
ET Startup School
Welcome to ET Startup School. A step-by-step guide to building your startup and helping it succeed. Host Suresh Venkat quizzes entrepreneurs to put together a 12-step program for beginners. From the basics of "What should I do with my idea?" to " How do I figure out Product-Market fit?" and expanding to " How do I prioritize spending?", ET Startup School gets you the answers from founders who have cracked it and lessons from the actions that failed. So, get your notepad out, it’s time for school! A new episode drops every Friday.
Latest episodes

Apr 20, 2023 • 42min
Survived, Profitable, Listed. What Next?
Aditya Ghosh, an aviation entrepreneur, discusses the challenges and fulfillment of being a CEO in the airline industry. They explore fuel hedging challenges, launching an airline, staying innovative, and the path to profitability for Indigo.

Apr 13, 2023 • 35min
Somebody wants to buy me out. Should I Sell?
Aakrit Vaish, Co-Founder and CEO of Haptik, talks about selling a startup, indicators for selling a company, handling disagreements between VCs and founders, the importance of having the right people in a sale negotiation, dealing with co-founders during a company sale, and advice for founders facing a low evaluation.

Apr 6, 2023 • 42min
How do I course correct?
Course correction is a term that traces its origins to sailing. This episode may help you navigate your startup ship out of troubled waters. Your teacher is Mayank Kumar, Co-Founder & MD, upGrad. Money is tight. Investors are scarce. Runways have shortened. What do you need to do to keep your business afloat? Listen on and find out. You can follow our host Suresh Venkat on his social media: Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Catch the latest episode of ET Startup School on your favourite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Castbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 30, 2023 • 47min
Company Culture: Is that a real thing and how do I build one?
Should work be “like a family”? How do you manage office politics? Can you train for and enforce gender sensitivity? When is HR really needed, and what should their ideal role be? Fractal’s Srikanth Velamakanni breaks down what company culture really is and shares insights on fostering a workplace environment that drives long-term success. You can follow our host Suresh Venkat on his social media: Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Catch the latest episode of ET Startup School on your favourite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Castbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 23, 2023 • 35min
My startup is in trouble, What do I do?
You’re firing at all cylinders, but the results just don’t match. How do you assess and solve risks? Is there a troubleshooting playbook? Any frameworks to help you isolate and address concerns? Can funding help? Or should you just pack up? Learn what to do from Shivakumar Ganesan (Co-Founder & CEO, Exotel) as he shares his personal journey of bouncing back from failure. You can follow our host Suresh Venkat on his social media: Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Catch the latest episode of ET Startup School on your favourite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Castbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 16, 2023 • 36min
How do I build a brand?
Is there a science to naming your brand? What about choosing or designing your brand’s assets, such as a logo, jingle, colours or packaging? Should you sign on a celebrity or an influencer? Which platform should you advertise on, and is all marketing just performance marketing? Too many questions? Clear your confusion as your teacher, Shashank Mehta (Founder & CEO, The Whole Truth Foods) breaks down the art and science of building a brand. You can follow our host Suresh Venkat on his social media: Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Catch the latest episode of ET Startup School on your favourite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Castbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 9, 2023 • 28min
Topline Growth or Unit Economics? What should we chase?
Today’s class at ET Startup School is called Topline Growth or Unit Economics, what should I chase? Your teacher is Sandeep Deshmukh, the Co-Founder and CEO of ElasticRun, and a quintessential small-town boy who’s made it big. Sandeep Deshmukh is here to answer that all-important question - topline growth or bottom line profits – what should an entrepreneur chase? You can follow our host Suresh Venkat on his social media: Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Catch the latest episode of ET Startup School on your favourite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Castbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 2, 2023 • 42min
How do I find and pay the right people to join my start-up?
Everyone needs a great team. Which means, everyone needs brilliant team-mates. So, how can you find, hire and pay the right people to join me? Listen in to your teacher, Upasana Taku, the Co-founder and Chairperson of MobiKwik to find out. Mobikwik has over 120 million registered users, turned profitable in 2021 and closed the year 2022 with a revenue of 540 crore rupees. From ESOPs to controlling attrition, retention and even firing people, it's all here. You can follow our host Suresh Venkat on his social media: Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Catch the latest episode of ET Startup School on your favourite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Castbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 23, 2023 • 38min
How do I prioritize spending?
Is there really a subtle art of spending money and spending it well? Or is it all a calculated science? Should you buy? Should you rent? Should you splurge on a fancy logo or a brand ambassador? What about employee compensation? Listen in to today’s class at ET Startup School to clear your doubts. Your teacher for this class is Varun Alagh, Co-Founder and CEO of Honasa Consumer, the parent company of MamaEarth. You can follow our host Suresh Venkat on his social media: Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Catch the latest episode of ET Startup School on your favourite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Castbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 16, 2023 • 37min
When and how should I talk to a VC?
Welcome to today's class titled, "When and How should I talk to a VC?" Your teacher is Karthik Reddy, Co-Founder of Blume. Karthik co-founded Blume with Sanjay Nath in 2011. Since then, Blume has invested in over 100 companies, both B2B and B2C. Companies like Exotel, Unacademy, HealthifyMe and Railyatri. So if you’re confused about anything VC, here’s Karthik Reddy to the rescue. You can follow our host Suresh Venkat on his social media: Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram Catch the latest episode of ET Startup School on your favourite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Castbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.