create an algorithm that decreases the cost of production to farmers. Talks about how they use analytics to improve the customer journey. Talks about raising finance , how you should pitch investors. Why 'investors want you to do less not more' How they on-board farmers online.  And finally he talks about his time at housing.com. The current farmers strike and being awarded Forbes 30 under 30!In this conversation we also talk about:-Insights gained from talking to over 400 farmersWhy agriculture is a complicated business.Farmers  not understanding the share icon & notification icon. And how they changed itSoil/water/weather parameters that go into building an algorithm.Quickly pivoting to a digital strategy during the pandemicThoughts on product market fitWhat will farming look like in 20 years time?Pitching & getting $50k from Uber.Book recommendations.and  much moreLinks https://bharatagri.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