
Startup Project: Build the future
Conversations with founders, investors and operators who are building the future. Listen to find the stories, ideas, investments and strategies behind the startups. Learn more and stay up to date at thestartupproject.io
Latest episodes

Mar 11, 2023 • 1min
Shark Tank India vs Shark Tank U.S Differences Explained (TSP Insights)
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam
Full Notes:
One of the interesting things in Shark Tank India versus Shark Tank US that I've noticed is Shark Tank US is pretty much small and medium enterprise.
If a Silicon Valley style pitch comes up, like Mark Cuban will throw them out, uh, you know, this kind of ration doesn't work here. One thing I was amazed to see in this season particularly is, um, it's much more closer to Indian startup ecosystem. Um, I've actually seen couple of these pitches before they were on track tank, like Flatheads, uh, was the shoe company, which is similar to like a shoe company here.
Um, those other, um, mind peers was like a mindful company that came on recently, which I've seen before. Um, The interesting thing is it's much more similar to a venture, uh, you know, ecosystem than the S m E market that we are seeing, even though we see a lot of SME companies, but the language is pretty close to vc.
Like no one says, Hey, we are doing a pre-seed on Shark Tank us. Right? We are just asking for money. And, you know, this is a small and medium business
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Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), and others.

Mar 4, 2023 • 1h 6min
#31: Deedy (Debarghya Das) - Indian Startups, AI & Search
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam
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In this episode Spoke to Deedy who writes amazing twitter threads on immigration, Indian startups and more.
Topic covered include:
Tweet threads on Indian startups
Shark Tank India vs U.S
Generative AI, LLMs & Search
Zero Interest Rate Phenomenon
& a lot more.
Don't forget to follow Deedy's opinions at @debarghya_das!
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Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), and others.

Feb 20, 2023 • 45min
#30: Jacob Colker - Co-Managing Director AI2 Incubator
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam
In this episode of Startup Project Nataraj spoke to Jacob Colker - Co-Managing Director AI2 Incubator.
Inaugurated five years ago by the late Paul Allen and Professor Oren Etzioni, the commercialization arm of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence was tasked with creating an incubator program for the brightest minds in AI to launch the next wave of technology companies that would change the world. Jacob Colker, Vu Ha, and Bryan Hale were tasked to fulfill this mandate.
Full conversation includes:
Origin story of Allen Institute Incubator
Hype in AI
Will LLM's disrupt search business model
AI effects on knowledge work
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Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), and others.

Jan 29, 2023 • 41min
#29: Jacques Fu - Co-founder at Stax, Author of "Time Hacks"
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam
In this episode of Startup Project Nataraj spoke to Jacques Fu Co-founder at Stax, Author of "Time Hacks".
Stax is an all-in-one payment solution for small business. Stax has raised $245 million in fresh funding, taking its valuation up to $1 billion. The investment saw participation from Greater Sum Ventures (GSV), HarbourVest Partners and Blue Star Innovation Partners, all of which will serve as strategic partners to Stax.
Full conversation includes:
Journey of Stax
Opportunities in Fintech
Crypto
Angel Investing
Time Hacks
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Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), and others.

Dec 14, 2022 • 28sec
Google Got Chat Right 10 Years Back, But Didn't Know (TSP Insights)
Google started and ended about 5 chat application in last 10 years, but the best chat application was already made by them before every one else. It was GTalk!
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam

Dec 7, 2022 • 55sec
Netflix No Longer Controls the Streaming Story (TSP Insights)
Netflix for long dictated the streaming story, they set the narrative that other media companies scrambled to follow. But all that is changed now.
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam

Dec 3, 2022 • 48min
#28: Build In Public or Not? w/ KP
In this episode of Startup Project we spoke to KP, Build In Public guy on Twitter.
Full conversation includes:
What is Build In Public?
Cornering Keywords on Internet
The Good, Bad & Ugly of Build In Public
& more.
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam
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Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Chris Devore (Investor in Remitly, Auth0 & Outreach), Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), Todd Bishop (geekwire.com) and others.

Oct 24, 2022 • 50sec
Venture Fund is a Startup (TSP Insights)
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam
Launching a, a venture fund is not for the faint of heart, uh, and it is very much a startup activity.
Geoff Harris & Nataraj talk about the challenges of launching a venture fund. Geoff spent 15 years at Microsoft in engineering leadership and executive leadership positions. His career at Microsoft began in digital media where he ran the Windows Media Player team.
Full conversation includes is available here and includes:
Developing Natural language processing at Microsoft
Angel investing to raising a fund
Core insight behind Flying Fish
AI Use cases for future
Web3 & Venture
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Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), and others.

Oct 1, 2022 • 32min
#27 Geoff Harris: Managing Partner Flying Fish VC
In this episode of Startup Project we spoke to Geoff Harris, Managing Partner Flying Fish VC. Flying Fish is a thesis driven fund focused on Al/ML.
Geoff Harris spent 15 years at Microsoft in engineering leadership and executive leadership positions. His career at Microsoft began in digital media where he ran the Windows Media Player team.
Full conversation includes:
Developing Natural language processing at Microsoft
Angel investing to raising a fund
Core insight behind Flying Fish
AI Use cases for future
Web3 & Venture
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Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), and others.
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam

Sep 19, 2022 • 45sec
NFTs in Games? (Bonus Clip)
What problems are NFTs solving in games, Liron & Nataraj (twitter.com/natarajsindam) discuss.
Liron Shapira is known as the guy who write twitter threads about web3 use cases including Axie Infinity & Helium.
But before becoming twitter famous, he is also a founder & angel investor and currently runs a YC backed startup called Relationship Hero.
The irony in his angel investments is he made life changing money by investing in Coinbase which was a 500x return on his investment.
Full conversation includes:
Failure with Quixey (50M+ Series C)
Relationship Hero (YC Backed)
Seed Investment in $COIN (listen for exit multiple)
Investing in Russian Bonds
Web3 Use cases (cross border payments, helium, NFTs in gaming, Uber on Web3, Identity)
Nataraj is a PM at Azure, investor & host of thestartupproject.io podcast. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/natarajsindam.
Full conversation Link: https://thestartupproject.io/2022/08/05/24-liron-shapira-web3-critique-founder-early-investor-in-coinbase/
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