"Founders often wear a mask of 'irrational optimism' for their team; a necessary front when leading through uncertainty."  

This insight from Ashish Munjal delves into the often unspoken psychological aspect of entrepreneurship, where maintaining a strong, positive exterior is crucial for team morale and navigating the startup journey's inherent challenges, even when founders internally grapple with difficulties.  

Ashish Munjal is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sunstone, one of India's leading higher education service providers. Recognized in the Times 40 under 40 (2022), he is steering Sunstone to impact nearly 20,000 students across 14 cities and over 27 colleges, with projected gross sales of around ₹300 crore by the end of the year discussed in the podcast. His mission is to make quality, job-oriented higher education accessible, particularly for students in Tier II & III cities.   

Key Insights from the Conversation:  

👉Viral Growth & Engagement: How Crown It achieved massive user engagement (50% MTU/MAU) with near-zero paid marketing, relying heavily on organic referrals.  

👉Bold Business Models: The strategic thinking behind Sunstone's initial "Pay After Placement" model to build trust and cut through market clutter.  

👉The Power of Pivots: Lessons from Crown It's evolution (deals to data monetization, then enterprise) and Sunstone's strategic shifts (like removing pay-after-placement for UG courses) for long-term sustainability.  

👉Offline-First in EdTech: How Sunstone's offline-centric approach proved resilient and attractive to investors, especially when the online EdTech wave faced scrutiny.  

👉AI in Operations: Practical examples of how AI is already being used at Sunstone for lead qualification, CV automation, and even creating initial drafts of educational content.   

Chapters:  

00:00:00 - Introduction: The Entrepreneurial Itch 

00:01:49 - The Crown It Journey: Building a Viral Deals App & Growth Hacks 

00:15:35 - Challenges of Gamified Rewards & Why Crown It Pivoted 

00:40:47 - The Shift to Education: Identifying the Core Problem for Sunstone 

00:48:44 - Sunstone's Innovative Higher Education Model 

00:56:19 - "Pay After Placement" & Navigating Sunstone's Early Challenges 

01:06:56 - Sunstone's Unique Operations: The University Track vs. Sunstone Track 

01:13:18 - Cracking Student Acquisition & The "Easier" Part: Placements 

01:23:08 - Funding Journey: Navigating EdTech Investor Waves 

01:27:48 - Lessons as a Two-Time Founder & Angel Investing Thesis 

01:38:10 - Signalling Credibility to Investors: Early Stage vs. Series A 

01:42:52 - AI in Action: Automating Operations & Replacing Resources  

#FounderThesis #EdTechIndia #HigherEducation #StartupIndia #Entrepreneurship #IndianStartups #SerialEntrepreneur #StartupLessons #GrowthHacking #EdTechTrends #BusinessPivots #VentureCapital #AIinBusiness #Podcast #InnovationInEducation #leadershipjourney   

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel.

Deals to Degrees: Serial Entrepreneur Ashish Munjal’s journey from Crown It to Sunstone

"Waste is the resource which is in the wrong place."  

This powerful statement from Dhruv Luthra encapsulates the core philosophy driving the Luthra Group. It’s a paradigm shift from viewing waste as a problem to seeing it as an opportunity – a valuable raw material waiting to be transformed. This mindset has propelled the Luthra Group to the forefront of India's sustainability sector.  

Dhruv Luthra is the Managing Director of the Luthra Group, a third-generation entrepreneur who has been instrumental in steering the family's legacy from its origins in textiles to becoming a pioneering force in hazardous waste management and sustainable energy solutions across India. Under his leadership, the group operates 11 plants, processes around 1100 tons of waste daily in its key recycling facilities, and has played a pivotal role in significant environmental achievements, including saving over 1.8 Lac ML of landfill waste and recycling 12 Lac Tonnes of Greenhouse Gases. The Luthra Group, which started its waste management journey in 1999 as arguably India's first private company in the sector, has seen remarkable growth, with an asset value growth from under Rs. 10 crores to over Rs. 400 crores over a 25-year period.  

Key Insights from the Conversation:  

👉The Genesis of Circular Economy: Understand that the "new age jargon" of Circular Economy is fundamentally the trusted "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" principle, applied innovatively. 

👉From Textiles to Transformation: Learn about the Luthra Group's strategic pivot from a successful textile business to tackling India's pressing waste management challenges. 

👉Waste as a Valuable Resource: Discover how industrial waste, from textile effluents to hazardous materials, is not just managed but converted into valuable products. 

👉Innovation in Action: Get a glimpse into the "recipes" and processes involved in treating and converting diverse waste streams, including solidification of semi-solid waste. 

👉Scaling Sustainably: Insights into expanding operations across multiple states, the importance of being close to the source of waste, and the critical role of managing supply chain costs. 

👉Technology as an Enabler: How the Luthra Group leverages technology like SAP for ERP, and is implementing advanced systems like Automatic Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) to enhance efficiency and safety. 

👉The Hard Decisions: The rationale behind exiting the decades-old family textile business to focus entirely on the burgeoning field of environmental solutions.

#CircularEconomy [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/circulareconomy] #WasteManagement [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/wastemanagement] #Sustainability [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sustainability] #Entrepreneurship [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/entrepreneurship] #StartupIndia [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/startupindia] #MakeInIndia [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/makeinindia] #GreenTech [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/greentech] #Innovation [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/innovation] #WasteToEnergy [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/wastetoenergy] #HazardousWaste [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/hazardouswaste] #Recycling [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/recycling] #IndianBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/indianbusiness] #FamilyBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/familybusiness] #EnvironmentalSolutions [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/environmentalsolutions] #ClimateAction [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/climateaction] #FounderThesis [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/founderthesis] 

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel.

Building a 400cr+ Waste Empire | Dhruv Luthra (Luthra Group)

"SaaS as we know it is DEAD." 

 This might sound controversial, but as Manav Garg explains, the old model of simple workflow automation is being rapidly superseded. AI agents are now capable of executing complex tasks based on simple commands, fundamentally changing how businesses operate and what they expect from technology.  

Manav Garg is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Together Fund, an operator-led VC firm managing over $250M AUM and backing ambitious early-stage Indian SaaS and AI startups. Before this, he founded Eka Software Solutions in 2004, building it over nearly two decades into a global leader in commodity management software. He scaled Eka to $34 million in revenue with $9 million in profit by 2014, raised over $55 million, navigated a complex pivot to the cloud, and ultimately exited the company. He is also a co-founder of SaaSBOOMi, Asia's largest SaaS community, and is passionate about building India as a Product Nation.  

Key Insights from the Conversation: 

👉The challenging journey of pivoting an already profitable company (Eka) to the cloud. 

👉Learnings from bootstrapping, fundraising, M&A, and scaling enterprise SaaS globally. 

👉The Operator-VC model: "Paying it forward" with capital plus know-how. 

👉Why "People Buy From People": Building trust is paramount in enterprise sales. 

👉The Founder Exit journey often involves an identity crisis, not just financial calculations.  

Chapters: 

00:00:00 - Introduction 

00:03:32 - Early Career: Commodity Trading & Learning Lateral Thinking 

00:10:50 - Spotting the Gap: The Founding Idea for Eka Software 

00:19:29 - Starting Eka: Solo Founder, Seed Funding & Early Choices 

00:25:33 - Zero-to-One: Building Eka Profitably From Year 1 

00:34:20 - Scaling Up: Raising VC & Growing Through M&A ($34mn ARR) 

00:40:55 - Facing Crisis: The Commodity Crash & The Cloud Pivot Decision 

00:48:58 - Navigating the Difficult 3-Year Cloud Transition 

00:53:07 - The Exit Journey: Deciding to Sell Eka & The Process 

01:05:04 - SaaSBOOMi & Founding Together Fund (The Operator-VC Model) 

01:10:09 - Investing Thesis: AI Wave, Market Size & Evaluating Founders 

01:19:34 - Key Lessons from 20 Years: Pricing, Sales, Product Love & Processes 

01:33:11 - Why SaaS is Dead & The Future with AI Agents  

#FounderThesis #SaaS #StartupIndia #IndianStartups #VentureCapital #OperatorVC #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseSoftware #CloudComputing #FounderJourney #StartupExit #Entrepreneurship #Bootstrapping #SalesStrategy #ProductManagement #TechIndia #MakeInIndia 

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel.

From Coffee Trader To $250M+ VC | Manav Garg (Together Fund)

"Raising more money often means you made more mistakes."

This counter-intuitive take from Vinod Kumar Meena challenges the common startup narrative where fundraising equals success. He argues that true success lies in capital efficiency and building a sustainable business, not just chasing the next round.  

Vinod Kumar Meena is the Co-Founder & COO of KukuFM, India's leading audio content platform. An IIT Jodhpur graduate and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honoree, he has scaled Kuku FM to over 6 million paying subscribers, targeting over ₹1000 Crore ($150M) in ARR, demonstrating phenomenal growth in the vernacular content space after raising over $70M.  

Key Insights from the Conversation:  

👉Why Silicon Valley startup advice can be detrimental in the Indian context. 

👉The critical role of content exclusivity and understanding 'Bharat' for monetization. 

👉Mastering digital distribution, influencer marketing, and why 'ads are content'. 

👉The 'science' behind engaging mobile-first content (fast-paced, escapism). 

👉Why gut calls often trump logical debates in decision-making. 

👉Building a 'default alive' business vs. a VC-dependent startup. 

👉AI's role as an enabler in content, not (yet) a replacement for creators.  

Chapters:  

(0:00:00) - Intro: Vinod's Journey from Village to IIT & Entrepreneurship 

(0:07:30) - Early Startups, EdTech & Selling to Toppr 

(0:18:08) - Why Vinod Left EdTech & The Power of Travel 

(0:23:23) - Genesis of Kuku FM: Identifying the Vernacular Audio Gap 

(0:29:45) - Building Content Supply & Cracking Monetization for India 

(0:46:40) - Deep Dive: Monetization Strategy & Exclusivity 

(0:51:30) - Unique Distribution Tactics: Influencers & Content-as-Ads 

(01:06:30) - Mobile-First Content Science: What Engages 'Bharat'? 

(01:17:50) - Challenging Startup Norms: Fundraising, Gut Calls & Silicon Valley Myths 

(01:49:25) - AI in Content: Hype vs. Reality & Future Outlook 

(01:55:35) - Final Advice: Build a BUSINESS, Not Just a Startup  

#FounderThesis #StartupIndia #IndianStartups #ContentBusiness #VernacularContent #AudioPlatform #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #StartupAdvice #Monetization #DigitalMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #BuildingForBharat #MakeInIndia #MediaTech #ContentStrategy #Fundraising #VentureCapital #BootstrappingMindset #Leadership #businessstrategy 

  Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel.

KukuFM's Secret Sauce: Exclusivity, Efficiency, and 'Asli Dhanda'

"When people think of AI, they think it's probably happened in the last 10 years or 20 years, but it's a journey of 70 plus years."  

This quote from Vinay Sankarapu challenges the common perception of AI as a recent phenomenon.

Vinay Sankarapu is the Founder & CEO of Arya.ai- An Aurionpro Company, one of India's pioneering AI companies established in 2013. An IIT Bombay alumnus, Vinay led Arya.ai to become a profitable (EBITDA positive for 3+ years) enterprise AI player focusing on the BFSI sector, achieving significant scale (~₹50-100 Cr revenue range) before its acquisition by Aurionpro Solutions. He was named in Forbes 30 Under 30 (Asia) and is now also leading AryaXAI, focusing on making AI interpretable and safe for mission-critical applications.  

Key Insights from the Conversation:

👉AI's True Timeline: Unpacking the 70+ year evolution from Alan Turing to modern LLMs.

👉Core Concepts Demystified: Neural Networks, Deep Learning, Backpropagation, CNNs, RNNs, Transformers explained simply.

👉The Deep Tech Journey: The challenges and pivots involved in building an early AI startup in India. 

👉Explainability is Key: Why making AI understandable (XAI) is critical for trust and adoption, especially in regulated industries. 

👉Future of AI: Insights into AI agents, verticalization moats, responsible AI governance, and the changing SaaS landscape.

#AI [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ai] #ArtificialIntelligence [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/artificialintelligence] #MachineLearning [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/machinelearning] #DeepLearning [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/deeplearning] #AIHistory [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/aihistory] #TechHistory [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/techhistory] #NeuralNetworks [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/neuralnetworks] #LLMs [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/llms] #Transformers [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/transformers] #ExplainableAI [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/explainableai] #XAI [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/xai] #ResponsibleAI [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/responsibleai] #AIEthics [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/aiethics] #AIGovernance [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/aigovernance] #StartupIndia [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/startupindia] #IndianStartups [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/indianstartups] #Entrepreneurship [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/entrepreneurship] #FounderThesis [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/founderthesis] #DeepTech [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/deeptech] #BFSI [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bfsi] #FintechAI [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/fintechai] #podcast [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/podcast]   

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel.



Deep Dive: How We Got to GPT (and What's Next) with Vinay Sankarapu (Arya.ai- An Aurionpro Company)

"B2B sales is not selling a product. It's building up a relationship."  

This insight from Dhruv Verma underscores a core theme of our conversation: in the high-stakes world of B2B, particularly with large enterprises, trust and deep understanding built through relationships are paramount, often trumping product features alone.  

Dhruv Verma is the Founder & CEO of Thriwe, a global B2B consumer benefits marketplace he started in 2011 (initially as GolfLan). Facing extreme hardship early on, including selling his house to keep the company alive, Dhruv pivoted and built Thriwe into a leader serving over 15 million customers globally. The company is profitable and achieved revenues of ~$32 million (approx. 300 Cr INR), while Dhruv and his team retained ~65% equity.  

Key Insights from the Conversation:  

👉The immense power of resilience and learning from failure, including knowing when to cut losses decisively. 

👉Why pivoting from B2C to a B2B focus unlocked significant growth and product-market fit. 

👉The art of B2B sales: building deep trust and offering intuitive, innovative solutions beyond just delivering value. 

👉How strategic acquisitions and building a strong tech stack create competitive advantages. 

👉The importance of maintaining founder control and building a sustainable, profitable business over chasing valuations.  

Chapters: 

0:00:01 - Early Drive: Making Money Since School Days 

0:07:14 - Corporate Stints & Early Failed Ventures 

0:09:05 - Idea Spark: Golf & Mass Affluent Benefits 

0:12:41 - Launching GolfLan  

0:15:14 - Painful Failure & Selling House 

0:18:24 - GolfLan B2C Model & The Breakage Problem 

0:27:41 - The Profitable B2B Pivot  

0:35:28 - Expanding Beyond Golf: Becoming Thriwe 

0:41:17 - Building Supply, Tech Edge & Creative Products 

0:51:14 - The Art of High-Value B2B Relationship Sales 

1:07:21 - Rebranding Lessons & Founder Control 

1:10:48 - Angel Investing & Tier 2/3 India Focus 

#FounderThesis #AkshayDatt #StartupIndia #Entrepreneurship #B2BSales #LoyaltyPrograms #CustomerEngagement #Pivoting #BusinessStrategy #Resilience #Bootstrapping #Profitability #StartupJourney #Leadership #Innovation #GolfLan #IndianStartups #TechStartup #GlobalBusiness #FounderStory #Podcast #businesspodcast   

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel.

The B2B Whisperer: Dhruv Verma's Secrets to Landing (and Keeping) Big Clients

"The journey of reduction in health care costs is not the responsibility of the hospital on its own, it's also the responsibility at the patient level."  

Aditya Sharma, CEO and Co- founder of AffordPlan, is tackling the critical issue of healthcare affordability in India. From his unique perspective as an investor-turned-founder, he's driving a purpose-led mission to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for millions. AffordPlan partners with hospitals to offer a blend of micro-insurance, loans, and wellness programs, making essential healthcare services more accessible and financially manageable for patients. 

 Key Insights from the Conversation:  

👉 Healthcare Affordability Focus: Afford Plan's central mission is to alleviate the financial burden of healthcare on Indian families. 

👉 Integrated Hospital Partnerships: The company's success relies on close collaboration with hospitals, integrating their services into existing healthcare systems. 

👉 Financial Tools for Patients: Micro-insurance and loan options are strategically bundled to reduce immediate and long-term healthcare costs. 

👉 Beyond Traditional Loyalty: Afford Plan's program offers tangible financial benefits, creating a sustainable relationship between patients and hospitals. 

👉 Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship: Aditya's approach emphasizes social impact, aligning business goals with the critical need for affordable healthcare. 

👉 Strategic Turnaround Experience: Valuable insights into navigating a company turnaround, highlighting the importance of adaptability and decisive action. 

👉 Investor's Perspective on Founding: Aditya discusses how his investment background shapes his strategic thinking and risk management. 

👉 Emerging Healthcare Opportunities: He identifies wellness and AI as key areas for innovation in the Indian healthcare sector.  

#HealthcareAffordability #AffordPlan #FintechIndia #HealthTech #MicroInsurance #IndianHealthcare #PatientFinance #HealthInnovation #StartupIndia #SocialImpact #HealthcareCosts #HealthWellness #AIHealthcare 

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel.

Solving Healthcare Affordability Crisis | Aditya Sharma (Affordplan)

"If you're going to find something, think of building this for the next 20 years. Think very long term."  

This powerful advice from Tarun Mathur underscores the importance of long-term vision in entrepreneurship, reminding founders that enduring companies aren't built overnight but over decades.  

Tarun Mathur is the Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer at Policybazaar for Business, India's leading online insurance marketplace. With an impressive 17-year journey since co-founding the company in 2008, Tarun has been instrumental in its growth, including the launch and leadership of its B2B arm, Policybazaar for Business. His experience spans analytics, revenue management, strategic initiatives, and various insurance verticals within the company.  

Key Insights from the Conversation:  

👉Mission-Driven: Policy Bazaar was founded with a mission to protect middle-class India through transparent, accessible insurance, focusing initially on term life insurance. 

👉Evolving Sales Model: Realizing insurance is a complex purchase, Policy Bazaar shifted from a purely digital model to an assisted one, incorporating call centers and advisors to build trust and aid understanding. 

👉Product Focus: While starting with auto insurance, the focus evolved to high-importance protection products like health and term life insurance, educating the market along the way. 

👉B2B Expansion: PolicyBazaar for Business targets the underserved SME/MSME sector, offering protection products like liability, cyber, and group health insurance, tailored to business needs. 

👉Data-Led Product Innovation: Customer conversations and claims data are rigorously analyzed to improve user experience, develop relevant product propositions, and refine pricing with insurance partners. 

👉Building for the Long Haul: Success stems from a long-term vision, customer obsession, focusing on product proposition, and consistently showing up over many years.  

Chapters: 

00:00:00 - Intro: Tarun Mathur's Origin Story  

00:06:43 - The Genesis of Policy Bazaar  

00:12:00 - Early Challenges & Securing Funding  

00:15:37 - Selling Insurance Digitally: The Pivot to Assisted Sales  

00:19:03 - Understanding Insurance Distribution Models (Agent vs Broker)  

00:25:34 - Evolution of Product Mix: Auto, Health & Term Life  

00:35:08 - Building Policy Bazaar for Business (B2B)  

00:45:54 - The Cyber Insurance Opportunity & Product Innovation  

00:55:48 - B2B vs B2C Customer Acquisition Strategy  

01:00:45 - The Journey to IPO 

01:04:14 - Entering the Reinsurance Market  

01:23:28 - Policy Bazaar's Secret Sauce: Customer Obsession  

01:35:42 - Advice for Young Founders 

#FounderThesis #Insurtech #InsuranceIndia #StartupIndia #IndianStartups #Entrepreneurship #AkshayDatt #Fintech #DigitalInsurance #B2B #SME #MSME #TermInsurance #HealthInsurance #CyberInsurance #IPO #BusinessStrategy #CustomerObsession #ProductManagement #DataAnalytics #Leadership #StartupAdvice 

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel.

Policybazaar: Growth, IPO & Future Bets | Tarun Mathur

"Behind the scenes, it's a Climate AI. It's a very deep Climate AI engine that we have built, which drives all of these workflows."  

Rohit Toshniwal pulls back the curtain on the sophisticated technology needed to tackle complex environmental challenges, highlighting how Artificial Intelligence is becoming essential for managing sustainability data and driving climate action.  Rohit Toshniwal is a serial tech entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Sprih, which builds a Carbon Intelligence and Management platform using Climate AI to help organizations catalyze climate action. An IIT Kanpur graduate, Rohit previously co-founded Arkin Net, acquired by VMware for over $100 million, and helped scale that business within VMware to ~$250 million in revenue.  

Key Insights from the Conversation:  

👉Why tracking environmental and social impact is becoming critical for businesses, driven by regulations, investors, and customers. 

👉 Understanding Carbon Dioxide Equivalence (CO2e) as a key metric for environmental performance. 

👉 How strong performance on sustainability metrics can unlock preferential financing and attract talent. 

👉 The role of technology, particularly Climate AI, in simplifying complex data collection, analysis, and reporting for climate action. 

👉 Lessons from building and selling Arkin Net, and scaling it post-acquisition. 

👉 The importance of long-term vision and the right partners for building sustainable businesses.  

Chapters: 

👉 00:00:51 - Intro: Rohit's Journey into Green Tech & Sustainability 

👉 00:04:30 - Understanding Corporate Impact: Beyond Finance 

👉 00:09:39 - Why All Companies Should Track Climate Impact 

👉 00:15:07 - Deep Dive: Understanding Carbon Reporting & CO2e 

👉 00:20:13 - Climate Performance, Capital Access & Business Advantage 

👉 00:26:05 - Introducing Sprih: Climate AI for Carbon Management 

👉 00:39:50 - The Market Opportunity in Climate Tech & Carbon Intelligence 

👉 00:57:25 - Rohit's Early Career: From Cisco to Startups & VMware 

👉 01:02:42 - The Arkin Net Story: Building & Selling for more than $100 Million 

👉 01:06:30 - Scaling Post-Acquisition: Growing to $250M within VMware 

👉 01:11:31 - Engineer's Take: How to Build a $250M Business 

👉 01:18:29 - Building Philosophy: Focus on Roots, Not Flowers  

#Sustainability #ClimateTech #CarbonReporting #ClimateAI #CarbonIntelligence #Sprih #FounderThesis #StartupIndia #Entrepreneurship #TechFounder #FounderJourney #BusinessStrategy #VMware #IITKanpur #NetZero #ImpactInvesting #ClimateAction #IndianStartups

The Future is Climate AI Solutions | Rohit Toshniwal (Sprih)

"The customer is the CEO of the company; he can fire everyone."  

This core belief drove Harshvardhan Lunia's journey in building Lendingkart. He emphasizes that obsessively solving the customer's problem—be it the need for speed, transparency, or convenience—is the ultimate key to building trust and a successful financial services business.  

Harshvardhan Lunia is the Founder & CEO of Lendingkart, a fintech platform transforming SME lending in India. An ISB graduate and Chartered Accountant, he leveraged his background in banking and SME credit advisory to launch Lendingkart in 2014. Lendingkart has since disbursed over ₹20,000 crores to more than 3 lakh customers across 4,500+ towns and cities in India, achieving a total AUM of ₹7,500 crores (with ₹5,500 crores via co-lending) by FY24.  

Key Insights from the Conversation: 

✅SME Lending Pain Points: Traditional lending for SMEs suffered from slow processes (3-4 months) and lack of transparency, creating a market gap. Lendingkart focused on speed (hours/days) and transparency from day one. 

✅Data Over Tradition: Realizing traditional financial statements were often adjusted for tax purposes, Lendingkart pioneered using bank statement analysis and cash flow data for underwriting. 

✅Tech-Driven Underwriting: The platform evolved from rule-based systems to sophisticated algorithms trained on billions of data points to assess risk and determine loan terms, achieving high predictive accuracy (97.5%). 

✅The Rise of Co-Lending: Partnering with banks and larger institutions (co-lending) became crucial post-COVID, allowing Lendingkart to scale distribution while sharing risk and capital. By March 2022, 80% of business was co-lending, reaching a 25/75 (own books/co-lending) AUM split in FY24. 

✅Distribution is Key: While underwriting and collections tech are vital, building trust and reaching customers across India (distribution) is the ultimate differentiator in the absence of a large legacy brand or branch network. 

✅Fundraising Conviction: Raising capital involves storytelling and unwavering conviction in your vision, especially when building something new. It's an exam where you must clearly articulate why your approach will work. Harshvardhan even shared his unique approach of pitching using a whiteboard instead of presentations.  

#Lendingkart [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/lendingkart] #HarshvardhanLunia [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/harshvardhanlunia] #FintechIndia [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/fintechindia] #DigitalLending [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/digitallending] #SMEFinance [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/smefinance] #MSME [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/msme] #NBFC [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/nbfc] #StartupIndia [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/startupindia] #Entrepreneurship [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/entrepreneurship] #IndianStartups [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/indianstartups] #FounderThesis [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/founderthesis] #BusinessPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/businesspodcast] #VCFunding [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/vcfunding] #CoLending [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/colending] #DataAnalytics [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/dataanalytics] #Underwriting [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/underwriting] #FinancialInclusion [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/financialinclusion]

Building a ₹7500 Cr AUM Fintech | Harshvardhan Lunia (Lendingkart)

Dickens said, it was the best of the times, it was the worst of the times. The words have never been truer.  Best because there’s never been a better time to be an entrepreneur.  Worst because the clutter is mind-numbing. Founder Thesis breaks through the noise to bring you stories of success & failure, grit & struggle, bouquets & brickbats from some of the most brilliant entrepreneurs in India. 

Founder Thesis

Saurabh Garg talks to investors and venture capitalists about what it takes  and
how start-ups to get the funding that they need

Investor Thesis

India Booked is a podcast that uses literature as a lever to bring multiple
facets of India alive. A perfect podcast for bibliophiles, trivia junkies and
people interested in learning more about India. Every episode focuses on a
different theme and takes place via a conversation between the host with
celebrated authors.

India Booked

किस्से कहानियाँ हमारी ज़िंदगी का उतना ही अहम हिस्सा हैं, जितना शायद खाना और पीना
। कहानियाँ हमें हँसाती हैं, रुलाती हैं, सिखाती हैं। वो बचपन में सुलाती हैं,
बड़प्पन में रुलाती हैं। कहानियाँ हमें वहाँ ले जाती हैं, जहां हमें गाड़ी या जहाज़ भी
शायद न ले जा पाएँ । तो चलिए हम भी चलते हैं दूर कहीं, कुछ कहानियों के साथ । आप का
तहे दिल से स्वागत है इस पॉडकास्ट पर, जिसका नाम है ‘कहानियों का गुच्छा’। इसमें आप
सुनेंगे हिन्दुस्तानी ज़बान के प्रसिद्ध लेखकों की कहानियों की कई शृंखलाओं को,
जिनको चुना गया है किसी न किसी विषय वस्तु के आधार पर। तो सुनते रहिए ‘कहानियों का
गुच्छा’। We are the stories we tell! Stories are as important in our lives as
probably food and shelter. Stories make us laugh, cry, and learn. They carry us
to the mysterious worlds of our imagination. So here we are, ready to take you
along with us on a ride with some great stories by some great writers. We invite
you to this podcast ‘Kahaniyon ka Guccha’ where you will hear carefully curated
series of stories written by some of the greatest writers in Hindustani
language. Stay tuned to some of the greatest stories with us in ‘Kahaniyon ka
Guccha’.

Kahaniyon ka Guccha

At The Spotlight, we go behind the scenes and identify and highlight the upcoming disruptors from the startup space!

The Spotlight

Welcome to the podcast where all stories are welcome. This is a podcast with no
agenda. Hidden or otherwise. In a freewheeling conversation over coffee, Sheba
gently nudges people to shake off their masks and share their real selves. Hear
what keeps people ticking, what helps them make sense of the world, and what is
the inner, most private conversation people have with themselves. Hear people
being, well….human. Expect to hear from the quiet introverts, because Sheba has
a soft corner for them.

SoulBrews with Sheba

Marketing is often considered a nice to have, not a must have. “Let’s get business first”, is what one has often heard. However, MARKETING WHEN DONE RIGHT, GETS BUSINESS. In this show marketing stalwarts talk about how marketing works in the real world. In this show you will learn how marketing will help you to - win business - acquire new consumers - grow the brand - build defensibility - command higher pricing power. Vani Dandia is an award winning marketeer who has spent over two decades in advertising and marketing with Unilever, PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser, Henkel, BBDO and Leo Burnett. Her claim to fame includes turning around Kurkure and successfully launching brands like Quaker, Veet, Sunsilk Colour, Fa in India and Asia.

Marketing with Vani

Hosted by Nakul Kumar, this podcast will feature some interesting personalities
from various domains of life. From sportsmen to artists and entrepreneurs, we'll
speak to a line-up of unconventional people. What will always remain constant is
our focus on how technology shapes their lives and their go-to hacks & tricks.
We will explore their unique relationship with technology and try to soak in all
that can enhance our and our listeners' relationship with technology. Hacks,
tricks, insights, upcoming tech or innovations, you name it and we'll have
covered it in this stream. So sit back, relax, plug in your earphones and let
the fun begin. About Your Host When not coming up with killer ideas to help the
users of his co-founded app, Cashify, Nakul Kumar is a full-time tech
aficionado, a cook, a proud dad, and a gaming geek. Of late, his super-honest
"2-minute reviews" on the latest smartphones on YouTube have turned him into a
tech influencer to be reckoned with. Through his new podcast on The Podium,
Nakul aims to change our general view of the world of technology and disruption.
Lend him your ears and we're sure you'll go back with your own tech eureka
moment.

Upgrade with Nakul

The minds behind brands, the minds behind ads. 

 

Tune into Marketing Connect as Saurabh Garg, a marketer, startup enthusiast, and filmmaker, gets up close and personal with some of our most celebrated marketers in India. Watch him pick their brains on the method and madness that is marketing, as art and as a discipline. And so they answer the most important question: what does it take to succeed as a marketer in this day and age?

 

Bringing you the first season of the Marketing Connect Podcast, where Saurabh chats with marketers from real estate, to fashion, content, food, retail, and just about any industry you can think of.

 

Hear, learn, and get inspired from the marketers handling the brands you and I consume each day!

Marketing Connect

We get up close and personal to some of the most celebrated marketers in the country. We understand from them the method and the madness behind how they look at marketing as a discipline and what it takes to succeed as a marketer in this day and age. In the first season of Marketing Connect Podcast, we speak to marketers from businesses ranging from real estate to fashion to content to food to retail, and a lot more! These marketers manage some of the largest brands in the country today!

Akshay Datt

Shows