Inside India

Dreaming Big: The incredible journey of India’s largest mattress manufacturer - with Rahul Gautam, Chairman and Managing Director of Sheela Foam

The sleepy world of mattress production might not to be the sexiest of business models. Yet mattresses are no longer viewed solely as consumer staples; they are a sign of comfort and quality of life. And in recent years we've seen the explosion of mattress innovators and startups from all over the world. In India, where mattresses such as the ones we know here in the western world, are still very much perceived to be a luxury item, the growth of the mattress market is skyrocketing. This is primarily attributed to factors, such as rising income levels, growing health consciousness, and growth of the real estate and hospitality industries. There has been a visible shift in consumer perceptions where the main focus is now on comfort and functionality as incomes increase. Adapting to the changing times, mattress manufacturing companies in India have adopted innovative technologies and products to ensure customer satisfaction and improve sleep quality that sways the upper middle class in India. In today’s episode of Inside India, Ben Hayward is joined by Rahul Gautam, the Chairman and Managing Director of Sheela Foam, one of the largest manufacturers of mattresses and foams in India. Rahul is the man behind the success of Sheela Foam, a company founded in 1971 by his late mother, Sheela Gautam who required a government license to manufacture foam. The business has scaled great heights under their leadership as they've sold hundreds of thousands of mattresses on the Indian subcontinent over the last four decades. With the 1993 launch of their flagship brand Sleepwell, the company embarked on a remarkable journey of manufacturing and producing mattresses and other foam related products and has now branched out beyond India with factories and manufacturing hubs in Australasia and Europe. Join us as we hear from one of India’s most popular and experience CEOs in this quirky yet vital sub sector of consumer stapels.

12. Fixing the US’s debt conundrum with an Indian built tech application with Avi Patchava, CEO and Co-Founder of Bright Money

The use of credit is ubiquitous in American society and we have seen explosive growth in consumer credit over the last decade, as rates have remained low. However, as credit has been more widely available, it has also resulted in indebted households sinking into trouble jeopardising their financial security. Millions of families across America are burdened by this debt with many spiralling into monetary destruction. The economic wellbeing of an individual would be considerably improved if they were able to effectively manage their debt and make informed financial decisions. In today’s episode of Inside India, Ben Hayward is joined by Avi Patchava, CEO and Co-Founder of Bright Money, a mission driven consumer FinTech company, dedicated to helping everyone reduce their debt burden and build wealth. Bright Money, which was founded in 2019, promises to assist customers, to take control of their debt and start developing real wealth by handling all of their data crunching calculations and financial planning on their behalf. Customers allow Bright Money to thoroughly examine their banking credit card transactions and help them make financial decisions through the use of big data and analytics. Its mission is to help every American double their wealth by enabling better financial decisions, powered by data sciences and behavioural design. It is yet another example of the increasingly popular - Build in India, Sell in the Western world business model, with more than 95% of their workforce based in India, yet all of their customer base located in the US. Avi spends this episode telling us what it is about India that makes it such a right destination for building a 21st century tech business with product that can be exported around the world.

11. India’s Third Wave Moment: Exploring India’s burgeoning coffee culture with Matt Chitharanjan, Co-Founder at Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters

India, a country that is always synonymous with tea, also happens to be one of the world’s major coffee producers. Despite its tea-loving heritage, India’s coffee culture continues to slowly evolve thanks to the changing consumption habits of the rising middle class, growing brand awareness as well as the emergence of specialty coffee startups. Specialty coffee, which provides customers with coffee freshly brewed per their preferences, is driving the growth of the Indian coffee scene. Moreover, the effort to build a dosmestic Indian coffee market is enabling farmers from the bottom of the supply chain to be connected to Indian consumers who have traditionally thought of coffee as a luxury item. Blue Tokai, named after an ancient South Indian term for the tail of a peacock, is a coffee startup that wants to popularize India’s vast coffee growing plantations and connect Indians to western style speciality coffee culture. In today’s episode of Inside India, Ben Hayward is joined by fellow coffee enthusiast and the Co-Founder of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, Matt Chitharanjan. When Matt and his wife, Namrata moved to India from the U.S., they missed drinking speciality coffee and began sourcing high-quality coffee from farms and roasting it at home. They soon discovered an immense customer base for speciality coffee. And as a result, in 2013, Blue Tokai was born. Blue Tokai’s vision is to bring great quality speciality Indian coffee to the mass affluent urban population of India. Over the years, the company has evolved and expanded its operations with standalone cafés and roasteries across the country. In less than a decade, Blue Tokai has roasted more than 1000 tons of coffee, served close to 3 million cups, from it’s network of over 50 cafes and remains India’s most fastest growing F&B start-ups. What started as a hobby back in 2013 has now turned into a thriving, fully fledged coffee business.

10. Analysing the rapid growth of the Indian Aviation Industry with William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer at IndiGo - India’s leading low-cost airline

The aviation industry in India has emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors in the country over the past few years. Robust demand, policy support by the government and increase in investments are some of the key drivers facilitating the growth of aviation in India. Currently, India has the third-largest aviation industry in the world and the fifth largest market for aircraft passengers both domestically and internationally. And when it comes to the domination of aviation in India, IndiGo is the largest passenger airline with highest market share. The company primarily operates in India’s domestic air travel market as a low-cost carrier with a focus on three pillars of offering low fares, being on-time and delivering hassle-free experience. In today’s episode of Inside India, to discuss all things Indian Aviation, Ben Hayward is joined by William Boulter, the Chief Commercial Officer of IndiGo. Willy has been in the airline industry for over three decades and worked all over the world with airlines including Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, South African Airways, Etihad, and an Emirates-sponsored team in Angola. Willy was also the CEO of Russia’s first Low Cost Carrier, Sky Express.

9. Transforming the way India consumes with Lizzie Chapman, CEO & Co-Founder of ZestMoney

Buy now pay later also known as BNPL is a financing option that allows you to buy a product or service without having to worry about paying for it in one go and instead financing it over the subsequent weeks and months. Due to the rise of e-commerce and digital payments, low credit card penetration, and rapid increase in the adoption of FinTech, many of whom are disrupting traditional financial services, business models. The market for BNPL businesses is booming in India. The BNPL offers an alternative way of consuming goods and services via the ease of credit. And it’s fast becoming the preferred purchase method among gen Z consumers and young millennial. In today’s episode of Inside India, Ben Hayward is joined by Lizzie Chapman, CEO and Co-Founder of ZestMoney. ZestMoney is India’s largest and fastest growing buy now pay later platform and uses mobile technology, digital banking, and AI to make life more affordable than millions of young Indian consumers. Lizzie has continuously been promoting the concept of digital finance and driving its adoption in India. She envisions a feature where India has a fully digital economy and every Indian has access to affordable credit, her passion for the potential of technology to disrupt the delivery of financial services to me encapsulates the new India.