E18: Growth Playbook by India's First Internet Entrepreneur | Sanjeev Bikhchandani X Dilse Omni

E18: Growth Playbook by India's First Internet Entrepreneur | Sanjeev Bikhchandani X Dilse Omni

In this episode of DilSe Omni Talks, Saurabh sits down with Padma Shri Sanjeev Bikhchandani — founder of Info Edge, the company behind Naukri.com, 99acres, Jeevansathi, and Shiksha — and one of India's most celebrated venture investors, having backed Zomato and Policybazaar before anyone else believed in them.What makes Sanjeev's journey truly remarkable is not just what he built — but how he built it. Every business in the Info Edge portfolio started with a customer insight so simple it was hiding in plain sight. Why do people read job magazines from the back? Why do property seekers need local, not national, inventory? Why do students need authentic reviews, not institute-published rankings? These were not market research findings. They were observations about real human behaviour — and they became the foundation of four companies that have touched hundreds of millions of Indian lives.What we cover in this episode:→ The observation in an office that led to Naukri→ The traffic magnet strategy that beat Monster.com without spending on ads→ The full untold story behind Hari Sadu Naukri ad→ The anti-portfolio — saying no to Flipkart, Ola, Lenskart, and Snapdeal twice→ Why Info Edge's best investment decision was simply waiting→ The four rules for naming a brand — and the mistakes most founders make→ How to shortlist a startup idea when you are getting five ideas a day→ The right questions to ask a founder before backing them→ Inspiration behind Ashoka University→ India's AI strategy→ Advice to young entrepreneurs, teenagers, and anyone trying to figure out what to build

How to Build Iconic Consumer Brands in India | Ankur Khaitan | DilSe Omni Talks E17

What does it actually take to build a brand that lasts — not just one that scales?In this episode of DilSe Omni Talks, Saurabh sits down with Ankur Khaitan, Principal at Fireside Ventures — one of India's most respected consumer brand-focused venture funds — for one of the most grounded conversations we've had about brand building, omnichannel strategy, and what investors actually look for when they back a consumer brand for the long term.They have backed some of India's most recognised consumer brands — and Ankur brings a rare combination of investment rigour and genuine brand empathy to this conversation.What we cover in this episode:→ What makes a consumer brand truly iconic — and what separates the ones that last from the ones that plateau → How VC's think about investing in consumer brands — the thesis, the filters, and what gets them excited → The omnichannel lens — how investors evaluates a brand's offline and online strategy together → Real playbooks from brands — what worked, what didn't, and what every founder can learn → The mistakes most consumer brands make when scaling from D2C to omnichannel → What the next five years of Indian consumer brand building actually looks likeIf you're a founder building a consumer brand, thinking about raising capital, or trying to understand what separates good brands from iconic ones — this episode is essential listening.

Scaling India's Convenience Retail Chain - New Shop Story with Aastha Almast

India has 1.4 billion people and fewer than 1,000 organised convenience stores. The US has 300,000. Korea has two lakh. That gap is exactly what Aastha Almast, co-founder of  @newshop_official  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCKmVCx8KraaqlsjaAicOnEQ] , set out to fill — and in this episode of DilSe Omni Talks, she tells us everything about how she's doing it.From winning a government railway station tender against international giants to building a tech-first franchise model that has been profitable for three consecutive years — this is one of the most grounded and honest conversations we've had about retail, entrepreneurship, and what it actually takes to build something that works across India's beautifully diverse markets.Key Takeaways: → Why India's convenience retail market is one of the biggest untapped opportunities in the country → How NewShop won the Anand Vihar Railway Station tender without wearing a suit → Why the franchise model is the only model that truly scales across India→ How NewShop uses tech to give franchise owners predictive demand intelligence → The retail media business generating 35% of NewShop's profit→ Quick commerce — friend or foe for convenience retail? → The vision to empower 10,000 entrepreneurs through convenience retailing by 2030 → Aastha's journey from youngest stockbroker to child actress to retail founder

Building a D2C Publishing Business | E15 Dilse Omni Talks

What does it take to build India's most innovative D2C book brand — and then take it to Shark Tank?In this episode of DilSe Omni Talks, Saurabh sits down with Anurag, Founder of @zebralearnYT — the brand that's reimagining how business and marketing books are written, designed, and delivered in India.This is not your typical publishing story. ZebraLearn didn't set out to just sell books. They set out to make learning actually work — with visual, structured, and deeply researched books built for founders, marketers, and growth professionals who don't have time to wade through 400 pages of filler. In this episode, we cover:→ How ZebraLearn was built from scratch as a D2C publishing brand → The Shark Tank India journey → The real process behind writing a ZebraLearn book — research, structure, design, and what makes it different → The omnichannel gap in India's publishing and learning space → What books ZebraLearn has published and who they're written for → Where the brand is headed next — online, offline, and everything in between → What Anurag has learned about building a product-first D2C brand in India

The Omnichannel Playbook Behind Newme's Growth | Sumit Jasoria X Dilse Omni Talks E14

How NEWME Built the Fast Fashion Empire in 3 Years | Sumit Jasoria | DilSe OmniFrom ₹3.4 crore to ₹200+ crore revenue n under three years —  @newme_asia  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCRDRdiLL-Jqy19iFyumyqHQ] 's co-founder and CEO Sumit Jasoria joins  @dilseomni  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCdTzzwf2A8WcXtOJGlMeCMg] for one of the most honest conversations we've had about building a Fast Fashion D2C brand in India. We go deep on their tech-first approach to fast fashion, why they went offline just 13 months after launch, how NEWME Zip is changing fashion delivery, and what it really takes to build a Gen Z brand from scratch when you've never worked in fashion a day in your life.In this episode, you’ll learn:1. How NEWME's AI-powered trend engine works 2. The Friday FOMO drop model and 48-hour sell testing 3. Why offline stores are a revenue strategy, not brand building4. NEWME Zip and the 60-minute fashion delivery bet 5. How pin code-level inventory mapping works in practice6. Why NEWME gives ESOPs to store floor staff7. Building omnichannel when you own the entire tech stack8. Advice for D2C founders on getting their brand DNA right