Prime Venture Partners Podcast

The Holy Grail of Business AI: Uniphore's $2.5 Billion Playbook with Umesh Sachdev

Umesh Sachdev, cofounder and CEO of Uniphore, joins Shripati Acharya for a deeply insightful and very real conversation about what it actually takes to build and scale enterprise AI.  Whether you are a founder, a product leader or someone thinking seriously about enterprise AI, this episode will give you clarity on business AI you won’t find elsewhere. What you’ll take away: • A clearer understanding of what Uniphore does as an end-to-end enterprise AI and data platform • Why so many AI pilots “fail” at first and how that failure can actually be meaningful progress • How enterprises are achieving predictable outcomes using unitary agents, workflow orchestration, guardrails and fine-tuned SLMs • The inside story of Uniphore’s strategic raise and why some of the world’s biggest AI and data companies chose to back them ⭐Episode Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 03:00 – What Uniphore Actually Does  05:47 – Why Enterprise AI Struggles to Scale Beyond Pilots 10:08 – The Determinism Problem: Why AI Gives Different Answers Each Time 12:32 – Unitary Agents and Workflow Orchestration for Predictable AI 14:00 – Small Language Models vs Large LLMs for Enterprise Use Cases 15:25 – Why Guardrails and Governance Matter in Real Deployments 16:39 – One Big Agent Fails but Ten Small Agents Work Better 20:40 – Why AI Pilots Fail and Why That Is a Good Thing 22:20 – Converting Experiments into Enterprise-Scale Adoption 24:26 – 35,000 Invoices a Week with Only Four Humans: ROI Case Study 26:25 – What Enterprises Really Look for in AI Systems 28:45 – Lessons from Building Across India and the US 32:51 – Why Founders Must Be Close to Their Biggest Market 34:44 – Structuring Teams Across Geographies for Global Scale 38:10 – The Journey of Building Uniphore Over Seventeen Years 42:36 – Hard Lessons Learned Along the Way 46:45 – Why NVIDIA, Snowflake, AMD and Databricks Invested 51:17 – How the Strategic Round Came Together 52:22 – Closing Note If this conversation resonates with you, drop your biggest takeaway in the comments and subscribe for more in-depth founder and VC discussions. #EnterpriseAI #Uniphore #ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents #SmallLanguageModels #AIInnovation #AIinBusiness #FounderInsights #StartupLessons #TechLeadership #GlobalScale #FutureOfWork #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

How Stories Shape Decisions, Trust & Startup Outcomes — A Masterclass with Ameen Haque

Ameen Haque — Founder of Storywallahs and one of India’s leading storytelling coaches — joins Amit Somani for an eye-opening deep dive into the craft of storytelling in business. If you're a founder, operator, leader, or creator, this conversation will reshape the way you pitch, lead, persuade, and communicate. 🔍 In this episode: • The real meaning of the “lion vs hunter” lesson • How Ratan Tata exemplifies storytelling through action • Why great leaders win trust through narrative • How to make customers the heroes of your story ⏱ Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 02:00 – Why humans think in stories, not facts 02:23 – “We are all storytellers” 03:18 – Why good work fails without a good story 04:54 – The “lion vs hunter” mindset shift 06:16 – Storytelling through action: The Ratan Tata example 07:23 – Living your story vs. telling it 14:39 – Why customers should be your storytellers 15:23 – The hierarchy of difficulty: 16:40 – Behavioural economics & persuasion 38:03 – “Stories aren’t long or short — they’re good or bad” 40:58 – Editing is the most underrated storytelling skill 41:48 – Learning from masters: music, art & observation A must-watch for anyone building something meaningful. 🎙️ Full episode now available on Prime Venture Partners Podcast. 📌 Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primevp_in/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574450955885 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/primevp Twitter: https://twitter.com/primevp_in Website: https://primevp.in #Storytelling #StartupMindset #LeadershipInsights #FounderWisdom #BusinessStrategy #CommunicationSkills #EntrepreneurJourney #PitchBetter #StartupLeadership #LearningToLead #AmeenHaque #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

Apple, China, and the New Map of Global Power: What Patrick McGee’s Apple in China Teaches the World and India

Apple’s China story is more than a business case — it’s a mirror of globalization itself. In this eye-opening conversation, Patrick McGee, Financial Times journalist and author of Apple in China, sits down with Pankaj Agarwal to explore how Apple’s greatest triumph became its biggest challenge. 💬 In this episode: * How Apple helped build modern China * The lessons India must learn as it becomes Apple’s next manufacturing hub * The trade-offs between innovation, control, and national interests * What this means for founders, investors, and policymakers shaping India’s tech future 📌 Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 01:11 – Why Patrick Wrote Apple in China 03:33 – How Apple Ended Up in China 06:25 – Researching the Untold Story 08:21 – The Three Phases of Apple in China 11:03 – Lessons for Founders on Supply Chains 12:26 – The ‘Siren Song’ of China 13:13 – Apple’s Moral Dilemmas and Trade-offs 16:27 – Innovation, Arrogance & Plateau 19:04 – The Economics of Dependence 22:27 – What Can India Learn from China? 23:53 – Why Does Apple Need India? 25:45 – Are iPhones Made in India? 26:55 – The Future of Globalization & Supply Chains 31:31 – Why Should You Read Apple in China A conversation for those who think beyond valuations — about strategy, sovereignty, and the soul of global business. 🎧 Full episode out now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. #PrimePodcasts #PatrickMcGee #AppleInChina #GlobalBusiness #IndiaStartups #Leadership #TechGeopolitics #Apple #China #PrimeVenturePartners

How Can India Build Its Own Global Smartphone Brand? Conversation with Ex-CEO of Realme and Founder of Ai+ | Madhav Sheth

Madhav Sheth, - the driving force behind Realme, now the Founder of Ai+, opens up about the inside world of smartphone wars, the rise (and fall) of Indian brands, and his vision to rebuild from scratch. 🔍 In this episode: • How Realme rewrote India’s smartphone playbook • Why most Indian brands couldn’t survive the global onslaught • The hidden monopoly controlling 60% of the market • The next revolution: AI-powered smartphones built for India • Lessons on leadership, innovation, and staying hungry after success 📌 Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 03:00 – Building Realme: From Idea to Global Brand 04:15 – The White Space in India’s Smartphone Market 06:20 – Understanding Indian Consumers: From Price to Value 08:10 – Scaling Through Value, Not Volume 10:00 – The Future: Hardware + Software + AI 12:00 – Why India Missed the Smartphone Opportunity 14:10 – Inside BBK Group: Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus & Realme 16:55 – What Killed Indian Smartphone Brands 19:05 – Inside the Smartphone Monopoly 20:35 – Building NextQ: Madhav’s New Mission 23:00 – Leadership Lessons & Founder Mindset 25:30 – Advice for India’s Next-Gen Tech Founders 🎧 Watch the full episode and discover what’s next for India’s tech future. #MadhavSheth #Realme #AI #IndiaTech #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Innovation #TechRevolution #MadeInIndia #Smartphones #FounderStories #ScaleUp #BusinessGrowth #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #DigitalIndia #FutureOfTech #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast

Inside the VC Mind: Prime’s Fundraising Masterclass for Founders

For the first time ever, the Prime Venture Partners investment team — 1 Principal and 2 Vice Presidents — sit down to answer everything founders wish they could ask a VC face-to-face. This isn’t theory. This is the real inside view of how venture capital works in India: 💸 How VCs actually pick the 5 startups that make it through 📉 The real reason your pitch deck isn’t working 💬 Why not every profitable business is “VC-fundable” 💭 And the timeless debate: is venture success skill or luck? 📊 Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 05:51 – The VC funnel: 5,000 pitches → 5 investments 07:09 – How to reach a VC (referrals vs. cold outreach) 09:57 – Why not all great businesses are VC-fundable 14:20 – Founder mistakes that kill deals 18:20 – How much should you raise — and when 25:17 – Analysts & Associates: the real champions of deals 33:41 – The underrated power of monthly updates 39:49 – How founders should think about valuation 45:39 – How to pick your VC partner 50:00 – ESOPs, angels & early-stage strategy 56:00 – Skill vs. Luck — what really drives VC success If you’re building a startup, fundraising, or even thinking about raising capital someday, this is your Fundraising Masterclass from inside the VC room. 🎧 Watch till the end for honest takes, funny moments, and practical insights that can shape your next raise. #PrimeVenturesPartners #VentureCapital #StartupIndia #Founders #Fundraising #VCInsights #Entrepreneurship #StartupIndia #IndianStartups #RaisingCapital #PitchToVCs #StartupTips #PrimeVenturePartnersPodcast