Weekend Entrepreneurs

Ep. 9: Building a 150 crore business without VC funding. The Urban Vault Story with Amal Mishra

In this episode, Rohith and Govind sit down with Amal Mishra, co-founder and CEO of Urban Vault, a bootstrapped managed office space company generating over 150 crore INR in revenue with an 18% profit margin. Amal shares his journey from techie to entrepreneur, the challenges of scaling a business with blue-collar workers, and the principles of sustainable, people-first business growth. This conversation explores themes of bootstrapping, market strategy, and the impact of building meaningful livelihoods for the team while scaling a highly profitable business. Chapters: 0:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=0s] – Introduction to Amal Mishra and Urban Vault 0:45 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=45s] – From Tech to Furniture to Managed Office Spaces 10:39 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=639s] – The Decision to Bootstrap 14:01 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=841s] – Balancing Personal Finances and Early-Stage Funding 17:25 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=1045s] – Scaling Urban Vault: Profitability and Expansion 19:38 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=1178s] – Building a Team and Culture Without FOMO 27:18 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=1638s] – Scouting Real Estate Supply and Leasing vs. Purchasing 32:35 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=1955s] – Vision and Enjoying the Journey 37:02 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=2222s] – Comparing Old and New Business Mindsets 39:27 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=2367s] – Managing and Motivating a Blue-Collar Workforce 45:01 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=2701s] – Current Challenges and Lessons for Entrepreneurs 48:14 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=2894s] – Rapid-Fire Insights 51:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=3060s] – Applying the Blue Ocean Strategy 57:04 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=3424s] – Bootstrapping Software Businesses 1:13:13 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKirUnfqY1I&t=4393s] – Takeaways and Closing Reflections 💬 Let us know your favorite part of the conversation in the comments! If you’re interested in startups, entrepreneurship, or the sports industry, hit Subscribe and stay tuned for more conversations like this. #bootstrap [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bootstrap] #entrepreneurship [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/entrepreneurship] #entrepreneurmindset [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/entrepreneurmindset]

Ep. 8: Pickleball and Startups: How GoRally is Transforming Recreational Sports in India

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America, and it's now making waves in India. In this episode, we sit down with Sam and Abhinav, co-founders of GoRally, a company that's revolutionizing recreational sports in India by introducing full-stack pickleball experiences. GoRally's mission is to get the next 10 million Indians playing sports regularly. They're starting with pickleball, setting up courts, building communities, and leveraging technology to make sports accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of age or gender. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: 🎯 The inspiration behind GoRally and their mission to transform recreational sports in India 🏓 What is pickleball, and why is it gaining popularity globally and in India 💡 How Sam and Abhinav validated the demand for pickleball in India 🏢 Challenges and strategies in setting up sports infrastructure and facilities 🤝 The importance of building community and inclusivity in sports 💰 Their fundraising journey: Raising a pre-seed round and choosing the right investors 🚀 Future plans for GoRally: Scaling, building a moat, and potential pivots ⚖️ Balancing operational challenges with passion and mission 🎙️ Insights into being early-stage startup founders in an emerging industry This episode offers valuable insights into building a business from the ground up in a nascent market. Whether you're interested in startups, sports entrepreneurship, or the rise of pickleball in India, you won't want to miss this conversation. --- 👉 Chapters: 00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=0s] - Teaser 00:55 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=55s] - Introduction 01:23 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=83s] - Meet Sam and Abhinav, Founders of GoRally 04:24 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=264s] - GoRally's Mission: Transforming Recreational Sports in India 07:38 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=458s] - Why Focus on Pickleball? 17:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=1020s] - What is Pickleball and Why is it Gaining Popularity? 26:38 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=1598s] - Validating the Demand: Early Success and Learnings 35:13 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=2113s] - The Fundraising Journey: Raising a Pre-Seed Round 40:52 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=2452s] - Choosing the Right Investors and Their Expectations 50:36 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=3036s] - Overcoming Operational Challenges in Setting Up Facilities 1:00:22 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=3622s] - Picking App Partners like Hudle & Playo vs. DIY distribution 1:04:41 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=3881s] - What's Keeping the Founders Up at Night: Building a Moat and Balancing Passion with Operational Realities 1:09:44 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=4184s] - Rapid-Fire Q&A with Sam and Abhinav 1:22:23 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=4943s] - Closing Thoughts and Takeaways 1:32:23 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG6H47ZQnQ&t=5543s] - Rohith's back-of-envelope Math --- 💬 Let us know your favorite part of the conversation in the comments! If you’re interested in startups, entrepreneurship, or the sports industry, hit Subscribe and stay tuned for more conversations like this. #Startups [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/startups] #GoRally [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/gorally] #Pickleball [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/pickleball] #Entrepreneurship [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/entrepreneurship] #SportsBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sportsbusiness] #India [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/india]

Ep. 7: How Sathya Sampat Built BoldCap: Lessons on Starting a VC Fund & Backing SaaS

🚀 What does it take to build a VC fund from scratch? In this episode, we sit down with Sathya Sampat, the Founder and Managing Partner of BoldCap, to explore his incredible journey of starting and running a venture capital fund focused on early-stage SaaS startups. BoldCap is a VC fund that specializes in backing early-stage SaaS startups originating from India. With a mission to help these startups scale globally, BoldCap has already made a mark with investments in companies like SpendFlo, Testsigma, and SpotDraft. Here's what you’ll learn in this episode: 🛠️ The preparation required to launch a VC fund 💼 How to find early LPs for your fund 💡 Challenges while raising a fund and tips for sourcing LPs 🚀 Sathya's approach to picking startups 📈 The art of figuring out the right valuation for startups 👥 What the day-to-day of running a VC fund looks like and insights into the BoldCap team This conversation is packed with actionable insights for anyone curious about the VC world, building a fund, or understanding how early-stage investing works. Whether you’re an aspiring VC, a founder seeking funding, or just curious about the behind-the-scenes of venture capital, this episode is for you. 👉 Chapters: Check out the timestamps to dive into specific parts of the conversation. 00:00 - Teaser 00:40 - Introduction 03:14 - What made Sathya leave his previous venture to start BoldCap - his VC Fund? 07:38 - Steps Sathya took to prepare himself to start a fund 11:35 - What did Sathya do when raising Fund 1 for BoldCap and who were his partners in crime? 15:46 - What did day-to-day look like during the early days of raising Fund 1? Who were his early LPs? 22:10 - Where do you find LPs for your VC Fund? 24:10 - What are the challenges that someone needs to aware of when raising a VC Fund? 29:18 - How many LPs anchored BoldCap's first Fund? 30:09 - How Sathya sourced his first few deals - SpendFlo, Testsigma & SpotDraft? 44:00 - How does Sathya decide what is the right valuation for companies that he invests in? 47:48 - What does it take to run a VC fund? What does the BoldCap team look like? 51:40 - Rapidfire 54:35 - Debrief - what we took away from our conversation with Sathya 💬 Let us know your favorite part of the conversation in the comments! If you’re interested in startups, venture capital, or entrepreneurship, hit Subscribe and stay tuned for more conversations like this. #VentureCapital #BoldCap #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #startup #funding

Ep. 6: Is Mensa Brands' Billion-Dollar Valuation Justified? A Deep Dive into Rollup Companies

Is Mensa Brands truly worth its billion-dollar valuation? In this deep dive, we explore the strategy behind India’s leading D2C rollup company, Mensa Brands. From their acquisition approach and founder involvement to distribution advantages and capital strategy, we dissect what sets Mensa apart and the challenges it faces. We also dive into why D2C brands are booming in India, how traditional brand moats are changing, and if Mensa’s valuation holds up. Plus, we look at lessons from Thrasio and rollup opportunities across other industries such as software and food. 00:00 - Teaser 00:44 - Introduction to Mensa Brands 01:19 - What does Mensa Brands do? 02:44 - Is it primarily a finance play or are there deeper integrations? What value does Mensa add to the acquired companies? Are the founder still a part of the company? 08:52 - When these companies are acquired, what is the stage that these companies are at? 09:47 - What are the advantages that Mensa brings to the distribution of these D2C brands? 11:14 - How was the founder, Anand Narayanan, able to raise the capital needed to scale this business? 13:16 - Why are there so many D2C brands cropping up in India now? 16:10 - Does the moat for these vintage brands no longer exist? 20:09 - Does Mensa as a company make sense? Are these synergies between the segments they are operating in? 22:22 - Why didn’t Thrasio succeed? 23:54 - How much does Mensa pay for the companies they are acquiring? 26:34 - Do you think Mensa is worth a billion dollars? How large can it potentially get? 29:00 - Are the margins for D2C companies better than they are for vintage distributor-led brands? 30:59 - Mensa’s hidden advantages 31:55 - What are reasons to be bearish about Mensa Brands? 33:50 - Are you a buyer or seller of this business? 35:22 - What are the other kinds of industries where this rollup strategy can be employed? 38:54 - Are rollup companies a viable exit strategy for entrepreneurs? 42:10 - What would a rollup company for in the software space look like? 43:20 - Conclusion 👉 Note: We’re not affiliated with Mensa Brands—this episode reflects our independent research and insights from publicly available sources.

Ep. 5: Applying to Y Combinator? What to Expect + Application Tips from a 2-Time YC Founder

Considering applying to Y Combinator, the world's top startup accelerator? In this episode, Govind Chandrasekhar shares his decision-making framework for evaluating if YC is the right fit for your startup and provides expert insights on navigating both the application and interview processes. Govind has been through Y Combinator twice—first in 2013 with Semantics3 and again in 2023 with Branch AI. If you’re working on your YC application and would like feedback, feel free to send it to yc@weekendentrepreneurs.com, or connect with Govind directly on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govindchandrasekhar/ Chapters: 00:00 - Teaser 00:38 - Introduction 01:20 - What is Y Combinator (YC)? 02:17 - What made Govind apply to YC in 2013? 04:21 - Notable companies from Govind’s 2013 YC cohort 06:03 - A typical day/week at YC 10:06 - How much do the YC partners actually help you? 12:33 - Govind’s experience meeting Sam Altman 14:30 - When is the right time to apply to YC? What kinds of founders benefit the most from it? 16:28 - Does YC make sense for startups targeting non-US markets? 20:02 - Why Govind reapplied to YC in 2023 23:45 - Common mistakes founders make in their YC applications 31:56 - What founders should expect during the YC interview process #entrepreneurship #ycombinator #yc #incubator #startupaccelerator #fundraising #startup #startupjourney