Madhusudhan Rao

Finsire has recently started its learning series - Ideally by chatting with the best folks in the Industry. Here, with Siddharth Shetty, Co-founder and CTO of Account Aggregator (AA) from DigiSahamati Foundation, we speak about the data exchange's inception, growth, and future in India. - We use AA for various reasons, including pushing boundaries in India's data exchange layer with various use cases. - It's been about three years since it went live, and over 70 million cumulative Indian accounts are linked. - One-of-a-kind data sharing network from India that is not seen anywhere across the globe, baring Singapore with https://lnkd.in/gyrCQtVQ - Different approach to protect consumers as compared to the previous models that existed to attain consumer data by various methods used by Plaid or Salt Edge Onemoney Finvu (Cookiejar Technologies) Protean eGov Technologies Anumati by Perfios AA NADL - Account Aggregator Computer Age Management Services Limited KFin Technologies Ltd. Enjoy - Please click on the link below and watch the video!

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Can technical founders become effective CEOs? Srinath Sridhar knew he needed to step out of his comfort zone when he founded Regie.ai four years ago. Now he and cofounder Matt Millen have raised more than $20 million and landed on G2’s list of fastest-growing software products of 2024. My full conversation with Sri is in the comments.

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𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 🇮🇳'𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 - 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 / 𝐙𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐨 / 𝐔𝐏𝐈 Suhas Motwani and I turned the common question of "What can India learn from Silicon Valley?" on its head in an episode of An Operator's Blog. (Full AOB episode link in comments)

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Like to order deliveries from the comfort of your own home? Zepto's recent $665 million funding will now allow the company to set up even more store across India to serve you better. Read all about it only in my new article at Entrepreneur India. . . . Follow and connect for more industry news and updates . . . #News #Update #Zepto #Funding #Investment #EntrepreneurIndia #AdityaPranMahanta https://lnkd.in/gYvATrUE

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Many eye opener facts about each category of BGV. Must watch to understand its importance and how it impacts your workplace safety and organization's reputation. Thanks Yashwanth Jembige for taking out time to talk to us on this.

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Final AMA for AIR5 For the @AntlerIndia Residency #5, apps from individual founders are due Aug 2nd. Existing teams can continue to apply (rolling decisions). Nandini Vishwanath & I are doing one final AMA this evening (July 29, 6-7 pm IST). We cover all things Residency - the best way to move from your -1 to 0 phase to an investment decision. https://lu.ma/7n35d1z5

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New Report Alert: Decoding the Online Ticket Business in India & Zomato - Paytm Deal! (Zomato to buy Paytm's entertainment ticketing business for Rs 2,048 crore The acquisition of Paytm Insider, approved by Zomato's board, will allow the food delivery giant to foray into the entertainment ticketing sector, complementing its existing dining and food delivery services.) I'm excited to share that I've recently completed a comprehensive report on the dynamics of the online ticketing industry in India, with a particular focus on the strategic acquisition deal between Zomato and Paytm for Paytm's ticketing business. This report dives deep into the evolving landscape of online ticketing, highlighting the key factors driving growth and the challenges faced by industry players. I also explored the strategic implications of Zomato's acquisition of Paytm's ticketing arm, examining how this move aligns with Zomato's broader business objectives. To provide a well-rounded perspective, I included detailed financial analysis of both Zomato and Paytm, shedding light on the financial rationale behind the deal and its potential impact on both companies. If you're interested in understanding more about this significant development in the Indian tech ecosystem, feel free to reach out! Zomato Paytm Parth Verma The Valuation School #OnlineTicketing #Zomato #Paytm #MergersAndAcquisitions #IndiaTech #FinancialAnalysis

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Indian venture market has exploded. Someone reported that there are 800+ funds/networks/syndicates/ accelerators active in Indian venture market now. Not sure, if that number is correct but if you are an early stage tech founder on your fundraise journey, chances are, you would meet hundreds of people. While majority of the fund houses are doing incredible work and shaping the ecosystem. There are certain kinds of investors you need to identify & avoid to save time and stay focused: Sharing from my personal experience, top 5 such cohorts to avoid and the takeaways for the founders: 1. Data collectors: At early stage, you don't have historical data to present. Your projections are just that, Projections. I wasted one whole week discussing with a prospective angel investor on why the CLTV to CAC ratio is x, and not y. Takeaway: Discuss high level strategic numbers only without going into the details. None of the projections would be accurate anyway when rubber hits the road. 2. Document collectors: Met few folks, who would watch from the fences and ask for n number of documents, data rooms, statements without sharing the purpose of the ask or even revealing their investment intent. Takeaway: It is supposed to be a bi-directional conversation. Say 'no' often, till the time, an official relationship is established. 3. Valuer (! investor): At early stage, valuation is a function of multiple parameters, the opportunity itself, the team, or anything else except steady cash flows, because you don't have much. I wasted another week with a prospective investor trying to justify valuation, had to shut down that conversation, after both of us started quoting Aswath Damodaran and his valuation principles. Takeaway: Too much content on the internet for both parties anyway. Shouldn't be a bone of contention at early stages. 4. Facilitators posing as investors: Met numerous people, who would go to any lengths to pose themselves as serious investors, even buying paid media articles. Only to reveal at the last: The success fee. Takeaway: Avoid facilitators until Series A 5. Brokers posing as market makers: People posing as market makers sharing tons of gyaan on LinkedIn but are actually deal brokers looking to make quick %. Personal experience: Two rounds of conversation happened and then out of blue, they added a third party in the mail trail, someone who facilitates mergers & acquisitions. There wasn't even a single instance in the past conversations where we indicated any such intent. Takeaway: Avoid name & shame in public but at least share within founder communities. #venture #fundraise #startups #investing

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Lumikai turns 4 this month! In 2020, Lumikai Fund was essentially two of us. Fast forward to 2024: Four years in, we have seen one pandemic, two global wars, one bull run, one private market bear run, average 20%+ stock market returns, and surprise bans/prohibitions. Lumikai has grown up in times of uncertainty. The fund platform has expanded from two to eleven team members with over 2,000 deals evaluated. In a new market, we were calibrated and built a tribe of 16+ portfolio companies. Now, we have been recognised as a Top 10 VC fund in the interactive media and gaming space - the only Indian fund to make it to the list. Most importantly, we have seen the Lumikai tribe of founders achieve new heights, many times despite massive headwinds. We cheered for Eloelo when it hit India’s #1 social entertainment app, All Star Games (Deftouch) Games became India’s #2 cricket sports game, and Bombay Play won Google Play’s “Best Game in 2023” across APAC region, when Studio Sirah launched India-first mid-core IP in Kurukshetra: Ascension, AutoVRse won the business of a major US tech giant from competition, and Vobble brought Peppa Pig in audio to Indian kids. Like us, many in our portfolio have had to traverse uncharted territory without any playbooks or defined paths. Bringing light to an emergent asset class from an untapped region, which now has adequate global and domestic attention, has been a work in progress. Over the last four years, we have learnt: Lesson #1: Pioneering is not just about being “the one” but for everyone. It’s not just about winning, but about sharing knowledge, expertise, and giving back to an ecosystem. Lesson #2: Sometimes, when the odds are against you, all you can do is persist and control the inputs. Lesson #3: Being non-contrarian and right is a long, hard, and lonely journey of self-reflection and introspection. Lesson #4: You overestimate what you can achieve in a day and underestimate what you can achieve in a year. Lesson #5: VC success favors the hungry, the curious, and the lucky. And many times, in the business of venture, you have to create your own luck. So, as we crystal ball gaze, here’s to more years facing turmoil and uncertainty with resilience, impact, and excellence! 🎉 May the Lumikai light continue to shine bright. 🙏 Justin Shriram Keeling I Kislay Shashwat I Aditya Deshpande I Anant Seth I Asher Siddiqui I Tiasha Guha Neogy I Nidhi Bavishi I Anahita Singh I Raghav Ganesh I Namisha Rajgarhia #LumikaiTurns4 #VentureCapital #Growth #Resilience #Innovation

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This value-sharing advice from Manish Jindal is such a gem for companies going from 0-1 , 1-10 , 10-100 and beyond!

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How to make 40 lakhs per month ($50K) with subscription model in India? This podcast works as an App building MASTERCLASS

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I recently shared my thoughts with The Times Of India on how AI is reshaping tele-calling. AI is not about replacing people with machines; it’s about using technology to do what it does best: handle the routine, so humans can focus on complex interactions where human intuition and empathy are essential. The future isn’t just AI—it’s humans and AI working together. And that’s the future we’re building. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/dKn4zQrH

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Dunzo's financial woes continue as its funding faces roadblocks Dunzo, the once-promising Indian delivery startup, continues to grapple with financial struggles as it faces delays in funding and ongoing challenges with unpaid employee dues. This situation is a reminder of the importance of financial resilience and the need for transparent communication in times of uncertainty. #Dunzo #StartupChallenges #Funding #EmployeeRelations #BusinessNews #StartupLife #FinancialManagement https://lnkd.in/ghAxiKXb

To all founders, CTOs, Vp Engg... if any company/individual approaches you with the following claims 1. We will build ML solution even if you don't have enough data {data synthetic will not work unless you have enough evidential data to create} 🛑 2. We have built LLMs or we will help you build LLMs 🤥 3. We will provide AI solution for very cheap 😥 4. We will improve efficiency/ROI/CR by 50% from day 1 using our AIML solutions Then please RUN 🏃‍♂️ 🏃‍♂️ 🏃‍♂️ .... All these are nothing but diet pill ads 💊 #CTO #CIO #VP #AIML #GENAI

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Amazing offer by SMILE Investing Advisory Services (SEBI RA). You are definitely not going to get SEBI registered Quality advisory services in this pricing. If you have not yet started your investing journey, join #SMILE for long term wealth generation.

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✨Announcement📢🥳 I am exhilarated to be a part of Product Space's Product Teardown Competition Season 10 with the collaboration with Susheela Mani Manoharan, in which we have to boost the AOV of Zepto, a leading "10 minute grocery" delivery platform. In this challenge, we have to develop detailed product strategies to: 1. Boost the AOV of Zepto from ₹460 to ₹600. 2. Enhance product discovery and engagement on the app to encourage more frequent and larger orders. 3. Improve purchase experience We came out with detailed user experience, pain points and their wireframe solution to achieve the desired outcome. A big thanks to Product Space for organizing this great competition and providing an opportunity where we can show our learning skills and where we can learn from own mistakes. It was really amazing experience with this exciting challenge. Product Space 🚀 #product #productspace #ProductSpace #zepto #ProductTeardownS10 #productmanagement #PM #AOV # #productteardown #challenge

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At ProRider (Delivery Jobwala), we're on a mission to revolutionize the delivery job market by connecting skilled riders with top companies. Today, we're thrilled to announce our latest milestone: an association with Delhivery, India's largest fully integrated logistics provider, as we expand our reach across major metros and beyond. A Partnership Built on Vision 👉 Delhivery isn't just any logistics company. Since its inception in 2011, the team has fulfilled over 2 billion orders, established a nationwide presence, and built a network that services over 18,600 pin codes. With 24 automated sort centers, 94 gateways, and a robust team of over 57,000 people, Delhivery is truly the backbone of commerce in India. And now, ProRider is proud to be a part of this journey. Our collaboration with Delhivery underscores a shared commitment: to create opportunities for riders across India while supporting the quick commerce sector's growing needs. By joining forces, we aim to bring forth the best talent, ensuring that every delivery is seamless, every rider is empowered, and every journey is a step towards growth. What This Means for Our Riders 👉 For the riders associated with ProRider, this partnership opens up new doors. Delhivery's extensive operations across every state in India mean that our riders will now have access to opportunities in even the most remote corners of the country. Whether it's in bustling metros or emerging markets, ProRider's network will ensure that skilled riders are mobilized where they are needed the most. But this partnership isn't just about numbers; it's about making a difference. It's about offering riders a chance to be part of a system that values quality, innovation, and growth. With ProRider (Delivery Jobwala)'s commitment to optimizing rider income, career advancement, and providing ancillary services like microloans, our collaboration with Delhivery will further strengthen our rider community. Stay tuned as ProRider continues to break new ground, connect skilled riders with leading companies, and redefine what it means to be part of the delivery ecosystem in India. For those seeking services or more details, feel free to reach out to Neehar R or Aishaa K. We're here to help you navigate the future of delivery, one rider at a time... #Delhivery #logistic #lastmiledelivery #rider #ProRider

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CLSA published a detailed research report on India quick commerce. Recommended reading. Who will be the first to create a $50-100Bn company in India internet? #Zepto #Zomato #IndiaInternet

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