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When was the last time you visited a homestay and you were in awe of how it was made? Idika, located in Moinabad (near Hyderabad) was created using discarded cement bags filled with mud. No cement. No iron. Zero waste-water. A structure that is cool is summers and warm in the winters. You get to experience natural living. And speaking with Vivek Reddy, I could feel the love and passion with which he and his family have built this homestay. There were many challenges in the way, but that didn't stop Vivek. He is a force of nature. I had a blast talking to Vivek and we spoke about a range of topics like: (02:29): Vivek’s background in real estate and why he wanted to build something sustainable (4:22): Building earth bag dome structures - the beginning of IDIKA (10:24): What is the significance of 111 GO guidelines? (11:58): Meeting the expert of dome structures : Raghuveer (15:44): The process of building an earth dome structure in 16 days (17:26): What is the science behind the dome structures? (18:55): DIFFICULT STRUCTURE TO BUILD (24:08): Transition from Residential > Commercial home stay (27:12): Learning how to make a swimming pool from scratch (30:08): Distribution model + the power of Instagram for business promotions (35:40): Vivek’s extreme measures to build IDIKA & building a unique experience (44:39): The meaning of IDIKA (48:21): Did it ever feel like it would not work out? (53:20): GenZ + Millennials make for a good outing business You can book your stay @ here

Most of us have a hard time waking up in the morning and hitting the gym. Or going for a run. Or doing basic stretching. It's hard. We take annual gym memberships and then we forget about it! To save time, you might think about building a home gym. But for that, you need space. You need to buy different equipments. Not everyone can do that. Enter AroLeapX A smart home gym, that can be mounted on the wall. It uses digital weights to create resistance. 150+ exercises. Data driven insights for progressive training. Looks very aesthetic. It's the future of fitness. AroLeap recently launched a new product called Ferra. Built for people who have NEVER worked out. Designed to promote healthy aging - requiring only 5 MINUTES of daily exercise! You can get Ferra by paying a monthly subscription fee and you don't need to pay for the hardware - which is the case with AroLeapX. I had a lot of fun picking Rohit's brain, which was bubbling with creative ideas. We spoke about a range of topics: (02:19): Introduction to Rohit and how did the seed of building things take fruition? [talking about Mechanical Engg, entry into IIT Delhi & the Robotics Club] (08:03): Journey of the co-founders after college + creation of the ICONIC WhatsApp Group to discuss potential ideas (11:54): IDEA FOR AROLEAP and exploring the concept of digital weights (16:18): IDEA > PROTOTYPE > FUNDRAISING > R&D > FIRST SALES (23:28): Challenges faced while building the product (26:56): WhatsApp Groups for each customer and taking customer feedback to another level (32:29): ELEVATOR PITCH + how does AroLeap work? (39:45): The SharkTank Experience (45:55): LAUNCH OF FERRA - for people aged 40+ with minimum strength training + leveraging the subscription model (59:22): What’s next for Aroleap? (1:03:16): What does it take to run a biz in India? You can check out their story and the amazing suite of products they're building here

Plant based leather is the future. It is cruelty free. More durable. On par with pricing compared to animal leather. If you're a conscious consumer - plant based leather is a no brainer. And that's what Gayatri is building with Green Hermitage. Premium hand-bags made from plant leather. Exquisite designs. Empowering artisans. We need brands like GH to usher into a world of sustainability. In this podcast, I learnt so much from Gayatri. She is a force. And one key takeaway for me, listening to her story - was that you do NOT need a degree to build anything. You need grit. You need desire to make an impact. And you're good to go. The rest can be learnt along the way. (03:23): Introduction to Gayatri, her early career (corporate law + living in Africa + working w/UN) and how she got introduced to the world of carbon credits. (09:53): BIG TRANSITION — quitting her job to do something impactful, shifting to Uganda + working with the UN + GIZ + Ugandan Parliament! (16:22): Diving into Academia - studying for Masters in Environment & Development. (20:45): Studying consumption, waste and sustainable materials & how a damaged bag started a chain of thought to start a sustainable bags company. (22:15): INCEPTION — sourcing plant leather + finding artisans + working on designs. (27:32): Early days of Green Hermitage - challenges and learnings. (31:42): How should a female business owner deal with investors? (37:18): ELEVATOR PITCH for GH (39:35): A crash course in plant based leather & how a bag is made. (45:15): GTM strategy, distribution model and talking about customer feedback from different geographies. (50:03): GOING GLOBAL — Expanding beyond India. (53:13): Talking about designing + naming of the bags. (56:57): What’s next for Green Hermitage? (100:33): RAPID FIRE Qs You can check out their website @ greenhermitage.com

Logistics is an unorganized industry. Not a lot has changed in a very long time, and this industry is ripe for disruption. One of the big problems in India (and globally), is the transport of empty containers. This is what happens: (1) Once a container lands in India, it goes to the Importer's premises by road and it is unloaded. (2) Once unloaded, the empty container goes back to a depot, where it is inspected and then it is re-used for Export. (3) Once again, post inspection - the empty container travel by road to the Exporter's premises. This delays exports. Stretches working capital for shipping lines. No one wins. And this is precisely the problem that MatchLog is trying to solve. It tracks empty containers and links importers & exporters. They inspect the empty containers so that it doesn't have to travel all the way back to depots. MatchLog works with various stakeholders in the Logistics industry and through their platform have been able to drive efficiencies for all players involved. I had a blast picking Harsh's brain about all things Logistics and how they built MatchLog through several iterations. We spoke on various topics like: (01:55): Introduction to Harsh Gupta - talking about college biz, family biz, a few job stints before starting MatchLog. (11:44): Making a transition from operating a family business to joining Grab + learning how to integrate tech into logistics + ultimately starting MatchLog. (16:07): ITERATIONS - talking about various changes in the b-model & a crash course in container logistics (23:06): ELEVATOR PITCH FOR MATCHLOG (26:09): How much time is MatchLog saving? (27:34): How does International Logistics work? Is empty container shipment a global issue? (30:46): Who are the various stakeholders involved in Logistics? (32:19): Talking about carbon emissions, competition, awareness required, dealing with business owners (37:07): Current sales strategy & pushing technology into Logistics (41:17): Recruitment @ MatchLog - BIG opportunity (42:29): What’s next for MatchLog? Talking scale and expanding to new geographies. (45:42): How difficult is it to iterate? What goes in the mind of a founder? How do you deal with uncertainty? (48:39): CORE TEAM @ MATCHLOG (51:27): Rapid Fire Qs You can check out their website here

When I think about diamonds, a few words come in my mind instantly. Shiny, glamorous, precious, rare and expensive. Buying diamond jewellery used to be a luxury for most people in India. People would save for years and buy on special occasions like family weddings, anniversaries, birthdays & festivals. But, times have changed. And diamond trade is going through a phase of evolution. A wave of disruption caused by lab grown diamonds (LGDs). LGDs are an exact replica of mined diamonds with a contrasting difference - their cost. Cost of LGDs are lower by 80-95% compared to mined diamonds. Riding this wave, is Solitario - a luxury lab grown diamond brand with presence in India, Dubai, Malaysia among others. The brand promotes sustainable practices with the aim of making luxury diamonds more accessible to a wider audience. This podcast was a crash course for me on LGDs and I had an absolute blast hosting Anurag. We spoke on a range of topics like: (3:13): TRICKS OF THE TRADE - How does a mall work?  (8:03): The Engineering DNA - how can do they everything? (14:06): Joining Solitario + creating the offline launch strategy (20:05): GOING GLOBAL - launch in Dubai @ Burj Khalifa & other countries + how mall zoning helps in building an aspirational brand. (27:16): A crash course in lab grown diamonds [CVD / HPHT] (33:50): Potential of the LGD Market (36:03): Quick take on Distribution / Marketing strategies - Target audience, Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs), Multi Brand Outlets (MBOs), Indian customer profile, Global customers (40:11): Current challenges for growth (42:52): Leadership Team @ Solitario (Ricky + Vivek Oberoi) (46:17): RAPID FIRE Qs You can check out Solitario's luxury collection here

In 1978, Nand Kishore Chaudhary (NKC) got a job offer from a Government bank and the chance to move from Churu to Jaipur -- something most people could only dream of back in the day. But, he declined that offer. He saw an opportunity in the carpets business which was a 100% export market and was growing steadily. He also saw this as an opportunity to impact lives and connect with people. So, he took a leap of faith. He took a loan of INR 5000 from his father. Bought a bicycle. Two looms. And started working with 9 artisans in Churu. And that's how Jaipur Rugs was born. Fast forward to today, he has created a sprawling empire with their carpets being exported to 60 different countries. They have trained >40,000 artisans and run various social initiatives via Jaipur Rugs Foundation. NKC & Jaipur Rugs are a shining example of how a business can create lasting impact in the lives of people. I learnt a lot while speaking to NKC and we spoke about a range of topics like: (02:03): How NKC started his entrepreneurial journey with INR 5,000 (08:14): Inception of JaipurRugs — navigating early challenges of doing biz in the 1980s (14:49): What goes into making an exquisite handcrafted rug? Wool > Yarn > Carpet (20:31): How long does it take to make one carpet? (22:02): Challenges in the rug making biz - machine made carpets + reduction of artisans (25:28): BIG OPPORTUNITY — Evolution of luxury rugs market in India (28:17): Jaipur Rugs Foundation — changing lives of artisans (32:12): BUILDING LEGACY — Integrating children into the family biz (36:33): New initiatives @ JaipurRugs - converting artisans to artists (39:41): RAPID FIRE Qs You can check out their website @ JaipurRugs

The story of Mikiamo begins in Agra, with 3 friends [Aakriti, her husband & Davide] chilling out discussing [drunk] business ideas in the midst of a lot of beer, wine & whisky. While discussing business ideas, their Italian friend [Davide] asked if he could have a shot of Limoncello -- and all of them came to the realisation that there was no proper Limoncello brand in India. Lo & behold, an idea formed in their minds. Why not bring this traditional Italian drink to India? And that's what they're doing with Mikiamo. They're brining the taste and the culture of Italy to the bustling cities of India. I learnt a lot about operating an alcohol brand in India from Aakriti and we spoke about a range of topics like: (02:00): Introduction to Aakriti Kochhar, the founder of Mikiamo Limencello (05:44): Aakriti’s take on the India growth story (06:46): Making an entry in the liquor biz + idea for Limencello (11:57): IDEA > REALITY (15:44): What’s so special about Italian lemons? (18:15): How is Limoncello different from whisky / wine / beer? (24:39): What’s the best way to consume Limoncello? (26:48): Strategy behind choosing Goa to launch the brand (29:26): How do you distribute a liquor product? (34:53): Expansion into other markets (Delhi / Haryana) + understanding the regulatory requirements of setting up a liquor brand (39:08): How is the market shaping up for Limoncello in India? (43:58): Talking about Pocket Dynamite + the importance of Limencello in Italy (49:43): What is the meaning of Mikiamo? (51:08): VISION FOR THE FUTURE (54:11): RAPID FIRE Qs

In this episode, I invited Jigar Mehta - founder of Honey Twigs, a company that is reshaping how we think and consume honey. Honey has a lot of nutrients. Rich in anti-oxidants. Better for blood sugar. Helps in healing. Honey is a segment which has not been disrupted for a VERY long time. The first thought that I get when I think about honey, is that it is a medicine. We're not really motivated to consume it daily. With Honey Twigs - Jigar is on a mission to change that perception. They make aesthetic looking 'twigs' which are mess free, naturally sourced and make consuming honey a lot of fun! I had a lot of fun talking to Jigar on this episode, and it was like a crash course into the business of honey. We spoke about: (01:58) How did Jigar get a taste of entrepreneurship & the idea to enter the world of honey? (06:52) The 0 to 1 journey of HoneyTwigs — creating innovative honey variants  (14:42) Strategy to create mass market flavors for consumers (18:42) Disrupting the way people consumed honey (27:00) THE SHARK TANK EFFECT (32:22) Competition from new players? (34:13) Crystallisation = Pure Honey (39:12) Mythbusters on Honey (46:38) Key takeaways running HT (48:12) RAPID FIRE Qs

In this episode, I invited Krishi Fagwani — founder of Thrive, a company in the food aggregation space. This space is dominated by Zomato + Swiggy, but suffers from a few issues like high restaurant commissions, low customer rewards etc. Thrive wants to solve that. They are a restaurant first platform offering low commissions, rewarding customers for their activity with cashbacks & offering various loyalty programs. It is a platform where restaurants & customers can thrive, together! I had a lot of fun talking to Krishi, and it was like a crash course in the food biz. We spoke about a range of topics like: (00:00): Introduction  (01:42): What was it about the food industry that appealed to Krishi + how he got started  (07:09): First time entrepreneurs + executing the business plan + navigating through various iterations  (10:45): Competing w/ the BIG FISHES (Zomato & Swiggy)  (18:34): Leveraging existing business partners during COVID for growth  (20:32): Journey through the years + customer traction  (28:47): Building the ultimate platform for foodies - digitalising the word of mouth  (35:36): HYPOTHETICAL Q - would Krishi sell Thrive to Zomato?  (41:46): BLOCKER FOR FUTURE GROWTH?  (45:02): Why Krishi is not getting into QCom?  (47:36): 10Y in the industry - learnings and key takeaways  (51:56): RAPID FIRE Qs!

In this episode, I invited Garvita Mamodiya - founder of Teela, a company which is curating unique experiences with its [aesthetic looking] glamping resorts. With the fast paced work culture that we're heading towards, people are not getting an opportunity to truly connect with nature. To fully detox. To engage in adventurous activities. Enter Glamping. A phenomenon which is emerging in India which is a mixing luxurious accommodation with camping. Teela is providing unique experiences for it's customers allowing them to truly connect with their surroundings offering activities include ATV riding, paintball, private dining, nature walk etc. I had a blast talking to Garvita and learnt a LOT about glamping and the future of hospitality in this episode. We spoke about a range of topics like: (00:00) – Introduction (04:30) – When did Garvita first get a taste for entrepreneurship + talking about her inclination towards the hospitality industry. (07:45) – Transitioning from building a normal resort to launching a Glamping Resort. (09:57) – What is GLAMPING? (14:56) – What are the various adventures you can indulge in @ Teela? (16:29) – SECRETSAUCE: Constant iterations > Learning from customer feedback > curating new experiences (20:18) – Talking about traction, marketing strategies, harnessing the power of Instagram and exploring new geographies. (27:15) – Challenges & learnings from building a hospitality company. (33:07) – Talking about the vibrant team @ Teela (35:18) – What is Garvita building next? What is keeping her excited about the future? (43:10) – RAPID FIRE Qs Check out Teela's website here

In this episode, I invited Shubham Singh – founder of Craste, a company creating value added products like packing materials, panel boards and paper from agricultural residue with the vision to create wealth from waste. India generates more than 500 MILLION tonnes of agricultural residue every year. We are all aware of the incredible amount of pollution caused by stubble burning because farmers don’t know what to do with so much waste. Shubham saw this problem as an opportunity. With an abundance of agricultural residue – you could build systems to derive value added products from them. After 5 years of intensive R&D and a lot of patents filed, Craste is absolutely crushing it in this sector. Value added products from agricultural residue, at scale, across various rural areas in India – could transform the country. And we should do whatever we can to support them! I learnt a lot from Shubham in this podcast and we spoke about a range of topics like: (00:00): Introduction (02:15): How did Shubham first get a taste of entrepreneurship + building Gramiksha (06:40): Moving back to academics > Imperial College of London – researching about carbon capture. (10:48): Meeting the QUEEN OF ENGLAND. (14:17): Getting into a entrepreneurship fellowship called ‘Waste to Value’. (18:35): The problem of agricultural residue + creating products from this waste. (23:00): THE JOURNEY FROM IDEA > R&D > EXECUTION. (31:57): Making money from waste > entering the commercializing phase. (34:25): THE PROCESS: converting agricultural residue into value added products. (38:37): How is competition in this space? Can Craste compete with plastic packaging companies? (43:00): How do you apply to Government fellowship programs? (46:20): How does the future of Craste look like? (49:00): RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS You can reach out to Shubham at [email protected] to get your hands on the 100+ business ideas that he has! You can learn about government fellowships at Venture Center's website here You can learn about what Craste is building here

In this episode, I invited Bhuman Dani – founder of WickedGud, a company promoting guilt free eating with the mission of un-junking one kitchen at a time. Did you know that the noodles you eat are already deep fried? The pasta that you eat has a lot of refined flour? If you’re consuming these packaged foods on a daily basis, it’s not healthy – especially if it is being consumed by kids. How do you solve this problem? You eliminate the deep fry process. You eliminate the refined flour. At the same time, try to keep the taste and texture. That’s exactly what WickedGud is trying to build. With health icons like Shilpa Shetty representing the brand and with grabbing eye balls on Shark Tank, WickedGud has positioned itself perfectly to conquer the future of food. I had a blast talking to Bhuman and we spoke about a range of topics like: (00:00): Introduction (01:11): How did Bhuman start his entrepreneurial journey? Was it in his blood? (04:48): Is there a secret to crack BCG interviews? (05:55): What tilted Bhuman to exit his first venture and start another venture towards guilt free eating? (12:28): ELEVATOR PITCH (15:57): How were the early days of WickedGud? Why did Bhuman start with Pasta? What were the methodologies adopted to go from idea to launch? (21:46): NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES + using different technologies to drastically reduce saturated fats. (33:08): Talking about traction, distribution strategies, geographies that are working for the brand and customer feedback. (42:29): How was the experience of working with Shilpa Shetty to represent WickedGud? (45:11): THE SHARK TANK EXPERIENCE (49:17): What is the long term vision for WickedGud? Any new product launches in the pipeline? (50:44): RAPID FIRE Qs

In this episode, I invited Bhagyashree Bhansali – founder of The Disposal Company, an organization that is helping brands to achieve plastic + carbon neutrality. Imagine that you’re a brand that is using 100KG of plastic in your packaging, production etc. and you want to be able to offset your plastic footprint without setting your own recycling plant. You reach out to the folks at The Disposal Company. They understand your plastic footprint. They coordinate with recyclers to ensure 100KG of similar plastic get recycled. And they sell you the plastic credits. It’s a win – win – win. I had an amazing time talking to Bhagyashree & learnt a TON of stuff about plastic / carbon credits and how the waste management industry functions in general. We spoke about a range of topics like: (00:00): Introduction (01:44): A brief dive into the psyche of Bhagyashree and her experiences (05:45): How can a normal Indian citizen get into politics / activism / social service? (10:00): When did Bhagyashree get exposure + building knowledge base about the waste management sector? (17:00): BUILDING A BUSINESS: How did Bhagyashree transition into building a business around waste management (19:56): Can Microplastics cause cancer? (20:55): Getting into the business of plastic credits + starting THE DISPOSAL COMPANY (22:54): Talking about the initial days + building traction (26:10): How is the industry shaping up for the plastic credits market? (29:42): ELEVATOR PITCH FOR THE DISPOSAL COMPANY + Understanding the B-model (37:44): THE SYSTEM: Buying & selling of plastic and carbon credits (42:46): Growth plan for the future (44:18): How are environmental regulations shaping up for plastic / carbon neutrality? (50:47): Collaborating with The Disposal Company (52:23): What can normal Indian citizens do avoid excessive waste and avoid micro-plastics? (58:39): RAPID FIRE Qs If you’re a brand owner looking to offset your plastic / carbon footprint – The Disposal Company can help you. You can check out their website or reach out to the founder at [email protected]

In this episode, I invited Preksha Chopra - founder of Welme, a health and wellness company which has created a period pain relief device. Welme, uses TENS technology to reduce period pain in women. It's clinically tested. Has no side effects. It's portable. It's sleek. You can wear it even while you work. Or while you party. No anti-biotics required. I learnt a TON in this episode about period pain and asked a LOT of questions (some stupid ones too :P) and Preksha was kind enough to answer all of them which such calmness. She knows her stuff! We covered a range of topics like: (00:00): Introduction (01:30): What is Preksha building with Welme and talking about the science behind the tech (04:20): The foundational events that led to the IDEA for Welme (10:51): How does the Product work? (13:08): How challenging was it to convince people to use a tech instrument to treat period pain? How was the initial response to Welme? (17:15): Business in the blood? (18:38): Talking about the MOAT and how Welme can stay one step ahead of the competition (19:50): Why is talking about Periods still considered a Taboo? (22:18): HYPOTHETHICAL Q: What would Preksha do if a big shot Pharma company approached her to buy Welme? (25:35): What are the new products in the pipeline? (27:10): Key learnings while building a business in the wellness space in India (31:38): Talking about manufacturing, customer traction, marketing, product design and distribution (40:52): THE FUTURE OF WELME (42:44): Some FAQs around period pain (50:35): What’s the story behind the Logo and the name? (53:00): LUCK VS HARDWORK If you go through severe period pain, why not try out Welme? You can check out their website for exciting new stuff in this space!

I enjoyed the conversation with Sharan so much that we created content equal to two episode. This is the second part where we spoke about the following: (00:13): What does it take to build a company in India? Talking about challenges + key learnings (06:04): How to get your product placed in supermarkets and offline distribution channels? (08:49): How does the FMCG business work? (11:58): BOOTSTRAPPING VS FUNDRAISING (20:07): How do you compete with a player who is funded when you’re bootstrapped? (24:15): How is it like having a sibling as a Co-Founder? How do the dynamics play out while running the business? (28:12): Creating a logo to create engagement + capture attention (31:52): Story behind the name ‘Sober & Co’ (34:53): Success Factor: LUCK VS HARDWORK