Diary of a Founder

Episode 5: Mukesh Agarwal on AI and the Future of Product Building

Mukesh Agarwal, Co-founder & CEO of BitO and former Microsoft product leader, explains how AI is re-shaping the way software and teams are built. He shares lessons from failing with Intent Hub to turning RevEx profitable and now building BitO’s AI code-review agent. Mukesh argues that AI will merge the roles of designer, developer and product manager — and why founders should focus on skilling their effort, not just speed. A precise, real-world conversation on the truth behind AI product hype and what’s next for builders. Follow for more founder stories. Chapters: 00:00 — Early career and Microsoft years 05:20 — Founding Intent Hub and first startup lessons 11:10 — Joining Komli and India’s digital boom 39:20 — RevEx spin-off and turning profitable 49:30 — Radical transparency and team trust 58:50 — Exiting RevEx and learning about cap tables 1:00:54 — Bootstrapping vs funding AI startups 1:09:25 — Birth of BitO and pivot to AI code review 1:17:31 — Habit change and AI adoption 1:29:55 — How AI is blurring PM-design-dev roles 1:37:55 — Future of software building and developer tools 1:46:21 — India’s AI adoption and early users 1:47:10 — Mukesh’s closing advice for founders

Episode 4 : Building a UK Fintech from India — Journey of Gurprit Singh Gujral, Founder of LoanTube

Gurprit Singh Gujral, founder of LoanTube, shares how he built a UK-regulated fintech from India, bootstrapped and belief-driven. A chartered accountant with no tech background, he learned product development, earned FCA approval, and turned failures into lessons. From losing his team to rebuilding stronger, from zero revenue during COVID to scaling post-pandemic, Gurprit shows the power of discipline and continuous learning. This is a story of grit, clarity, and emotional resilience every founder can learn from. Follow for more founder stories. Chapters: 00:00 Early mindset and belief 05:00 From finance to fintech idea 11:00 Why UK, not India or US 16:00 Getting FCA approval 19:00 Learning to work with developers 24:00 Planning before building MVP 29:00 Team resigns and rebuilding begins 36:00 Pivot to API model 43:00 Emotional resilience as a founder 50:00 True love for your business 57:00 First launch and zero sales 1:11:00 COVID, pause, and rebuild 1:18:00 Moving to UK and growth 1:29:00 AI future and fundraising Gurprit's stuff:https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurprit-singh-gujral/https://www.loantube.com/Pragati's stuff:https://www.linkedin.com/in/this-is-pragatiBala's stuff:https://www.linkedin.com/in/reachbalahttps://x.com/baalamuruganhttps://www.getvoibe.com

Episode 2: Richard Lee - From Barista to Innovators Uncensored

Richard Lee, founder of Innovators Uncensored, shares how he went from Deloitte to building a media company on a mission to democratise opportunity for founders. Starting as a teenager reselling football boots, he always knew business—not university—was his path. His first real venture, Venue, collapsed during COVID after raising traction but failing to scale. Richard openly reflects on mistakes, turning down investment, and why people buy from people. He explains founder-market fit, the importance of community, and his belief that startups drive economies. His long-term vision? To create opportunities for founders everywhere—and one day become Prime Minister. Follow for more founder journeys. * 00:00:00 Richard’s goal: Prime Minister 00:02:07 From barista to Deloitte 00:03:56 Teenage hustles begin 00:14:36 Lessons from Deloitte 00:25:25 Starting Venue 00:28:22 Mistakes and COVID hit 00:33:34 Finding first customers 00:45:03 Fundraising and turning it down 00:49:10 Failure and burnout 00:58:41 Innovators Uncensored starts 01:03:03 Growing via media 01:15:07 Media to VC vision 01:23:03 Prime Minister dream Richard's stuff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-lee-983a55179 https://www.innovatorsuncensored.com Pragati's stuff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pragati-saxena-941ba818 Bala's stuff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reachbala https://x.com/baalamurugan https://www.getvoibe.com https://www.youtube.com/@VoibeAI #founderjourney #startups #innovation #UKfounders

Episode 1: Siddharth Handa: The Baker’s Dozen to Eklavya — building with values

Founder to operator to educator: Siddharth Handa traces how The Baker’s Dozen and later Eklavya (Bengaluru) were built on a simple promise — quality, integrity, and patience that compounds. He and family co-founded two ventures in 2012, running primary care clinics in Navi Mumbai while learning artisanal bread from first principles. They self-funded, opened four stores, supplied 35–40 restaurants and 15–20 supermarkets, and only later raised external capital. Playbooks were practical: society sampling, pop-ups, conservative rollouts, and “one-day fresh” bread to protect trust. At Amazon he learnt mechanisms and annual planning—then applied them to launching a school guided by parent trust and clear policies. Follow for more founder journeys. Chapters: [00:00] Upbringing and values that set the bar [00:07:09] Family co-founding: aligning life goals first [00:14:24] Narrowing to five needs; clinics vs bakery [00:16:50] Two ventures at once; choosing focus [00:19:05] Learning craft bread; sourcing pro equipment [00:24:11] Funding, capex and unit economics [00:29:54] Flagship stores; break-even discipline [00:33:08] Sampling and pop-ups to win first users [00:39:03] Channels, B2B and saying no wisely [00:46:56] Demand patterns and supply planning [00:54:30] Amazon mechanisms and scale lessons [01:01:20] Starting Eklavya (Bengaluru): plan and build [01:11:16] Admissions, parent trust and school policies