
1947 Rise
By Shiva Singh Sangwan
1947 Rise Podcast is helping in accelerating the speed of reverse brain drain
We do this by interviewing India-born, overseas-trained who have moved back to India and built massive tech companies themselves and/or helped enable the tech ecosystem
1947 Operators Podcast is helping in increasing the number of operator-angels in the startup ecosystem.
We do this by unpacking the investing journey of the best operator-angels in India.

1947 RiseMar 15, 2022

65: Inside the Ring with "Annelie Ajami" : From Boxing Champion to Venture Capitalist | 1947 VC
Annelie Ajami is the Founder & Managing Partner of Anamcara Capital Anamcara Capital is a pre-seed & seed stage venture fund investing in B2B companies across Europe.
They have backed companies like Nory, Bits Technology and Equipme to name a few. Timestamps : 00:00 - Podcast introduction. 00:27 - Annelie Ajami's background. 01:51 - Motivation for angel investing and founding story of Anamcara Capital. 04:42 - Journey after starting Anamcara Capital. 11:30 - Inspiration behind starting a fund. 13:18 - Fundraising experience, challenges, and motivation. 18:26 - Biggest fundraising mistakes and lessons learned. 20:27 - Impact of being recognized for building Europe's most successful fund. 22:52 - Insights on the tech ecosystem in Europe and portfolio companies. 28:12 - Q&A sessions with founders and fostering personal connections. 30:39 - Annelie Ajami's daily routine. 31:42 - Current listening and podcast preferences. 32:24 - Finding energy outside of work. 33:29 - Work-life balance and personal priorities. 35:55 - Pending learning or opportunities. 38:00 - Annelie Ajami's reputation among friends.

64: Rishabh Mariwala (Sharrp Ventures) | 300 CR to 95K+ CR: Sharrp Ventures' Wins | 1947 Rise
Rishabh Mariwala is the founder of Sharrp Ventures - the Mariwala Family Office.
Sharrp Venture is known to be one of the top consumer-focused funds in India.
They have invested in companies like Nyakka, Mamearth, and Policybazaar to name a few.
Timeline :
00:00 Top Moments
00:30 Intro with pod with Rishabh Mariwala
02:10 What was Rishabh’s childhood environment like and what shaped him the most in his early life?
11:26 How did his time in the US during his undergraduate years shape and benefit him in the long run?
28:35 What is the founding story of Sharrp Ventures?
38:41 Where are we today in terms of Sharrp Ventures?
45:17 What is Rishabh’s day like?
50:08 If he could invite three people, dead or alive, from any industry, to a dinner, who would they be?
53:08 Who is Rishabh outside of work?
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63: Tarun Mehta (Ather Energy) | " Shaping the Future Mobility with Ather Energy" | 1947 Operators
Tarun is the Co-founder & CEO at Ather Energy. He is also known as the Elon Musk of India for introducing EV scooters to the country. Ather is India's first smart and connected electric scooter, often referred to as the Tesla of two-wheelers in India. Ather is contributing to the growth of the EV ecosystem in India and inspiring the adoption of electric mobility. Timeline: 00:00 Top Moments 00:38 Intro to pod with Tarun Mehta 2:20 What was the founding story of Ather? 09:07 Who was the first believer in Tarun and Ather? 14:23 What policy would Tarun create to promote EV if given the opportunity? 17:44 What is something the government hasn't got right? 20:30 Why is India leading in EVs compared to its counterparts? 21:35 What led Tarun to angel investing, and what is his best gain from it? 23:24 What drives Tarun's long-term thinking, and why does he admire companies prioritizing it? 26:58 What is Tarun's day like? 29:27 What is Tarun's sleep routine? 30:36 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would Tarun work on? 32:05 Who would Tarun invite for a dinner and why? 33:31 Who is Tarun outside of work?

62: Sheel Mohnot (GP - BTV) |"Indian Startups are Shaping Emerging Markets " | 1947 VC
Sheel is the GP at Better Tomorrow Ventures. Better Tomorrow Ventures is one of the top seed-stage fintech investors. They have backed companies like Unit, Chippercash, Flexport, Mercury, Ramp to name a few. Timeline: 00:00 Top moments. 00:48 Intro to pod with Sheel Mohnot 02:55 What led Sheel to angel investing and the founding story of Better Tomorrow Ventures? 06:15 How did Sheel determine the portfolio construction of his fund, including fund size and check sizes? 07:22 How was he able to source LPs, build relationships with them and close LPs? 11:58 How does Sheel decide when to start investing if he is unsure about reaching the target raise? 13:19 How does Sheel keep LPs updated and engaged during the fundraising process? 14:13 What were the lessons learned from fundraising for the first fund and their impact on subsequent fundraising? 16:13 What advice would Sheel give to an emerging fund manager when fundraising from LPs for their first fund? 19:56 Did Sheel iterate and make changes his your pitch deck based on the feedback he received over time? 22:10 What is his relationship with India, particularly in terms of investments? 26:49 What fascinates him about the Indian tech ecosystem, especially in the FinTech sector? 28:50 Do learning from the Indian tech ecosystem help you evaluate companies based outside of India? 30:36 If not at BTV and if money and attention are not needed any more who would Sheel aspire to be? 34:50 If he could invite three people dead or alive for dinner, who would they be and why? 35:35 Which Indian individual would he love to meet and socialize with over dinner or drinks?

61: Aditya Virwani (Embassy Group) | " It's you vs your own mind" | 1947 Rise
Aditya Virwani is the promotor and COO of Embassy Group. Embassy Group is one of the top 10 largest real estate developers in India. Timeline : 00:00 Top Moments 00:17 Intro to pod with Aditya Virwani 03:23 How was Aditya's environment growing up, and how it shaped him? 07:49 How did Aditya choose Real Estate? 11:53 What has been Aditya's current focus and his future aspirations? 17:08 How does Aditya keep himself updated with technology? 18:46 Evolution of real estate in India, future opportunities, and how is Embassy Group preparing for them?25:28 What is Aditya's day like? 28:47 What is the most crucial lesson that took Aditya the longest to learn? 31:18 What is Aditya's approach to maintaining mental health? 34:10 How is the status of his tennis practice? 34:02 If Aditya could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would they be and why? 36:55 What do Aditya's friends know him for? 39:14 How does Aditya handle his ego and stay humble?

60: James Beshara (Investor & Magic Minds) | "INDIA - A land of massive opportunities" | 1947 VC
James Beshara is a founder, investor, and encourager. He has started a few startups, sold one (Tilt, acq by Airbnb), and has invested in a few multi-billion dollar companies in his career.
He has written angel cheques into gusto, clubhouse, bolt, mercury, openAI, 50+. His portfolio companies have a market cap of $50Bn.
Timeline :
00:00 Top Moments
00:38 Intro to pod with James.
02:18 How did James get into angel investing, and what made him do the fund?
05:44 What made James take such a bold and risky bet into Gusto?
08:55 How did James decide the fund size, cheques, and investment stages during the fund's inception?
14:14 What was James' strategy for differentiating from other investors, gaining access to deals, and targeting LPs for his first few funds?
20:39 What is James' deal sourcing process, his big wins and misses, and his learnings from that?
29:42 What is James' relationship with India?
35:27 If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would James work on?
38:08 What do James' friends know him for?
39:33 What is James most obsessed about lately, and what is draining him?

59: Ryan Hoover (Weekend Fund) | "101 Guide For Emerging Fund Managers" | 1947 VC
Ryan Hoover is the founder of the Weekend Fund. Weekend fund is an early stage fund that writes $100k - $300k cheques into early stage starups around the world across consumer and B2B. Weekend fund helps founders with product, community building, and GTM strategy alongside an LP collective of 350+ exceptional founders and operators. Ryan also founded ProductHunt.
Timeline : 02:02 How did Ryan get into angel investing and what was the thought process behind staring weekend fund ? 03:46 How did Ryan decide on portfolio construction? 07:05 How did his portfolio construction evolve? 10:57 What is Ryan’s fund raising process? 17:36 What is Ryan’s value proposition as a fund among the many in the US? 21:05 What is the optimal time to start investing after the first close according to Ryan? 24:31 What are the tactics used by Ryan to continue conversations with LPs who are interested to invest but prefer later funds? 26:28 When should one begin raising Fund 2? 27:39 What is something Ryan knows now he wishes he knew earlier? 30:36 What is Ryan most excited about of late? 33:21 How much of his success does Ryan attribute to luck? 34:54 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on? 35:45 What changes have Ryan made in his diet and fitness routine? 37:03 What do Ryan’s friends know him for? 38:03 How attentive is he to Suzy?

58 :Ankit Mehrotra (Dineout) | Sold Dineout to Swiggy for $100M and now building "Celebrity-led fund with Star Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan" | 1947 Rise
Ankit Mehrotra is the Co-founder and CEO of Dineout. He started Dineout in early 2012 and through multiple acquisitions over the last eight years, has grown Dineout’s portfolio to include both B2C & B2B services and has been successful in positioning it as the Largest Dining Out and Restaurant Tech Platform in India. Dineout was acquired by Swiggy, India's Largest On-Demand Delivery platform for $100M, in July 2022. Ankit also recently co-founded a celebrity-led fund called Da One Global Ventures with the star cricketer Shikhar Dhawan Timeline : 00:00 Top Moments 00:32 Intro to pod with Ankit 02:00 How did Ankit's upbringing and environment shape him? 04:00 What valuable experience did he gain from working in the UK? 05:54 What made Ankit move back to India and the founding story of Dineout? 13:14 How did Ankit launch Dineout without Internet, Angels or VC? 18:52 What is Dineout today after selling it for over $100 million to Swiggy? 26:13 What lesson does Ankit share with new entrepreneurs? 27:17 What is the investment thesis of Da One Global Ventures? 31:46 How much of his success would he attribute to luck and why? 33:10 Is it money or power for Ankit? 33:31 What is his relationship with money? 34:14 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on? 35:44 What do Ankit's friends know him for? 36:00 What is Ankit's day like?

57: Naiyya Saggi (Good Glamm Group) | Community building and Women in tech | 1947 Rise
Naiyya Saggi is the Co- Founder & Board Member at the Good Glamm Group - India’s fastest-growing and largest content-to-commerce D2C house of brands and she also Founded BabyChakra - India’s most trusted parenting platform. Good Glamm Group is currently valued at $1.2Billion Timestamps : 00:00 Top Moments 00:25 Intro to pod with Naiyya 01:42 How was Naiyya’s early life and her experience in US? 04:49 Is she an intuition-driven person? 05:28 How was her experience at Harvard in consulting? 08:32 Naiyya's framework of moving back to India and the founding story of BabyChakra. 12:31 What is the grand vision for MyGlamm moving forward? 14:47 How quick was the decision of merging BabyChakra with MyGlamm for her after the five-hour meeting? 17:36 What frameworks help her go through up and downs of building a company? 18:57 What is Naiyya’s day like? 20:52 What changes did she make in her food and fitness routine that helped her in a good way? 22:15 What is the most undesirable part of the day for her? 24:09 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would she work on? 24:42 What’s her relationship with money? 25:21 How much of her success does she attribute to luck? 26:26 Which entrepreneur does she admire the most? 27:37 What do Naiyya’s friends know her for?

56: Nitin Jain (OfBusiness) | It's the founding team that matters the most | 1947 Rise
Nitin Jain is the co-founder of OfBusiness and Oxyzo.
OfBusiness is a new-age b2b commerce and fintech startup that provides smart procurement and smart financing solutions to SMEs through its tech-enabled platform.
OfBusiness is currently valued at $5B. Timestamps : 00:00 Top moments 00:30 Intro to pod with Nitin Jain 01:49 How was your early life and what made you move back to India? 03:28 What was the founding story of Ofbusiness? 05:17 How did Nitin and his team navigate through the difficult phases? 07:12 What is the grand vision for all three ventures? 08:36 How is Nitin’s day like? 09:46 How does Nitin mentor founders? 11:18 What are Nitin’s strengths in Tennis? 12:33 Other than tennis players who inspires Nitin? 13:57 What framework would Nitin suggest to Indian diaspora looking at Indian Ecosystem in the long run? 15:50 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would he work on? 16:47 How much of his success does Nitin attribute to luck and why? 18:03 How was the feeling like after Zodius invested? 18:58 What is Nitin’s relationship with money? 20:19 Things that Nitin has changed about his health that is helping him. 21:39 Super Powers that Asish and Bhuvan have and they don't know about it. 22:35 What do Nitin’s friends know him for?

55: Harsh Shah (Fynd) | "Four ways of sourcing deals" | 1947 Operators
Harsh Shah is the co-founder of Fynd.
Fynd is India's largest omnichannel platform helping retail businesses accelerate growth.
Fynd was acquired by Reliance in 2019. Harsh is a prolific angel investor. He has made over 60 investments till date.
Timeline:
00:00 Top Moments
00:13 Intro to pod with Harsh
01:21 What drove Harsh to angel investing and what was his first angel investment?
05:18 How does Harsh source, pick, and win deals?
07:48 What triggers Harsh to invest? 10:21 What were his biggest wins and misses and learning from them?
16:52 His advise to operators looking to start angel investing
18:40 How would he go about constructing a cap table?
22:25 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on?
24:12 How much of his success would he attribute to luck and why?
24:50 What is his relationship with money? 26:12 Who is Harsh outside of work?
27:21 What’s his favorite country?

54: Ranjan Kant (Arthmate) | "View start up journey in four boxes" | 1947 Operators
Ranjan Kant is a co-founder of Arthmate.
Arthmate is enabling entrepreneurs of emerging Bharat.
He also co-founded Ofbusiness. Currently valued at $5B. And Ranjan is also a prolific angel investor.
Timeline:
00:00: Top moments
01:45: What drove Ranjan to angel investment and what was his first angel investment?
03:33: How does Ranjan pick and win deals?
07:24: What cheque sizes does he write and what sectors that Ranjan invests in?
08:52: What are the biggest wins and misses for Ranjan and his learnings from them?
12:26: Something Ranjan knows now he wishes he knew earlier.
16:48 His advice to operator angels looking to start angel investing
21:00 What was the founding story of Arthmate?
25:30 Who was the first believer of Arthmate?
26:14 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on?
27:37 How much of his success would he attribute to luck and why?
29:23 What is his relationship with money?

53: Abhishek Goyal (Tracxn) | Empower the people around you | 1947 Operators
00:00 Top Moments
00:32 Intro to pod with Abhishek
01:38 What drove Abhishek to angle investing and what was his first angel investment
03:35 How does Abhishek source and win deals?
06:06 How does Abhishek evaluate deals and his trigger to invest?
08:57 Cheque sizes that Abhishek writes and sectors he invests in.
11:00 What's something he knows now he wishes he knew earlier?
12:40 Biggest wins and misses of Abhishek.
16:40 What is the founding story of Tracxn?
19:10 Abhishek's suggestion to someone who is looking to start angel investing
22:00 How would Abhishek go about constructing his cap table if he were to start a new company?
23:34 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would Abhishek work on?
26:00 How much of his success would Abhishek attribute to luck?
27:28 Abhishek's relationship with money.

52: Rahul Chandra (Arkam Ventures) | Enabling middle India | 1947 Rise
Rahul is Managing Director at Arkam Ventures, an early stage tech VC fund. Arkam portfolio includes incredible companies like SmallCase, Jaikisan, Jar, KrazyBee, Signzy, Jumbotail, BestDoc.
00:00 Top moments
00:33 Intro to pod with Rahul Chandra
02:20 Early life of Rahul and his move back to India.
11:00 Founding story and thesis of Arkam Ventures.
19:54 Some of Arkam’s investments and the thesis behind it
29:35 Advise for those that are thinking about moving back to India
32:20 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Rahul work on? 35:48 How is Yoga helping Rahul?
38:37 What do Rahul's friends know him for?

51: Saurabh Garg (NoBroker) | Build it for the right reasons | 1947 Operators
Saurabh Garg is the co-founder of NoBroker.
NoBroker is a revolutionary real estate platform that makes it easier to buy, rent or sell a home without paying any brokerage. It's a One-stop shop for the entire Real Estate journey.
Saurabh is also a prolific angel investor
00:00 Top Moments
00:57 Intro to pod with Saurabh
02:20 What drove Saurabh to angel investing and his first angel investment.
06:24 Saurabh’s investing process.
09:56 Traits of a mediocre founder.
11:20 Industries that Saurabh invests in and cheque sizes he writes.
13:22 What is something that Saurabh knows now he wishes he knew it earlier ?
14:29 Founding story of NoBroker
17:44 First Angel investor at NoBroker.
20:11 Rationale behind having operators on cap table.
23:18 How much of his success would Saurabh attribute to luck ?
24:54 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Saurabh work on ?
25:29 Saurabh’s relationship with money.
26:25 What do Saurabh’s friends know him for?
27:28 The operator that Saurabh admires the most.

50: Anand Chandrasekaran (General Catalyst) | You are really betting on the founders | 1947 Rise
Anand is a Partner at General Catalyst. In this role, he is focused on early-stage investing and leading the India/US practice across consumer, climate/agri, healthcare, software and crypto/fintech.
Show Notes00:00 Top Moments
01:03 Intro to pod with Anand Chandrasekaran
02:33 Anand’s journey of growing up in India and what made him move to the US.
07:08 Anand’s framework of moving back and his learnings while working at companies in India.
12:00 What drove Anand to angel investing and what was his first angel investment?
16:10 Something that Anand knows now he wishes he knew earlier about angel investing.
20:02 Anand’s transition to full-time venture capitalist and how did General Catalyst happen?
24:30 Thesis of GC for India.
29:34 What kind of change would Anand like to see in the Indian ecosystem?
32:32 Anand’s take on the layoffs happening in the US.
35:58 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Anand work on?
39:30 Who is Anand outside of work?

49: Arjun Vaidya (V3 Ventures) | The purpose keeps you going | 1947 Operators
Arjun Vaidya is a D2C founder & investor. He built Dr. Vaidya’s to India’s largest Ayurveda brand online. Dr. Vaidya’s was recently acquired by RP Sanjiv Goenka Group – making it one of India’s first D2C exits.
He now leads venture investing for V3 Ventures in India.
Show Notes00:45 Intro to pod with Arjun.
02:20 What drove Arjun to angel investing and his first angel investment.
04:45 Arjun’s investing process.
10:25 What are the traits of a mediocre founder?
12:40 What kept Arjun going after 70 investors said no to him?
16:07 What are Arjun's biggest wins and misses and his learning from them?
20:40 How is Arjun looking at India through V3 Ventures?
24:21 Advice of Arjun for someone who is starting to build a brand in VC.
27:12 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Arjun work on?
28:11 Money or Power?
28:15 What is Arjun’s relationship with money?
28:53 A founder that Arjun admires and why?
29:20 What is Arjun’s day like?
30:00 How much of his success does Arjun owe to luck?

48: Apaksh Gupta (One impression) | Build great relationships with great people | 1947 Operators
Apaksh is the co-founder of One Impression. One Impression is helping over 250 Enterprises and Fast-growing startups drive influencer-led campaigns
Apaksh is also a prolific angel investor.
Show Notes
00:35 Intro to the pod with Apaksh Gupta
02:16 What drew Apaksh to Angel Investing and his first angel investment.
04:06 Investing process of Apaksh.
10:02 Traits of a mediocre founder
12:16 Apaksh’s advice to someone who is starting to Angel Invest.
17:38 Biggest wins and misses of Apaksh.
22:41 What is something that Apaksh knows now but he wishes he knew it earlier.
24:51 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would Apaksh work on.
26:45 Apakh’s relationship with money.
29:07 What do Apaksh’s friends know him for

47: Ankur Warikoo (Entrepreneur) | For me Angel investing is a way of giving back | 1947 Operators
Ankur is a tech entrepreneur, angel investor, author and one of India’s top content creators.
His aim through his content is to make sure all the choices you make in life come from a point of awareness and not ignorance.
Show Notes00:00 Top Moments
00:42 Intro to pod with Ankur Warikoo
01:59 What drove Ankur into angel investing and what was his first angel investment
05:09 How Ankur does Ankur source deals and evaluates founders
07:52 What are the traits of a mediocre founder according to Ankur
07:53 Cheque sizes that Ankur writes and sectors that he invests in
14:56 Some of Ankur’s misses and his learnings from them
23:17 How should founders construct their cap table when raising the first round of funding
27:58 Advise on how to start angel investing
31:20 What would Ankur work on if money and attention are not needed anymore
31:45 How much of his success would Ankur attribute to luck
32:31 Ankur’s relationship with money.
34:08 What do Ankur’s friends know him for.
34:40 How to become a good listener.

46: Prabhu Rangarajan (M2P) | The real happiness is not in earning money. It's in creating wealth for others | 1947 Operators
Prabhu is the co-founder of M2P. M2P builds a stronger infrastructure for the financial world. They are backed by one of the best investors globally. The likes of BeeNext, Insight Partners, Tiger Global to name a few
Show Notes00:00 Top Moments of the episode
00:14 Intro to the episode with Prabhu
01:33 What drove Prabhu to Angel Investing and his first angel investment.
06:19 How does Prabhu source deals and evaluate founders and his cheque sizes.
09:48 What are the traits of a mediocre founder according to Prabhu.
11:47 Biggest learnings from Angel Investing
15:24 Initiatives that Prabhu has taken to support founders from Tamil Nadu.
22:10 Prabhu’s advice to operator angels on Angel investing.
27:03 Entrepreneurs that Prabhu admires the most.
29:44 How much of his success does Prabhu attribute to luck.
31:10 What is Prabhu’s relationship with money.
34:59 Who is Prabhu outside of work.

45 : Pratekk Agarwaal (GrowthCap) | Sold his house to become a full time angel investor | 1947 Operators
Pratekk is an operator turned full-time operator-led fund manager.
He is a passionate entrepreneur and Fintech Expert with over 18 years of multi Industry expertise.
Show Notes01:06 Intro to the pod with Pratekk Agarwaal
02:06 What drove Pratekk to angel investing and his first angel investment.
03:11 How does Pratekk build network and source deals.
05:08 Pratekk’s decision of either building one or enabling 100 others.
09:27 Prateek’s thought around high conviction of asset class.
12:50 Prateek’s investment process.
17:38 Something that Prateek knows now he wishes he knew earlier.
20:53 Cheque Sizes Prateek writes and industries of his interest.
24:48 Pratekk’s advice to operators on how to get started with Angel investing.
30:52 How much does Prateekk attribute his success to luck.
33:39 Operators and Investors Pratekk admires the most.
35:34 Who is Pratekk outside of work.

44: Saahil Goel (Shiprocket) | My kids are saying India rocks. There is not better time to be in India | 1947 Rise
Saahil is the Co-founder and CEO of Shiprocket. Shiprocket is India’s largest eCommerce enablement platform providing digital retailers an end-to-end customer experience platform.
It is currently valued at $1.2 Billion dollars.
Show Notes(01:57) Saahil’s journey from India to US and back to India and what made him move back.
(11:06) Founding Story of Shiprocket, its current status, and the way forward
(26:31) Frameworks used by Saahil
(34:00) Saahil’s advice for folks thinking about moving back to India.
(39:40) How much of his success does Saahil attribute to luck.
(41:20) Entrepreneurs that Saahil admires.
(43:19) Who is Saahil outside of work.

43: Mohit Sadaani (The Moms Co.) | Think of you cap table as a football team | 1947 Operators
Mohit Sadaani is the co-founder of The Moms Co. India's largest D2C Exit.
He is also an active operator investor.
Show Notes(01:07) Intro to pod with Mohit Sadaani
(02:20) What drove Mohit into Angel Investing
(05:43) Who was the first angel investor in Moms Co.
(06:16) How does Mohit source deals and evaluate founders.
(09:49) Mohit’s cheque sizes and industries he is interested in.
(11:17) Importance of having operator angels on the cap table
(14:44) Stories behind Mohit’s angle investing.
(17:26) Thought process of having Sonam Kapoor as the Brand Ambassador.
(20:39) Mohit’s advice to other operator angels
(21:38) How much of Mohit’s success does he owe to luck and why.
(23:23) An entrepreneur that Mohit admires.
(24:53) Mohit’s choice between money or power.
(24:58) Mohit’s relationship with money
(25:46) Who is Mohit outside of work

42: Umang Kumar (CarDekho) | Importance of Proprietary deal flow | 1947 Operators
Co-Founder & President of CarDekho. CarDekho is India's No. 1 Auto Tech Platform. Umang is also an active angel investor.
Show Notes01:09 Intro to 1947 Operators pod with Umang Kumar
02:20 What drove Umang to Angel Investing and his first angel investment
03:38 How does Umang evaluate founders
06:48 Questions asked by Umang to get insights into the founders
09:49 Industries of Interest of Umang and the bandwidth of cheque sizes he writes.
12:30 Stories of Big wins of Umang.
15:20 Stories from misses of Umang
17:21 Learnings from the misses Umang had.
18:22 Some more reasons that motivate Umang to back founders.
21:34 Framework of investing for new angel investors.
25:52 How to construct cap tables for first-time founders.
30:55 How much of his success does Umang owe to luck.
33:13 A founder that Umang admires.
34:21 Who is Umang outside of work.

41: Hemant Mohapatra (Lightspeed India) || Startups have become the most coolest thing to do in India || 1947 Rise
Hemant is partner at Lightspeed India and also happens to be a poet who excels at math. Before joining Lightspeed, Hemant worked at a16z, Google and AMD.
Show Notes(00:41) Intro to the episode with Hemant Mohapatra
(02:24) Hemant’s early life in India
(03:46) Why did Hemant decide to move back to India and his framework
(10:40) How Hemant’s perspective about India has changed in the past 4 years
(23:45) How are Indian founders different from the founders in US
(26:16) Something that Hemant has recently changed his mind on
(26:48) Something Hemant has been obsessed about recently
(29:35) Heroes of Hemant’s life
(32:28) Values and framework utilized by Hemant in his journey.
(36:39) Practices that help keep the mind clear
(38:07) Favourite authors of Hemant
(42:00) Who is he outside of work

40 : Karan Mohla (B Capital Group) || Disruption from India for the world | 1947 Rise
Karan Mohla is Currently Partner and Head of India and SEA for early-stage investments at B Capital Group.
Previously he was a Partner at Chiratae Ventures (formerly IDG Ventures India) and his investments included FirstCry, HealthifyMe, CropIn, Xpressbees, and Bounce among others.
Show Notes00:46 Intro To Karan Mohla
01:43 Early life journey in India and moving back to India after being in the US
10:48 Key learnings of Karan Mohla from his investing experience
18:58 Karan’s views on India’s startup ecosystem now and way forward.
23:57 What’s the sweet spot for Karan and B Capital when investing in startups
28:21 Something Karan would want the Indian ecosystem to have.
34:01 Something Karan is super obsessed about.
40:10 What do Karan’s friends know him for.

39: Matilde Giglio (Even) || India opportunity, operator angels, mental health || 1947 Operators
Mati Giglio is the co-founder of Even. One subscription to cover all your healthcare needs
They are backed by some of the world's leading investors including Khosla Ventures and Founders Fund.
Mati is also an active operator angel investor.
Show Notes01:11 Intro to the episode with Mati
02:31 What drove Mati into angel investing.
05:19 First few believers in Even and operator angels that helped with the company building
09:53 Stories of some investments by Mati and learnings from the misses
14:18 What is Mati’s pitch to founders
19:43 Mati's process of hiring.
24:29 Advice from Mati to operators that are looking to start angel investing
27:02 Thoughts on India
30:55 What would Mati work on if money and attention are not needed anymore.
32:50 Who is Mati outside of her work.

38: Rohit MA (Cloudnine & PeerCapital) || 1947 Operators
Rohit MA is the Co-Founder and Director of Cloudnine group of Hospitals - India’s leading maternity, women, and child care service hospitals. Cloudnine has recently filed for public listing.
To increase his impact, he is starting a new journey with PeerCapital.
PeerCapital is an early-stage tech-first multi-sector venture capital fund.
Show Notes01:12 Intro to the podcast with Rohit MA
02:45 What drove Rohit into angel investing and what was his first angel investment
09:19 First believer in Rohit MA and Cloudnine
12:15 Founding story of PeerCapital and its thesis
19:04 How does Rohit Evaluate founders.
24:56 Rohit’s suggestions to Operator Angels on how to get started with Angel Investing.
30:47 Investments and misses of Rohit. And the learnings from the misses
37:22 Something that Rohit knows now that he wishes he knew earlier.
37:48 Importance of building the right team.
41:01 Who is Rohit outside of his work.

37: Madhusudanan R (M2P) || 1947 Operators
Madhu is the co-founder of M2P. M2P builds a stronger infrastructure for the financial world. They are backed by one of the best investors globally. The likes of BeeNext, Insight Partners, Tiger Global to name a few
Show Notes
01:12 Intro to Madhusudanan R co-founder of M2P
02:15 What drove Madhu to Angel Investing and what was his first Angel Investment
04:33 Who was the first believer in Madhu and M2P
06:00 How operators angels can fundamentally move the needle for you
09:05 How Madhu evaluates founders
12:17 Madhu’s investments; hits and misses, and his learnings from that.
14:30 How has angel investing made Madhu a better founder himself
18:37 Founding Story of M2P and its future prospects.
24:14 India will be the Fintech factory of the world
28:07 If money and attention are not needed anymore what would Madhu work on.
30:25 What is Madhu’s relationship with success.
32:11 Who is Madhu outside of work.

36: Shashank Kumar (Razorpay)
Shashank Kumar is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Razorpay. Razorpay is India’s first full-stack financial solutions company. They are backed by one of the best investors globally and are currently valued at $7.5B.
Show Notes00:39 Intro to Shashank Kumar and Razorpay
03:28 Shashank’s story of growing up in India
08:40 Shashank’s experience in the US
13:25 What led to the foundation of Razorpay
19:12 The story that led to the idea of Razorpay
22:07 Shashank’s conversation with his father regarding moving back to India
26:02 How family life in the US is different from that in India
27:57 The first Angel Investor for Razorpay
31:57 Shashank unfolds how the Fintech ecosystem has evolved and its future.
35:59 If money and attention were not needed anymore what would Shashank work on
37:31 What do Shashank’s friends know him for

35: JD Kanani (Polygon) || 1947 Operators
JD Kanani is the Co-Founder of Polygon. A global, sustainable web3 infrastructure on Ethereum. Polygon is one of the most valued web 3 projects globally.
Show Notes
01:06 Intro to JD Kanani and Polygon Technology
02:33 JD’s First Angel Investment
04:48 How does JD pick deals and evaluate founders while investing.
12:07 What JD thinks of Twitter.
14:00 JD’s First angel investor.
17:08 Policies JD would like to see implemented for Web3 in India.
20:38 What JD is super obsessed about lately.
27:20 If Money and attention are not needed anymore what would JD work on
30:20 What JD’s friends know him for, who is he outside of work

34: Aakrit Vaish (Haptik) || 1947 Operators
Aakrit Vaish is the Co-Founder & CEO of Haptik. Haptik is a part of the Reliance Jio family now.
Aakrit is also a prolific operator investor. He has backed companies like Unacademy, Pepper Content, India gold, and 70+ more.
Show Notes What drove him into angel Investing and what was his first investment (2:12) His advice to operator investors on how to go about angel investing (6:00) How does Aakrit evaluate founders (11:25) Outside of capital what motivates him to invest in other founders and operators (21:20) Learnings from investing (25:40) Superpower he sees in his investing partner Miten Sampat (33:35)
33: Rahul Khanna (Trifecta Capital)
Rahul Khanna is the Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Trifecta Capital. Trifecta capital is where great companies meet great odds.
Trifecta Capital’s maiden fund was India’s first Venture Debt Fund. Today Trifecta Capital manages one of the largest venture debt funds in India and it also runs a pre-IPO/ growth stage venture capital fund.
Rahul has backed companies like Urban Company, Rivigo, BharatPe and Infra.market to name a few.
Show Notes Rahul’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US, and then moving back to India (1:54) The founding story of Trifecta Capital (12:00) The vision he holds for Trifecta Capital (17:00) Three guiding principles at Trifecta capital (21:30) What is something that he knows now he wishes he had known earlier (23:50) How does he make tough decisions (28:10) A change he would like to see in the ecosystem (33:50) What is he obsessed about both professionally and personally lately (36:50) His fitness schedule and eating patterns (40:30) If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on (42:00)
32: Sashank Rishyasringa (axio)
Sashank Rishyasringa is the Co-Founder of axio, India's leading consumer finance company offering pay later, credit and personal finance management under one seamless brand experience. Earlier axio was known as Capital Float.
axio is backed by one of the best investors globally. The likes of Elevation Capital, Sequoia India, Lightrock, Creation Investments Capital Management LLC, Ribbit Capital, and Amazon.
Show Notes Sashank’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US, and then moving back to India (1:21) The founding story of axio (Capital Float) (3:40) The Aha moment at axio (6:40) The evolution of credit and lending in India (11:30) What drives him (15:50) A superpower that he sees in his co-founder Gaurav Hinduja (20:10) What’s the magical outcome that he holds for axio (21:35) What’s his relationship with success (24:35) What has he changed his mind on recently (26:40) A change he would like to see in the ecosystem (29:45) If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on (32:40) Who is he outside of work (36:00)
31: Nithin Kamath (Zerodha & Raimatter) | 1947 Operators
Nithin Kamath is the founder of Zerodha and Rainmatter.
Zerodha is an Indian financial services company (member of NSE, BSE, MCX) that offers brokerage-free equity investments, retail, institutional broking, currencies, and commodities trading.
Rainmatter funds and incubates innovative Indian fintech startups.
Show Notes What got him into angel Investing and what was his first investment (1:00) The biggest tipping point in Nithin’s life professionally (2:00) Officially Nithin started angel investing in 2015 (3:30) The genesis of Rainmatter and the value it brings to founders (5:30) How does Nithin evaluate founders (8:45) What’s something that he knows now he wishes he had known it earlier (16:25) Biggest wins and misses. What did he learn from those misses (17:30) What’s something that Nithin has recently changed his mind on and why (23:45) What is he most obsessed about lately (29:00) Who is he outside of work (34:12)
30: Dhruv Gupta (Orange Health)
Dhruv Gupta is the Co-founder of Orange health. Orange Health is India's fastest diagnostic lab. Customers can get tested at home in 60 minutes. It is backed by funds like Accel, General Catalyst, and other top funds.
SHOW NOTES: Dhruv’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US, and then moving back to India (2:00) The journey after the move back to India (5:05) The founding story of Orange Health (9:55) The magical outcome he holds for Orange Health (12:32) A superpower he sees in his Co-founder (15:15) Evolution of the healthtech in India (16:30) What’s something he knows now he wishes he had known it earlier (19:30) What keeps him going (21:00) The frameworks he uses when things are not going in the right direction (22:50) If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on (25:11) A turning point in life (26:08) Who is he outside of work (27:31)
29: Pranav Pai (3one4 Capital)
Pranav Pai is the Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer at 3one4 Capital.
Pranav leads investments and portfolio construction at 3one4Capital. As CIO, he has led over 70 seed and venture capital investments across several investment categories in India and the US.
3one4 capital has 4 unicorns in its portfolio. Licious, Jupiter, Open Bank, and Darwinbox
SHOW NOTES: Pranav’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US, and then moving back to India (1:42) Values he picked up from his family and during college years in India (5:50) Experiences in the US (9:20) The founding story of 3one4 Capital (11:15) Non-consensus bets (16:10) The magical outcome he holds for 3one4 Capital and the evolution of the Indian tech ecosystem (20:50) What’s something he knows now, he wishes he had known earlier (23:58) What’s something that is obvious to him and not obvious to most other people (26:00) What drives him (28:30) The framework he uses when things are not going in the right direction (31:20) A change he would like to see in the Indian tech ecosystem (34:00) Who is he outside of work (36:00)
28: Gajendra Jangid (CARS24)
Gajendra Jangid is the Co-Founder and CMO of CARS24.
CARS24’s mission is to revolutionize the way used vehicles are bought and sold across the world.
CARS24 was founded in 2015. A mere 7 years later, they have come a long way - 205 branches across India, a presence in 182 Indian cities, channel partners, and a global presence.
SHOW NOTES: Gajendra’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US, and then moving back to India (1:50) The founding story of CARS24 (13:40) How does he make difficult decisions (18:35) Learnings from Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23:31 - 24:41) Hard times Gajendra and his team overcame at CARS24 (25:35) The turning point in life (33:35) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (38:10) Who is he outside of work (39:30)
27: Gautam Chopra (BeatO)
Gautam Chopra is the Co-Founder and CEO of BeatO. BeatO’s mission is to beat Diabetes in India. In the last 6 years, BeatO has expanded from being India’s first smartphone-connected glucometer kit to India’s first personalized health management ecosystem for people with chronic conditions.
SHOW NOTES: Gautam’s journey from growing up in India to moving to Germany, and then moving back to India (1:40) The founding story of BeatO (6:38) The magical outcome he holds for BeatO (17:40) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (20:50) Unpacking the healthcare ecosystem in India and how can it be democratized for the masses (23:35) Advice that left a big impact (27:55) What has he recently changed his mind on (30:10) Who is he outside of work (34:10)
26: Anirudh Pandita (Loco & Pocket Aces)
Anirudh Pandita is the Founder of Loco & Pocket Aces. Loco is India's leading live game streaming platform. Loco is backed by KRAFTON Inc., Lumikai Fund, Hashed, Hiro Capital, Axilor Ventures, 3one4 Capital & North Base Media
SHOW NOTES: Anirudh’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US, and then moving back to India (0:50) The founding story of Pocket Ace and Loco later (12:30) The magical outcome he holds for Loco (22:40) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (29:40) If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on? (36:50)
25: Ankit Wadhwa (Rario)
Ankit Wadhwa is the Co-founder & CEO of Rario. Rario is Unleashing the non-fungible token revolution for everyone!
Ankit is on a mission to build a digital cricket economy powered by NFTs. Rario recently raised a $100M round, led by Dream capital and other great investors.
SHOW NOTES: Ankit’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US, UAE and then moving back to India (1:20) What’s the magical outcome does he hold for Rario (14:30) Explaining NFTs to a 5-year-old (19:30) If money and attention are not needed anymore what would he work on? (22:10) Who is he outside of work (24:45) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (28:00)
24: Sumeet Mehta (LEAD)
Sumeet Mehta is the Co-Founder and CEO of LEAD. LEAD’s mission is to empower India by making excellent education, accessible and affordable to every child.
LEAD is backed by WestBridge Capital, GSV Ventures and Elevar Equity.
SHOW NOTES Sumeet’s journey from growing up in India to moving to Singapore, and then moving back to India (1:20) What led Sumeet to start LEAD and what’s the vision he holds for LEAD (6:00) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (9:00) What needs to be true for India to democratize education for everyone (12:00) Who is he outside of work (17:00)
23: Sandeep Patil (QED Investors)
Sandeep Patil is a partner at QED Investors. QED is a premier VC in the fintech space. Sandeep heads QED's investments in Asia and focuses on India and Southeast Asia. He is an investor, board member, and advisor at Jupiter, OneCard, Refyne, Financepeer, and UpSwing.
SHOW NOTES Sandeep’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US, UK, and then moving back to India (1:15) What led Sandeep to join QED and what’s the vision he holds for QED in India (9:40) As an investor what variables trigger him to Invest. What does he look for (16:30) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (22:30) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (28:00) Who is he outside of work (31:00)
22: Sameer Brij Verma (Nexus Venture Partners)
Sameer Brij Verma is the Managing Director at Nexus Venture Partners, where he opened & leads their Bangalore office. At NVP, he has led investments in Postman, Unacademy, Infra.market, Hasura, Animall, Ultrahuman and about 70 others.
SHOW NOTES Sameer’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:15) The founding story of Nexus Venture Partners and the evolution of the Indian tech ecosystem (15:00) The best part about his job and the hardest part (26:00) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (31:00) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (35:00) Who is he outside of work (37:00)
21: Anshum Bhambri (FanCraze)
Anshum Bhambri is the co-founder and CEO of FanCraze. FanCraze is creating the metaverse for cricket. It recently got funded by the likes of Insight Partners, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital India, Cristiano Ronaldo’s fund, and others.
SHOW NOTES Anshum’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:15) What’s FanCraze and what’s the grand vision that he holds for FanCraze (11:20) Unpacking NFTs for a 10-year-old (20:30) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (26:00) Who is he outside of work (29:00)
20: Aniket Jindal (Biconomy)
Aniket Jindal is the founder of Biconmy. Its mission is to make blockchain transactions simple.
Prior to Biconomy, Aniket was an early employee at Binance.
Aniket is also nurturing the Indian tech ecosystem by backing the web3 founders.
SHOW NOTES Aniket’s journey from growing up in India to moving to China and then moving back to India (1:10) The origins of Biconomy (5:15) What’s Biconomy and what’s the grand vision that he holds for Biconomy (9:30) Overview of web3 in India, the origins, where are we today and where are we headed to (11:30) What needs to be true for India to lead the innovation in web3 (16:25) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (19:30) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (23:50) Who is he outside of work (25:30)
19: Abhilash Inumella (Questbook)
Abhilash is the Co-founder of Questbook. Prior to founding Questbook he worked as a Software Engineer at Facebook in the US, later founded Samosa Labs after moving back to India (sold to MPL)
SHOW NOTES Abhilash’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:10) The origins of Samosa Labs (4:00) What’s Questbook and what’s the grand vision that he holds for Questbook (9:45) Overview of web3 in India, the origins, where are we today and where are we headed to (13:10) What needs to be true for India to lead the innovation in web3 (16:25) Skills and experiences he brought back with him to India that ended up becoming valuable (18:40) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (20:10) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (22:50) Who is he outside of work (24:10) A book that changed his life (25:20)
18: Salone Sehgal (Lumikai Fund)
Salone Sehgal is the Founder and GP of Lumikai Fund. Lumikai Fund is India’s first gaming and interactive entertainment venture fund.
SHOW NOTES Salone's journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) The origins of Lumikai Fund and the vision she holds for the fund (6:00) What’s the best part about her job (11:20) The hardest part about her job (16:40) Skills and experiences she brought back with her to India that ended up becoming valuable (19:00) What frameworks does she use when things are not going in the right direction (21:25) What is Salone’s life like outside of work (24:10) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would she work on (25:10) What do her friends know her for (26:10)
17: Arjun Vaidya (Dr. Vaidya's & Verlinvest)
Arjun Vaidya is a D2C founder & investor. He built Dr. Vaidya’s to India’s largest Ayurveda brand online. Dr. Vaidya’s was recently acquired by RP Sanjiv Goenka Group – making it one of India’s first D2C exits.
He now leads venture investing for Verlinvest in India
SHOW NOTES Arjun’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) The journey after moving back to India and repackaging of Dr. Vaidya’s (6:30) What made him join Verlinvest and the vision he holds (14:26) What’s the best part about his job (17:40) The hardest part about his job (18:20) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (19:12) What is he most excited about outside of work (20:28) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (21:50) What do his friends know him for (23:10)
16: Nishchay AG (Jar)
Nishchay AG is the Co-founder and CEO of Jar. A daily gold-savings app that saves spare change & auto-invests for you. Jar currently has 5M users and is backed by Tiger Global and others.
SHOW NOTE: Nischay’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) The journey after moving back to India and were there self-doubts at the beginning (2:30) What made him join Bounce (8:00) The origins of Jar (15:00) The magical outcome he holds for Jar (17:52) Favorite part about his job (19:30) The hardest part about his job (19:51) His advice to those who are planning to move back to India (24:00) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (29:30) What drives him (31:00) What do his friends know him for (35:00)
15: Vaibhav Domkundwar (Better Capital)
Vaibhav Domkundwar is the CEO and founder of Better Capital. Better Capital is one of the best Pre-seed / seed-stage funds in India. Portfolio companies include Slice, Open, Teachmint Rupeek, Khatabook, and many more. The combined value of the portfolio companies is $5B+
SHOW NOTES Vaibhav’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) The journey after moving back to India and were there self-doubts at the beginning (4:50) The origins of Better Capital (7:00) The evolution of angel investing in India over the past decade (11:00) The things that he struggles with (17:00) What’s the best part about his job (22:00) His advice to those who are planning to move back to India (25:00) What drives him (30:00)
14: Nitin Sharma (Antler India)
Nitin Sharma is the General Partner, Co-founder, Antler India. Antler is a global early-stage venture capital firm that invests in the defining technology companies of tomorrow.
SHOW NOTES Nitin’s journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:25) The journey after moving back to India (First Principles and Antler India) (7:20) The vision that Nitin holds for Antler India (14:30) The evolution of the Indian tech ecosystem from 2013 to 2022 (19:00) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (25:45) His advice to those who are thinking about moving back to India (33:00) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (37:00) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (40:00)
13: Monish Darda (Icertis)
Monish Darda is the Co-founder and CTO of Icertis. Currently valued at $2.8B, Icertis is the contract intelligence company that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with contract lifecycle management.
SHOW NOTES Monish's journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) The journey after moving back to India (7:30) The journey of building Icertis and multiple companies before Icertis (15:15) His advice to those who are thinking about moving back to India (22:30) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (28:00) What does he struggle with (34:00) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction (37:00) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (40:00) What do his friends know him for (42:00)
12: Nirmit Parikh (Apna)
Nirmit Parikh is the founder and CEO of Apna. India's largest professional networking & job opportunities platform for the rising workforce.
SHOW NOTES Nirmit's journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) The journey after moving back to India and how did the idea of building Apna come about (13:00) What's the magical outcome Nirmit has for Apna (26:00) What does he struggle with? What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction? (31:00) His advice to those who are thinking about moving back to India (38:00) Failures (42:00) If money and attention are not needed anymore, what would he work on (46:00)
11: Gautam Shewakramani (On Deck)
Gautam Shewakramani is the Head of APAC and India; International Product and Growth at On Deck. Previously he built a company and headed International Product and Growth for Quora and Skillshare.
SHOW NOTES The journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) The journey after moving back to India (5:30) His company building experience which involved tons of highs and lows (8:25) How did Quora come about? (14:00) On Deck's visions for India (17:40) On Deck and ODX are relevant to India. India is special for On Deck and On Deck is special for the Indian tech ecosystem (19:00) His advice to those who are thinking about moving back to India (28:00) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (28:00) What frameworks do you use when things are not going in the right direction? (37:00) What do his friends know him for (40:00)
10: Amrit Acharya (Zetwerk)
Amrit Acharya is the Co-Founder & CEO of Zetwerk. Currently valued at $1.33 Billion, Zetwerk is a universal manufacturing network powered by new-age technology.
SHOW NOTES The journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) How did Zetwerk come about (6:20) His advice to those who are thinking about moving back to India (8:15) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (10:00) Favorite stories at Zetwerk (13:00) Where is Zetwerk today as a company (16:00) His approach towards cold emails and planting seeds with people (20:30) What frameworks does he use when things are not going in the right direction? (25:00) Books he would recommend (30:00) If money and fame are not needed anymore. What would he work on (34:00)
9: Bradley Tusk (Tusk Ventures)
Bradley Tusk is an American businessman, venture capitalist, political strategist, and writer. He is the founder and CEO of Tusk Ventures, the first venture capital fund focused on investing in early-stage startups in regulated industries
SHOW NOTES Setting the context: Three waves of the internet (1:00) A call from Travis Kalanick (Uber) was an inflection point for Bradley. He took Uber as his first client not knowing what equity was meant. Ignorance is good sometimes 😉(3:20) What pushed Bradley to bet on Uber and take equity back when it was a year-old startup (9:40) His investment in Coinbase (13:00) They need you more than you need them. That's called access to deals. Bradley has built one through differentiation at Tusk Ventures (14:50) What types of founders succeed that are building in regulated industries (21:00) When should a startup start thinking about regulatory frameworks? Removal of Travis Kalanick, you need aggressive founders like Travis to build something transformational, how Akshay BD thinks about policies and regulations in India His advice to founders building in Web 3.0 (48:00)
8: Abhi Kumar (M12)
Abhi Kumar heads M12 Asia, the venture arm of Microsoft. He leads series A-C venture equity investments for M12 in Asia (ex China), partnering with stellar entrepreneurs and teams to help amplify their growth. Develop the brand, ecosystem partnerships & peer engagement for M12 across APAC.
SHOW NOTES The journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) M12's focus in India and its investments (8:40) Favorite part about his job at M12 (10:40) Skills that he picked up from his experiences in the US and Hong Kong that ended up becoming valuable in India (12:15) If he had recently moved back to India, what would he work on? India is a lot different than what it was back when he moved back? Advise to Indians living abroad and thinking about moving back to India (14:20) Turning points in his life (17:35) What does he struggle with (20:10) Favorite failure (23:00) Rapid-fire questions (25:00)
7: Aakrit Vaish (Haptik)
Aakrit Vaish is the Co-Founder & CEO of Haptik, a Reliance Jio Platforms company & he is also an Angel Investor in 50+ amazing founder
SHOW NOTES The journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) What made him move back to India (6:46) Evolution of the Indian tech ecosystem from 2011 - 2021 (14:30) If he had recently moved back to India, what would he work on? India is a lot different than what it was back when he moved back? Advise to Indians living abroad and thinking about moving back to India (19:00) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (25:00) Rapid-fire questions (30:00)
6: Prashant Tandon (1mg & Healthkart)
Prashant Tandon is the co-founder of 1mg & Healthkart. Both companies have become household names in India.
SHOW NOTES The journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) What made him move back to India (2:53) His entrepreneurial journey back in India (5:20) Was there a time when he thought this was it, if so, how did he manage to overcome it? (10:00) If he had recently moved back to India, what would he work on? India is a lot different than what it was back when he moved back? Advise to Indians living abroad and thinking about moving back to India (13:50) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (17:10) Any life event, book or a decision that changed your life (20:00) What does he struggle with (22:15) Rapid-fire questions (23:30)
5: Tejeshwi Sharma (Sequoia Capital)
Tejeshwi Sharma is the managing director at Sequoia Capital India. He has led investments in companies like Byju's, Dream11, Bounce, CRED, Moglix, Purplle, Rebel Foods, Whatfix, Unacademy.
SHOW NOTES The journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) Overview of the Indian tech ecosystem evolution starting from 2010 (5:15) What is next for India? How can India reach the scale of the US and China, what needs to be true? (9:20) Advice to Indians living abroad and are thinking about moving back to India (12:45) Books that changed the way how he thinks about work and life (17:45) What does he struggle with (23:15) Rapid-fire questions (27:00)
4: Sandeep Aggarwal (Droom)
Sandeep Aggarwal has founded two marketplaces in India so far – ShopClues, India’s first managed marketplaces in 2011, which became the 5th Unicorn in Consumer Internet in India, and Droom, India’s first marketplace for automobiles in 2014, which is about to go public.
The journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:20) His thought process for making the move back to India (14:00) How has the Indian tech ecosystem evolved from 2011 to 2021 (12.30) In what ways the government can support the Indian tech ecosystem for it to get to the next level (24:30) If he were to move back to India today, what would he work on and his advise to the Indians living abroad and are thinking to move back to India (29:00) What is money and success to him (33:50) What do his friends know him for (36:00)
3: Raghav Chandra (Urban Company)
Raghav Chandra is the Co-Founder & CTO of Urban Company. Urban Company is the largest home services platform in India and UAE, with recent expansion to Australia and Singapore.
SHOW NOTES The journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) His thought process for making the move back to India (7:00) How did Buggi and later Urban Company come about (12.30) Times, when he thought this could be it at Urban Company (19:20) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (24:00) His favorite failure and the learnings from it (29:00) What does success mean to him (33:30) What do his friends know him for (35:30)
2: Mukund Kulashekaran (Urban Company)
Mukund Kulashekaran is currently the SVP at Urban Company (valued at $2.1b). Previously he was the CBO at Zomato, which is looking to go public soon and is currently valued at $5.4b.
SHOW NOTES Journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:00) His thought process for making the move back to India (2:25) How did Zomato and later Urban Company come about (3:50) Times when he thought this could be it at Zomato / Urban Company (8:30) Favorite stories at Zomato / Urban Company (8:45) His advice to India-born, US-trained Indians thinking about moving back to India (12:40) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (15:50) Those who are thinking about moving back, what skills and experiences they should optimize for (19:35) His favorite failure and the learnings from it (21:35) What were the turning points in his life (24:50) A book that changed his life. what are one to three books that have greatly influenced his life (28:40) What do his friends know him for (32:00) What keeps him going (33:40)
1: Abhinav Sinha (OYO)
Abhinav Sinha is currently the global COO & CPO at OYO. He launched and built OYO in SEA, UK, US and other foreign geographies.
Headquartered in Gurgaon, OYO is the fastest-growing and second-largest hotel chain in the world. OYO is spread across 800 cities in 80 countries. Most recently it was valued at $10 billion.
SHOW NOTES
Journey from growing up in India to moving to the US and then moving back to India (1:06) His thought process for making the move back to India (4:59) How did OYO come about (7:48) Favorite stories at OYO (17:20) His advise to India-born, US-trained Indians thinking about moving back to India (21:12) Skills that he picked up from his experience in the US that ended up becoming valuable in India (28:10) His favorite failure (31:22) What was the turning point in his life (36:00) A book that changed his life. what are one to three books that have greatly influenced his life (39:22) What keeps him going (42.48) What do his friends know him for (44.45)
1947 Rise Introduction
It’s a podcast that helps India-born, US-trained Indians get integrated into the Indian tech ecosystem and inspires them to move back to India to build massive tech companies and/or help enable the tech ecosystem.
We do this by interviewing India-born, US-trained Indians who have moved back to India and built massive tech companies themselves and/or helped enable the tech ecosystem.