10X Growth Strategies

In this special 10X Growth Strategies panel, host Preethy Padmanabhan brings together three top voices from venture capital and private equity to decode how investors really evaluate startups today — beyond hype, beyond flashy demos, and beyond the AI noise. Kayvan Baroumand (Founder, SignalRank), Patti Pan (General Partner, Solaris Venture Partners), and Aditya Naganath (Partner, Kleiner Perkins) share how the power-law plays out in real portfolios, what deep engagement metrics actually look like, why later-stage PE is shifting toward infrastructure and robotics, and how world-class funds pressure-test founders. A fast, sharp conversation on what separates companies that scale — from those that stall. ⸻ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – 00:24 • Host Welcome – Preethy sets the stage 00:24 – 02:03 • Kayvan’s Intro – Power-law VC & AI-driven fund scoring 02:03 – 03:27 • New Venture Hub & Founder Support 03:27 – 04:36 • Patti’s Intro – PE, Data Centers & Robotics 04:36 – 06:03 • Founder Mindset & Why Artistry Matters 06:03 – 07:54 • Aditya’s Intro – Kleiner Perkins, History & Focus 07:54 – 09:20 • Investing in Early Enterprise & AI Trends 09:20 – 12:00 • Power Law in Action – Doubling Down & Pattern Recognition 12:00 – 15:00 • Picking Winners: What Real Signals Look Like 15:00 – 17:30 • Case Study: Sigma & Deep Engagement Metrics 17:30 – 19:40 • Evaluating Founders, Teams & Due Diligence 19:40 – 21:22 • High-Steam Companies & Early Red Flags 21:22 – 22:10 • What VCs Look for in AI Products 22:10 – 23:20 • Lightning Advice for Founders 23:20 – 24:00 • Closing & Next Session Transition

In this episode, Arthi Vijayaraghavan, IBM Product Leader, speaks with Radhika Dutt, author of Radical Product Thinking and a globally respected product strategist and advisor. Radhika dives into her groundbreaking new framework on why traditional goals and OKRs fail, and how organizations can shift toward puzzle thinking — a mindset built on experimentation, learning, and continuous adaptation. She breaks down how objectives, hypotheses, and honest reflection can help teams solve the right problems, collaborate better, and build products that create meaningful, long-term change. Through real stories of companies reframing their strategy and unlocking growth, Radhika reveals how leaders can replace rigid targets with curiosity, clarity, and shared purpose. This conversation is a powerful reminder that in a world shaped by AI, uncertainty, and rapid shifts, true progress comes not from chasing numbers — but from solving the puzzles that matter. Chapters 00:00: Intro 1:57 : Motivations for the book 3:25 : Problems with OKRs 5:45 : Anchors created by the goals 8:37 : Rethinking the framework 12:54 : Puzzle setting and solving framework 13:14 : Puzzle setting for sales 27:47 : Performance evaluation and planning 34:31 : Strategic planning how can it be improved 45:41 : What’s next

🎙️ E111: A practical guide to Living Fearlessly with Susan Nefzger In this episode, Saradha Sriram, Business Technology Strategist, speaks with Susan Nefzger, international PR mentor, author, and marketing consultant. Susan reflects on her journey of writing A Practical Guide to Living Fearlessly and A Practical Guide to Awareness, exploring how mindfulness and conscious living help us overcome fear, find purpose, and live authentically. Through her story of transformation and self-discovery, she reveals how awareness can turn challenges into growth, and how true fearlessness begins the moment we choose presence over control. This conversation is a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what truly matters — within and beyond work. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:33 Catalyst Behind A Practical Guide to Living Fearlessly 02:10 The Conscious Writing Journey 04:45 Overcoming Life Challenges 07:20 Finding Purpose and Awareness 10:30 The Power of Mindfulness 13:45 Lessons from A Practical Guide to Awareness 17:00 From Writing to Transformation 20:40 Fulfillment vs. Success 23:10 Conscious Living and Daily Choices 26:10 Balancing Work, Purpose, and Peace 27:05 Closing Reflections and Takeaways

In this episode, Wen Sang (Co-Founder & COO, GenSpark.ai), Christian Jester (Partner & TMT Markets Leader, PwC), and Jason Hirsch (Partner & Head of AI, Digital Platforms & Emerging Technologies Practice, Nixon Peabody) join the 10X Strategies Podcast to decode the evolving landscape of Agentic AI — what’s hot, what’s not. The panel explores how AI is reshaping work and productivity, how enterprises are navigating adoption at scale, and the legal and ethical implications of this rapid evolution. They discuss real-world use cases, sustainable business models, the no-moat reality of AI, and why open-source innovation might define the next phase of the AI revolution. ⸻ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:45 Meet the Panel: Wen Sang, Christian Jester, and Jason Hirsch 02:20 What’s Hot in AI — New Use Cases and The Future of Work 05:00 Empowering Knowledge Workers through AI Agents 08:15 Enterprise AI Adoption and The Governance Challenge 11:20 Legal Risks and AI Whitewashing — When Hype Becomes Hazard 15:00 Differentiation in a No-Moat World — Finding Real Value 18:30 The GenSpark Story — Building AI for Knowledge Workers 21:00 Sustainable Business Models in the AI Ecosystem 25:10 Authenticity, Self-Awareness and Investor Confidence 28:30 Governance, Security and Data Integrity in Practice 31:20 What’s Not Hot — Pitfalls, Liabilities and Legal Oversights 35:00 Licensing AI — Who Owns the Risk When Things Go Wrong? 38:30 Challenges for Founders — Regulation and General Counsel Gaps 41:15 Open-Source AI and The Thousand-Model Future 43:30 Audience Q&A and Closing Reflections

In this episode, Madhavi Ravanan, Engineering Leader at Nokia, interviews Ashish Agrawal, Managing Director at Nagarro. Ashish reflects on Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha — exploring themes of wisdom, balance, and letting go. He shares how the book has influenced his personal and professional life, discussing the power of experience over knowledge, the meaning of parenthood, and the idea that true peace comes when we stop searching and start living. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:00 Driving Non-Linear Growth at Nagarro 01:45 The Habit of Reading 03:30 Why Siddhartha? 05:45 The Message of Letting Go 08:15 Learning Through Experience, Not Knowledge 11:00 Parenting and the Circle of Life 13:45 Balance Over Extremes 16:30 Soft Is Stronger Than Hard 20:00 Truth Has Two Sides 23:00 The Inward Journey 25:30 Let Life Happen to You 28:30 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

In this episode of 10x Growth Strategies, host Preethy Padmanabhan speaks with Vicki Johnson — founder of ProFellow and author of Pitch Your Potential. Vicki shares her proven Match Me formula, a powerful framework for winning competitive jobs, fellowships, awards, and elite opportunities. She opens up about her personal journey, from breaking into top schools to securing globally competitive fellowships, and reveals how anyone can leverage storytelling, clarity of mission, and future-focused narratives to stand out. The conversation covers overcoming mindset challenges, avoiding common mistakes, mastering memorable pitches, and using networks effectively. Vicki also provides insights into her upcoming book, exclusive preorder bonuses, and why pitching your future potential is more powerful than your past accomplishments. This episode is packed with actionable advice for students, professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to win in highly competitive environments. ⸻ Chapters 00:00 Introduction & Guest Welcome 00:46 Meet Vicki Johnson & ProFellow 01:32 Hidden Opportunities & Human-Centered Strategies 03:13 Early Life & Breaking into Top Schools 04:20 Storytelling to Win Cornell & Fellowships 05:44 Why Future Potential Matters More Than the Past 06:01 The Match Me Formula Explained (7 Elements) 08:35 Matching Mission & Defining Your Goals 09:14 Mindset Challenges: Fear, Comparison & Gatekeepers 13:28 Overcoming Negativity & Finding Supportive Voices 14:20 Defining Goals & Personal Mission for Social Impact 16:07 Midlife Crisis & Reinventing Career Paths 18:03 Common Mistakes in Applications & Researching Missions 20:11 Importance of Future-Focused Applications 21:18 Crafting Memorable Pitches & Elevator Stories 22:30 Networking, Referrals & The Power of LinkedIn 24:22 Storytelling with Anecdotes & Emotional Connection 26:21 Structuring Your Application Story (Past, Future & Selectors) 29:42 Building Confidence Through Future Vision 31:12 Success Story: From Shark Tank to Y Combinator 33:28 Book Release, Preorder Bonuses & ProFellow Platform 35:23 Final Advice: Be a Storyteller of the Future 36:06 Closing Remarks

🚀 What does it take to build a truly AI-native startup? In this episode of the 10X Growth Strategies Podcast, host Preethy Padmanabhan speaks with three visionary founders who are redefining the future of enterprise AI: • Kapil Chhabra – Co-Founder & CPO, WisdomAI • Wen Sang – Co-Founder & COO, Genspark.ai • Leila R. Golchehreh – Co-Founder & CSO, Relaynce AI From hyper-growth journeys to ransomware recovery stories, they share insider lessons on scaling AI-native companies, navigating enterprise adoption, embedding governance and compliance, and why solving your own pain point often leads to the best products. If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or AI enthusiast, this episode is packed with insights you can’t afford to miss. ⏱ Chapters 00:00 – Introduction by Host Preethy Padmanabhan 00:27 – Kapil Chhabra introduces WisdomAI 00:49 – Wen Sang introduces Genspark.ai 01:00 – Leila Golchehreh introduces Relaynce AI 01:52 – Why Leila started Relaynce AI 03:23 – Wen: AI promotes knowledge workers, not replaces them 04:47 – Kapil: The genesis of WisdomAI and BI tool gaps 06:38 – Enterprise adoption challenges & early demand (Kapil) 07:59 – Leila: From prototype to enterprise-ready product 09:20 – What does “AI-native” really mean? (Kapil) 11:53 – Wen: How AI changed his workflow (“throw it at AI first”) 14:40 – Leila: Balancing innovation with compliance and governance 16:53 – Kapil: Governance must be designed from the start 19:12 – Wen: Real estate client story & compliance lessons 20:46 – Leila: Ransomware recovery customer story 22:14 – Kapil: Cisco case study – saving 2800+ hours 25:02 – Founders’ advice to entrepreneurs 28:06 – Leila: Due diligence on VCs and co-founders 30:39 – Kapil: Pricing experiments – outcome vs usage vs seats 33:15 – Competing with Oracle & big tech in AI 35:34 – Build vs Buy: When to integrate vs build in-house 37:01 – Final takeaways from each founder

In this episode of the 10X Growth Strategies podcast, host Saradha interviews Dr. Edie Goldberg, a renowned talent management expert and co-author of 'The Inside Gig.' With over 20 years of experience in industrial organizational psychology, Dr. Goldberg discusses how companies can unlock untapped talent within their existing workforce. The conversation explores how the concept of 'inside gigs' can transform traditional job postings into dynamic, project-based opportunities. The episode underscores the evolving landscape of work, especially in light of remote work and technological advancements, advocating for a flexible and skills-based approach to talent management. Topics: 00:00 Introduction  00:13 Meet Dr. Edie Goldberg: Talent Management Expert 00:55 The Concept of the Inside Gig 03:46 Implementing the Inside Gig in Organizations 10:56 Real-World Success Stories 16:01 Overcoming Challenges in Talent Mobility 23:51 Future of Internal Talent Mobility 26:26 Actionable Steps for HR Leaders 32:35 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In this episode, Preethy, interviews Anupam, the managing partner and co-founder of Emergent Ventures. Anupam shares his firm's focus on pre-seed and seed-stage investments in enterprise AI, highlighting their strategy against market trends and founder qualities they seek. The discussion delves into the hype versus reality of AI, the importance of orchestration in enterprise applications, and the promising future of various AI-driven sectors. Additionally, the conversation covers due diligence, red flags, and the evolving venture capital landscape amid market corrections. Anupam offers practical advice on raising capital, emphasizes the role of human elements in investment decisions, and reveals the firm's thorough approach to identifying the next big opportunities in AI. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:36 Emergent Ventures and Enterprise AI 02:02 The Hype and Reality of Agent AI 05:57 Selecting the Right Entrepreneurs 11:38 Current State of Venture Capital 16:00 Audience Q&A 22:09 Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

The podcast features Saradha Sriram, host of *10X Growth Strategies*, interviewing Sonia Hunt, Co-Founder & CEO at Zentāra Ventures | #1 Best-Selling Author | Global Wellness Speaker  Sonia Hunt, author of the transformative book "Nut Job" and a globally recognized speaker who's helping leaders worldwide unlock peak performance through health and wellness strategies. In this episode of the 10 X Growth Strategies podcast, host Shahara interviews Sonya Hunt, an author and globally recognized speaker, who shares her transformative journey from a childhood fraught with severe food allergies to becoming a wellness authority. Sonya discusses her early diagnosis, the challenges she faced, and the holistic, integrative healthcare approach that led to her eventual remission. She details the development of her 3-2-B method (Be Safe, Be Healthy, Be Well), and talks about the significant role of gut health in her recovery. This conversation highlights the importance of a comprehensive wellness strategy that encompasses physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, aiming to inspire others facing similar challenges. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:38 Sonya's Early Life and Health Challenges 04:18 The Turning Point: 2008 Anaphylaxis Incident 07:30 Developing the 3-2-B Method 10:13 Holistic Health and Healing Journey 18:52 Achieving Remission and Medical Miracles 27:04 Thriving Beyond Allergies 31:18 Conclusion and Final Thoughts