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The Startup Operator

The Startup Operator

By Startup Operator

The best-curated wisdom from founders, operators, & investors on executing at startups | Hosted by Roshan Cariappa | Head down, execute hard. 🔥
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EP 3: Fundamentals of Growth - Neil Dave (Product Manager @ TapChief) | Growing a Marketplace | Product-led Growth | The Startup Operator

The Startup OperatorMay 09, 2020

00:00
43:41
Roundup #69: Swiggy Acquires Dineout, Indian Sovereign fund invests in Ather & other news!

Roundup #69: Swiggy Acquires Dineout, Indian Sovereign fund invests in Ather & other news!

Welcome to #69 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


Topics

1. Ather Energy raises $128 mn

2. GoKwik raises $35 mn deal in Series B

3. Razorpay announces $75 mn ESOP buyback

4. Swiggy to acquire Dineout from Times Internet 



Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1



Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends! Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms.



#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

May 16, 202222:16
EP 173 : Building a Pet Care Brand - Rashi Narang (Founder, Heads Up For Tails) | D2C | Pet Care

EP 173 : Building a Pet Care Brand - Rashi Narang (Founder, Heads Up For Tails) | D2C | Pet Care

Rashi is the founder of Heads Up For Tails, a startup that makes safe and healthy pet care products and offers services like Spas and grooming. In this episode she spoke about the moment she realized this could be a business, what it takes to turn passion into business, what works in the retail industry and more with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:50 Idea to product to company

03:10 If you're early in a category, do this

04:30 Expanding from a niche

05:26 Who were the believers? 

07:12 Turning your passion into a business

08:25 Learning to run a business

09:27 HUFT's hiring Process

11:56 Customer Acquisition Journey

13:49 Advice on succeeding in Retail

15:18 Going from Offline to Online

17:27 Franchises and expanding the business

18:23 Launching new products

20:28 Nurturing your community

22:25 Next 18-24 Months for HUFT

23:38 How is Rashi preparing for the next leap

25:42 Insights from the pet care industry

26:41 Books and podcasts


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Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Rashi :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashinarang/


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator


Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

May 12, 202228:54
EP 172 : Positioning Masterclass with April Dunford (Bestselling Author & Marketing Guru)

EP 172 : Positioning Masterclass with April Dunford (Bestselling Author & Marketing Guru)

April is the Author of Obviously Awesome, a book on Positioning a brand or startup. In this episode she spoke about the problem with positioning, how to position your product and how to position products across different geographies in her conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:40 The problem with positioning

10:39 How to position your product

18:13 Articulating your USP 

28:20 Nice to have v/s need to have 

44:24 Getting functional heads to prioritize positioning

48:51 Positioning in different geographies

52:17 Listening to customers


-------------------------------------


Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with April :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aprildunford


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

May 10, 202257:33
Roundup #68: India hits a Century in Unicorns, Swiggy's Drone tests & other news!

Roundup #68: India hits a Century in Unicorns, Swiggy's Drone tests & other news!

Welcome to #68 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Swiggy begins Drone Delivery Service

2. Wakefit wants employees to sleep at work

3. Deepinder Goyal donates Rs 700Cr 

4. Delhivery Going ahead with IPO

5. Open - India’s 100th unicorn

and more!


Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1



Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends! Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms.



#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

May 09, 202221:58
EP 171 : Helping Merchants Convert More - Chirag Taneja (Founder & CEO, GoKwik) | Ecommerce Enablement

EP 171 : Helping Merchants Convert More - Chirag Taneja (Founder & CEO, GoKwik) | Ecommerce Enablement

Chirag Taneja is the co-founder and CEO of GoKwik, a startup that enables e-commerce companies and merchants to convert more. In this episode he spoke about the non-Amazon/Flipkart wave in the ecosystem, the e-commerce enablement catergory, prioritizing product roadmaps and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa. 


Topics: 

00:00 Introduction

01:18 Evolution of Ecommerce in India

04:31 The non-Amazon/Flipkart wave

06:49 The upcoming ONDC revolution

08:12 The Ecommerce enablement category

11:40 Unique insight that led to GoKwik's founding

15:02 Process of customer validation

17:53 What is GoKwik?

21:16 Prioritizing product roadmap 

24:31 How does acquisition work for GoKwik?

27:08 High level challenges Chirag is solving

30:56 Scaling people from 0-1 to 1-10 journey

33:51 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the ecommerce space

37:33 Books and Podcast Recommendations


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Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Chirag :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiragtaneja/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tchirag


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

May 05, 202239:23
Roundup #67: Center asks EV makers to halt new launches, ONDC pilot launch & other NEWS!

Roundup #67: Center asks EV makers to halt new launches, ONDC pilot launch & other NEWS!

Welcome to #67 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 



Topics

1. Govt. asks EV Makers to halt launch of new models

2. India launches pilot phase of UPI-type protocol ONDC in 5 cities

3. Flipkart opens up logistics arm for other ecomm players

4. Swiggy launches career accelerator programme for delivery executives

5. Turtlemint raises $120M


Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends! 


Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms.


#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

May 02, 202234:32
Roundup #66: OfBusiness Eyes Biggest Tech IPO, Nykaa Acquisition spree & other deals!

Roundup #66: OfBusiness Eyes Biggest Tech IPO, Nykaa Acquisition spree & other deals!

Welcome to #66 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Swiggy invests in Rapido

2. Ola enters hyperlocal delivery space

3. OfBusiness aiming for largest tech IPO in India

4. Nykaa announced investments in 3 companies

and more!



Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends! 


Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms.


#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Apr 26, 202226:43
EP 170 : Being a 5x Entrepreneur - Abhishek Nayak (CEO & Co-founder, Appsmith) | Idea to product to company | Pivots and Exits

EP 170 : Being a 5x Entrepreneur - Abhishek Nayak (CEO & Co-founder, Appsmith) | Idea to product to company | Pivots and Exits

Abhishek Nayak is a serial entrepreneur and has started up 5 times and currently the Co-founder and CEO of Appsmith,  a startup that helps companies build customized applications. In this episode he spoke about how he finds the resolve to startup each time, what tricks he uses to prevent himself from burning out, how to find a remarkable idea to startup on and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:24 Being a Serial Entrepreneur

02:39 Lessons along the way

04:28 Making the decision to exit 

07:08 How to prevent burn out

11:23 Building a startup crew

14:57 Why did Abhishek start Appsmith

17:38 Finding a great Idea

19:15 Going from idea to product to company

22:07 What is AppSmith and what are its use cases?

23:51 The low code/no code revolution

26:02 How does Appsmith's customer acquisition work?

27:42 Nuances of selling to developers

29:23 Building a developer community

30:53 Future of AppSmith

32:10 Breaking into the enterprise market

33:07 How is Abhishek preparing for the next leap forward?

34:59 Books and Podcast recommendations


-------------------------------------


Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Abhishek :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhisheknayak/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/arey_abhishek


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator


Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Apr 21, 202238:10
EP 169 : Building a D2C Beverage Brand - Arman Sood (Co-Founder, Sleepy Owl)

EP 169 : Building a D2C Beverage Brand - Arman Sood (Co-Founder, Sleepy Owl)

Arman is a second time entrepreneur and the co-founder of Sleepy Owl, India's first cold brewed coffee brand. In this episode he spoke about the principles to starting up, educating consumers about your product, creating consumer loyalty and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:11 Principles to startup

04:25 Surprises in FnB industry 

09:22 The Coffee Value Chain

13:17 Testing a hypothesis

15:33 Educating consumers about the product

18:36 Sleepy Owl's various products

21:57 Working with marketplace platforms

23:54 Creating customer loyalty

26:23 Change in consumer mindset

29:17 Scaling a D2C business

31:27 Venture Studios

32:38 Advice for new entrepreneurs

34:35 Books and Podcast recommendations


-------------------------------------


Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Arman :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armansood/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sood_arman


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Apr 14, 202236:47
EP 168 : Building a Forest Collective - Sunith Reddy (Co-founder, Beforest) | Sustainability | D2C

EP 168 : Building a Forest Collective - Sunith Reddy (Co-founder, Beforest) | Sustainability | D2C

Sunith is the co-founder of Beforest Lifestyle Solutions, a startup that  builds and helps maintain sustainable farms and homes as a collective.  Sunith, previously a tech veteran transitioned into a sustainable  property solutions with Beforest. In this episode he spoke about how he  made the transition from thinking about bits and bytes to atoms and  molecules, getting people to care about sustainability and the nuances  of running a D2C business with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:26 Transitioning from tech to sustainable properties

03:30 Going through the transition

06:37 Going from a bits & bytes to an atoms & molecules mindset

09:24 What is Beforest?

10:45 Principles to operate in a nascent space

13:13 Getting people to care about sustainability

16:03 What is a collective and what goes into building it?

19:55 Bringing together a collective

23:48 Maintaining ecological & economic balance of a farm

28:25 Nuances of running a D2C business

33:10 What's next for Beforest?

36:48 Advice on building a niche community

39:32 Advice on building in the sustainability space 

42:34 Books and Podcast recommendations


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Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Sunith :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunithreddy/


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator


Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Apr 12, 202243:51
Roundup #65: Tata's Super App "Tata Neu" launched, ONDC all set to launch this & other news!

Roundup #65: Tata's Super App "Tata Neu" launched, ONDC all set to launch this & other news!

Welcome to #65 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Tata Group officially launches super app Tata Neu

2. Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), is all set to launch its beta version in April.

3. Zomato, Swiggy to face CCI probe for alleged unfair business practices

4. Unacademy lays off 600 employees amid cost-cutting exercise

and more!


Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends! 


Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms.


#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Apr 10, 202228:10
EP 167 : Building for the Next Generation - Kyle Fernandes (Co-founder & CEO, MemeChat)

EP 167 : Building for the Next Generation - Kyle Fernandes (Co-founder & CEO, MemeChat)

Kyle is the co-founder and CEO of MemeChat, a social app made for memers by memers. In this episode Kyle spoke about how he convinced his parents when he started out building MemeChat, how he went from an idea to a product and to a company, their NFT Marketplace, the nuances of building for millennials and GenZ in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:10 How Kyle sold his startup idea to his parents

02:38 Kyle's experience of Meme economy

04:05 Going from idea to product to company with MemeChat

09:56 Are people losing interest in creating for big tech platforms?

11:02 What is MemeChat and who is it for?

13:11 How do you engineer bots to be funny?

14:50 MemeChat's NFT Marketplace

17:13 Nuances of building for the Millennials and GenZ

18:13 Scaling to 100mn+ users

20:03 How do you Scale content

21:17 Customer acquisition strategy

22:38 Working with OTT platforms

23:41 MemeChat in the next 18-24 months

25:07 Developing a mindset for sustainable growth 

26:53 Insights for new consumer tech entrepreneurs

28:43 How is Kyle preparing for the next leap at MemeChat

30:55 Creating a category

32:52 Dealing with failure

34:55 Keeping up with evolving audiences

36:03 Books and Podcast recommendations


-------------------------------------


Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Kyle :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-fern/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyleandfern


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Apr 06, 202237:12
Roundup #64: Another EV goes up in flames, Pixxel launches first satellite & other news!

Roundup #64: Another EV goes up in flames, Pixxel launches first satellite & other news!

Welcome to #64 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Electric 2-wheeler catches fire in Chennai

2. Byju’s launches its subsidiary in Doha after FIFA world cup sponsorship

3. LambdaTest raises $45 million to build 'AWS for testers'

4. Pixxel Bags $25 million in Series A funding 

and more!



Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends! 


Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms.


#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Apr 04, 202227:30
Masterclass: B2B Sales with Jen Abel - Part 3 (The Best Salespeople)

Masterclass: B2B Sales with Jen Abel - Part 3 (The Best Salespeople)

Jen Abel is the co-founder of JJELLYFISH. She is a B2B go to market specialist and helps Indian founders expand into the US market. In this episode we dive deep into some of her tweets hiring Salespeople.


Tweets:

00:00 Introduction

00:57 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1433168864439902209

05:18 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1373271691414138882


-------------------------------------


Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Jen :

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjen_abel

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenabel/


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Mar 31, 202208:34
EP 166 : Streamlining Fish & Shrimp Farming - Rajamanohar, Founder & CEO - Aquaconnect

EP 166 : Streamlining Fish & Shrimp Farming - Rajamanohar, Founder & CEO - Aquaconnect

Rajamanohar is a serial entrepreneur and is currently the founder and CEO of Aquaconnect. In this episode he spoke about why he decided to startup in this space after having been in the Tech space for several years. He also spoke about what Aquaculture is and where India is globally in this space, the nuances of operating here and several such topics in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


00:00 Introduction

01:45 The Aquaculture Ecosystem

03:29 Insights on operating in the space

05:25 Standardizing fish & shrimp production

07:29 What is Aquaconnect? Use cases 

12:48 Being a full stack solution from Day 1

15:22 Raj's background and how he get started

20:53 Building trust with the stakeholders

24:54 Team structure at Aquaconnect

25:54 Raising Debt v/s equity funding

26:35 High level challenges Raj is solving

27:07 Nuances of operating in the space

28:57 Books and podcasts recommendations


-------------------------------------


Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Raj :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajamanohar/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rajamanohar


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Mar 29, 202230:34
Roundup #63: Zomato announces 10 mins delivery, RBI unveils innovation hub & other news!

Roundup #63: Zomato announces 10 mins delivery, RBI unveils innovation hub & other news!

Welcome to #63 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Zomato announces 10-minute delivery service in top cities

2. Ola: invests in StoreDot; acquires Avail Finance

3. RBI unveils new innovation hub in Bangalore

4. Netcore invests $100mn in Unbxd

5. Unicorns: CommerceIQ, Oxyzo

and more!



Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends! 


Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms.


#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Mar 28, 202227:27
Masterclass: B2B Sales with Jen Abel - Part 2 (Customer Discovery)

Masterclass: B2B Sales with Jen Abel - Part 2 (Customer Discovery)

Jen Abel is the co-founder of JJELLYFISH. She is a B2B go to market specialist and helps Indian founders expand into the US market. In this episode we dive deep into some of her tweets on founder led sales. 


Tweets:

00:00 Introduction

00:41 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1496463146214690817

02:59 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1501234114661388294

06:11 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1499091183930421253

07:29 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1500457090762031104

12:06 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1500435161586016256

19:00 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1499418694983823367

23:54 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1473978021916860419

24:38 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1442821711485980677


-------------------------------------


Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Jen :

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjen_abel

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenabel/


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Mar 25, 202228:08
EP 165 : Masterclass: Managing a Pivot with Saurabh Saxena (Founder & CEO, Uable)

EP 165 : Masterclass: Managing a Pivot with Saurabh Saxena (Founder & CEO, Uable)

Saurabh Saxena is a serial entrepreneur and has co founded startups like Lakshya and Vedantu and is currently the founder of Uable. In this episode he spoke about making the decision to pivot Uable from an edtech to a teens only social app, the nuances of managing such a pivot, how to build for teenagers and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


00:00 Introduction 

01:36 Why Saurabh decided to Pivot

06:28 Selling a pivot to your stakeholders 

09:33 Nuances of managing a pivot

13:53 Advice to entrepreneurs on pivoting

16:34 Best advice Saurabh received on Pivoting

18:26 Uable 2.0 

21:43 Nuances of building for teenagers

24:53 User acquisition for a teen app

26:57 The "AHA" moment for a Uable user

30:28 Content moderation

33:53 Saurabh's thoughts on Content Community and Commerce

36:20 High level challenges Saurabh is solving

39:20 Saurabh's thoughts on the Indian startup ecosystem


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Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Saurabh :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabh-learn/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Saurabh_Learn


-------------------------------------


Check out our old episode with Saurabh

Building in Edtech: https://youtu.be/hPRBeCatC2A


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Mar 23, 202242:22
Roundup #62: Tax reforms on Capital gains, IT Raids on founders and more!

Roundup #62: Tax reforms on Capital gains, IT Raids on founders and more!

Welcome to Roundup #62 of The Startup Operator. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Tax reforms on Capital Gains

2. IT Raid on startup founders

3. Falguni Nayar: Richest self made Woman billionaire

4. Manipal hospitals partnering with Connected Life

5. Amagi Turning unicorn

6. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!



Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


Hit the like button if enjoyed this roundup, and do not forget to share among your operator friends! 


Listen to our interviews and conversations with investors, operators, and founders on your favourite podcast platforms.


#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Mar 20, 202235:22
Masterclass: B2B Sales with Jen Abel (Co-founder, JJELLYFISH) | Part 1 of 3 - Founder's role in the 0 - 1 | Early Stage Sales

Masterclass: B2B Sales with Jen Abel (Co-founder, JJELLYFISH) | Part 1 of 3 - Founder's role in the 0 - 1 | Early Stage Sales

Jen Abel is the co-founder of JJELLYFISH. She is a B2B go to market specialist and helps Indian founders expand into the US market. In this episode we dive deep into some of her tweets on founder led sales. 


00:45 Who is Jen Abel?

01:29 Tweet 1 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1501315384871460865

07:10 Tweet 2 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1500132712241418250

10:30 Tweet 3 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1500093894524117001

12:54 Tweet 4 https://twitter.com/jjen_abel/status/1496479701916954625


-------------------------------------


Click here to get regular WhatsApp updates:

https://wa.me/message/ZUZQQGKCZTADL1


-------------------------------------


Connect with Jen :

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjen_abel

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenabel/


-------------------------------------


Connect with Us: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


If you liked this episode, let us know by hitting the like button and share with your friends and family. Please also remember to subscribe to our channel and switch on the notifications to never miss an episode!

Mar 18, 202223:46
EP 163 : Building conversational AI - Swapan Rajdev (CTO & Co-founder, Haptik) | Pivoting from B2C to B2B & more!

EP 163 : Building conversational AI - Swapan Rajdev (CTO & Co-founder, Haptik) | Pivoting from B2C to B2B & more!

Swapan is the co-founder and CTO of Haptik, a conversational AI platform founded in 2013 and was acquired by Reliance in 2019. In this episode he spoke about the founding story of Haptik, the nuances of building a conversational AI, building a good org culture and what being a part of the jio revolution is like and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

00:59 Founding story of Haptik

08:25 Lessons from the journey

12:28 Building for B2C v/s B2B

17:07 Building for users v/s businesses

17:49 Nuances of building Conversation AI

22:07 Building context aware AI

25:18 How customer expectations evolved 

28:29 New use cases for NLP &  AI 

32:32 Building a good org culture

37:41 Being part of the Jio revolution

42:13 Insights for new entrepreneurs in conversational AI

46:11 Books and podcast


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swapan-rajdev-64a0591a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRajdev


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


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Mar 16, 202251:03
Roundup #61: RBI's ban on PayTM payments bank, IPOs: EbixCash and Navi Technologies & other deals!

Roundup #61: RBI's ban on PayTM payments bank, IPOs: EbixCash and Navi Technologies & other deals!

Welcome to #61 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. RBI's ban on PayTM payments bank

2. IPOs: EbixCash and Navi Technologies 

3. Edtech News: Byju's fundraise & Unacademy opens store

4. Ather Energy partners with Foxconn India 

and more!


Episodes mentioned:

Atlan: https://youtu.be/bs93nW1PMik

Kuku FM: https://youtu.be/fQ5brqhTT58


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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Mar 14, 202229:40
EP 162 : Pioneering India's 2nd White Revolution - Kirti Jangra (Co-founder & COO, Animall) | Managed Marketplace | Build for Bharat

EP 162 : Pioneering India's 2nd White Revolution - Kirti Jangra (Co-founder & COO, Animall) | Managed Marketplace | Build for Bharat

Kirti Jangra is the Co-founder & COO of Animall Technologies, an online platform that facilitates the buying and selling of cattle and empowering farmers to usher in a new era of white revolution. In this episode she spoke about solving a full stack of problems, what it takes to enable the next white revolution, the nuances of scaling a managed marketplace and more in her conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:00 Founding story of Animall

03:21 Solving a full stack of problems 

06:10 Lessons from building for the Bharat user

09:38 Enabling the next White Revolution

11:00 Nuances of scaling a managed marketplace

13:55 Nuances of managing a cattle marketplace

15:13 Nuances of onboarding users 

16:40 Educating the customer

18:21 North Star Metric for Animall 

19:46 The next couple of years for Animall

21:41 Animall: the next Amul?

22:40 High level challenges Kirti is solving

24:55 Importance of having a co-founder

25:46 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirtijangra/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KirtiAnimall


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


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Mar 10, 202227:04
EP 161 - Building a D2C Brand - Malika Sadani (Founder & CEO, The Moms Co.) | Beauty & Personal Care | Scaling to Acquisition

EP 161 - Building a D2C Brand - Malika Sadani (Founder & CEO, The Moms Co.) | Beauty & Personal Care | Scaling to Acquisition

Malika is the founder and CEO of The Moms Co., a natural beauty and personal care D2C brand. In this episode she spoke about validating the problem, educating consumers, consumer acquisition and more in her conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics

00:00 Introduction

01:00 Validating the problem and consumer research

07:11 Asking the right questions to your prospects

11:51 Articulating the brand promise 

15:55 Educating the customer

18:36 Levers for customer acquisition in the 0-100cr journey

23:11 Going up against larger incumbents

25:37 Building trust in the community

27:56 How do modern buyers make decisions

31:00 What changes post acquisition

33:27 Advice for new entrepreneurs in D2C space

35:45 Best piece of advice Mallika has received

38:40 Books & Podcasts


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malikasadani/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Malika_Sadani


-------------------------------------


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Mar 08, 202240:48
Roundup #60: Hero Motocorp's new EV Brand, Accel's 7th Fund for India, New SaaS Fund & other deals!

Roundup #60: Hero Motocorp's new EV Brand, Accel's 7th Fund for India, New SaaS Fund & other deals!

Welcome to #60 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Accel launches 7th fund for India

2. Radhesh Kanumury launches new SaaS fund

3. Hero motocorp announces new EV brand : Vida

4. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!



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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Mar 06, 202226:07
EP 160 : Making EVs Mainstream - Shreyas Shibulal (Founder & CEO, Micelio)

EP 160 : Making EVs Mainstream - Shreyas Shibulal (Founder & CEO, Micelio)

Shreyas is the founder of Micelio, a statup that aims to power innovation and drive long-term, sustainable change in the clean mobility space. In this episode he spoke about what it will take for EV to become mainstream, the competition between the incumbents and startups in this space, what the future of clean mobility looks like in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:09 Making the change to clean mobility

02:19 When will EV become mainstream

04:09 How can govt help improve EV adoption

05:49 Incumbents v/s Startups

07:45 The EV ecosystem in India

09:52 Org structure at Micelio

12:40 Shreyas' favourite problems to solve

14:35 Other use cases for Green mobility

15:31 Balancing different businesses

16:36 Future of green mobility

18:16 How will macro factors impact green mobility?

19:51 Advice for new entrepreneurs in EV 

22:52 Shreyas' favourite documentaries


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyas-shibulal-5b4b5a80

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shreyasshibulal


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

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-------------------------------------


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Mar 04, 202224:40
EP 159 : Building Enterprise SaaS - Kanti Prabha (Co-founder, SirionLabs)

EP 159 : Building Enterprise SaaS - Kanti Prabha (Co-founder, SirionLabs)

Kanti Prabha is co-founder of SirionLabs, a startup that offers Customer Lifecycle management in SaaS for enterprise customers. In this episode she spoke about how the SaaS space has evolved over the past decade, what changes when an industry matures, the nuances of building for the enterprise, what to do and what not to do while scaling your team and culture in her conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

00:59 Evolution of SaaS over the past decade

03:46 101 of contract lifecycle management

07:36 What changes when an industry matures

11:13 Stories and lessons from the early days of SirionLabs

14:55 Nuances of building for large enterprises

20:32 Productising the last mile 

23:55 Building with customers v/s innovating

28:06 Closing the loop on information asymmetry

31:22 Building your own Ops playbook 

37:03 Building an Ops function

38:25 Do's and Don'ts of scaling your team and culture

41:18 3 point advice on building for enterprise

44:45 Books and podcast recommendations


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanti-prabha-93234b2/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kantiprabha


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


-------------------------------------


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Mar 01, 202247:45
Roundup #59: India's ban on Chinese apps, Zomato incorporates NBFC, 2 New Unicorns & other deals!

Roundup #59: India's ban on Chinese apps, Zomato incorporates NBFC, 2 New Unicorns & other deals!

Welcome to #59 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. India's ban on Chinese apps

2. Zomato incorporates NBFC

3. Unicorns of the week - Perfios, Hasura

4. Niyo raises $100m

5. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!



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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Feb 28, 202227:12
EP 158 : Building Internet for Bharat - Jani Pasha (Co-founder & CEO, Lokal)

EP 158 : Building Internet for Bharat - Jani Pasha (Co-founder & CEO, Lokal)

Jani is co-founder and CEO of Lokal, a hyperlocal community app for the non english speaking population. In this episode he spoke about the founding story of Lokal, what the Y combinator experience was like, team structure at Lokal and monetizing the bharat user in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:16 Founding story of Lokal

10:24 Validating the problem and solution

21:52 The Y Combinator experience

27:52 How are teams structured at Lokal

31:45 Managing the dichotomy of Centralized v/s User generated content 

34:20 Sourcing the last mile of listings

35:03 Monetizing the bharat user

40:22 Getting to 50-100mn users

41:22 Making the next leap forward 

42:57 Books and Podcasts


-------------------------------------


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Connect with Jani :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janipasha/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Janilokal


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup

-------------------------------------


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Feb 22, 202245:01
Roundup #58: Nepal Adopts UPI, Unicorns are haemorrhaging money & other deals!

Roundup #58: Nepal Adopts UPI, Unicorns are haemorrhaging money & other deals!

Welcome to #58 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Nasscom Strategic Review Report

2. Nepal adopts UPI

3. Uniphore turns unicorn

4. Unicorns haemorrhaging money

5. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!



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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Feb 20, 202229:47
EP 157 : India SaaS Story - Manav Garg (CEO & Founder, Eka) | Fundraising | Hiring | Going from 0 - 1

EP 157 : India SaaS Story - Manav Garg (CEO & Founder, Eka) | Fundraising | Hiring | Going from 0 - 1

Manav is the founder and CEO of Eka Software solutions founded in 2004. More recently, he has authored "The India SaaS Story", a Book for SaaS Founders by SaaS Founders. In this episode we revisit lessons learnt from the pandemic, how to think beyond operational constraints, why Manav decided to write the book and several other interesting topics. 


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:37 Revisiting lessons from the pandemic

04:13 Combining 'passion with reason'

06:44 Thinking beyond operational constraints

08:56 Why Manav decided to write the book

11:24 What surprised Manav

12:34 Evolution of SaaS over the last 15 years

16:33 Evolution of founders over the last 15 years

18:11 Nuances of being global from day 1

19:30 How fundraising has changed 

21:48 Advice to founders on building a SaaS startup

23:44 Where are we lagging behind

25:07 Building Post Sales and Customer Success function

25:55 3 mistakes founders should avoid

27:00 Going from nice to have to need to have

28:44 Manav's thoughts on Category creation

30:12 What do you hope the book will achieve

30:35 The next couple of years for Manav

31:08 Books and Podcasts recommendations


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manav-garg-227254/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/manav_garg


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

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Feb 17, 202232:32
EP 156 : Building Netflix for Bharat - Vinay Singhal (Co-founder & CEO, Stage)

EP 156 : Building Netflix for Bharat - Vinay Singhal (Co-founder & CEO, Stage)

Vinay is the co-founder & CEO of Stage, a premium OTT platform for the Indian consumers that is focussed on delivering content in each local dialect rather than a blanket language. Founded as Wittyfeed in 2014, Vinay and his co-founders decided to put all their learnings and pivot from written content to video content in 2019. In this episode he spoke about his learnings from, the nuances of building for the bharat user, how to empower artists, what goes into building an OTT platform and more such interesting topics in his conversation with Roshan Carippa. 


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:41 Pivoting from Wittyfeed to Stage 

06:24 Learnings from Wittyfeed

10:04 Nuances of Building for the Bharat User

15:38 What goes into building an OTT platform

19:21 Framework to create content

24:31 Working with talent from tier 2-3 cities

26:58 Distribution Strategy

29:01 Nuances of Monetization

32:23 How do you see the business going forward

36:16 The next couple of years for Stage

37:08 How is Vinay preparing himself for the next leap

38:29 Nuances of Operating in this space

40:07 Books and Podcast recommendations 


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinaykrsinghal/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vinaykrsinghal


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup


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Feb 15, 202243:08
Roundup #57: Three new unicorns, Navi heads for an IPO, Automotive PLI scheme & more!

Roundup #57: Three new unicorns, Navi heads for an IPO, Automotive PLI scheme & more!

Welcome to #57 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Three new unicorns this week: Xpressbees, ElasticRun, Livspace

2. Sachin Bansal's NAvi to go IPO

3. Companies selected for automotive PLI scheme

4. Sequoia India's record funding

5. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!


Rishi Agrawal Episode Links:

Spotify: https://cutt.ly/RishiSpotify

Apple: https://cutt.ly/RishiApple

Google: https://cutt.ly/RishiGoogle

Anchor: https://cutt.ly/RishiAnchor

YouTube: https://youtu.be/g8nlkb1FV-0


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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Feb 13, 202224:02
EP 155 : Building for Bharat | Farid Ahsan (Co-founder & COO, ShareChat & Moj) | Consumer Internet

EP 155 : Building for Bharat | Farid Ahsan (Co-founder & COO, ShareChat & Moj) | Consumer Internet

Farid is a co-founder and COO of one of India's largest homegrown social media apps, ShareChat & it's sister app Moj. In this episode he spoke about what it's like to building for the bharat user, what the bharat user is like, what it means to be socially responsible and how they're empowering creators from the farthest corners of India. 


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:41 Building for the Bharat user in 2014

12:49 The "Aha" moment

18:03 Importance of having a support network

22:20 Going from 0-100mn users

34:34 Building a growth team

39:21 What is the bharat user like?

42:25 Being socially responsible

46:48 Principles for monetization

50:32 Empowering content creators across India

53:32 How do you think about competition

56:31 High level challenges Farid is solving

58:37 Books and Podcast recommendations


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faridahsan/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/frdahsan


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


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Feb 11, 202201:00:27
EP 154 : Building in the Metaverse - Varun Choudhary (Co-founder, Fan Anywhere) | Operating in a new category

EP 154 : Building in the Metaverse - Varun Choudhary (Co-founder, Fan Anywhere) | Operating in a new category

Varun is a serial entrepreneur and is the Co-founder of FanAnywhere, a platform for utility based NFTs & Fan Tokens for celebrities and their fans. In this episode he spoke about what the Metaverse is, what NFTs are, how they will empower artist and how FanAnywhere is enabling all this in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:16 The nuances of Metaverse 

03:08 Building for the Metaverse

05:56 Evolution of the Metaverse

08:47 What are NFTs?

10:30 Adding Utility to NFTs

13:05 How does Fan Anywhere work?

14:06 How does Fan Anywhere empower creators?

15:46 Working with Artisits

18:01 How does Fan Acquisition work?

19:57 Building Trust in the ecosystem

20:57 Competition in this space

22:12 Building a Product Roadmap in a Nascent space

23:22 Advice for entrepreneurs in this space

25:13 Books and Podcast recommendations


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-vc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Varun_vc23


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

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Feb 08, 202227:03
EP 153 : Bootstrapping to a $600M acquisition - Arjun Nair (Co-founder, Great Learning) | Edtech | Changing Consumer Mindset

EP 153 : Bootstrapping to a $600M acquisition - Arjun Nair (Co-founder, Great Learning) | Edtech | Changing Consumer Mindset

Arjun is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder of Great Learning. He started and bootstrapped Great Learning to a $600M acquisition by Byju's last year. In this episode he spoke about what the journey has been like since he started nearly a decade ago, what one has to trade for profitability and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:39 Early challenges in Online learning space 

10:06 Balancing content between employability & learning

16:59 Advice for founders in a new category 

26:27 Trade offs for profitability

29:14 Advantages of Fundraising

34:20 What changes post acquisition 

38:51 Thoughts on Consolidation

46:48 Books and podcasts recommendations


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjun-nair/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NairArj


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

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Feb 03, 202250:40
EP 152 : Building a Core Science Startup - Ezhil Subbian (Founder & CEO, String Bio) | Lab to Market | Commercializing Innovation

EP 152 : Building a Core Science Startup - Ezhil Subbian (Founder & CEO, String Bio) | Lab to Market | Commercializing Innovation

Ezhil is the founder and CEO of String Bio a core science startup that is enabling sustainable solutions in several sectors. In this episode she spoke about the nuances of building a core science startup, going from the lab to market and more in her conversation with Roshan Cariappa. 


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:32 Nuances of building a core science startup

05:53 How does cost of failure affect String

08:28 Going from Lab to market

14:34 String's Go To Market strategy

18:07 Changing people's mindset about sustainability

21:58 Evangelising Deep tech 

26:56 Working with policymakers and regulators

31:23 High level challenges Ezhil is solving

34:23 Advice for new entrepreneurs building in deep tech

36:01 Books and Podcast recommendations


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezhilsubbian/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/subbiane


-------------------------------------


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Feb 01, 202238:09
Roundup #56: Swiggy turns decacorn, Bear season in public market, New unicorns & more!

Roundup #56: Swiggy turns decacorn, Bear season in public market, New unicorns & more!

Welcome to #56 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Public markets turns bearish for recent IPOs

2. Delhivery likely to delay IPO

3. Swiggy turns decacorn

4. Ola Electric valued at $5 Billion

5. Unicorns of the week : Dealshare, Darwinbox

6. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!


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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Jan 30, 202233:53
EP 151 : Bootstrapping to Acquisition - Aman Goel (Co-founder, Cogno AI) | SaaS | Conversational AI

EP 151 : Bootstrapping to Acquisition - Aman Goel (Co-founder, Cogno AI) | SaaS | Conversational AI

Aman is the co-founder of Cogno AI, an AI powered cloud communication platform. Aman started Cogno right out college and recently got acquired by Exotel. In this episode he spoke about Weighing the opportunity cost of starting up, the nuances of selling to large enterprises, dealing with funded competitors and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

01:15 Founding story of Cogno AI

03:28 Weighing the opportunity cost of starting up

05:47 Transitioning from services to products

08:30 Shift in mindset from services to product

10:13 Nuances of selling to large enterprises

14:13 Cogno's Distribution strategy 

18:45 Aligning stakeholder's priorities

21:10 Building with the enterprise v/s innovating

23:35 Advantages of Bootstrapping  

26:45 Dealing with funded competitors

29:48 Choice of verticalizing

32:13 Cogno's acquisition by Exotel

38:37 The journey ahead 

41:04 Persisting through problems

43:53 The most difficult thing to learn in this journey

46:19 Common mistakes founders should avoid

48:53 Books and Podcasts Recommendations


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goel-aman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amangoeliitb


-------------------------------------


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

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Jan 27, 202250:45
EP 150 : 10X Revenue in 1 YEAR?😯 - Anirudh Singla (Founder & CEO, Pepper)

EP 150 : 10X Revenue in 1 YEAR?😯 - Anirudh Singla (Founder & CEO, Pepper)

Anirudh Singla is the founder and CEO of Pepper, a managed marketplace for various types of content. In this episode he spoke about the nuances of scaling managed marketplaces, solving classical problems in the space and along with other interesting topics in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:05 Founding story of Pepper content

05:14 Productizing your delivery

09:41 Solving classical marketplace problems

14:39 Nuances of scaling a managed marketplace

17:55 Thinking beyond operational constraints 

23:23 Balancing various aspects of a business

28:28 Pepper's NorthStar metric 

29:21 Building trust with stakeholders

30:50 Working with Creators

34:08 Thinking ahead

35:40 GTM for different countries

37:29 Preparing for the next leap

41:01 Books and Podcast recommendations


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudh-singla-3a1844137/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SinglaAnirudh


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator


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Jan 25, 202243:22
Roundup #55: Rise, Fall & resurrection of Exotel, Are Private markets overvalued? IPOs & more!

Roundup #55: Rise, Fall & resurrection of Exotel, Are Private markets overvalued? IPOs & more!

Welcome to #55 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Are private markets overvalued?

2. Tata enters digital payments business with the creation of Tata Payments Ltd.

3. Microsoft becomes third-largest gaming company in the world with Activision acquisition

4. Exotel's meteoric rise as a silent ecosystem enabler

5. IPO bound companies: Delhivery, boAT

6. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!


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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Jan 23, 202227:02
EP 149 : Delivering 2,00,000 shipments every day! 🤯 Vishesh Khurana (Co-founder, Shiprocket) | Logistics | Ecommerce | D2C

EP 149 : Delivering 2,00,000 shipments every day! 🤯 Vishesh Khurana (Co-founder, Shiprocket) | Logistics | Ecommerce | D2C

Vishesh is the co-founder of Shiprocket. Prior to this he co-founded Kartrocket and Kraftly and later pivoted to Shiprocket. In this episode he spoke about going through the pivot, what it take to fulfil an order post purchase and how he is preparing for the next leap in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa. 


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:48 Deciding on the target market

04:18 Pivoting from Kartrocket to Shiprocket

10:19 The nuances of fulfilling an order post purchase

14:07 Streamlining processes through technology 

17:53 Building a partner ecosystem

20:06 Aligning consumer, carrier, and merchant interests

23:49 Impact of the pandemic on Shiprocket

28:12 What's next for ShipRocket

29:56 Zomato's investment in Shiprocket

32:08 Advice to new entrepreneurs

34:07 How is Vishesh preparing for the next leap

35:57 Books and Podcasts Recommendations 


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/visheshkhurana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vysheshk


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


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Jan 20, 202237:27
EP 148 : He built India's fastest growing SaaS startup | Rashid Khan (Co-founder & CPO, Yellow) | Conversational AI | SaaS

EP 148 : He built India's fastest growing SaaS startup | Rashid Khan (Co-founder & CPO, Yellow) | Conversational AI | SaaS

Rashid Khan is the co-founder and chief product officer at yellow.ai, a conversational platform that sits on top of existing systems. In this episode he spoke about how he built the country's fastest growing SaaS startup, the nuances of delivering an omnichannel customer experience and more with Roshan Cariappa. 


Topics: 

00:00 Introduction

01:25 Going from Idea to product to company with Yellow.ai

09:26 Pivoting from B2C to B2B

12:11 Yellow AI's North Star metric

16:57 Nuances of delivering an omnichannel customer experience 

23:31 Building with customers v/s innovating

31:32 What's next for Yellow AI?

35:26 Advice for people starting in this space

40:42 Books and Podcast recommendations


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashoodkhan/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/xhckr


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


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Jan 18, 202247:52
Roundup #54: Jan 16 National Startup Day: PM, 2022 Continues Unicorn Trend, Fundraises & more!

Roundup #54: Jan 16 National Startup Day: PM, 2022 Continues Unicorn Trend, Fundraises & more!

Welcome to #54 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. PM's announcement of January 16th as National Startup Day

2. 2022 Continues Unicorn Trend 

3. Snapdeal launches RuPay Credit Card

4. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!


Click here to get regular updates on WhatsApp:

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Other Links: 

Elizabeth Lin Tweet : https://twitter.com/dunkhippo33/status/1480688533098549249?s=20

Sheel Mohnot Tweet : https://twitter.com/pitdesi/status/1480604335755063299?s=20


Roby John Episode : https://youtu.be/Syi3jnpW94s


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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Jan 16, 202243:07
EP 147 : Building a Health Food Brand - Jyotsna (Jo) Pattabiraman (Founder & CEO, Growfit) | Operating a Cloud Kitchen | Productizing the Food Business

EP 147 : Building a Health Food Brand - Jyotsna (Jo) Pattabiraman (Founder & CEO, Growfit) | Operating a Cloud Kitchen | Productizing the Food Business

Jyotsna is founder and CEO of Grow Fit, a health food brand that helps people get fit through their diets. In this episode she spoke about how they navigated through their pivot, the nuances of managing this business, how to build differentiators and more in her conversation with Roshan Cariappa. 


00:00 Introduction

01:34 Idea to Product to Company

06:34 Validating your market

12:37 How has being a product person influenced Jo's journey

16:42 The nuances of Supply chain management in the food business

21:07 Building a differentiated brand

23:53 Working with other platforms

28:09 Impact of Covid on the food business

31:10 The next 24 months for Growfit

32:05 Advice for entrepreneurs starting in the food business

34:06 Books and Podcast recommendation


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpattabi/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jopattabi


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


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Jan 11, 202237:51
Roundup #53: First week of 2022 produces 2 unicorns, Edtech regulation bill, Acquisitions & more!

Roundup #53: First week of 2022 produces 2 unicorns, Edtech regulation bill, Acquisitions & more!

Welcome to #53 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. First week of 2022 produces 2 unicorns: Mamaearth & Fractal

2. Government ministries working together to introduce Edtech regulations

3. Ninjacart rolls out ESOP buyback plan

4. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!


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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Jan 09, 202234:15
Roundup #52: 2021 : Best year for Indian Startups?, Byju's $48Bn SPAC valuation & more!

Roundup #52: 2021 : Best year for Indian Startups?, Byju's $48Bn SPAC valuation & more!

Welcome to #52 episode of The Startup Operator Roundup. Today we have Roshan Cariappa and Gunjan Saha discussing - 


1. Was 2021 the best year for Indian Startups yet? 

2. OfBusiness plans to acquire 20 companies in 2022

3. Byju's $48Bn SPAC valuation

4. Acquisitions and fundings

and more!


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#startups #unicorns  #technology #roundup #podcast #news

Dec 26, 202138:06
EP 146 : Building a Clean Label Food Brand - Sreejith Moolayil (Co-founder & COO - True Elements) | D2C - Direct to Consumer Business

EP 146 : Building a Clean Label Food Brand - Sreejith Moolayil (Co-founder & COO - True Elements) | D2C - Direct to Consumer Business

Sreejith is the co-founder and COO of True Elements, a clean label food brand that makes a select range of Snacks and Supplements. In this episode he spoke about the nuances of building a farm to folk product, the process of reverse engineering, identifying and validating you niche and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

02:05 Evolution of D2C 

07:59 Founding Story of True Elements

11:52 Identifying and Validating your niche

16:06 Process of reverse engineering

17:28 Evolution of consumer preferences

20:56 Nuances of building a Farm to fork product

24:39 Differentiating True Elements as a brand

30:02 Scaling a D2C brand

34:01 Advice on building a sustainable business

36:43 Fundamental changes due to covid 

39:21 Books and Podcasts recommendation


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreejithmoolayil/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sreejithmoolayl


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


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Dec 24, 202141:24
EP 145 : Building in the EV Space - Pankaj Dubey (Co-founder, Power Global) | New Markets | Deep Tech | Zero to One

EP 145 : Building in the EV Space - Pankaj Dubey (Co-founder, Power Global) | New Markets | Deep Tech | Zero to One

Pankaj is the Co-founder of Power Global, a startup delivering EV solutions for two and three-wheeled vehicles, all supported by Power Global's smart battery swapping network. In this episode he spoke about the nuances of building a battery, the impact of EV on the auto industry and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:28 Auto industry evolution over the past 3 decades

04:01 Impact of EV on the Auto industry

04:42 Developing the EV ecosystem in India

14:15 Going from Idea to Product to Company with Power Global

25:50 The nuances of building a battery

28:46 Power Global's products and customers

31:30 Building the distribution network

33:20 Expanding to newer markets

35:15 Impact of Regulatory tailwinds in the EV space

38:10 Advice to entrepreneurs building in EV



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Connect with Power Global:

Website: https://www.power.global/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerglobal/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerGlobalCo


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator


Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup


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Dec 22, 202145:07
EP 143 : Building a SaaS Business - Avlesh Singh (Co-founder & CEO, WebEngage)

EP 143 : Building a SaaS Business - Avlesh Singh (Co-founder & CEO, WebEngage)

Avlesh Singh is the co-founder and CEO of WebEngage, a decade old SaaS platform that powers user retention. In this episode Avlesh spoke about the multiple pivots the company had to go through, what starting a SaaS company is like and more in his conversation with Roshan Cariappa.


Topics:

00:00 Introduction

01:33 Founding journey of WebEngage

16:04 Picking the right problem & market

22:12 Starting a SaaS company: 2010 v/s today

25:28 Building in India for the world

31:47 Building a decadal business

36:10 WebEngage Startup Program

43:02 Startups that have scaled 

45:35 What's coming up at WebEngage 

46:32 Advice to new entrepreneurs


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Connect with Avlesh Singh :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avlesh/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/avlesh


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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-operator

​Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatorStartup​​


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Dec 16, 202149:42