How does a Bollywood director think about making blockbusters?   

From script to screen to box office success, discover the hidden economics of India's most glamorous industry.  

Ever wondered how a Bollywood film actually gets made and who makes money from it? In this revealing episode, acclaimed director Shashank Khaitan pulls back the curtain on the complex business machinery of Hindi cinema. From his journey as a small-town dreamer in Nashik who played tennis at the junior international level to becoming the creative force behind romantic comedies like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Shashank breaks down the entire filmmaking value chain. He shares candid insights on how producers, directors, actors, and studios split revenues, the evolving role of OTT platforms in film financing, and why building a rom-com requires balancing romance with comedy down to precise percentages.   

Beyond Bollywood, Shashank reveals his ambitious second act as co-founder of Global Sports Pickleball, where he's applying his storytelling expertise to build India's next major sporting ecosystem. He shared this fascinating journey in a candid conversation with host Akshay Datt, exploring how capital flows through India's entertainment industry, the rise of franchise leagues, and why karma matters more than luck in building sustainable success.  

Key Highlights: 

👉How Shashank transitioned from junior international tennis to becoming a successful Bollywood director with multiple hit films 

👉The complete economics of Bollywood filmmaking, from script acquisition and actor fees to OTT deals worth 25-130 crores and theatrical revenue splits 

👉Why producers are the dealmakers and chief marketing officers who manage everything from casting to distribution strategy 

👉The secret to rom-com success: balancing romance and comedy while creating characters audiences genuinely care about 

👉How Shashank is building Global Sports Pickleball into a 1000-crore business by 2027, leveraging his storytelling skills to create India's next sporting phenomenon 

👉Why self-awareness and process-driven thinking trump outcome obsession for long-term entrepreneurial success  

Chapters: 

00:00 - Shashank Khaitan's Journey from Tennis to Bollywood 

08:07 - How Bollywood Films Actually Get Made 

21:56 - Breaking Down Bollywood's Revenue Models 

42:20 - Producer's Role in Film Business 

01:01:03 - Marketing Strategy for Bollywood Releases 

01:23:36 - Building Global Sports Pickleball Empire 

01:40:56 - Future of Sports Infrastructure in India  

#BollywoodBusiness #FilmIndustryIndia #BollywoodDirector #MovieProduction #OTTPlatforms #NetflixIndia #DharmaProductions #YashRajFilms #FilmFinancing #BollywoodEconomics #IndianCinema #RomComMovies #HumptySharmaKiDulhania #BadrinathKiDulhania #PickleballIndia #GlobalSportsPickleball #SportsStartups #SportsInfrastructure #IndianSportsIndustry #StartupPodcast #EntrepreneurJourney #BollywoodInsights #FilmDistribution #MovieMarketing #CelebrityEntrepreneurs #SportsLeagues #IPLModel  

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

Breaking into Bollywood with Shashank Khaitan (Director, Badrinath ki Dulhania)

Ever wondered how credit card companies actually make money and why your rewards never seem to add up?   

Anil Goteti, Founder of Scapia, reveals the hidden business of cards: from interchange fees and breakage profits to why banks spend ₹3,500 acquiring each customer and still wait three years to break even.   

The business of cards in India is a multi-billion dollar industry built on economics most consumers never see. Anil Goteti spent eight years at Flipkart mastering consumer behavior before diving into this opaque world with Scapia, a travel-focused credit card that's raised $72 million to challenge how the card business operates.  

 In this masterclass conversation with host Akshay Datt, Anil deconstructs the entire value chain: how merchant discount rates get split between issuing banks, acquiring banks, and payment networks like Visa and Mastercard, why co-branded card partnerships exist, and how rewards programs are designed so 50% of points expire unused, a profit center called breakage. He exposes why traditional banks charge forex markups of 3-5% on international spending, how customer acquisition costs in the card business have ballooned to ₹3,000-3,500 per customer, and why it takes six to nine years of card usage before banks see real profit.   

Anil also shares Scapia's contrarian approach: zero fees, zero forex markup, instant transaction visibility, and making reward redemption so easy it threatens the breakage model competitors rely on. Beyond card economics, this episode explores how Scapia survived when RBI banned their banking partner from issuing new cards, why the business of cards in India is still massively underpenetrated compared to Western markets, and how the convergence of fintech and travel creates dual revenue streams that make their aggressive customer economics sustainable at scale.  

What You'll Learn:  

👉The complete business model of credit cards: how interchange fees, MDR splits, rewards programs, and interest income create the revenue stack 

👉Why banks spend ₹3,000-3,500 acquiring each card customer and still need three years to reach breakeven on that investment 

👉How Scapia built a $72M card business with zero fees by monetizing through travel commerce and challenging the breakage profit model 

👉The hidden economics of co-branded cards: how fintech companies and banks share risk, revenue, and customer acquisition costs 

👉Why India's card business is poised for explosive growth with only 6-7 cards per 100 people versus 300+ in developed markets 

👉Real-time product innovation that's reshaping the card business: instant forex conversion, transparent rewards ledgers, and seamless bill payments

#CreditCardBusiness #CreditCardEconomics #InterchangeFees #MDRExplained #CardBusinessModel #CreditCardIndustry #CobrandedCards #RewardsPrograms #BreakageProfits #ForexMarkup #CustomerAcquisitionCost #CardUnitEconomics #PaymentNetworks #IndiaFintech #CreditCardStartups #FintechBusinessModel #TravelFintech #CardIssuingBusiness #BankingPartnership #CreditCardRevenue #StartupIndia #FintechIndia #CardPayments #digitalpayments   Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speaker, not necessarily the channel

The Two-in-One Startup: Why Anil Goteti Built Scapia as Card + OTA

In this episode, Raution Jaiswal reveals how he built InsuredMine from $40,000 in funding to $5 million ARR, competing against giants like Salesforce in the US insurance agency software market.  

Starting as an immigrant founder with no insurance background, Raution bootstrapped his way through the brutal early days, moonlighting while building his first product, pivoting from a consumer app to B2B CRM, and eventually capturing 17 of the top 50 insurance agencies in America.   

He shared the journey in this candid conversation with host Akshay Datt. Raution breaks down his "Trojan Horse" go-to-market strategy, positioning InsuredMine as a friendly add-on to legacy systems before becoming the central hub of agency operations. He discusses why modern product architecture is his secret weapon, how he's embracing AI to move from automation to prescriptive intelligence, and why he chose to return to India after 18 years in the US to run his American business and give back through his foundation. This is a masterclass in vertical SaaS, capital efficiency, and contrarian company building in a massive but overlooked market. 

 Key Highlights: 

 👉How Raution built InsuredMine to $5M ARR with only $40K in funding, competing against Salesforce and legacy insurance software giants 

👉The "add-on" Trojan Horse strategy that helps InsuredMine infiltrate agencies and become their central operating system 

👉Why modern product architecture is InsuredMine's biggest competitive moat against billion-dollar competitors with legacy tech debt 

👉Raution's pivot from B2C insurance wallet app to B2B agency CRM, and how he validated the business with 50 paying customers before quitting his job 

👉How InsuredMine is leveraging AI to move from generative features to predictive analytics to prescriptive recommendations for insurance agents 

👉Why Raution moved back to India after 18 years in the US to run his American business and launch his foundation for underprivileged students  

Chapters: 

00:00 - Raution Jaiswal's InsuredMine Origin Story 

01:20 - US vs India Insurance Industry Landscape 

05:25 - How Insurance Distribution Works in America 

10:26 - The Problem InsuredMine Solves for Agencies 

14:24 - Building CRM for Insurance Agency Market 

17:25 - InsuredMine vs Legacy Agency Management Systems 

20:54 - Why VCs Chase InsuredMine Despite Bootstrapping 

24:33 - The $40K to $5M ARR Journey 

27:24 - Scaling InsuredMine Without Venture Capital 

29:03 - Bootstrapping Secrets and Capital Efficiency Playbook 

32:09 - Managing US Business from India Strategy 

35:41 - Product Evolution from Automation to AI 

37:06 - Building World-Class Support at Scale 

40:38 - Running Global SaaS Company from Bangalore 

42:10 - From Kolkata Streets to US Entrepreneur 

47:59 - Paying It Forward Through Education Foundation 

50:59 - Building Trust-Based Sales Without VC Money 

52:38 - Product Roadmap and AI CRM Vision 

56:03 - AI Agents vs Human Insurance Agents  

#InsurtechStartup #BootstrappedStartup #VerticalSaaS #InsuranceAgencySoftware #InsuranceCRM #SaaS #StartupIndia #FounderStory #USInsuranceMarket #InsuranceTechnology #AIinInsurance #StartupBootstrapping #IndependentInsuranceAgents #PropertyCasualtyInsurance #SalesforceAlternative #AgencyManagementSystem #InsuranceDistribution #CapitalEfficiency #StartupJourney #B2BSaaS #InsuranceInnovation #StartupPodcast 

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

From Kolkata Streets to US Millionaire: Raution Jaiswal's Inspiring Journey

How did Apurv Agrawal transform SquadStack from a data collection startup into India's leading AI-powered BPO generating ₹200+ crore ARR?   

This episode reveals the 10-year journey to finding true product-market fit and disrupting India's massive outsourcing industry.  Apurv Agrawal, Co-Founder and CEO of SquadStack, shares the remarkable evolution from Squadrun's gig economy roots to becoming India's most advanced AI-native contact center platform. Starting as a horizontal marketplace for data collection tasks, SquadStack pivoted multiple times before discovering their breakthrough in distributed calling services during COVID-19. What began as weekend experiments became enterprise solutions for major brands like Kotak, Axis Bank, and Bajaj. Apurv reveals how they built a billion-interaction dataset, achieved 95% AI implementation success rates while competitors fail, and created a unique hybrid workforce combining stay-at-home professionals with local agencies across tier-2 and tier-3 cities. He candidly discusses the emotional definition of PMF, why founders can't fight market forces, and his contrarian leadership philosophy of "leading with love" that attracted 19% ex-founders to his team. With voice cloning technology and hyper-personalized customer journeys, SquadStack is reshaping how enterprises handle sales, support, and collections through AI-human collaboration. He shared this transformative journey in this insightful conversation with host Akshay Datt, offering invaluable lessons on market timing, vertical focus, and building sustainable competitive moats in the AI era.  

Key insights you'll discover:   

👉How Apurv built SquadStack into a ₹200+ crore ARR leader through strategic pivots and market timing 

👉Lessons from transitioning from horizontal gig marketplace to vertical AI-BPO specialist serving enterprise customers 

👉SquadStack's breakthrough approach to distributed workforce management combining individual professionals with agency partnerships across India 

👉Revolutionary AI implementation strategies achieving 95% success rates while industry reports 95% failure rates 

👉Deep dive into voice cloning technology and hyper-personalized customer journey automation transforming contact center operations 

👉Founder philosophy on high-agency hiring 

👉Ubuntu leadership principles, and why love-based culture attracts exceptional entrepreneurial talent

#BPOstartups #AIautomation #IndianstartupsPMF #productmarketfit #distributedworkforce #contactcenterAI #voicecloning #enterpriseAI #gigeconomyIndia #BPOdisruption #remoteworkIndia #startupfunding #founderstory #entrepreneurshipIndia #AIimplementation #customerserviceAI #startuppivot 

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

How SquadStack is Winning the AI Services Race with Apurv Agrawal

What if the secret to building a $8.5 billion VC portfolio isn't chasing billion-dollar markets, but backing the right founders who can pivot their way to success?  

In this episode, Sasha Mirchandani, Founder of Kae Capital and Co-Founder of Mumbai Angels, reveals why 90% of venture capital funds underperform and how his contrarian approach has created 4 unicorns including Porter, Fractal Analytics, Zetwerk, and Tata 1mg.  

From traveling second-class trains as the son of Onida's Founder to becoming India's pioneer seed-stage investor, Sasha shares brutally honest insights on what it really takes to succeed in venture capital. He opens up about the 20-30 unicorns he passed on (including Ola and Nium), why Kae Capital avoided the crypto bubble, and how investment #29 from recycled capital became Porter's $1.2 billion unicorn story. Sasha explains why he deliberately keeps his funds small despite the ability to raise $300 million+, the recycling capital strategy that created hidden winners, and his founder-first investment philosophy that prioritizes grit and conscientiousness over market size. He shared this remarkable 25-year journey in this candid conversation with host Akshay Datt, revealing practical advice on pitch decks, portfolio construction, and surviving India's funding cycles while navigating Trump tariffs and startup ecosystem challenges.  

What You'll Learn:  

👉Why 90% of VC funds fail and how Kae Capital's small fund strategy generated 4 unicorns worth billions 

👉The recycling capital playbook that turned investment #29 into Porter's $1.2B unicorn exit 

👉How InMobi pivoted 4 times and Fractal transformed from Woodle.com to a pre-IPO AI unicorn 

👉Sasha's "founder over TAM" philosophy and why he'd rather get market size wrong than entrepreneur quality wrong 

👉Inside Kae Capital's LP strategy balancing 50% Indian capital with global investors expecting different returns 

👉Surviving the crypto mania, edtech bubble, and Trump tariffs while maintaining investment discipline  

CHAPTERS: 

00:00 - What Is a Venture Capitalist? Sasha's Definition 

03:52 - Wealth Manager vs Builder: Kae Capital's Investment Philosophy 

08:19 - Why Venture Capital Is a Crappy Asset Class 

12:13 - Fund Strategy: 25 Investments, Recycling Capital, Portfolio Construction 

18:04 - Why Smaller VC Funds Outperform Larger Funds 

23:40 - India's Startup Funding: 50% Indian LPs Now 

28:11 - Investment Thesis: Founder Quality Over Market Size 

34:38 - Avoiding Hype Cycles: Crypto Bubble, EdTech Mania 

40:13 - The Unicorns Sasha Passed On: Ola, Nium, Mint 

46:56 - Onida's Legacy: 550 Competitors Dead, One Survived 

56:36 - Second Class Train to VC Success Story 

1:00:50 - Starting Kae Capital: From BPO to Fractal's First Investment 

1:06:08 - TAM Lessons From Father's Electronics Business  

#VentureCapitalIndia #SeedFundingIndia #IndianStartupEcosystem #StartupFundingIndia #EarlyStageVC #IndianVCEcosystem #FounderFirstInvesting #VCStrategy #SmallFundAdvantage #RecyclingCapital #UnicornStartups #IndiaUnicorns #VCPortfolioStrategy #PitchDeckAdvice #StartupInvestor #VentureCapitalFunding #IndianEntrepreneurs #AngelInvestingIndia #PreSeedFunding #SeriesAFunding #StartupEcosystemIndia #FundingWinterSurvival #AIStartupsIndia #ConsumerTechIndia #SaaSFundingIndia #QuickCommerceIndia #LogisticsTechIndia #ManufacturingTechIndia #FinTechInvestments #VCPodcast #StartupPodcastIndia #EntrepreneurshipIndia #BusinessPodcastIndia

Sasha Mirchandani(Kae Capital) Explains How Small VC Funds Beat Big Ones

How did a Google engineer turn a 90% revenue loss into a $XXM ARR LegalTech success story?   

Madhav Bhagat's SpotDraft journey reveals the secrets of AI timing, opinionated product strategy, and global SaaS scaling.  

From losing $900K in collections with his NYC nightlife startup DrinkLink to building SpotDraft into a leading contract lifecycle management platform, Madhav Bhagat's entrepreneurial journey is a masterclass in resilience, pivot strategy, and AI-first thinking.   

After leaving Google where he helped scale Google Classroom to millions of users, Madhav co-founded SpotDraft with the vision of democratizing legal technology. What started as a tool for freelancers evolved into an enterprise-grade CLM platform that now serves major companies like PhonePe, Airbnb, and Panasonic. The company has achieved double-digit millions in ARR with 60% revenue coming from the US market.  

In this candid conversation with host Akshay Datt, Madhav shares how SpotDraft reduced contract implementation times from 2 years to 60 days, leveraged AI cost reductions from $40 to 4 cents per contract, and built an opinionated product that outcompetes giants like icertis and Docusign. He reveals why being early to AI wasn't always an advantage, how non-technical teams now ship code using AI agents, and why focusing on mid-market customers over enterprise deals became their winning strategy. This episode offers invaluable insights for SaaS founders navigating AI adoption, international expansion, and building sustainable competitive advantages in crowded markets.  

What you'll learn from this episode:  

👉How Madhav built SpotDraft from Google exit to $XXM ARR in LegalTech 

👉Why AI timing matters more than being first, and lessons from pre-GPT to post-GPT era 

👉SpotDraft's opinionated product strategy that reduced implementation from 2 years to 60 days 

👉Secrets of scaling SaaS globally with 60% US revenue from India base 

👉How AI agents are transforming organizations and enabling non-technical teams to ship code 

👉Why mid-market focus beats enterprise deals in competitive SaaS markets   

#legaltech #startups #AIstartups #saas #startupfounder #AI #B2BSaaS #startupjourney #entrepreneurship #indianstartups #founderstory #artificialintelligence   

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

Madhav Bhagat on Leaving Google to Build SpotDraft and Redefine LegalTech

How did P. Venkatesh build Maveric Systems into a $75 million banking technology powerhouse without VC funding over 25 years?   

In this episode, we explore the contrarian strategies behind one of India's most successful bootstrap stories in fintech. 

P. Venkatesh, Director of Maveric Systems, shares the remarkable journey of building a domain-focused banking technology specialist that now serves global top-10 banks across 15 countries. From starting as a testing company in 2000 to becoming a comprehensive BankTech solutions provider, PV reveals the strategic decisions that enabled sustainable growth in the competitive IT services landscape. He discusses the concept of "unitization" - how technology democratizes access to complex financial instruments, the evolution of universal banking, and why AI will make banks more human rather than less. PV also shares candid insights on customer selection philosophy, the importance of vertical specialization over horizontal scaling, and why services businesses can be more defensible than SaaS products in complex domains. 

He shared this wisdom in a candid conversation with host Akshay Datt, exploring how Maveric is positioning for an IPO while navigating the AI transformation sweeping through banking technology.   This episode offers invaluable lessons for entrepreneurs building B2B services companies, understanding banking industry trends, and creating sustainable competitive advantages through deep domain expertise.  

Key Highlights: 

👉How P. Venkatesh built Maveric Systems from testing startup to $75M ARR without VC funding over 25 years 

👉The "unitization" framework explaining how technology democratizes access to complex financial systems 

👉Why AI adoption in banking follows a predictable spectrum from technology companies to ISVs to traditional banks 

👉Strategic lessons on choosing customer quality over revenue quantity for sustainable B2B growth 

👉Maveric's vertical specialization strategy in banking technology and its competitive advantages 

👉The future of banking technology, DeFi adoption, and why banks will remain financial gatekeepers 

 #BankingTechnology #BootstrapStartup #BankTechSolutions #AIInBanking #FintechIndia #StartupGrowthStrategy #B2BServices #BankingTransformation #ITServicesIndia #FinancialTechnology #DomainSpecialization #CustomerQualityStrategy #BankingAI #FounderThesisPodcast #IndianEntrepreneurs #TechStartupsIndia

The Unitization Revolution: How P. Venkatesh(Maveric Systems) Explains Fintech's Biggest Trend

How did a founder who sold millions of cars and managed billions in real estate become the CEO competing with Palantir for government healthcare contracts?  

In this episode, we explore Avinav Nigam's journey from Cars24 to building TERN Group, an AI-powered healthcare recruitment platform solving the global nursing shortage.  

Avinav Nigam has built companies worth over $10 billion in enterprise value across three different industries - and his latest venture might be his most ambitious yet. After co-founding Cars24 (India's used car unicorn) and IMMO Capital (a European real estate investment platform), Avinav is now tackling the global healthcare crisis with TERN Group, an AI-native recruitment platform that's already generating ₹250 crores ARR in just 24 months.   

What makes this story remarkable isn't just the impressive metrics - 40% month-on-month growth, 88% conversion rates, and competing with enterprise giants like Palantir for government contracts - but the deeply personal mission driving it. After witnessing his colleague's death due to healthcare system failures and seeing talented Indian nurses exploited by unethical recruitment agents, Avinav built a zero-cost platform that charges employers instead of workers.   

In this candid conversation with host Akshay Datt, he reveals how AI is revolutionizing healthcare recruitment, why he believes "AI replaces humans who don't use AI," and his vision for becoming the future of human mobility across borders.  

Key Highlights  

👉How Avinav built three successful companies across cars, real estate, and healthcare - reaching $10B+ enterprise value  

👉TERN Group's explosive growth: ₹250 crores ARR, 40% MoM growth, and 88% conversion rates in 24 months 

👉Why charging employers instead of healthcare workers created a more profitable and ethical business model  

👉 How AI-powered interviews assess 80 nursing specializations across 28 different attributes with human-level accuracy  

👉 The global healthcare worker shortage crisis: 15 million workers needed by 2030 and how TERN is solving it  

👉 Competing with Palantir and other enterprise giants for billion-dollar government healthcare contracts  

#CrossBorderBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/crossborderbusiness] #AIFirstCompany [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/aifirstcompany] #HealthcareWorkforce [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/healthcareworkforce] #TalentMobility [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/talentmobility] #EthicalRecruitment [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ethicalrecruitment] #MarketplaceModel [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/marketplacemodel] #RealEstateInvesting [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/realestateinvesting] #StartupJourney [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/startupjourney] #FutureOfWork [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/futureofwork] #GlobalTalentShortage [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/globaltalentshortage] #B2GContracts [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/b2gcontracts] #CompoundedCompanies [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/compoundedcompanies] #DigitalTransformation [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/digitaltransformation] #InternationalExpansion [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/internationalexpansion] 

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

From building Cars24 to creating an AI Native Hiring-Tech Platform: Avinav Nigam (TERN Group)

How did Rohit Arora build a $100 million ARR fintech SaaS platform without raising venture capital while facilitating over $2 billion in SME loans?   

Discover the untold story of Biz2Credit's journey from marketplace to hidden unicorn disrupting America's small business lending crisis.  In this episode, Rohit Arora, CEO and Co-founder of Biz2Credit and Biz2X, reveals how he transformed from a Deloitte consultant into one of America's most successful fintech entrepreneurs. 

Starting as a simple marketplace in 2007, Biz2Credit evolved into a lending powerhouse by pioneering partnerships with hedge funds, leveraging regulatory arbitrage, and building proprietary AI-powered underwriting systems. Rohit shares candid insights about bootstrapping a $100+ million ARR SaaS business, expanding across the US, India, and Middle East, and preparing for a potential $15 billion IPO in 2027. He discusses how Trump's tariffs are creating new opportunities in SME lending, why traditional banks are losing the fintech battle, and how agentic AI is revolutionizing credit decisioning.   

In this conversation with host Akshay Datt, Rohit also offers contrarian takes on venture capital, cross-border fintech regulation, and why India's conservative approach is limiting innovation compared to the Middle East's progressive framework.  

Key highlights from this episode include how Rohit Arora built Biz2Credit into America's leading SME lending platform without traditional VC funding, strategic lessons from partnering with hedge funds and creating special purpose vehicles for lending operations, Biz2X's evolution into a global SaaS platform serving major banks like Citibank and HSBC with $100+ million in annual recurring revenue, insights on navigating cross-border fintech expansion across US, India, and Middle East markets with different regulatory frameworks, the impact of Trump's tariffs on small business lending demand and how it's creating new market opportunities, and Rohit's vision for agentic AI transforming lending workflows and his plans for going public in 2027 with a potential $15+ billion valuation.

 #SME lendingfintech #VC #SaaS #unicorn #crossborderfintech #agenticAIv#hedgefund #lending   

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

The Immigrant to Fintech Billionaire Path | Rohit Arora, Biz2X

How did a serial entrepreneur who built AI solutions for Toyota and Honda before ChatGPT existed become India's pioneering AI-first venture capitalist?  

In this episode, we explore Rahul Agarwalla's bold prediction of 100 AI unicorns emerging from India and his contrarian investment framework that's reshaping the startup ecosystem.  

Rahul Agarwalla, Managing Partner at SenseAI Ventures, brings a unique perspective to AI investing - having built and sold three AI/ML companies since 1996, including enterprise solutions used by Fortune 500 giants like Toyota, Honda, and Canon. As India's first AI-focused VC fund, SenseAI has deployed over ₹200 crores across 31 investments, achieving four successful exits while pioneering the shift from AI infrastructure to applications.  

In this candid conversation with host Akshay Datt, Rahul reveals his VDAT framework for evaluating AI startups, explains why most "AI wrappers" will fail, and shares controversial takes on outcome-based pricing, founder requirements, and market timing. With AI startups capturing 57.9% of global venture capital in 2025, Rahul's insights on building sustainable AI businesses, navigating the India-US corridor, and identifying the next wave of AI unicorns provide essential guidance for founders and investors riding the AI revolution.  

Key Highlights:   

👉How Rahul built AI solutions for Toyota and Honda before the ChatGPT era and transitioned to become India's first AI-focused VC  

👉The VDAT framework: Why variety, data, architecture, and team are the only metrics that matter when evaluating AI startups  

👉Why "AI wrappers" will fail and how to build defensible AI-native applications that OpenAI can't replicate overnight  

👉SenseAI's contrarian bet on applications over infrastructure and why outcome-based pricing will replace traditional SaaS models  

👉The roadmap to 100 AI unicorns from India and why technical founders are non-negotiable for AI success  

👉Market insights on AI tooling opportunities and the shift from foundational models to specialized vertical solutions  

Subscribe to the Founder Thesis Podcast for more deep-dive conversations with India's most innovative entrepreneurs and investors. Follow us on LinkedIn for exclusive content, founder insights, and startup ecosystem updates. Visit founderthesis.com to discover more inspiring founder stories and actionable insights from India's leading entrepreneurs. 

 #AI #venturecapital #AI startups #IndianStartups #StartupEcosystem #AIinIndia #TechEntrepreneur #DeepTech #StartupFunding #AIInvesting #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #AIVentureCapital #AIApplications #AIInfrastructure #OutcomeBasedPricing #AIWrappers #VDATFramework #DefensibleAI #AIUnicorns 

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

100 AI Unicorns From India: Rahul Agarwalla's Bold Prediction | SenseAI Ventures

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