Episode 75: From MakeMyTrip to DeepTech - India's OG VC Story | Sandeep Singhal

Episode 76: The Conscious Entrepreneur - The Jaipur Rugs Journey | Nand Kishore Chaudhary

Some conversations teach you.Some transform you. My talk with Nand Kishore Chaudhary (NKC-ji) wasn’t about business - it was about consciousness.He reminded me that leadership isn’t about control, but about connection. Since that day, I’ve rethought everything - from creation to consciousness to what success really means.Watch this episode of #DamaniTalks [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/damanitalks] - it’s one of those that stays with you long after the credits roll.Highlights: * Grew up in Churu, Rajasthan, and turned down a secure government job to follow his passion for people and nature through business. * Defined business as “next to love” - a force to create and preserve civilization - and built Jaipur Rugs on this soulful philosophy. * Empowered over 40,000 artisans, 85% of them women, by building trust in tribal communities and transforming them into extended families. * Launched the award-winning Manchaha Project, enabling rural artisans to express their creativity and win global design recognition. * Scaled Jaipur Rugs to a ₹1,000 crore brand across 90+ countries while preparing for an IPO rooted in purpose, not just profit.

Episode 75: From MakeMyTrip to DeepTech - India's OG VC Story | Sandeep Singhal

What does it take to spot India’s startup wave a decade before it arrived, back the country’s earliest unicorns, and then pivot to building a climate-tech fund for the next generation?In this episode of #DamaniTalks [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/damanitalks], in conversation with Sandeep Singhal, one of the true OGs of venture capital in India. From a small-town upbringing in Kanpur to Stanford in the 1980s, to McKinsey in New York, and finally co-founding eVentures and Nexus Venture Partners, Sandeep has lived the evolution of India’s startup ecosystem - shaping how the VC industry itself took root here.Highlights: * Growing up in Kanpur, stumbling into Stanford by chance, and his early Silicon Valley startup years. * Why he returned to India in the late ’90s - long before it was cool - and co-founded eVentures, backing companies like MakeMyTrip. * The origins of Nexus Venture Partners and the philosophy that grew it into a $2.6B powerhouse with iconic investments like Postman, Delhivery, Zepto, Snapdeal, Netmagic, Unicommerce, and WhiteHat Jr. * Why he believes the real opportunity ahead is in climate, deep tech, and sustainability through his latest chapter at Avana Capital. This is a masterclass in long-term conviction, spotting patterns early, and building India’s entrepreneurial fabric brick by brick.

Episode 74: From Jaipur’s Looms to India’s Cap Tables | Mahavir Pratap Sharma

What does it take to go from selling carpets in Jaipur to becoming the first Asian Chair of TiE Global and now raising a $20M venture fund? In Episode 74 of #DamaniTalks [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/damanitalks], we are in conversation with Mahavir Pratap Sharma - an ecosystem builder, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and now GP at Swishin Ventures. From his mother’s pioneering carpet business in the 1970s, to six years in America building a wholesale rugs and gems trade, to co-founding RAIN (Rajasthan Angel Innovators Network), Mahavir’s journey is one of constant reinvention. Along the way, he has backed 40+ startups, chaired TiE Global, and helped shape Rajasthan into a vibrant node in India’s startup map. Today, with Swishin Ventures, he’s institutionalizing that journey - launching a SEBI-licensed $20M fund to back seed-to-Series A startups solving for Tier-II and Tier-III India. His thesis: 51% of India’s startups are based in these cities, but they get less than 4% of VC capital. That imbalance is the opportunity. Highlights: * Growing up in Jaipur’s carpet business, learning negotiation from his mother, and his take on ambition vs. conservatism * Six years in the US: summer camps, basketball coaching, cold calls to carpet and jewelry buyers, and building his own import-wholesale venture * Returning to India and expanding into carpets, jewelry, events, and communications * TiE Rajasthan: from reluctant member to global chair - and how a Jaipur retreat made him a household name in the ecosystem * Co-founding RAIN in 2012 to plug Rajasthan’s funding gap * First exits: Capacita Connect (3.5x), Hotify (4.5x) - and the confidence to go full-time into startups * The Swishin Ventures playbook: seed-to-Series A, $200K–500K first cheques, consumer tech, BFSI, healthcare, and deep tech * Why Tier-II/III founders are his bet for India’s next decade of unicorns Whether you’re a founder seeking your first cheque, an angel navigating misses and exits, or an operator wondering how ecosystems get built, this episode is packed with candid lessons on risk, resilience, and reinvention.

Episode 73: From Ranger Life to Risk Capital | Vineet Rai

What does it take to build India’s pioneering impact-investing platform from a ₹5,000 bank balance, a cold email, and sheer conviction? In Episode 73 of #DamaniTalks [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/damanitalks], we delve deep into the 'Aavishkaar' story with Founder & Vice Chairman, Vineet Rai - from launching Intellecap and backing India’s earliest microfinance pioneers to buying a troubled NBFC with his own money and turning it around in 45 days. This is a masterclass in building institutions the hard way: brick by brick, cycle after cycle. At 25, Vineet became CEO of India’s first grassroots innovation incubator. A few years later, he raised capital off a living-room pitch, structured his first fund without lawyers, and made a ₹10 lakh first bet that ultimately returned 45x. Highlights: * The ₹10 lakh first cheque that became a 45x exit and what almost went wrong * How a cold email to Singapore kickstarted Aavishkaar’s first commitments * Surviving the 2010 AP microfinance crisis: from triple-digit returns to near zero - and back- * Buying Arohan for ₹12 crore and turning it profitable in 45 days * The “incubate + invest” playbook: Intellicap, talent pipelines, and building operating muscle * Why founders must “save themselves from themselves” as scale arrives * Fund VI, professional leadership, and preparing for Fund VII Whether you’re a founder, investor, or operator, this episode reframes risk, resilience, and responsible scale. Tune in for candid lessons, contrarian calls, and a rare blueprint for building institutions that last.

Episode 72: Scaling to ₹20,000Cr in Disbursals The InCredAble Story | Ram Kewalramani

Ram Kewalramani, Co-Founder and Managing Director of CredAble, has reimagined how working capital flows through India’s supply chains. With a career that spans investment banking, logistics, and now fintech innovation, Ram has quietly built one of India’s leading enterprise-focused lending platforms disbursing over ₹20,000 crore in working capital to thousands of businesses. From creating embedded credit rails to transforming invoice discounting through APIs, Ram’s story is a masterclass in vision, resilience, and execution. In this episode of #DamaniTalks, Anirudh A. Damani dives deep with the man behind CredAble exploring his early wins, hardest pivots, and what it really takes to build a tech-first NBFC in India’s complex financial ecosystem. Ram opens up about: Why CredAble was born from solving a real B2B capital gap How investment banking prepared him for entrepreneurship The hard truths behind scaling a lending business in India Building a digital-first risk and underwriting engine Why founder grit outweighs pitch decks in fintech His take on embedded finance, SME credit, and the next wave of lending innovation This isn’t just another startup story it’s a blueprint for how fintech can power India’s economic backbone. If you're a founder, fintech nerd, or someone fascinated by India’s evolving credit ecosystem, this conversation will change the way you think about capital.Chapters:00:00 Intro – setting the stage for Ram’s entrepreneurial story00:03 Pivoting in COVID – Credible’s birth to solve liquidity crunch08:06 Banking Crisis Lessons – resilience, due‑diligence & strategic pivots16:10 Fail‑Forward Mindset – why embracing setbacks fuels growth24:15 Closing the MSME Funding Gap – building Credible’s supply‑chain platform32:17 First Invoice Win – 15‑month grind to product‑market proof40:21 Humor & Hustle – keeping morale high through founder lows48:24 Ego‑Free Decisions – “agree to disagree” and clear ownership56:29 Smart Capital Strategy – raising ~$50‑60 M without over‑dilution1:04:30 SaaS for Banks – seizing the licensing wave in supply‑chain finance1:12:35 Data‑Driven Ops – monthly metric reviews & unit‑economics focus1:20:37 Journey over Destination – reflections, internships, and keeping it simpleMore about our Guest, Ram KewalramaniLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ram-kewalramani-87b6508?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramkew?igsh=MXZxa28zMDlxbjFlZA==Learn more about your host, Anirudh A. DamaniLearn more about your host, Anirudh A. Damani Website: https://www.showmedamani.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showmedamani/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/showmedamani/ X: https://x.com/showmedamani WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xtO07c4PfYHX6RhJ1IkA2