The Indian Startup Show - podcast cover

The Indian Startup Show

A weekly podcast show about Indian startups, entrepreneurs, and more! Hosted by Neil Patel & Friends
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Saurabh Nigam, author of People-Powered Startups: Building a Culture of Collaboration, Innovation, and High Performance.

In this episode, I sit down with Saurabh Nigam—HR leader, angel investor, and author of People-Powered Startups: Building a Culture of Collaboration, Innovation, and High Performance. With over two decades of experience, Saurabh shares actionable insights on building a thriving startup culture, avoiding common HR mistakes, and hiring the right people at the right time. We dive into: Why startups struggle with HR—and how to fix it. The role of AI in recruitment. How to retain top talent and manag...

Mar 05, 202536 minEp. 214

From Mumbai to NYC: Leia Tyebjee on Building Pylot Studios, a global platform empowering emerging artists

Showcasing emerging artists—today, my guest is Leia Tyebjee, co-founder of Pylot Studios, an interdisciplinary creative platform dedicated to artistic design, curation, and community engagement. In this episode, we discuss the challenges of creating spaces for artists, breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry, and how Pylot Studios is redefining art curation. Leia also shares her thoughts on AI in art, mistakes emerging artists make, the importance of community, and why she still chooses t...

Feb 27, 202530 minEp. 213

Indie Hacker Special: Piyush Patel founder of AmplifyX Labs on Building Micro-SaaS, Bootstrapping, and Scaling.

Indie Hacker Special! I speak to Piyush Patel, the founder of AmplifyX Labs and a prominent voice in the micro-SaaS and indie hacking space. From bootstrapping projects to building in public and exploring AI-powered tools, Piyush shares invaluable insights into his personal journey, product development strategies, getting your first customers and the future of micro-SaaS. This episode is packed with actionable advice for aspiring indie hackers, developers, and entrepreneurs who want to build and...

Nov 25, 202442 minEp. 212

From Spicy Dreams to Market Domination: Mikhel Rajani co-founder of Naagin Sauce on building India’s No.1 hot sauce brand.

Chicken and hot sauce are a match made in heaven! In this episode, II’m joined by Mikhel Rajani, co-founder of Naagin Sauce, India’s first and favourite hot sauce brand. Mikhel and his team spotted a gap in the market about five years ago and have since transformed Naagin Sauce into a household name, now partnering with KFC India and reaching both domestic and international customers. We dive deep into the story of building Naagin Sauce and what it takes to pioneer a brand in an untapped market....

Nov 17, 202434 minEp. 211

Building Strength for Everyday People: Adarsh Gopalakrishnan founder of Move101 on Making Fitness Accessible.

The world is getting fatter! In this episode, we dive deep into fitness and nutrition with Adarsh Gopalakrishnan, founder of Move101 in Chennai. Move101 is a unique strength and conditioning gym tailored for regular folks with little to no training background, and it also offers online coaching. Adarsh’s journey into fitness began in an unexpected way: he started working out to impress a girl who liked the biceps of a popular MTV VJ. He had no biceps and he wanted biceps and he started lifting w...

Nov 10, 202446 minEp. 210

Anushka Gupta co-founder of MyMuse on building India’s first bedroom essentials brand.

MyMuse co-founder Anushka Gupta shares her journey of building India's pioneering sexual wellness brand, focusing on making intimacy easy and fun while confronting societal taboos. She details MyMuse's innovative product development, rigorous customer research, and effective digital marketing strategies, including the "3-second rule" and working with micro-influencers. Anushka also offers insights into scaling a startup, navigating funding, and the evolving future of the sexual wellness industry in India, emphasizing the profound impact on customers' lives.

Jun 11, 202451 minEp. 209

Prince Thomas, CEO & Co-founder of MetaShot on building the world's first console-like cricket game

Experience real cricket at home! In this episode, I sit down with Prince Thomas, co-founder of MetaShot, a Bangalore-based gaming startup. MetaShot offers a unique and immersive cricket experience through a cutting-edge metaphysical smart bat. Prince shares how the idea for MetaShot emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the early days of development, from the initial prototypes—a cricket bat with a sensor and a copy of EA Cricket 2007—to securing significant investments from prominent...

Jun 04, 202437 minEp. 208

Karan Singh, CEO & Founder of Aristobrat, on redefining fashion entrepreneurship.

Step into the dynamic world of Indian menswear fashion with our latest episode! Join us as we sit down with Karan Singh, the creative force behind Aristobrat, a brand renowned for its premium men's clothing. In this insightful conversation, Karan takes us on a journey from his inspiration drawn from a transformative trip to Scandinavia to the inception of his own fashion brand. Delve into his innovative financial strategies, including the use of factoring, and gain a deeper understanding of Indi...

May 14, 202434 minEp. 207

Lalit Kalani, Founder of Rock Paper Rum, On building an innovative premium Indian Rum brand

Drawing inspiration from the timeless game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, today's guest is Lalit Kalani, the Founder of Rock Paper Rum, an innovative Indian Rum brand prominently featured on Season 3 of Shark Tank India. In this episode, Lalit delves into the journey of launching his venture, shedding light on navigating the competitive Mumbai market, mastering branding, product development, and effective marketing strategies. He talks about India's complicated relationship with alcohol. He offers inva...

May 02, 202446 minEp. 206

Megha Gambhir co-founder & CEO of Stupa Sports Analytics on building a global sports analytics company and helping athletes improve sports performance.

Driven by love for Table Tennis. Megha Gambhir, is the amazing co-founder and CEO of Stupa Sports Analytics. Her company is revolutionising the world of sports by providing athletes with cutting-edge analytics and insights to improve their performance. She talks about how she got started with a MVP - an Excel spreadsheet, to now working the ITTF and multiple international federations on her client list and a number of global clients. She talks about leaving a well-paying job to figure it all out...

Apr 08, 202450 minEp. 205

Surbhi Jain, Founder of Neend. On Building an app that aims to help people sleep better.

Making India sleep better: More than 55% of Indian adults face trouble falling asleep at least three nights a week. Today, I speak with Surbhi Jain, the founder of Neend, a free app offering stories, soothing sleep sounds, meditation, and more to help users unwind and nod off. Launched in 2021, Surbhi shares how she started this journey after contracting Covid and struggling with sleep issues. She released the MVP on YouTube, experiencing significant organic growth. Surbhi discusses building a c...

Mar 13, 202426 minEp. 204

Gokul NA. Co-Founder of CynLr. Revolutionising Robotics and making ‘universal factories’ the future.

Universal factories of the future. Today my guest is Gokul NA, Co-Founder of CynLr. a pioneering deep-tech startup dedicated to the radical reinvention of dynamic vision-enabled robots, unlocking the potential to create the 'universal factories' of tomorrow. In this enlightening discussion, Gokul takes us on a journey back over a decade, recounting the humble beginnings with his co-founder in a modest office that evolved into a sprawling 13,000 sq ft research space. This state-of-the-art facilit...

Mar 07, 202451 minEp. 203

Pratham Jindal, Founder & CEO of Praper Media. On building a content agency helping creators create!

From a 13-year-old dreaming of becoming a YouTuber to now leading a 6-figure video content agency, today I speak with Pratham Jindal, Founder and CEO of Praper Media—a content agency collaborating with some of the biggest creators on the planet. In this episode he shares insights into launching the agency, recounting the story of securing his first customer by spending 100 Rupees on a super chat. Pratham delves into his unique hiring philosophy and offers perspectives on AI, Chat GPT, and Sora. ...

Feb 28, 202431 minEp. 202

Sarabjeet Sachar - CEO of Aspiration Jobs. A seasoned career coach & mentor. Guiding busy professionals for a fast pace career growth & future-proof success.

It's a tough job market out there folks! , and on today's episode, we have an expert to guide us through it. I'm joined by Sarabjeet Sacher, the founder of Aspiration Jobs, with a profound passion for coaching professionals in areas such as career growth, career development, job search strategies, and interview techniques. He shares valuable insights on crafting a compelling CV—what to include and what to avoid. The episode explores the intricacies of salary negotiation, providing tips on answer...

Jan 25, 202449 minEp. 201

Aruna Chawla, founder of Salad - A FemTech startup building wellness for women & disrupting the face of a $100bn + global industry.

Enabling the well-being of more than 355 million Indian women through products, experiences, and experts. Today my guest is Aruna Chawla, founder of Salad, a lifestyle planner mobile app that support women to better manage their health throughout the menstrual cycle by providing personalised nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle advice. She talks about her own personal journey of being in and out of hospital. She talks about building an MVP without a CTO or developers. Aruna talks about why they don...

Mar 06, 202334 minEp. 200

Sourabh Kumar, co-founder of PotHoleRaja, a social venture that’s on a mission to make India & the world pothole-free.

Bye Bye Potholes! Today I have the pleasure to talk to Sourabh Kumar, co-founder of PotHoleRaja, a social venture that 's on a mission to make India & the world pothole-free. He got the idea After reading a tragic story about a woman who lost her life due to a pothole. He gave up his highly paid corporate job to fill in potholes around the streets of Bangalore at 5AM! He didn't tell his parents but he started getting goosebumps when random strangers started to praise his work and efforts. Wi...

Dec 16, 202236 minEp. 199

Gautam Madhavan, CEO & founder of Mad Influence, on building the largest creator economy in the world

Content is king! Today my guest is Gautam Madhavan CEO & founder of Mad Influence and influencer management agency. They do more than just connect creators and brands. They do digital marketing, social media management, content authoring, and providing consulting services to businesses. They are trying to create the biggest content companies in the world. In this episode he talks about how he got this off the ground by seeing the shift from Blogging to Vlogging 2017/18, realising the power o...

Dec 04, 202238 minEp. 198

Investing $100M+ in India over the next 4 years, Nitin Sharma, general partner & co-founder of Antler India.

Building the next wave of technology. Today my guest is seasoned investor Nitin Sharma, general partner & co-founder of Antler India. A global early-stage venture capital firm that invests in the defining technology companies of tomorrow. They're one of the fastest growing VC firms in the world. In this episode he talks about his 15+ year investing experience. He talks about how they help early stage founders. He talks about the differences between American entrepreneurs and Indian entrepren...

Sep 18, 202241 minEp. 196

Piyush Kumar founder & CEO of Rooter. On building India’s biggest gaming & E-sports community.

India is expected to be home to 700 million gamers by 2025. So Today my guest Piyush Kumar, he is the Founder and CEO of Rooter. A game streaming and E-Sports platform. Rooter has emerged as the largest player in the Indian gaming category, with close to 50 million downloads, making it the No. 1 app in the ‘sports’ category on the Google Play Store since October 2020. Rooter is at the perfect intersection of Gaming and Content surge in India. So he talks about how it got this off the ground. He ...

Jul 19, 202237 minEp. 195

Amit Purohit CEO & founder of Fantasy Akhada, on building one of the fastest growing Fantasy Sports Platform in India.

Sports tech and driving sports engagement. Today my guest is Amit Purohit CEO & founder of Fantasy Akhada, a fantasy sports platform that provides you with an opportunity to play Fantasy Cricket, Fantasy Football and Fantasy Kabaddi by using your sports knowledge and skill. So today he talks about building a hyper growth sports tech startup, going from the 181st fantasy app to being in the top 5 , amazing stuff. He talks about the USP - focusing on customer delight. Talks about marketing and...

Jun 25, 202247 minEp. 194

Shalibhadra Shah CEO & Co-founder of ABC Talkies - India’s first Film Tech company, on building the world’s first cinema marketplace.

Get your popcorn ready! Today my guest is Shalibhadra Shah, CEO & Co-founder of ABC Talkies. An online movie platform for filmmakers to submit their films and for cinema lovers to watch independent cinema on a pay-per-view model. He talks about what motivated him to get this off the ground and what problem they are solving . He talks about how they add value to the filmmaker and talks about the business model & revenue streams including variable ticket pricing. He talks about being bless...

May 26, 202248 minEp. 193

Srinath Ravichandran CEO & co-founder of Agnikul on building India's first private small satellite rocket, Agnibaan.

Launching rockets into space! My guest is Srinath Ravichandran CEO & co-founder of Agnikul, a Chennai-based Indian aerospace manufacturer specialising in building launch vehicles capable of taking micro and nano-satellites to Low Earth Orbit, on-demand. He started as an outsider , working in finance but his heart was always in aerospace. In this episode he talks about the crazy amount of networking, cold calling professors and asking himself some existential questions to get this off the gro...

May 15, 202242 minEp. 192

Summit Nayak co-founder of Ekank - On building a story-telling platform that aims to promote art, culture, history & heritage.

Transforming storytelling. Today my guest is Summit Nayak - Co-founder of Ekank. They are building a storytelling platform, democratising non-fiction by bringing lost and forgotten history to the forefront. He talks about how they got this off the ground. Talks about ignoring the experts who told him not to build the product because it wasn't cool enough. But since launching they have 13.8 million monthly active users, spending in total 74 million minutes on the app and have raised a cool $1mill...

Apr 17, 202239 minEp. 191

Pawan Gupta CEO & co-founder of Fashinza on building one of the biggest global B2B manufacturing marketplaces, transforming the fashion supply chain.

Disrupting the traditional fashion supply chain with digital intervention. Today my guest is Pawan Gupta. Co-founder and CEO of Fashinza. They are digitising the supply chain to make it more efficient, transparent, fast, and sustainable. It all started with a trip to Jaipur the clothing manufacturing capital of India - not to talk about manufacturing but pain points. He will discuss what those pain points are! He talks about how they went from building the MVP using WhatsApp, AirTable and Excel ...

Apr 10, 202234 minEp. 190

Priyanka Madnani, founder & CEO of Easy to Pitch. ​​On building India's fastest-growing one-stop pitching platform for startup founders.

Make your startup investment ready! Today my guest is Priyanka Madnani, Founder & CEO of Easy to Pitch. Easy to Pitch is one of the fastest-growing one-stop pitching solutions for start-up founders & entrepreneurs looking to raise capital for their unique ideas. Since starting she now helps over 500 startups and reviewed over 5000 decks. So in this episode she talks about how she spotted a gap in the market for pitching solutions. Talks about helping founders and what investors are looki...

Mar 13, 202241 minEp. 189

Gopal Krishna Koduri CEO & Co-founder of Riyaz, On building a music learning app that enables you to learn to sing at home

Your 24x7 singing buddy! Today my guest is Gopal Krishna Koduri CEO & co-founder of Riyaz. A music learning app that offers an easy and convenient way for aspiring singers to practise their music lessons anywhere, anytime make music learning accessible and affordable. He talks about his love of classical indian music which inspired him to build this app. How the app works. He talks about building a venture-funded, steadily growing music learning app that is used around the world (2million do...

Mar 06, 202232 minEp. 188

Kyle Fernandes CEO & Co-founder of MemeChat on building the ultimate social network to revolutionise the world of memes!

Make Memes Earn Money! Today my guest is Kyle Fernandes CEO & Co-founder of MemeChat. Founded in 2019, it is a platform that allows users to create viral memes and get rewarded for them. So in this episode he talks about how he came up with the idea. Talks about being a hyper growth startup (25 million memes , 6 million downloads, 1.3 monthly active users). Talks about how he designed & developed the app from scratch. Talks about getting funding from 500 Startups. Next he talks about a n...

Feb 25, 202228 minEp. 187

Your Chaddi Buddy! Sulay Lavsi , founder of Bummer - On a mission to disrupt the millennial-focused underwear market in India.

Adding fun to a ‘White’ industry. Today I speak to Sulay Lavsi, the founder of Bummer, whose mission is to disrupt the millennial-focused underwear market. In this episode he talks about his amazing journey from not being taken seriously in the early days to his dramatic appearance on Shark Tank India. He shares brand building strategies and talks about marketing to GenZ & millennials. He talks about pricing philosophies -are you playing the brand game or the price game? & spotting a gap...

Jan 23, 202248 minEp. 186

The Best of The Indian Startup Show & a quick announcement.

Hello everyone, Thank you for downloading the last episode 2021. After 5 years of interviewing amazing Indian Entrepreneurs I am thinking about investing in a few Indian startups in 2022! if you are building something exciting and need some seed funding to get your startup off the ground please contact me. Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to over the past 12 months. You will hear from Newslaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri (2.39m) on building an alternative news model ...

Dec 31, 20212 hr 14 minEp. 185

The Best Bits of The Indian Startup Show (16)

Today you will hear some of the best guests I have spoken to over the past 12 months. You will hear from Raghav Gupta, the co-founder of Nymble labs. (2.57) His team has built a personal cooking assistant called Julia, so we talk about his appearance on TV. He talks about how they have developed the robot since we last spoke, talks about raising finance ,setting up offices in China and California. Next we have Nitesh Salvi Founder & CEO of Pocket52 (39.11) on building India’s largest poker p...

Dec 18, 20211 hr 30 minEp. 184
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android