Funding, scaling up & acquisition deals | Arjun Vaidya, founder & investor | Episode 17 | Wadhwani Foundation podcast

From launching NASSCOM to writing The Maverick Effect | Harish Mehta | Wadhwani Foundation podcast

This episode of the Wadhwani Viewpoint podcast features a doyen of India’s business landscape. Host Manali Shah is in conversation with Harish Mehta, Founder, Onward Technologies and Co-founder & first elected chairman of NASSCOM. Tune in as Harish Mehta discusses what prompted him to write his debut, bestselling book, The Maverick Effect, which chronicles India’s IT revolution and the genesis of NASSCOM. In the episode, he looks back at the various challenges faced by NASSCOM back in the day, recounts interesting anecdotes, shares his views on hot-button topics such as AI, and more. This is not an episode you’d want to miss!

A-Z of starting up in the tech space | Meghna Saraogi, Founder & CEO mirrAR | Episode 19 | Wadhwani Foundation podcast

mirrAr, an AR software company, partners with leading jewellery brands such as Tanishq, Kalyan Jewels Forevermark and Hazoori Lal & Sons, to allow shoppers virtually try on their products. Its Founder and CEO, Meghna Saraogi, is the latest guest on the Wadhwani Viewpoint podcast. Meghna Saraogi and host Manali Shah discuss the factors, challenges and opportunities that come with launching a startup that essentially sells new technology. They delve into the factors that go into finding the right product-market fit, convincing VCs and clients to invest in the tech, and more. Tune in!

Bootstrapping, pivoting, tech at startups | Vinod Kumar, Founder, Naturally Yours | Episode 18 | Wadhwani Foundation podcast

Vinod Kumar, Founder, Naturally Yours, has had a long and eventful entrepreneurial journey since launching the venture in 2010. The brand started off as a brick-and-mortar organic food ingredients store in Mumbai and is today an online-only brand offering healthy noodles and pasta. In this episode of the Wadhwani Viewpoint podcast, he talks to host Manali Shah about pivoting and changing business plans, the benefits of building and sustaining a bootstrapped startup, the right time to raise funding, how he built a strong supply chain network of hundreds of organic farmers across India, adopting the latest technology, working with a co-founder (Priya Prakash) who happens to be his spouse, and more. Tune in!

Funding, scaling up & acquisition deals | Arjun Vaidya, founder & investor | Episode 17 | Wadhwani Foundation podcast

Host Manali Shah is in conversation with Arjun Vaidya, the founder of one of India's largest online Ayurvedic brands, Dr Vaidya’s. After a successful exit, Arjun is now a venture lead at Verlinvest, which invests in brands such as Sula, Epigamia, Veeba and Heads up For Tails. Having been on both sides of the table, Arjun shares what investors really look for in startups, and also elaborates on the factors that are required behind a rapid and successful scale up, aspects that affect a startup acquisition deal. Tune in!

Future of Work, AI & Industry 4.0 | Robin Bhowmik, Manipal Global Skills Academy | Episode 16 | Wadhwani Foundation podcast

In this episode, host Manali Shah is in conversation with Robin Bhowmik, Chief Business Officer at Manipal Global Skills Academy, about all things skilling. How will AI affect jobs? What are the skills important to thrive in the future of work? What are the changes Industry 4.0 will bring about? Tune in as Robin tackles these crucial questions!