Advertise on podcast: Prime Venture Partners Podcast

In this episode of the Prime Venture Partners Podcast, we speak with Victor, the Co-founder and CEO of Propelld, a company that has revolutionised education financing in India. Victor takes us through the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey, from starting his first startup in 2014 to building one of India’s largest education financing platforms. Propelld has already disbursed ₹4,000 crores in loans, helping over 400,000 students achieve their educational dreams. He shares insights on: The genesis of Propelld and its mission to make education financing accessible to allHow they manage risk in education financing through data-driven solutionsThe role of AI in underwriting and loan collectionAdvice for early-stage founders on fundraising and navigating the journey of entrepreneurship This is a must-watch episode for aspiring entrepreneurs and those interested in the future of education financing. 👉 Don't forget to subscribe to the Prime Venture Partners Podcast for more founder stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes playbooks from India’s most exciting startups! #Startups #EducationFinancing #Entrepreneurship #AI #RiskManagement #Podcast #Fundraising #PrimeVenturePartners

In this special episode of the Prime Venture Partners Podcast, the Partners come together to discuss how AI, new business models, and shifting global dynamics are reshaping startups and what founders should be preparing for as we head deeper into 2026 and beyond. From pragmatic AI adoption to new opportunities in services, SaaS, climate, and governance, this is a grounded conversation on what’s actually changing and what still matters. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 01:30 – What Prime Is Willing to Bet On 03:20 – AI Models vs Real Value Creation 07:35 – Automation, Services and Opportunity 11:30 – Moats and Distribution in an AI-First World 20:00 – Why Fundamentals Still Matter 24:05 – SaaS, Services and India’s Global Opportunity 28:25 – How AI Will Change Venture Capital 37:40 – Predicting the Defining Startups of 2030 42:05 – Climate, Energy and Big Problems Becoming Solvable 45:40 – Boards, Governance and AI Ethics 52:10 – Closing Thoughts for Founders Building in 2026 🔥 What You’ll Discover: How founders should think about AI in 2026Why services + AI could unlock product-like margins and global opportunitiesHow India’s startup ecosystem is evolving as customers begin paying serious money for softwareWhat venture capital, boards, and governance might look like in an AI-first future 🎧 Key Takeaways: Why solving the right customer problem is still a binary outcome, regardless of the AI model you useHow SaaS, services, and AI are converging into new business modelsWhat founders should expect as old cost advantages disappear and new ones emergeWhy long-term company building, discipline, and fundamentals still winAs the startup ecosystem enters its next phase, this episode offers founders, operators, and investors a clear-eyed view of what’s ahead and how to prepare for it. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on startups, venture capital, and building enduring companies. 👇 Join the conversation - What do you think founders should focus on most in 2026? #2026Predictions #IndianStartups #VentureCapital #AI #PrimeVenturePartners #StartupEcosystem #FutureOfWork #SaaS #Services #ClimateTech #Entrepreneurship #CompanyBuilding

🚀2025 feels like a turning point for the Indian startup ecosystem. In this special year-end episode of the Prime Venture Partners podcast, we take a step back and look at the journey from the early days of 2010 to where we are today and what lies ahead. We talk about: • The wild early years when founders were figuring things out as they went • How Aadhaar, UPI and cheap data quietly changed everything • What COVID revealed about founder resilience • How AI is being used inside real companies today • Why India’s startup ecosystem took longer to take off, but is now scaling bigger than expected This is a candid, experience-led conversation from the Prime partners, shaped by nearly two decades of building and investing in Indian startups. 🎙 Episode Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 03:17 The Three Phases of the Indian Startup Ecosystem 05:16 Early Founder Reality (2010–2015) 08:09 What It Was Like to Be an Investor in Early 2010 11:36 When No One Even Talked About Exits 12:49 Early Unicorns and the First Belief Shift 15:05 Founders We Underestimated and Why It Changed Our Thinking 19:07 Backing People Over Plans 23:29 India’s “Too Operational” Companies That Scaled Big 27:46 Jio and the Moment the Internet Became Affordable 29:33 When the Internet Truly Reached Bharat 31:43 Aadhaar, India Stack, and Building at Population Scale 35:16 COVID: Revenue to Zero and Zero-Based Accounting 39:00 Crisis Decisions, Calm Leadership, and Founder Resilience 43:20 The Crypto Wave: Knowing What Not to Chase 46:34 Practical AI Use Cases Inside Real Companies 54:07 Lessons From 15 Years of Venture Investing 58:59 India’s Startup Ecosystem in One Minute  If you care about startups, founders, or the future of technology in India, this episode will resonate. #IndianStartups #VentureCapital #FoundersJourney #StartupEcosystem #IndiaStack #UPI #StartupLessons #Entrepreneurship #TechInIndia #InvestingInsights #PrimeVenturePartners 

Umesh Sachdev, cofounder and CEO of Uniphore, joins Shripati Acharya for a deeply insightful and very real conversation about what it actually takes to build and scale enterprise AI.  Whether you are a founder, a product leader or someone thinking seriously about enterprise AI, this episode will give you clarity on business AI you won’t find elsewhere. What you’ll take away: • A clearer understanding of what Uniphore does as an end-to-end enterprise AI and data platform • Why so many AI pilots “fail” at first and how that failure can actually be meaningful progress • How enterprises are achieving predictable outcomes using unitary agents, workflow orchestration, guardrails and fine-tuned SLMs • The inside story of Uniphore’s strategic raise and why some of the world’s biggest AI and data companies chose to back them ⭐Episode Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 03:00 – What Uniphore Actually Does  05:47 – Why Enterprise AI Struggles to Scale Beyond Pilots 10:08 – The Determinism Problem: Why AI Gives Different Answers Each Time 12:32 – Unitary Agents and Workflow Orchestration for Predictable AI 14:00 – Small Language Models vs Large LLMs for Enterprise Use Cases 15:25 – Why Guardrails and Governance Matter in Real Deployments 16:39 – One Big Agent Fails but Ten Small Agents Work Better 20:40 – Why AI Pilots Fail and Why That Is a Good Thing 22:20 – Converting Experiments into Enterprise-Scale Adoption 24:26 – 35,000 Invoices a Week with Only Four Humans: ROI Case Study 26:25 – What Enterprises Really Look for in AI Systems 28:45 – Lessons from Building Across India and the US 32:51 – Why Founders Must Be Close to Their Biggest Market 34:44 – Structuring Teams Across Geographies for Global Scale 38:10 – The Journey of Building Uniphore Over Seventeen Years 42:36 – Hard Lessons Learned Along the Way 46:45 – Why NVIDIA, Snowflake, AMD and Databricks Invested 51:17 – How the Strategic Round Came Together 52:22 – Closing Note If this conversation resonates with you, drop your biggest takeaway in the comments and subscribe for more in-depth founder and VC discussions. #EnterpriseAI #Uniphore #ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents #SmallLanguageModels #AIInnovation #AIinBusiness #FounderInsights #StartupLessons #TechLeadership #GlobalScale #FutureOfWork #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

Ameen Haque — Founder of Storywallahs and one of India’s leading storytelling coaches — joins Amit Somani for an eye-opening deep dive into the craft of storytelling in business. If you're a founder, operator, leader, or creator, this conversation will reshape the way you pitch, lead, persuade, and communicate. 🔍 In this episode: • The real meaning of the “lion vs hunter” lesson • How Ratan Tata exemplifies storytelling through action • Why great leaders win trust through narrative • How to make customers the heroes of your story ⏱ Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 02:00 – Why humans think in stories, not facts 02:23 – “We are all storytellers” 03:18 – Why good work fails without a good story 04:54 – The “lion vs hunter” mindset shift 06:16 – Storytelling through action: The Ratan Tata example 07:23 – Living your story vs. telling it 14:39 – Why customers should be your storytellers 15:23 – The hierarchy of difficulty: 16:40 – Behavioural economics & persuasion 38:03 – “Stories aren’t long or short — they’re good or bad” 40:58 – Editing is the most underrated storytelling skill 41:48 – Learning from masters: music, art & observation A must-watch for anyone building something meaningful. 🎙️ Full episode now available on Prime Venture Partners Podcast. 📌 Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primevp_in/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574450955885 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/primevp Twitter: https://twitter.com/primevp_in Website: https://primevp.in #Storytelling #StartupMindset #LeadershipInsights #FounderWisdom #BusinessStrategy #CommunicationSkills #EntrepreneurJourney #PitchBetter #StartupLeadership #LearningToLead #AmeenHaque #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

Apple’s China story is more than a business case — it’s a mirror of globalization itself. In this eye-opening conversation, Patrick McGee, Financial Times journalist and author of Apple in China, sits down with Pankaj Agarwal to explore how Apple’s greatest triumph became its biggest challenge. 💬 In this episode: How Apple helped build modern ChinaThe lessons India must learn as it becomes Apple’s next manufacturing hubThe trade-offs between innovation, control, and national interestsWhat this means for founders, investors, and policymakers shaping India’s tech future 📌 Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 01:11 – Why Patrick Wrote Apple in China 03:33 – How Apple Ended Up in China 06:25 – Researching the Untold Story 08:21 – The Three Phases of Apple in China 11:03 – Lessons for Founders on Supply Chains 12:26 – The ‘Siren Song’ of China 13:13 – Apple’s Moral Dilemmas and Trade-offs 16:27 – Innovation, Arrogance & Plateau 19:04 – The Economics of Dependence 22:27 – What Can India Learn from China? 23:53 – Why Does Apple Need India? 25:45 – Are iPhones Made in India? 26:55 – The Future of Globalization & Supply Chains 31:31 – Why Should You Read Apple in China A conversation for those who think beyond valuations — about strategy, sovereignty, and the soul of global business. 🎧 Full episode out now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. #PrimePodcasts #PatrickMcGee #AppleInChina #GlobalBusiness #IndiaStartups #Leadership #TechGeopolitics #Apple #China #PrimeVenturePartners

Madhav Sheth, - the driving force behind Realme, now the Founder of Ai+, opens up about the inside world of smartphone wars, the rise (and fall) of Indian brands, and his vision to rebuild from scratch. 🔍 In this episode: • How Realme rewrote India’s smartphone playbook • Why most Indian brands couldn’t survive the global onslaught • The hidden monopoly controlling 60% of the market • The next revolution: AI-powered smartphones built for India • Lessons on leadership, innovation, and staying hungry after success 📌 Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 03:00 – Building Realme: From Idea to Global Brand 04:15 – The White Space in India’s Smartphone Market 06:20 – Understanding Indian Consumers: From Price to Value 08:10 – Scaling Through Value, Not Volume 10:00 – The Future: Hardware + Software + AI 12:00 – Why India Missed the Smartphone Opportunity 14:10 – Inside BBK Group: Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus & Realme 16:55 – What Killed Indian Smartphone Brands 19:05 – Inside the Smartphone Monopoly 20:35 – Building NextQ: Madhav’s New Mission 23:00 – Leadership Lessons & Founder Mindset 25:30 – Advice for India’s Next-Gen Tech Founders 🎧 Watch the full episode and discover what’s next for India’s tech future. #MadhavSheth #Realme #AI #IndiaTech #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Innovation #TechRevolution #MadeInIndia #Smartphones #FounderStories #ScaleUp #BusinessGrowth #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #DigitalIndia #FutureOfTech #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

For the first time ever, the Prime Venture Partners investment team — 1 Principal and 2 Vice Presidents — sit down to answer everything founders wish they could ask a VC face-to-face. This isn’t theory. This is the real inside view of how venture capital works in India: 💸 How VCs actually pick the 5 startups that make it through 📉 The real reason your pitch deck isn’t working 💬 Why not every profitable business is “VC-fundable” 💭 And the timeless debate: is venture success skill or luck? 📊 Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 05:51 – The VC funnel: 5,000 pitches → 5 investments 07:09 – How to reach a VC (referrals vs. cold outreach) 09:57 – Why not all great businesses are VC-fundable 14:20 – Founder mistakes that kill deals 18:20 – How much should you raise — and when 25:17 – Analysts & Associates: the real champions of deals 33:41 – The underrated power of monthly updates 39:49 – How founders should think about valuation 45:39 – How to pick your VC partner 50:00 – ESOPs, angels & early-stage strategy 56:00 – Skill vs. Luck — what really drives VC success If you’re building a startup, fundraising, or even thinking about raising capital someday, this is your Fundraising Masterclass from inside the VC room. 🎧 Watch till the end for honest takes, funny moments, and practical insights that can shape your next raise. #PrimeVenturesPartners #VentureCapital #StartupIndia #Founders #Fundraising #VCInsights #Entrepreneurship #StartupIndia #IndianStartups #RaisingCapital #PitchToVCs #StartupTips #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

In this episode, we sit down with Prateek Jain (Principal Scientist & Director at Google DeepMind) for an unfiltered deep dive into: How AI research has evolved from handcrafted features → deep learning → transformers → generativeWhy safety and efficiency matter just as much as scaleIndia’s once-in-a-generation chance to lead in deep AI researchThe founder’s playbook: building sustainable AI-first companiesThe next big bottlenecks — and opportunities — in this space This is more than a conversation. It’s a blueprint for the future of AI. 🚀 📌 Episode Timestamps00:00 – Introduction 03:00 – How Prateek stumbled into AI research in college 07:00 – The AlexNet moment and why it mattered 14:30 – GPUs, TPUs & scaling AI 16:20 – The ChatGPT moment & mass adoption 21:40 – Long reinforcement learning: the biggest surprise 24:00 – Bottlenecks in AI: data, efficiency, alignment 26:49 – India’s deep AI research challenge 50:44 – Founder advice for building with AI 👉 Watch the full episode now and subscribe for more thought leadership from India’s top founders and innovators. #ArtificialIntelligence #DeepLearning #GenerativeAI #MachineLearning #AIInnovation #TechTrends #FutureOfAI #AIForStartups #IndiaTech #Entrepreneurship #StartupEcosystem #GoogleDeepMind  #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

In this episode of the Prime Venture Partners Podcast, host Jerome Manuel sits down with Prof. Venkat Ramaswamy, Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business, and a globally recognized thought leader on innovation and co-creation. Prof. Venkat is the co-author of the seminal The Future of Competition with C.K. Prahalad and the new book, The Co-Intelligence Revolution. In this conversation, they discuss: Why the next decade will be shaped by co-intelligence — humans + AI co-creating valueHow experience innovation is transforming industries across the worldReal examples from Indian farmers to L’Oréal & SiemensWhat startups, founders, and enterprises must do to thrive in the AI era 💡 A must-watch episode for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and innovators building in the age of AI. Episode timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:03 The origins of co-creation with C.K. Prahalad 02:37 Humans vs AI - subjective experiences 04:24 Opportunities for entrepreneurs in co-intelligence 05:32 Jugalbandi case: WhatsApp assistant for farmers using AI + government services 17:36 L’Oréal’s AI in beauty 19:30 Porso example: AI transforming consumer beauty experiences 25:31 The Intelligent Enterprise: AI transforming how businesses operate 29:16 Siemens case: digital twins & industrial AI ecosystems 30:00 Enterprises and ecosystems 39:00 Risk-managed value - how enterprises evaluate startups 43:24 Power of prototyping for startups 45:00 AI’s role in startup speed & compressing time-to-value 📕 Learn more about Prof. Venkat’s book The Co-Intelligence Revolution: https://www.penguin.co.in/book/the-co-intelligence-revolution/ 📌 Subscribe for more such content. #TheCoIntelligenceRevolution #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Startups #Entrepreneurship #CoCreation #ExperienceInnovation #FutureOfWork #BusinessStrategy #VentureCapital #Leadership #TechTrends #DigitalTransformation #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

In this PrimeVP Podcast episode, we go back to the roots of the internet with Sabeer Bhatia, the man who gave the world Hotmail. 📧 From his Hotmail journey to his bold perspectives on today’s most pressing themes, Sabeer shares unfiltered insights on: 1️⃣ How an email problem at work sparked the idea that changed global communication forever 2️⃣ Why communication skills — not just capital — make or break founders 3️⃣ Why health & discipline matter more than hustle in the long run 4️⃣ Why India’s education system needs urgent reinvention to foster critical thinking 5️⃣ Why AI today feels like the early days of the internet — and what it means for the future ⏱ Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 02:50 – The serendipity behind Hotmail’s creation 06:40 – Storytelling vs. features: what consumers really buy 09:00 – The importance of thinking like a consumer 12:30 – The $99 smartwatch that beats Apple Watch 15:00 – Communication as a founder’s superpower 17:37 – From supercars to bicycles: redefining success 19:37 – Why AI will be bigger than the internet 20:00 – Critical thinking as the #1 future skill 24:30 – AI in medicine & education disruption 38:37 – Health as the real wealth for entrepreneurs 44:00 – Advice to young founders 💡 Top Takeaways for Founders & Professionals: ✔️ Simplicity + storytelling beats features every time ✔️ Health & discipline > hustle culture ✔️ Communication is the most underrated startup skill ✔️ India must prioritise critical thinking to stay globally competitive ✔️ AI’s impact will rival the internet revolution 💡 A must-watch for founders, operators, and anyone curious about what it takes to build, scale, and stay relevant across decades. 🎙 Hosted by Amit Somani #SabeerBhatia #Hotmail #PrimePodcast #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast #Entrepreneurship #IndianStartups #CriticalThinking #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #FutureOfWork #FounderMindset #CommunicationSkills #HealthAndWealth #Leadership

How do you pivot from an early idea that didn’t work ➝ to building a global SaaS leader trusted by 700+ enterprises? In this full episode of the Prime Podcast, Khadim Batti (Co-founder & CEO, Whatfix) reveals the raw founder journey: The pivot moment that sparked WhatfixHustling with 500 cold emails to close first customersLanding a Fortune 10 client at $25/month (and why logos matter more than price)Why product-market fit keeps evolvingScaling SaaS from India ➝ US with 85+ Fortune 500 clientsRaising $270M and turning investors into growth partnersHow AI is shaping the future of digital adoption 📌 Hosted by Gaurav Ranjan, Principal at Prime Venture Partners 📌 Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction  02:40 – Creating a Category Before It Existed  08:30 – PMF as a Moving Target  12:20 – 500 Emails & First Customers  15:50 – Why Focus on the US Market  18:40 – Fortune 10 Customer at $25  22:10 – Narrowing Down GTM  25:00 – Selling to Enterprises  30:00 – India vs US Sales Teams  37:00 – Fundraising Lessons  44:20 – How AI is Changing Digital Adoption  47:19 – Making Investors Work for You 📺 Subscribe for more founder journeys  #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #Whatfix #Founders #StartupJourney #VentureCapital #ScalingStartups #IndiaToGlobal #DigitalAdoption #Leadership #StartupEcosystem #FounderLessons #CategoryCreation #PrimeVenturePatnersPodcast

In this episode of the Prime Venture Partners Podcast, Sanjay Swamy hosts Mahesh Joshi, Head of Asia Private Equity at BlueOrchard and author of H.I.T. Investing. He shares powerful insights on how companies across India and Asia are solving critical problems like: Financial inclusion for underserved Kirana storesGender equity in small business financeClimate resilience through tech and EV adoptionLeveraging UPI, DPI, and IndiaStack to scale affordable services 📌 Key themes: - What HIT investing really means (High Impact + Tech) - Why India is the perfect testbed for scalable impact - How founders with deep domain knowledge are creating billion-dollar       outcomes - ESG vs HIT: The execution gap 📣 Whether you're a startup founder, investor, or policy watcher — this is an essential conversation on the future of purposeful capitalism. 🔔 Subscribe to our channel & hit the bell so you never miss an episode. 📌 Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primevp_in/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574450955885 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/primevp Twitter: https://twitter.com/primevp_in Website: https://primevp.in #ImpactInvesting #HITInvesting #StartupIndia #ClimateTech #TechForGood #FinancialInclusion #ESGInvesting #SocialImpact #FounderStories #MaheshJoshi #BlueOrchard #StartupPodcast #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

From “Virat Kohli is the best preparer in the cricket world” to reminding startup leaders of the most important lesson - “Who I am and the results of what I do are different”, our podcast with Paddy Upton has it all! 🎯 What you’ll take away in this full episode with Paddy (mental coach to India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team): ✅ Why startup founders must evolve from individual contributors → captains → coaches ✅ How to build “personal mastery” through unsexy fundamentals ✅ The hidden costs of ego in leadership ✅ Lessons from MS Dhoni & Virat Kohli ✅ Why “success ≠ self-worth” — and how to emotionally detach from outcomes 📌 Episode Timestamp 00:00 – Introduction  01:46 – What startups & sports have in common 03:46 – Leadership evolution: player → captain → coach 05:46 – Mental fitness: sleep, nutrition & exercise 08:16 – Separating identity from outcomes 12:00 – How to review wins & losses 15:20 – The danger of chasing shiny objects 17:35 – Lessons from Virat Kohli & MS Dhoni 🎧 Whether you’re building a startup, leading a team, or navigating your own mental game—this conversation is for you. Hosted by Amit Somani! #PaddyUpton #AmitSomani #Leadership #MentalFitness #Startups #Entrepreneurship #CricketLeadership #MSDhoni #ViratKohli #SelfWorth #PerformancePsychology #IndiaStartups #MindsetMatters #CoachingJourney #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast 

🎙️ Bala Parthasarathy - Chairman & Co-founder, Freo, Director at People+AI, Senior Adviser, EMK Capital (London) -  joins us for one of our most insightful episodes. In this full conversation, Bala discusses: 🔹 Snapfish’s dotcom-era growth, crash, and acquisition by HP 🔹 Building Aadhaar from the ground up with Nandan Nilekani 🔹 The truth about raising and deploying venture capital 🔹 What’s broken (and what’s working) in fintech 🔹 The founder's mindset in the age of AI If you're a founder, investor, or operator, this episode is packed with lessons, stories, and perspective. 📌 Episode Timestamps: 00:00 – Bala’s background & Snapfish origins 03:00 – Dotcom boom, bust & Snapfish acquisition 06:30 – Understanding VC: what founders often get wrong 10:00 – Building Aadhaar at scale with Nandan Nilekani 13:00 – Freo, fintech & operating in regulated markets 16:00 – AI disruption & founder readiness 23:00 – How every function is being reshaped by AI 28:00 – Founder life: balance, energy & playing the long game 📌 Follow us: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/primevp Twitter: https://twitter.com/primevp_in Website: https://primevp.in 👇 Subscribe for more insights from top founders & investors. #BalaParthasarathy #Startups #AI #VentureCapital #Aadhaar #FintechIndia #Entrepreneurship  #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast