#DamaniTalks

In Episode 71 of #DamaniTalks, Anirudh A. Damani is in conversation with Sandeep Murthy, Founding Partner at Lightbox, and one of the earliest champions of long-term, product-first startups in India. From his formative years under Barry Diller to funding Cleartrip and shaping India’s consumer internet story, Sandeep reflects on 25 years of backing bold ideas before they were cool - and staying the course when others walked away. But this is more than just a career recap. It’s a candid, no-frills masterclass on what it really takes to build durable businesses and why the current VC playbook needs a rethink. Expect raw truths about broken feedback loops in venture, distorted cap tables, the obsession with IRR over DPI, and why burn is not a business model. Whether you are a founder navigating PMF, an LP questioning returns, or a VC looking for perspective, this episode is packed with grounded insights, real stories, and hard-won wisdom. Highlights: 1. The inside story of TripAdvisor’s early days 2. The $10M deal where Sony took 92% equity - and the hard lessons it left 3. Betting on Indian travel before it was a thing 4. How VC signals are failing the founders they fund 5. Why “valuation is vanity, exit is reality” still holds true 6. What real founder support looks like Tune in for a deep dive into what it truly means to be a founder-first investor and why Sandeep Murthy is still betting on real businesses over flashy pitch decks. Chapters: 08:46 – Dotcom days: Match, Expedia & TripAdvisor 20:15 – The 92% equity story: A deal that changed everything 30:49 – From IAC to India: The Cleartrip chapter 44:08 – Betting on Indian consumption 50:20 – How to balance ambition and burnout?  1:00:24 – How to invest strategically in emerging markets?   1:10:26 – How to build founder-investor relationships?  1:20:29 – Why do most new venture funds struggle?  1:30:31 – How to choose the right team and investors?  1:40:34 – Measured growth and founder evolution  1:50:38 – Local adaptation in the Indian market  2:00:41 – How to embrace change & redefine failure?  2:10:45 – What is the role of perspective in business?   2:20:48 – The joy of building & the meaning of lightbox  2:23:45 – Rapid Fire: legacy, balance, bold bets More about our Guest, Sandeep Murthy Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murthysandeep?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app [https://www.linkedin.com/in/murthysandeep?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app] Twitter: https://x.com/sandeepm1?s=21 [https://x.com/sandeepm1?s=21] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandeepm1?igsh=a3RrM2dyaHcwMHR6 [https://www.instagram.com/sandeepm1?igsh=a3RrM2dyaHcwMHR6] Learn more about your host, Anirudh A. Damani Website: https://www.showmedamani.com [https://www.showmedamani.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showmedamani/ [https://www.instagram.com/showmedamani/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/showmedamani/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/showmedamani/] X: https://x.com/showmedamani [https://x.com/showmedamani] WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@showmedamani

What does it take to build a ₹1,200 crore empire from a 1-bedroom home, no formal business training, and a handful of door-to-door sales? In Episode 70 of #DamaniTalks, we go behind the scenes of one of India’s most iconic personal care journeys with Manish Chhabra, Executive Chairman of HRIPL, makers of Super Vasmol, Streax & Streax Professional. At 19, Manish was pulled off a moving train with news of his father's passing. What followed was not just a son stepping into a family business, but a 30-year saga of reinvention, resilience, and radical brand building. From bunk-bed sales tours across the Northeast to launching Streax & & Streax Professional with a salon-first strategy and entering Paris Fashion Week, Manish reveals the unvarnished truths of building a legacy brand without chasing unicorn dreams. Highlights:The story behind Super Vasmol's iconic successWhy salon professionals, not supermarkets, made Streax a hitLessons on boardroom governance, private equity, and succession“Fail fast, fail cheap” – a founder’s true mantraThe power of family-run businesses done right Whether you're a startup founder, D2C brand builder, or legacy business leader, this is an episode that will change how you think about scale, control, and conviction. 🎧 Tune in for raw truths, rare advice, and a refreshingly grounded founder story. Chapters:00:00 – HRIPL: From family roots to leadership4:18 – Joining HRIPL: A family legacy11:08 – Sales journey: A turning point?17:20 – Cracking the northeast market26:25 – 2000s shift: what changed?30:49 – Balancing family and business35:04 – Vasmol’s marketing gamechanger39:49 – How Streax found its spark50:18 – Streax Professional: strategy or gamble?1:01:59 – IIM MDP: classroom to boardroom1:10:58 – When investors join the table1:20:55 – Do boards really add value?1:30:48 – Investor advice you’ll remember1:43:27 – Where’s HRIPL headed next?1:49:56 – Key lessons in 90 seconds1:55:19 – Rapid Fire: unfiltered answers More about our Guest, Manish ChhabraLinkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishkchhabra/?originalSubdomain=in Learn more about your host, Anirudh A. DamaniWebsite: https://www.showmedamani.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/showmedamani/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/showmedamani/X: https://x.com/showmedamaniWhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3HSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xtO07c4PfYHX6RhJ1IkA2

Sanjay Swamy, Managing Partner at Prime Venture Partners, is one of the earliest believers in India’s startup ecosystem and someone who’s helped shape it from the ground up.From helping build AADHAAR, co-founding ZipDial, and backing iconic startups through Prime Venture Partners, Sanjay’s journey is anything but conventional. His lens on trust, timing, and doing more with less has quietly influenced a generation of founders and investors.In this masterclass episode of #DamaniTalks, Sanjay opens up about the principles, partnerships, and pivots that shaped India’s early venture capital landscape.He breaks down:-How EzeTap and ZipDial were built from a 4BHK in Koramangala-Why backing smaller partners creates outsized opportunities-The philosophy behind “Get Rich Slow” and Prime’s early-stage discipline-How to choose the right co-founders and fund partners-Why conviction, not FOMO, should lead your VC strategy-And what it truly takes to stay relevant across downturns, pivots, and hype cyclesIf you're a founder, investor, or someone navigating the chaos of startups, this conversation is your reset button.Chapters: 00:00:00 – Sanjay Swamy’s Early Influences 00:09:23 – Dot-com boom: What went wrong? 00:17:55 – Returning to India: A fresh start 00:23:00 – Building Ketera: Hiring the right minds 00:25:28 – Starting mChek: Why mobile payments? 00:32:51 – His contribution to UIDAI and the Aadhaar journey 00:46:04 – India’s rapid growth and spirit of innovation 01:01:12 – Lessons from his entrepreneurial journey 01:10:10 – Investing in startups: Making bold bets 01:20:18 – Launching Prime Venture Partners 01:27:31 – Early-stage investing: Principles and approach 01:35:45 – The role of executive coaching in leadership 01:39:50 – What makes a great founder? How he chooses partners? 01:46:45 – The broader impact of venture capital 01:52:10 – What’s next for Indian startups? 01:57:32 – Rapid Fire: One Word, Big Insights About Our Guest:Sanjay Swamy, Managing Partner – Prime Venture Partners (https://www.primevp.in/)LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theswamy/Twitter/X: https://x.com/TheSwamyFollow Us for More Stories:Website: www.showmedamani.comInstagram: @showmedamaniLinkedIn: ShowMeDamaniX: @showmedamaniWhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H

What happens when your startup loses 97% of its revenue overnight—and you still don’t shut down? Bhavin Patel, Co-founder & CEO of LendenClub, returns to #DamaniTalks. But this time, it's not a victory lap. It’s a story of near-collapse and the bold reinvention that followed. After scaling to ₹1,000+ Cr in monthly disbursements, LendenClub ran headfirst into regulatory reforms that wiped out most of its business. What followed? A ₹16 Cr quarterly loss, a brutal product reset, and a team that refused to give up. Bhavin breaks down how they: 1. Navigated RBI’s toughest lending reforms 2. Rebuilt a high-trust, tech-first lending engine 3. Managed team morale in the middle of crisis 4. Turned every new product line into a breakeven playbook 5. Built one of India’s most disciplined fintech machines This is the story of staying in the game without shortcuts, vanity metrics, or VC crutches. It’s about building real value when the world isn’t watching. If you’re a fintech founder, investor, or someone riding the cycles of startup highs and lows; this episode is for you. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction   03:21 - Growing up, sports, and early influences    05:16 – First venture in lending business    09:09 - Starting LenDenClub: The origin story    11:00 - Challenges in early fintech days    15:11- Regulations impact on P2P business  18:35 - Breaking through: profitability & scale    25:17 - Building a strong team & shared vision    28:01 - Shutting down the partnership model   32:54- Break-even & crisis mangement 101   35:07- Dancing your way to work- LenDen Club’s culture  38:06 - The ₹16 Crore loss & recovery strategy     47:02- How LenDen Club stayed ahead of it’s game  52:59- Hardik Pandya as brand ambassador  55:11 - Using AI to revolutionize lending    01:01:06- Bhavin's request to RBI  01:06:25 - Rapid fire   01:13:48 - Final reflections & vision for 2030      About Our Guest: Bhavin Patel, Co-founder & CEO – LendenClub [https://www.lendenclub.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavinpatel2022/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavinpatel2022/] X: https://x.com/ptl_bhavin?lang=en [https://x.com/ptl_bhavin?lang=en] Follow Us for More Stories: Website: www.showmedamani.com [http://www.showmedamani.com/] Instagram: @showmedamani [https://www.instagram.com/showmedamani] LinkedIn: ShowMeDamani [https://www.linkedin.com/company/showmedamani] X: @showmedamani [https://www.x.com/showmedamani] WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xtO07c4PfYHX6RhJ1IkA2 [https://open.spotify.com/show/7xtO07c4PfYHX6RhJ1IkA2]

In this episode of #DamaniTalks, we speak with Simran Singh who is the Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at RNFI. It is one of India’s fastest-growing fintech companies which is now listed with a ₹700 Cr+ market cap. They didn’t raise VC money. They didn’t chase headlines. They just got to work. In his first-ever podcast appearance, Simran shares how RNFI was built into a profitable public company serving over 10 lakh customers a month, with a network of 1.7 lakh+ sahayaks across India. What You’ll Learn: 1. The unexpected origin story behind RNFI 2. Why losing money early helped shape the company 3. Building in rural India without cutting corners 4. How Simran tracks profitability every single day 5. The trust-first culture that turned 70 people into founders 6. Listing without raising a rupee in venture funding 7. Why he now reports to a CEO and loves it Why You Should Watch: If you're building quietly, thinking long-term, and wondering if scale without VC funding is still possible, this conversation is for you. Simran breaks down what it really takes to build something real, without buzzwords, burn, or a backup plan. This is not the story of disruption. It’s the story of showing up, every single day. 00:00:00- From small-time work to co-founder of RNFI   00:06:36- Building a PAN India financial distribution network  00:11:15- How does RNFI adapt its business model by location?   00:17:35- No funding, straight IPO!  00:22:47- RNFI's diverse business models  00:26:08- How can founders prep for an IPO  00:32:14- When does your business need a CEO?  00:35:03- RNFI Trust: A smarter way to build ownership?  00:38:17- How do you find a CEO?  00:43:49- What sets RNFI’s team culture apart?  00:46:47- Is 72-hour workweek really worth it?  00:55:27- Rapid Fire & Closing thoughts  About our guest, Simran Singh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simran-s-70002623b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simran-s-70002623b/] RNFI: https://www.rnfi.in [https://www.rnfi.in/] Follow our other channels for more exciting content: Website: www.showmedamani.com [https://www.showmedamani.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showmedamani/ [https://www.instagram.com/showmedamani/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/showmedamani [https://www.linkedin.com/in/showmedamani] WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xtO07c4PfYHX6RhJ1IkA2 [https://open.spotify.com/show/7xtO07c4PfYHX6RhJ1IkA2] X: https://www.x.com/showmedamani [https://www.x.com/showmedamani] #DamaniTalks #SimranSingh #RNFI #BootstrappedSuccess #FintechIndia #ListedNotFunded #ProfitabilityMatters #FounderStories #StartupExecution #ShowMeDamani #IndianStartups