Avsnitt
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The dollar will lose its status as the world’s reserve currency & the greatest wealth transfer in history is already underway - warns the founder of one of India’s fastest-growing unicorns!
In this episode, Deepak Garg, founder of Rivigo and AnywhereJobs shares why Rivigo's iconic Relay model succeeded, and what ultimately limited it.
He predicts Zomato's dominance, questions funding choices of startups and shares why India may miss the AI revolution without a radical energy shift.
From Bitcoin vs. gold and Trump’s potential Nobel Peace Prize to Tesla becoming a $30 trillion company, Deepak’s predictions are bold and grounded in years of pattern recognition.
If you're a founder, investor, or macro nerd, this is an episode you won’t forget.
0:00- Rivigo & Anywhere Jobs
02:16 – When your business outgrows the market
04:18 – Capital raising is a Double-edged sword
05:02 – Which ideas truly need funding?
07:33 – Build teams with Accuracy, not Kindness
09:39 – How to know if you've chosen the right market?
10:41 – Why Zomato is India's best Consumer tech bet
16:00 – How the Power is shifting b/w nations today?
20:18 – Will Dollar cease to be a Reserve currency?
22:36 – Is Bitcoin better than Gold?
26:59 – Who will be the Next global Superpower?
31:56 – India in the Next 20 years
34:22 – When 2 players control 80% of India’s Private sector
35:52 – Why China is far ahead of India in Nuclear Energy?
40:17 – Will Trump win a Nobel Peace Prize in 2025?
42:01 – How Tesla could become a $30 trillion company?
47:15 – Wealth transfer from Wall Street to Main Street
50:30 – Where India should focus in AI
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India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.
What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.
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Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.
Send us a text
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Venture capital is much fancied today.
Is this job which looks like cutting cheques for products and founders you like, for everyone?
As for any work, there are traits you should have and some which won’t help you on the job.
We have with us Kushal Bhagia (All In Capital), Karthik Prabhakar (Peer Capital), and Rajan (Upekkha).
Three people who interestingly all began as engineers and took different career paths to today become Fund managers of leading VC firms.
All In Capital’s $24M pre-seed fund backing early-stage founders,
Peer Capital’s $75M early-stage fund investing in tech-first Indian startups from seed to Series A,
Upekkha's $40M Capital’s accelerator-style fund supporting B2B SaaS startups.
Tune in!
01:53 – Why builders shouldn’t become VCs?
03:12 – Why best VCs sell well & stay curious
05:12 – How the VC job is like Flying a plane
07:48 – How parental instincts enable VCs?
10:42 – Is fundraising harder than ever?
14:12 – What makes people write VC cheques?
18:03 – Where do India’s rich family offices invest?
20:30 – Why India still doesn’t have its own YC?
22:55 – The OG YC when startups weren’t cool
28:00 – Can YC’s numbers ever be replicated?
33:03 – David v/s Goliath of Small vs large funds
39:02 – Zepto’s first $50k cheque
40:22 – Sectors VCs won’t touch
41:35 – Story-driven v/s numbers-driven Fundraising
44:36 – How we missed Swiggy, Postman & Zepto?
46:18 – The best VCs
48:24 – What needs to change in Indian VC?
49:47 – Founders we’d invest In (But not work for)
51:25 – Unlearnings as an Investor
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India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.
What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.
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Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.
Send us a text
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
In this episode of The Neon Show, Vishwa (Co-founder of ZenDuty) is joined by Rahul Sasi (Co-founder of CloudSEK) and Ananda Krishna (Co-founder of Astra Security).They share how AI feels magical now. And how as founders they are trying to sprinkle this magic everywhere from how building products to building teams and everything that matters.
This episode is packed with valuable insights for anyone interested in startup culture, productivity, and AI magic. Tune in!
Due to some technical issues, there are disturbances in the audio in a few parts. We apologize and hope to deliver the best production quality in all our future episodes.
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00:00 Everything is being Reimagined!
00:41 Meet the New Hosts
01:08 Founders' Biggest Time Killer
05:10 Why entrepreneurs should fail fast?
11:19 Will your job inevitably change?
17:40 How AI has reimagined engineering jobs?
19:13 PMs & Designers have New workflows
20:35 Why everyone should learn to Prompt?
24:14 Is your team using AI Budgets efficiently?
26:59 Do people trust AI chatbots?
32:18 Does sales still need humans?
35:53 Do we expect empathy from AI?
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Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.
Send us a text
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In this episode, we sit down with two exceptional founders. One who is going after the biggest category, and one who created a new category and became its leading player.
Vijay Rayapati (Co-founder, Atomicwork) and Khadim Batti (Co-founder, Whatfix) share their hard-earned insights on what it truly takes to build a great company.
From closing million-dollar deals remotely to building AI-native organisations and cultivating long-term leadership, this conversation goes deep into the real playbook behind enduring companies.
Watch if you’re a founder, a team builder, or simply someone who wants to understand how great companies are actually built.
0:00 – Trailer
01:37 – The Viral Meme Story
03:28 – What the Founders Admire About Each Other
07:20 – Navigating US–India Work Timings
08:39 – Hiring & Retaining Talent
15:54 – Why Founders Need Mentors
24:53 – When Employees Think Short-Term
31:48 – Building Organic Leadership
35:58 – Hunger vs Humility
39:58 – Building Company Culture
44:55 – Why Abolish Designations
51:38 – What is Founder’s Mentality?
54:44 – Large vs New Categories
01:00:44 – When Things Go Wrong
01:02:41 – Handling Board Pressure
01:06:45 – Never Compromise on Customer Service
01:13:58 – What to build is becoming harder
01:18:57 – FOMO in AI
01:25:10 – AI Will Remove Bureaucracy, Not Jobs
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.
Send us a text
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CRM is a category often equated with its market leader, Salesforce.
Hence, companies and investors question the viability of building a business in this space.
Nilesh Patel, founder of Leadsquared, who built a Unicorn in CRM, joins us today.
We discuss the category, the business, and its competitors.
With Byju’s as their first large deal, Edtech brought over 40% of their customers.
Then the industry went through a downfall, but Leadsquared survived by a well timed expansion.
From lack of capital restricting entry into the US market, to fast-forward today, where they have gone global.
Nilesh shares his thoughts on the skills founders need and the decisions they have to make -on exits, acquisitions, and hiring.
Tune in for more!
0:00-Trailer
1:35 – Building Leadsquared
3:19 – First large deal with Byjus
7:12 – Fundraising from Private Equity
9:58 – CRM as an Undesirable Investment
12:10 – Should Co’s enter the CRM Space?
13:35 – How to price SAAS in India?
15:23 – Diversifying beyond EdTech
16:49 – How to build market differentiation?
20:29 – Highest annual deal of <$10M
23:37 – India spends $500M-$1B on CRM
26:39 – Are Indian founders underpricing?
28:40 – GTM in the US Market
33:26 – What would Leadsquared do differently?
47:32 – When Should a Founder Exit?
49:03 – How AI Will Transform CRM
55:09 – Views on Byju Raveendran
56:55 – When founders think like VC’s
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.
Send us a text
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Meet Sharad Sanghi who built India’s first data center, he spent 25 years building Netmagic, India’s largest data center company. He came to India in 1995, worked at VSNL as the country was discovering the internet, and built a company focused on internet for businesses.
Now he is building Neysa, an AI cloud startup, which recently raised $50M to help businesses adopt AI, all from India.
With Neysa businesses can use AI without writing a lot of code or use five different tools to run it. And do everything—train models, test them, deploy them, and monitor them—in one single dashboard.
Sharad has a lot of perspective to share—as someone who was at the forefront while India adopted the internet, and now, the AI wave.
If you're building in AI, part of an enterprise exploring AI, or simply thinking about where India is in the AI race—this episode is for you.
0:00 – Trailer
02:00 – How Neysa makes AI easy & cheap?
04:37 – From datacentre to AI
06:54 – 1200 GPUs & 15 Clients
07:24 – Selling internet to Businesses
12:03 – Why India Needs Local AI Clouds
13:20 – How Neysa Plans to Stand Out
15:14 – Is Scaling a Hyperscaler Easy?
19:26 – Can India Shift from IT to AI?
26:40 – AI in Large Enterprises vs Mid-Market
27:51 – AI Revolution vs Cloud in 2006
31:06 – What’s the Moat for AI Startups?
33:08 – Is Private Data the Real AI Goldmine?
35:59 – Why Product & GTM Matter Early On
38:06 – Why Scaling must come before Demand
42:12 – OpenAI’s edge on Deepseek?
44:52 – How should enterprises navigate AI?
46:32 – Did Only NVIDIA Predict the AI Boom?
48:17 – Founder 1.0 V/S 2.0
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.
Send us a text
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In this episode of The Neon Show, we bring you into the room with someone who’s spent over a decade backing India’s most ambitious companies.
We're joined by Prayank Swaroop, Partner at Accel. With over 14 years in venture capital, Prayank walks us through his journey of discovering and building expertise in specific sectors—from cybersecurity and developer tools to SaaS and marketplaces—and how VCs identify the categories they truly understand.
We dive into how Accel chooses best founders, and the balance between backing founder versus business across stages. Prayank shares his candid thoughts on why India has been slow and late to the AI race, and what a realistic way forward could look like for Indian startups.
He also offers a glimpse into Accel’s evolving investment thesis around AI, sector by sector, and talks about how the enterprise landscape is changing—and what that means for Indian founders building in this space.
Tune in!
0:00- Trailer
1:45 – Finding Great Founders
6:30 – What We'd Do Differently
10:16 – Sector Expertise Matters
13:15 – Where AI Money Should Go
18:00 – Accel’s GenAI Bets
21:18 – Sector-Wise Thesis in AI
23:24 – Growth means Product in AI
26:45 – Rise of Founder-Influencers
29:10 – $650million India Fund
31:35 – Beyond Roti, Kapda, Makaan
34:07 – Why Accel is Big on Content
36:03 – 15 Years in VC
38:16 – Highs & Lows of VC Ecosystem
43:36 – Knowledge Compounds in VC
49:45 – Conviction over Consensus
51:06 - Conclusion
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.
Send us a text
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Is it time for investors to move beyond the valley when analyzing India?
Dev Khare, Partner at Lightspeed agrees.
He shares with us an interesting view on two funding models:
The Silicon valley model begins with raising millions of dollars & going through huge negative cashflow for years. Hopefully building a great product or maybe even creating a new market. And a few years later, comes out with super fast growth & revenue potential of millions & billions of dollars.
Whereas, in the Compounder model companies raise little to no funding in early days. They don’t go to negative cash flow, instead growing slowly. Not at 3x ,but at 50% and keep at it for some 10 years building a large company. Thus becoming profitable in a few years following a slow J curve, and raising rounds only to accelerate growth.
India has built exceptional companies in the software industry following this model.
But, we can all sense that lack of approval for India’s enterprise products, which we can confidently say has been achieved in the consumer markets.
With 13+ years at Lightspeed, Dev has backed companies like PhysicsWallah, Razorpay, PocketFM, ShareChat, Darwinbox, Portkey.ai, Qure.ai, and Accel Data.
Prior to VC, Dev started as a product manager then founded his company Covigo, a developer platform for mobile applications.
This episode promises an interesting discussion on building companies in enterprise.
0:00- Trailer
1:12 - Early days at Lightspeed India
8:11 - Learning curve of an Investor
11:52 - How OYO fixed supply when Airbnb didn’t
16:37 - Is organic acquisition now the norm?
19:02 - India must rediscover its AI edge
20:20 - Compounder v/s silicon valley companies
23:26 - Why Freshworks & Zoho chose mature markets?
27:40 - Can India create SAAS category leaders?
29:18 - Enterprise startups cap at 30%
33:07 - How a $3.2B company found its niche
37:42 - AI services & AI led services
40:37 - Lightspeed’s Investment thesis
45:34 - Why we have 70% second-time founders?
48:18 - Will ITC & Jio acquisitions set a trend?
52:37 - Are software IPOs sparse?
55:34 - India’s enterprise buyer market is small
1:04:47 - Missed investments & Lessons
1:06:28 - Why is India having a lag effect in AI?
1:10:19 - Has India built global enterprise products?
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.
Send us a text
-
In this episode, Avnish Bajaj, Founding Partner at Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners India), shares what it takes to build one of India's most competitive VC firms and land the best startup deals.
With over 20 years of experience, Avnish has been at the forefront of India’s venture capital industry. He co-founded Matrix Partners India in 2006 after a successful entrepreneurial journey with Baazee.com, which he later sold to eBay, serving as its Chairman & Country Manager.
From founder to angel investor to VC, Avnish has done it all—scaling businesses, backing category-defining startups, and navigating the challenges of venture investing. His portfolio includes Ola, Razorpay, Country Delight, Practo, Quikr, and many more.
Tune in as we dive into his insights on winning the best deals, building a top-tier VC firm, and the evolving startup ecosystem in India.
0:00- Introduction
2:58 - How Founders Should Choose VCs?
9:02 - Z47 as an Operator-Led VC
15:32 - Generalist vs. Specialist VCs
20:24 - India’s VC Ecosystem in Last 20 Years
6:38 - First-Time vs. Second-Time Founders
31:48 - Founder-Market Fit Explained
35:18 - How LPs Allocate Money in India?
46:22 - How Investors Bet on Countries & Assets
52:09 - Can Tech Founders Run Multiple Businesses?
57:06 - Is India’s Market Ahead of Entrepreneurs?
1:01:10 - Rapid Fire: How Z47 Picks Founders
1:03:44 - Is Seed Stage Funding the Only Battle?
1:11:21 - When VCs Like the Founder, Not the Market
1:14:11 - Z47’s Work Ethic
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
----
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
----
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
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In this episode of The Neon Show, we have Sharad Sharma, founder of iSPIRT, the technology think tank behind India Stack, Health Stack, and other digital public goods.
If you want to understand where India’s digital space is headed, how AI can shape its future, and why strategic autonomy is critical, this episode is a must-watch!
0:00 – Introduction
03:12 – India’s aim to prevent digital colonization
05:00 – Democratising digital infrastructure
07:09 – UPI’s 2012 vision: intraday loan for Rajni
12:50 – The origin of ‘DPI’ & misconceptions in India
14:46 – Can India keep its first-mover advantage in DPI?
16:15 – How UPI lost to Brazil’s PIX
17:49 – Introduction to MOSIP & DEPA
19:22 – Did UPI fail to detach from government control?
20:33 – The world evaluates DPI with India’s 5 sutras
22:48 – DPI interoperability & India’s global leadership
25:23 – Managing $2-3 billion funding in India’s DPI ecosystem
27:03 – Why India must stay paranoid: The David vs. Goliath mindset
30:09 – Sam Altman doubted India’s AI, now wants in
33:25 – Facebook opposed net neutrality in India, backed it in the U.S.
36:46 – Regulatory Innovations: Cable TV, mutual funds & OTAs
40:19 – Did GST replace 4 tax filings with 36?
44:05 – Does India have a regulatory framework for digital?
51:06 – Scaling 10-100 with help from educational institutions
53:02 – Breaking away from Visa & Mastercard
55:47 – The ‘Stay in India’ checklist to bring back talent
59:58 – Grading India on DPI globalization
01:00:57 – U.S. antitrust battles & how they shaped big tech
01:08:25 – Building India’s AI ecosystem using its data advantage
01:12:50 – Picking India’s battles in AI: healthcare as an opportunity
01:15:00 – Can India build its own AI assistants?
01:17:56 – Why India must update academia & build industrial labs
01:22:18 – DEPA: Enabling Low-Cost Access to Non-Public Data
01:27:55 – UPI was age & color blind, DEPA won’t be
01:31:06 – How will India approach AI regulation?
01:39:05 – Creating ‘landing spots’ for Indian AI talent
01:41:53 – Five key actions for India’s AI success
01:45:01 – Hiring call for India’s AI & DPI visionaries
01:51:55 – Building Co’s for India’s strategic autonomy
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
----
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
----
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
-
In this episode, we have Vishal Jain, CEO of Zerodha Fund House, who brings over two decades of experience in building ETFs and passive investment products.
From launching India’s first-ever ETF with Benchmark AMC in 2001 to now leading the country’s first passive-only AMC, Vishal has contributed through various roles to India's financial markets.
We break down:
- The history of mutual funds in India from the 1960s to today’s ₹68 Lakh Cr AUM industry.
- Why index funds & ETFs are transforming retail investing.
- How retail participation is growing (but why 2/3rd of investors still hesitate).
- Vishal's investing philosophy is rooted in a belief in India's growth story, beyond the obvious goal to beat inflation.
- The role of gold as a portfolio hedge, even for those bullish on India.
- Zerodha Fund House’s vision—Can passive investing truly take over?If you're curious about where India's investment space is headed and how you can position yourself wisely, this episode is a must-watch!
2:10 - History of mutual funds in India
7:09 - Exchange-traded funds
10:13 - Employee Provident Fund in ETFs
11:01 - Why COVID increased trading activity?
12:36 - Is now a good time to invest?
14:02 - How Vishal builds his portfolio
16:18 - Trends in India’s mutual fund adoption
17:44 - Why only 1/3rd of retail investors buy mutual funds?
21:36 - Can investment markets learn from OTT growth?
22:52 - Does India need more mutual fund providers?
23:51 - Is India’s growth limited to the top 1%?
27:06 - Can you buy mutual funds w/o a demat account?
28:07 - Physical gold vs. gold ETFs
29:34 - Who’s buying mutual funds?
33:11 - What’s driving usage of financial products?
34:26 - AI’s role in customer acquisition
36:40 - What’s Zerodha Fund building?
38:32 - Risk & return across asset classes
40:12 - Is Vishal bullish on India’s future?
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
---
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
-
A seasoned investor who ran India's Finance Ministry.
This week on The Neon Show, we welcome Jayant Sinha—Investor, Policy Maker, and former Minister of Finance & Civil Aviation.
Mr. Sinha shares how the government builds innovative investment solutions for startups and large-scale funding programs for institutions.
He played a key role in launching a ₹2,000 crore Fund of Funds, which invests in startups through domestic VCs. He was also instrumental in establishing India’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, managing ₹39,000 crore in assets as of 2024.
As Civil Aviation Minister, he worked on policies like UDAN to make aviation more inclusive and played a key role in DigiYatra, driving digital transformation in air travel.
Mr. Sinha is focused on policies that drive India’s economic growth in a climate-conscious way. From research to action, he is working across policy, investment, and technology to shape India’s path towards Net Zero.
Read Jayant Sinha’s Latest book : “India’s Green Startups:Entrepreneurs That are Driving Growth” - https://www.amazon.in/India%EF%BF%BDs-Green-Startups-Entrepreneurs-Paperback/dp/9353458633
00:00 - Highlights
03:01 – Growing up in a diplomat household
05:34 – Working at McKinsey
06:48 – The Opportunity cost of a political career
08:03 – From Harvard to Hazaribagh
09:18 – Exposure to Policymaking & elections
11:52 – First electoral win in 2014
14:37 – Twice chosen as Union Minister
15:33 – Arun Jaitley: Also an Excellent Advocate
16:55 – India’s Sovereign Wealth fund
18:17 – Higher Education Financing Agency
19:32 – Taxation of Alternative Investment Funds
20:17 – Fund of Funds for Domestic VC’s
21:47 – Aviation Reforms: UDAN & Digiyatra
30:26 – Privatization of Air India
33:32 – India’s vision to lead globally
35:42 – India's path to a green future
39:31 – The CO₂ blanket effect
42:04 – Nuclear fusion as a zero-carbon solution
44:24 – Why land will be hotter
46:13 – How climate change affects Economy
48:57 – India’s Net Zero Goals
50:04 – $1 Trillion Investment to Finance Net Zero
55:00 – Scaling green businesses in India
56:26 – Global North’s carbon responsibility vs India’s emissions
1:00:52 – Chronic health effects of pollution on children
1:02:07 – What India can learn from Beijing
1:06:42 – India’s Net Zero Bill & global legislation
1:08:08 – Personal connection to The Environmental Cause
1:12:47 – Trump’s impact on the global green mission
1:15:05 – Why India must invest in R&D
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
---
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
---
This video is for infoSend us a text
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In this episode, Sharath shares his journey of building two successful AI-driven enterprise solutions.
Sharath Keshava Narayana, founder of Sanas and Observe shares his market-product fit approach of winning enterprise clients in the US- Identifying large, underserved markets and solving their biggest problems.
He also dives into fundraising stories, from getting into Y Combinator to attracting top VCs, leading to an $8 million seed round.
Sharath emphasizes why founders must be great sellers and how building the right team early on is crucial for scaling a business.
If you're looking to build a SaaS company, expand into the US market, or understand the power of AI-driven enterprise solutions, this episode is a must-watch!
________
00:00 - Trailer
01:50 – Early Entrepreneurial Days: From India to the US
07:10 – Building a US Clientele for an Indian Product
10:55 – Idea Stage of Observe.AI
15:20 – Raising the First Cheque
16:35 – Y Combinator: From Application to Selection
20:38 – Inbound from Top VC’s
24:53 – Meeting the Sanas Co-Founders
27:29 – Raising Funds Pre-Product & Pre-Revenue
30:10 – The Sanas Investment Thesis
34:03 – What Drove Success at Observe & Sanas
38:09 – Drawing Parallels in Building Two Companies
45:00 – Scaling Challenges: Hiring & Team Building
50:15 – Fundraising Lessons: Always Be Ready
54:17 – Market-Product Fit vs. Product-Market Fit
57:10 – Solving the Black Box of Call Centers
59:12 – Solving for Speech-to-Speech in Real Time
1:05:15 – Thoughts on The Neon Fund
1:07:03 – Bengaluru vs. Bay Area
1:11:10 – Founders Must Be Sellers
1:19:42 – Do Indian Founders Underprice?
1:23:13 – Final Thoughts: Likeability as a Founder
---
Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
---
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
---
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
-
Venture Capitalists on Venture Capital
In this episode we have Alok Goyal and Ritesh Banglani, Partners at Stellaris Venture Partners, one of India’s top VC firms. We go into details on running a VC firm in India.
We discuss the ambition of Indian founders, what are the next B2B SaaS billion-dollar outcomes, market-first vs. founder-first investments, decision-making process at Stellaris and why DPI (Distributed to Paid-in Capital) is the ultimate measure of success.
If you’re curious about how top VCs invest, what makes a great fund, and what advantages Indian startups have in the AI race then this episode is for you.
0:00 - Stellaris Venture Partners Introduction
0:50 - How Stellaris Measures Success
3:16 - Deal Sourcing in Venture Capital
5:40 - Coverage Ratio in Venture Capital
7:39 - Contrarian Bets: Mamaearth and Whatfix
9:34 - Independent Conviction in Venture Capital
12:03 - Trust in Venture Partnerships
15:12 - The War Stories Behind Stellaris’ First Fundraise
18:10 - Fundraising during COVID
22:30 - How Stellaris Raised Its Third Fund
26:31 - Stellaris’ Investment Strategy
30:08 - Founder-First Vs. Market-first Investments
36:32 - Strengths of Stellaris’ Four Partners
41:07 - Culture of Open Disagreement in Decision-Making
48:08 - The Ambition Levels of Indian Founders
50:08 - Next Billion-Dollar SaaS Companies From India
56:17 - How Venture Investing in India Has Changed
57:38 - Decision-Making in Stellaris vs. Other VC firms
1:07:43 - Global AI Trends and Stellaris’ Investment Thesis
1:11:31 - Opportunity For Indian AI Startups
1:16:17 - How Stellaris is Evolving with Time
1:17:24 - The Need for Bigger Outcomes in Fund Three
-------------
Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
-
Ganesh Krishnan is the man behind some of India’s most iconic startups, including BigBasket, Bluestone, Homelane, and TutorVista—India’s first ed-tech startup before ed-tech was even a category.
Ganesh explains how he thinks about business opportunities in India, why he keeps it simple, and why Indian entrepreneurs need to keep it simple. He shares candid stories—from raising BigBasket’s first $10M on a flight to successfully exiting an ed-tech company 15 years ago.
If you’re curious about India’s startup ecosystem and want to understand what works in India, this episode is for you!
Read Ganesh Krishnan's latest book: Mastering Disruption: A Practical Guide to Understanding New-Age Business Models
Timestamps
00:00 - Trailer
01:37 - Introduction to K. Ganesh
02:05 - Ganesh's Entrepreneurial Journey
03:32 - The Growth Story Model
06:28 - Challenges and Successes in Fundraising
09:25 - Case Study: The BigBasket Story
22:12 - Business Models and Market Timing
33:51 - Opportunities in India's Broken Systems
41:44 - The Evolution of Business Models
42:15 - Valuation of Loss-Making Companies
42:51 - Network Effects and Demand Economies of Scale
43:51 - Platform Businesses vs Traditional Businesses
46:27 - Challenges in Platform and Marketplace Ventures
50:36 - Exploring SaaS and FinTech Opportunities
51:41 - Growth and Monetization Challenges
57:44 - Consumer Behavior and Microtransactions
01:06:08 - The Rise of Quick Commerce
01:09:21 - Vertical Software and Generative AI
01:15:43 - What’s Next for India’s Startups
Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
-
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the fascinating history of semiconductors, their evolution over the years, the rise of old giants and new disruptors, and explore why India has yet to produce a leader in one of the most important technological races of all time.
Raja Manickam, a serial entrepreneur in the semiconductor industry, shares from his decades of experience about the business and science of semiconductors and offers a glimpse into the future
Timestamps
0:00 - Trailer
1:20 - Introduction
2:10 - History of Semiconductors
2:56 - Raja Manickam’s Journey in the Semiconductor Industry
7:02 - Evolution of Semiconductors Over Time
9:49 - Why Silicon Valley?
11:30 - NVIDIA: A Leader in Chips
14:55 - Competition in the Semiconductor Industry
17:31 - Building Microprocessors
23:08 - The Race for Top Talent
27:41 - NVIDIA’s Journey with CUDA and Artificial Intelligence
32:03 - NVIDIA’s Market Dominance
35:07 - How Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Became NVIDIA’s Key Customers
36:13 - IBM’s Transformation: Market Leader to Reinvention
37:48 - India’s Journey in Semiconductors and IT Services
43:22 - Why India Lacks Semiconductor Giants
48:00 - India’s ₹100,000 Crore Semiconductor Plan
57:28 - IVP: Outsourcing Chipmaking and Focusing on Design
1:01:22 - Cost of Starting a Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
1:05:38 - India’s Vision for Its Semiconductor Future
Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional adviceSend us a text
-
India’s leadership story is a fascinating journey full of lessons for anyone looking to make an impact.
In just two years, opening up the space economy has led to over 100 new startups in aerospace, sparking innovation and fueling the dreams of a new generation of changemakers.
And it doesn’t stop there—India is heavily investing in future-focused areas like green hydrogen, quantum computing, and the blue economy, showing a clear vision for industries that will define tomorrow.
Drawing from its rich heritage, India blends ancient wisdom with modern governance.
Texts like the Arthashastra guide policies that empower people and prioritize collective welfare.
Initiatives like Aadhaar and participatory governance models reflect these principles in action, bringing millions into the financial mainstream and fostering inclusive growth.
Experts believe India’s leadership also addresses the need for decolonization—not just in reclaiming cultural pride, but in rediscovering its intellectual confidence.
This leadership model, rooted in inclusivity, resilience, and innovation, is steering India into a brighter future.
In this episode of The NEON Show, Dr R. Balasubramaniam, author, member of the Capacity Building Commission (Government of Bharat), and Chairperson of the Social Stock Exchange Advisory Committee at SEBI, shares the essence of Indic leadership as explored in his book Power Within.
Time stamp
00:00 Intro
00:12 Dr. Balu’s contributions to rural service
00:41 Current roles: Capacity Building Commission member & Rhodes Professor
00:55 Overview of "Power Within"
01:13 Journey: From physician to policymaker
02:16 India’s traditional wisdom in governance
03:08 PM Modi’s leadership focus in Balu’s analysis
05:24 Modi’s ethos of service (Seva Bhaav)
08:09 Modi’s leadership during Morbi tragedy
10:06 RSS philosophy: Cultural nationalism & service
13:15 Overcoming colonial mindsets to restore pride
17:09 Participatory governance: Janbhagidari & Mission Karmayogi
23:57 Revamping civil services training
26:08 Influence of Ramakrishna Mission’s seva philosophy
28:01 Panch Pran: Vision for a self-reliant India
29:51 Chanakya Niti: Ancient leadership principles
34:38 Decisive actions: Doklam, surgical strikes, Pulwama
38:14 Challenges in implementing farm laws
45:51 Repeal of Article 370: J&K integration
50:05 India’s balanced foreign policy (Russia-Ukraine, Qatar)
52:03 Comparing Modi’s leadership to global icons
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-----
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-----
This videoSend us a text
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Harish Bhat, ex-Brand Custodian of the Tata Group, joins us to share unique moments from the extraordinary life of Ratan Tata.
From creating India’s first indigenous car, Tata Indica, to his on-ground response during the 26/11 Taj Hotel attacks, to the Tata Finance crisis, to leading India’s fight against cancer, Ratan Tata led from the front.
Harish shares how he first met Ratan Tata and the personal note he received, highlighting Ratan Tata’s integrity, humility, and more-than-a-businessman philosophy.
Tune in to know more about one of India’s greatest icons.
Timestamps
00:00 - Trailer
02:20 – Introduction
02:39 – Reflecting on Jamshedji Tata’s Legacy
04:13 – Celebrating Ratan Tata’s Life
05:46 – First Meeting with Ratan Tata
08:26 – The Birth of Tata Indica
16:31 – Ratan Tata’s Dedication to Healthcare
19:23 – Handling the Tata Finance Crisis
25:19 – Ratan Tata’s Response to 26/11
29:05 – A Story of Grace and Dignity
31:33 – A Personal Note from Ratan Tata
33:20 – Defining Characteristics of Ratan Tata
34:03 – Influences and Inspirations
35:49 – Ratan Tata’s Vision for the Tata Group
37:53 – Fondness for Dogs and Bombay House
40:01 – Legacy and Transformation of the Tata Group
43:31 – Philanthropy and Nation Building
46:18 – Reflections on Ratan Tata’s Leadership
52:50 – Lessons and inspirations from Ratan Tata’s life
Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
-
In 2010, Facebook opened its first office in India, four years after it went online.
They needed someone bold to lead their journey in India which had a major customer base potential.
That someone was Kirthiga Reddy.
Under Kirthiga’s leadership, Facebook not only grew its user base but also planted deep roots in a complex and rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.
Today, India has the most Facebook users with over 448 million, followed by the US (258 million).
After six years of phenomenal growth at Facebook, Kirthiga decided it was time for a new challenge.
In 2018, she became the first female partner at SoftBank Vision Fund, managing over $5 billion in investments.
Today, Kirthiga leads her own venture, Verix, focusing on trust, transparency, and community-driven solutions.
In this episode of the NEON Show, Kirthiga Reddy shares her inspiring journey. From a small-town upbringing in India to building Facebook in India, Kirthiga takes us through the challenges of scaling operations, transforming workplace culture, and driving growth. She also opens up about her transition to SoftBank. From leading the fund’s first investments in quantum computing and additive manufacturing, Kirthiga shares how she worked closely with founders to shape strategies and scale businesses.
Timestamps
00:00 - Trailer
01:51 - Intro
02:09 - Kirthiga’s career from Facebook India to SoftBank
03:17 - Childhood in Nanded shaping values
04:46 - Early career programming for Let Us C
06:20 - Masters in the US and arranged marriage
08:33 - Syracuse University and joining its Board
09:30 - Silicon Graphics high-tech projects
12:20 - Stanford MBA and transition to business
17:58 - Startup role in product management
21:20 - Motorola acquisition and return to India
23:08 - Meeting Sheryl Sandberg
27:32 - Joining Facebook as its first Indian employee
28:50 - Facebook’s 100-100-100 strategy
30:40 - Building a Facebook culture
35:30 - Personally hiring Facebook India’s first 100 employees
36:45 - Success stories of early hires
37:50 - Leaving Facebook to balance family and career
45:20 - Joining SoftBank & managing $5B in investments
47:19 - Key investments in IonQ and 8fold.ai
52:38 - Transition from SoftBank to new ventures
56:14 - Founding Verix and Virtualness
57:00 - AI-first companies and tech vision
01:00:28 - India’s thriving tech ecosystem
01:03:51 - Vision for Verix, Virtualness, and social impact
Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
-----
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-----
This show is for informational purposes only.Send us a text
-
How a 1,500-Year-Old Game Became an Online Sensation
It started as a simple idea in 2005—a hub for chess enthusiasts to connect, chat, and share their love for the game.
Erik Allebest and Jay Severson, two college buddies with a shared passion for strategy, had just purchased the domain Chess.com for $55,000.
Initially, it was a forum, but then the demand for online play began to soar.
In 2007, they launched the first subscription-based version of Chess.com.
Within a few years, the platform began to gain members and marked its place as the go-to site for chess lovers.
In 2023, it hosted the first-ever Champions Chess Tour, offering a record-breaking $2 million prize pool.
Last year alone, 12.5 billion games were played on Chess.com—an astonishing 35 million games per day.
In this episode of the NEON Show, Erik Allebest, co-founder of Chess.com, discusses his journey from a chess enthusiast to creating the world's largest online chess platform. He talks about his entrepreneurial start, the hurdles in building a sustainable business, and key moments in Chess.com’s success, including lawsuits, early VC rejections, a $600 million valuation, and scaling during the pandemic.
Timestamp
00:00 - Introduction
02:06 - Family influence on Erik’s entrepreneurial mindset
05:00 - Falling in love with chess at 18 through books
07:25 - Selling an e-commerce business to fund chess.com
09:00 - Founding challenges and initial growth struggles
13:50 - Why conventional careers didn’t suit Erik
18:30 - Settling lawsuits, including the vodka-based case
21:50 - Persevering despite doubts about the chess market
22:55 - General Atlantic’s investment in chess.com
26:10 - Key insights learned from investor partnerships
29:56 - Shifting from entrepreneur to CEO
33:24 - Erik’s passion for creating products
37:18 - How media boosted chess’s popularity globally
44:23 - The downsides of rapid monetization
46:53 - Managing chess.com’s pandemic-driven growth
50:06 - Erik’s focus on sustainability and future growth
56:00 - India’s cultural impact on global chess
59:24 - Erik’s views on digital security risks
01:03:40 - Why employees stay for passion, not just pay
01:07:26 - Erik’s belief in chess’s continued global growth
01:09:00 - Embracing errors as learning opportunities
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
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Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww
Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
- Visa fler
