The Startup Operator

Varun is a serial entrepreneur and is the Co-founder of FanAnywhere, a platform for utility based NFTs & Fan Tokens for celebrities and their fans. In this episode he spoke about what the Metaverse is, what NFTs are, how they will empower artist and how FanAnywhere is enabling all this in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa. Topics: 00:00 Introduction 01:16 The nuances of Metaverse  03:08 Building for the Metaverse 05:56 Evolution of the Metaverse 08:47 What are NFTs? 10:30 Adding Utility to NFTs 13:05 How does Fan Anywhere work? 14:06 How does Fan Anywhere empower creators? 15:46 Working with Artisits 18:01 How does Fan Acquisition work? 19:57 Building Trust in the ecosystem 20:57 Competition in this space 22:12 Building a Product Roadmap in a Nascent space 23:22 Advice for entrepreneurs in this space 25:13 Books and Podcast recommendations ------------------------------------- Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 ------------------------------------- Connect with Varun : Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-vc/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Varun_vc23 ------------------------------------- Connect with Us:  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator ​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​ ------------------------------------- If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Arjun is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder of Great Learning. He started and bootstrapped Great Learning to a $600M acquisition by Byju's last year. In this episode he spoke about what the journey has been like since he started nearly a decade ago, what one has to trade for profitability and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa. Topics: 00:00 Introduction 01:39 Early challenges in Online learning space  10:06 Balancing content between employability & learning 16:59 Advice for founders in a new category  26:27 Trade offs for profitability 29:14 Advantages of Fundraising 34:20 What changes post acquisition  38:51 Thoughts on Consolidation 46:48 Books and podcasts recommendations ------------------------------------- Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 ------------------------------------- Connect with Arjun : Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjun-nair/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NairArj ------------------------------------- Connect with Us:  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator ​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​ ------------------------------------- If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Ezhil is the founder and CEO of String Bio a core science startup that is enabling sustainable solutions in several sectors. In this episode she spoke about the nuances of building a core science startup, going from the lab to market and more in her conversation with Roshan Cariappa.  Topics: 00:00 Introduction 01:32 Nuances of building a core science startup 05:53 How does cost of failure affect String 08:28 Going from Lab to market 14:34 String's Go To Market strategy 18:07 Changing people's mindset about sustainability 21:58 Evangelising Deep tech  26:56 Working with policymakers and regulators 31:23 High level challenges Ezhil is solving 34:23 Advice for new entrepreneurs building in deep tech 36:01 Books and Podcast recommendations ------------------------------------- Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 ------------------------------------- Connect with Ezhil : Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezhilsubbian/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/subbiane ------------------------------------- Connect with Us:  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator ​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​ ------------------------------------- If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Welcome to #56 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing -  1. Public markets turns bearish for recent IPOs 2. Delhivery likely to delay IPO 3. Swiggy turns decacorn 4. Ola Electric valued at $5 Billion 5. Unicorns of the week : Dealshare, Darwinbox 6. Acquisitions and fundings and more! Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends!  Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms. #startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Aman is the co-founder of Cogno AI, an AI powered cloud communication platform. Aman started Cogno right out college and recently got acquired by Exotel. In this episode he spoke about Weighing the opportunity cost of starting up, the nuances of selling to large enterprises, dealing with funded competitors and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa. Topics: 01:15 Founding story of Cogno AI 03:28 Weighing the opportunity cost of starting up 05:47 Transitioning from services to products 08:30 Shift in mindset from services to product 10:13 Nuances of selling to large enterprises 14:13 Cogno's Distribution strategy  18:45 Aligning stakeholder's priorities 21:10 Building with the enterprise v/s innovating 23:35 Advantages of Bootstrapping   26:45 Dealing with funded competitors 29:48 Choice of verticalizing 32:13 Cogno's acquisition by Exotel 38:37 The journey ahead  41:04 Persisting through problems 43:53 The most difficult thing to learn in this journey 46:19 Common mistakes founders should avoid 48:53 Books and Podcasts Recommendations ------------------------------------- Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 ------------------------------------- Connect with Aman : Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goel-aman/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amangoeliitb ------------------------------------- Connect with Us:  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator ​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​ ------------------------------------- If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Anirudh Singla is the founder and CEO of Pepper, a managed marketplace for various types of content. In this episode he spoke about the nuances of scaling managed marketplaces, solving classical problems in the space and along with other interesting topics in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa. Topics: 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Founding story of Pepper content 05:14 Productizing your delivery 09:41 Solving classical marketplace problems 14:39 Nuances of scaling a managed marketplace 17:55 Thinking beyond operational constraints  23:23 Balancing various aspects of a business 28:28 Pepper's NorthStar metric  29:21 Building trust with stakeholders 30:50 Working with Creators 34:08 Thinking ahead 35:40 GTM for different countries 37:29 Preparing for the next leap 41:01 Books and Podcast recommendations ------------------------------------- Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 ------------------------------------- Connect with Anirudh : Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudh-singla-3a1844137/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SinglaAnirudh ------------------------------------- Connect with Us:  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup ------------------------------------- If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Welcome to #55 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing -  1. Are private markets overvalued? 2. Tata enters digital payments business with the creation of Tata Payments Ltd. 3. Microsoft becomes third-largest gaming company in the world with Activision acquisition 4. Exotel's meteoric rise as a silent ecosystem enabler 5. IPO bound companies: Delhivery, boAT 6. Acquisitions and fundings and more! Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends!  Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms. #startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Vishesh is the co-founder of Shiprocket. Prior to this he co-founded Kartrocket and Kraftly and later pivoted to Shiprocket. In this episode he spoke about going through the pivot, what it take to fulfil an order post purchase and how he is preparing for the next leap in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.  Topics: 00:00 Introduction 01:48 Deciding on the target market 04:18 Pivoting from Kartrocket to Shiprocket 10:19 The nuances of fulfilling an order post purchase 14:07 Streamlining processes through technology  17:53 Building a partner ecosystem 20:06 Aligning consumer, carrier, and merchant interests 23:49 Impact of the pandemic on Shiprocket 28:12 What's next for ShipRocket 29:56 Zomato's investment in Shiprocket 32:08 Advice to new entrepreneurs 34:07 How is Vishesh preparing for the next leap 35:57 Books and Podcasts Recommendations  ------------------------------------- Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 ------------------------------------- Connect with Vishesh : Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/visheshkhurana/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vysheshk ------------------------------------- Connect with Us:  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator ​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​ ------------------------------------- If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Rashid Khan is the co-founder and chief product officer at yellow.ai, a conversational platform that sits on top of existing systems. In this episode he spoke about how he built the country's fastest growing SaaS startup, the nuances of delivering an omnichannel customer experience and more with Roshan Cariappa.  Topics:  00:00 Introduction 01:25 Going from Idea to product to company with Yellow.ai 09:26 Pivoting from B2C to B2B 12:11 Yellow AI's North Star metric 16:57 Nuances of delivering an omnichannel customer experience  23:31 Building with customers v/s innovating 31:32 What's next for Yellow AI? 35:26 Advice for people starting in this space 40:42 Books and Podcast recommendations ------------------------------------- Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 ------------------------------------- Connect with Rashid : Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashoodkhan/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/xhckr ------------------------------------- Connect with Us:  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator ​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​ ------------------------------------- If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message

Welcome to #54 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing -  1. PM's announcement of January 16th as National Startup Day 2. 2022 Continues Unicorn Trend  3. Snapdeal launches RuPay Credit Card 4. Acquisitions and fundings and more! Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1 Other Links:  Elizabeth Lin Tweet : https://twitter.com/dunkhippo33/status/1480688533098549249?s=20 Sheel Mohnot Tweet : https://twitter.com/pitdesi/status/1480604335755063299?s=20 Roby John Episode : https://youtu.be/Syi3jnpW94s Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends!  Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms. #startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startup-operator/message