Kaustav Mitra

This post from Vaibhav Domkundwar beautifully shows how surviving long enough can position a startup to take advantage of an eventual tailwind. When we invested in Yulu, no one had a clue that Quick Commerce will become the next commerce phenomenon in the country after payments. Because Yulu intelligently survived, kept improving the product and is capital-efficient enough to be agile to market needs, it’s now befitting from QC tailwinds. Reminds me of what the Rippling founder once said - as a startup, just survive 10 years and the odds are that you will end up succeeding.

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Always be launching. Read this interesting piece by Andrew Chen at a16z today. Gone are the days when you would do a big bang launch and hope for the best. Of course, do those well synchronised launches, keynotes and what not. But, in the meanwhile, also always be launching and sharing. How does this look like for a founder / marketeer? You could start with: First up, jump onto your favorite social app and share your latest small win at work. Hit that share button! Keep doing this every day, and mix it up with things like: - A customer quote you really loved - Your favorite feature of your product - Something new you learned at work - An interesting article you read related to your job - A shoutout to someone who helped you and what they taught you ...or anything else that comes to mind! Just share a few lines every day, and keep doing it. Make sure you do it yourself—don't let someone else handle it—and let it really speak to you. It's that easy. When you've got something big to announce, just go ahead and say it. Don't overthink it. The next day, share that big news again but in a different way. Keep repeating :)

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✨ Chet Kapoor ✨ is quite the Silicon Valley legend. Three-time founder and currently the CEO of DataStax his wisdom for founders is incredibly spot-on ✅ and timeless ⏰ ! In this most recent and probably best-ever episode of The Enterprise GTM podcast, Chet discusses what it takes to build enduring tech companies. Some 🎤 soundbites 🎤 from our conversation: 👩‍🏫 The quality of people influences the outcome of your startup the most. 🔥 You do not need smart people who sit around and pontificate. ☄ Momentum is everything. Never underestimate it. 🌟 Having complete clarity of thought at any given time is very important--who are you doing this for, and how will it change their lives? 🌈 One of the best ways to create a large company is to create a parade or join one. ☝ Know who you are. There's a high likelihood that the company will become more like who you are rather than who you want to be. 🛑 Don't make the mistake of hiring sales execs too soon. Be extra cautious about partnerships. 📣 Tune in to hear about what he has to say about AI startups getting started today, the future of the data layer, the evolving importance of data roles (data science, data engineering), and so much more! #devtool #founder #startup #data #ai https://lnkd.in/gW-58nvE

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India’s Oyo, once valued at $10 billion, is finalizing new funding at a $2.5 billion valuation. This marks a steep decline from its $10 billion valuation in 2019. The startup, which has raised over $3 billion from backers like SoftBank, Peak XV Ventures, Lightspeed, Airbnb, and Microsoft, has struggled to attract institutional investors. In recent months, it has aggressively pitched to high-net-worth individuals after withdrawing its IPO application twice in the past four years. Once a red-hot Indian startup active in markets including the U.S. and Europe, Oyo has now scaled back its international presence. #venture #downround https://lnkd.in/gE2GjYnM

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5 things broken in the India VC system. 1️⃣ Low Returns over the years: The cat is out of the bag. The returns delivered by most VCs back to their LPs have not been stellar. This makes them much more risk-averse and likely to be less entrepreneurial and more conservative money managers 💰 2️⃣ Lack of operators in the high chairs: There is a telling lack of ex-founders, operators, and ex-entrepreneurs in the top echelons. With the tech changing rapidly, anyone who has not operated for over a decade, it is hard to stay in touch with the shifting grounds of tech, marketing, post-sales customer success etc. Being a successful operator of '90s or early 2000s is good for pedigree, but may not be great for prevalent realities 🏆 3️⃣ Very little Indian Money: Most of the VC money in India is from US/EU/ME etc. The share of Indian money is very low. Since the VCs have to answer to the money, there are constraints on what they can and cannot do. In some cases, they are responding to the US overlords' wishes - surely not a great sign 💸 4️⃣ No dedicated tech specialization: There is hardly any sector-focused VC in India that can bring deep sector expertise on the table to spot the naughts and, more importantly, breakout techs. The same goes for general tech (AI, SaaS, mobility, etc.). Hardly any VC firm has a CTO office to inspect the innovations deeply and spot the snake oil claims vs real breakthroughs 🎯 5️⃣ Momentum and trend worship: The only game in town is momentum and conforming to trends (AI in recent days). These are the only two parameters that have got the job done in the recent past 🔍 VC = Vision + Capital. It is a game where the bets need to be entrepreneurial with deep tech diligence as the right to win rather than ultra-focus on distribution as the lynchpin (GTM - a pure function of money). Without that, they are destined to perpetuate the underwhelming past results 😐 #VC #startups #founders #funding #India

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It’s wild what some dev shops will do to land clients… 1️⃣ Having their company LinkedIn based in London or New York but 100% of the team is based in India or Eastern Europe. 🚩Misleading at best... and totally disingenuous at worst 2️⃣ Embellishing numbers—whether it’s how many projects they’ve delivered or how “big” their team is. Inflating the truth won’t make your results any better. 🚩We've seen MVP building businesses pop up that claim to have built 100s of products but mysteriously have only been around a few weeks. One founder I spoke to had used a company like this and when she tried to sue them (for not delivering and ghosting her) she found out they weren't even a registered business! 3️⃣ Overpromising, underdelivering—I’ve seen founders burned by dev shops that make big claims about timelines and prices, only to miss deadlines and charge thousands in overage. 🚩By continually caveating their deliverables as "estimates" these dev shops will underquote to win business and then hike the overall cost at the first opportunity Over the last two years since starting Verticode, I’ve seen more and more founders getting burned by these unethical practices. It’s been frustrating watching great startups suffer because of companies that lie just to win business. Lying to get clients isn’t just bad business—it’s plain unethical. If you’re in the market for a dev partner, do your homework on them!!

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🌿✨ Embracing AYUSH: Empowering Health Naturally! 🌟 Did you know? Recent data from the survey on AYUSH conducted by National Sample Survey Office, India reveals that 50% of Indians used AYUSH healthcare system in the last year! 🔹 AYUSH system of medicines refers to the use of one or more of the system(s) of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homeopathy 🔹 95% of rural and 96% of urban folks are aware of AYUSH traditions. 🔹 85% of rural and 86% of urban households practice Medicinal Plants/Home Remedies/Local Health Traditions. 🔹 Nearly half of rural (46%) and over half of urban (53%) individuals used AYUSH in the last year for health benefits. We at SaveIN work with several leading alternate medicine providers like Dr Batra’s Healthcare Jiva Ayurveda Madhavbaug Homeocare International among others, and are witnessing tremendous demand for alternate therapies, especially for chronic diseases and lifestyle disorders. Let's continue to explore the power of traditional wisdom in promoting holistic wellness alongside adopting the latest in healthcare! 🌱💪 #AYUSH #HolisticHealth #WellnessJourney #TraditionalMedicine #Healthcare #Lifestyle

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The joy of paying it forward There was a point in time a few years ago when my previous startup was not getting anywhere. Having done several product round tables prior to that, I would often hear from Avinash Raghava about doing more of those. My confidence was at an all time low, and I was even more uncomfortable meeting people to share my experience as the impostor syndrome reared fully in my head. Then I reluctantly pulled myself into the 2019 SaaSBoomi Annual where it was inspiring to see several hundred founders slugging it out in their own worlds and journeys. People were just very comfortable sharing stories of struggle, success, vulnerabilities and doggedness. This was a moment in time when I realised that irrespective of the outcomes from my own journey, it’s the journey experience that holds lessons for others. While pivoting to B2Brain 🧠 , these interactions were inspiration for me to keep at it, and looking back I’d like to think I’ve become a lot more conscious, aware and confident of pursuing the path. Since then, I’ve become more comfortable sharing my own story, experiences and points of view with other founders - irrespective of whether they “conform” or not. And it’s a joy to truly be able to open up, share and not hold back while trying to be “nice” (on that note, have been reading up on being “nice” vs being “kind”). Recently, Anupama Panchal asked a question “if someone had to take advice from you, what areas can they take advice on” The areas of company building where I possibly have adequate experiences to share will span the spectrum of how do you think about the Product, the ICP for that product and the GTM for that ICP. A framework I have found helpful is to visualise the Product, ICP and GTM as the three sides of a PMF triangle - it demonstrates the strong linkage between these three, and the impact of changing one on the other two. If you’re a founder who is looking for a sparring partner or want to clarify your thoughts, I’d strongly encourage tapping into another founder’s experience and use that as leverage. Happy #payitforward weekend!

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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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🎉 The Clientell Family has some exciting news to share 🎉 We're thrilled to announce that Clientell has successfully raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Blume Ventures, with participations from our existing investors, including Chiratae Ventures, Artha Venture Fund and from Z5 Capital. https://lnkd.in/gZukPBUg This investment marks a significant milestone in our journey to redefine Revenue Operations. At Clientell, we envision a future where autonomous AI agents handle the entire spectrum of RevOps tasks. These AI-driven agents will serve as copilots, enhancing productivity and efficiency for RevOps teams everywhere. While our vision is expansive, the road ahead is filled with opportunities for innovation and growth. We are gearing up to dive deep into the development phase and are enthusiastic about the impact we as a team can create in this space. We're hiring! To realize our ambitious goals, we are expanding our team. We are looking for passionate, innovative minds ready to join us in shaping the future of RevOps through cutting-edge technology. If you are excited about AI and making a significant impact, we would love to hear from you. Career's page: https://lnkd.in/gwPXQhjZ A special thank you to Venkatesh Peddi from Chiratae Ventures for taking an early bets on us in our first round as well as being the pillar of strength and voice of reason across the pivots and hard decisions. Lastly, the only thing that I'm really proud about here is the stellar team we have who are building this company. It's a whirlwind ride it wouldn't have been possible if any one of them wasn't there. Since it's their company as well so won't say thank you, but I really appreciate the opportunity of building a company with each one of them: Aryan Trip. Ruthuparna K. Prathik Shetty Sayak Samaddar Shivraj N. Ayush Singh Chauhan Palak Jani Penchala Tharun 🚀 Kirti Bhatia Malaya Sahoo Ankit Deshwal To our investors, partners, and the entire Clientell community, thank you for your trust and support. It is an exciting journey and we look for to sharing the same with you all. #Clientell #FundingNews #RevOps #AI #StartUpLife #WeAreHiring #Innovation

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Most times I have mentioned Ecosystems in conversations and I have noticed it registers as Marketplaces by People. They are not the same. An Ecosystem is one that forms Economic Relationships while a Marketplace is a Transactional Space. The former empowers mutually inclusive growth while the latter is purely a way of exploiting the best deal possible. We are at a Strategic Inflection Point (SIP) in our societies where Value Orientation needs Creation over Extraction. For Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative Intelligence (GI) to succeed, it is critical that the Ecosystem be involved collaboratively in Value Creation. Because Engagement precedes Experience and there can be no doubt that we need to Create Systems that can be "Trusted" to harness the New Technologies for Growth that is Sustainable with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) organically embedded in the processes Glocally (Globally Locally). Is this how you Visualize an Ecosystem? This is the first step of a Digitally Intelligent System. Transactional Systems do not Curate data that can economically benefit all parties. #ecosystem #ML #AI #GI #Digital #Transformation

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Only TWO days left to apply for the RippleX Fellowship program! If you are a student/dropout/recent grad building a b2b software company in Canada/US, this is the program for you. In our last batch we had some amazing mentors like: - Braden Ream (CEO, Voiceflow): Mastering storytelling and navigating selling into enterprises - Rahul Parmar (Prev. Senior Director of Sales, Drata): Sales 101 – Converting pilots to real revenue, creating urgency among buyers, and best practices to manage a sales process - Nicholas Chepesiuk (CEO, OnCall Virtual Care, now part of Qualifacts): Striving towards product-market fit, utilizing creative outbound strategies, and the importance of building trust with customers in the early days - Justin Sky (CEO, Rose Rocket): Identifying venture-scale markets, learning when to pivot, and building strong organizational culture - Josh Gray (CEO, Artemis): Conducting customer validation, segmenting your ICP, and advice for young founders Apply here: https://lnkd.in/e2iAu6vi

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Why Great Operators Often Make Terrible Founders Last week, while recording the Skip Podcast with Shreyas Doshi (https://lnkd.in/gja2PeuZ), I shared an insight that explains why some of the most successful operators struggle as founders, while others with seemingly less impressive track records thrive. It all comes down to two pens on your desk: black and red. 🖊️ The Red Pen Operator: - Excels at refining existing ideas - Masters the art of strategic improvement - Thrives in scaling environments - Commands high compensation - Builds on existing momentum 🖋️ The Black Pen Creator: - Faces the blank whiteboard fearlessly - Embraces the vulnerability of first drafts - Generates original hypotheses - Builds without existing tailwinds - Creates their own momentum Here's the career-defining insight: Your success as an operator might actually be inversely correlated with your potential as a founder. Why? Because large companies pay a premium for red pen skills. The higher you climb, the more you're rewarded for your ability to spot flaws, refine strategies, and optimize existing systems. You become masterful at surfing waves – but founding requires you to create the wave itself. A personal example: I've watched a brilliant CPO struggle mightily as a founder, while a "less polished" product manager built a $100M business. The difference? The CPO had mastered the red pen but feared the blank whiteboard. The PM embraced the messy first draft. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: If you find yourself frustrated in large organizations because you prefer creating from scratch rather than refining others' work – you might have the founder gene. 🔑 Key Takeaway: Your success as a founder doesn't depend on your ability to perfect existing systems. It depends on your comfort with imperfect creation. Want to dive deeper into this framework? Join Shreyas and me as we unpack the complete matrix for operator-to-founder transitions. Full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gAdgtm3x 💡 Follow me for more insights on the intersection of product leadership and founding success.

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It was fun – and educational! – to join SE Ventures for this discussion. When you're starting something new, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the possibilities. The key? Start small and stay focused. Pick the most valuable use case – the one where you can deliver the most impact with the least surface area. A narrow scope isn't a limitation; it’s an advantage. Solving a specific problem effectively not only builds credibility, but also delivers value quickly. Once you’ve nailed that, move from pilot to cash. Focus on driving value right away, even within that narrow space. Do your research and find out who else might benefit from your solution, and keep building. By delivering results quickly and consistently delighting your customers, you create momentum. This opens doors to solving bigger, more complex problems. In summary: Build fast. Build focused. And keep your audience at the center of everything you do.

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Good points for business decision makers on GenAI to focus on. Cut the clutter and think straight... Both extremes of uncritical euphoria and inexperienced dismissals are likely to lead to bad decisions. The former is when you think it is already great and easy to adopt. It is not... The latter is when you think it was a bubble and somehow Nvidia share price going up or down is going to determine your attitude to whether one should adopt GenAI. 😀 #genaiadoption

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Tune in to explore the motivations, challenges, and triumphs of GenZ as they carve out their unique path to success. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the #future of #education, #entrepreneurship, and the ever-evolving landscape of youth potential. Don't miss out on this enlightening #journey!🎧 And remember, your engagement helps us grow– Do subscribe to our YouTube channel - #TheAeroBayPodcast   𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤- https://lnkd.in/gG4D_d5m Give us a thumbs up, share with your friends, and leave your thoughts in the comments below. Let's dive into this exciting #future together! #AeroBay #Podcast #steameducation #designthinking #experientiallearning #productdesign #towardsbrighterfuture

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Had a call recently with Shivam M. from Floqer which is a pretty straight forward Clay alternative. Nothing more, nothing less in terms of the end outcomes the product helps you achieve. But I signed a contract with them rather than a tried and tested product like Clay. Here's my reasons: 1. Both Shivam & Srishti are absolute customer delights with the latter being an extra 10%. Always there even on weekends looking to deliver outcomes rather than flaunt process. 2. Way better data enrichment than Clay at half the cost. They offered me pretty much everything for what I can't even dream of with Clay. 3. These guys have gotten to $200K ARR in just 15 weeks of being in the market. Takes a certain drive to do that and I am always a big believer of investing in the right people. I would recommend folks who are exploring options like Clay to connect with Shivam M. or Srishti. Every biggie was once a startup too and early adopters get to gain the most from such journeys. If you are building a product that can add value to our stack, DM me and let us connect. #SaaS #GTM #RevOps

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Some early advice we got building NOAN (standard, sensible, tried & tested advice) was to own a vertical. But then something happened. We got paying customers, and they weren’t hemmed into a vertical. We serve paying customers in all these sectors: 💰 Venture capital 🤓 Tech startups 🥩 Food exporters 🧘🏻‍♀️ Yoga instructors 👷🏻‍♀️ Geo-surveying ⚠️ Construction 🐎 Gambling/gaming 📈 Consultancy 🥽 Augmented reality 🕸️ Web design 💸 Financial advisory 🏪 Marketplace businesses 🎪 Event management 🚜 Agri-business ✈️Tourism 🛒E-commerce 🤝Non-profits The list keeps growing. Our vertical is business owners who need strategic help, want to do more with less, who are time-poor and resource constrained and eager to adopt AI into their small businesses. Sound familiar? Our platform is structured to adapt to any business, and to accelerate and empower business owners in any sector to make smart strategic decisions and create the content to execute and support that. Our vertical just happens to be horizontal. And now that we’re building out sector-specific strategy stacks in NOAN, to complement the core, universally applicable stacks, our higher-volume verticals get more love. I appreciate every person who’s been generous with their time and advice thus far in the journey, there’s been something to take away and try from every conversation. And it’s wild to see that sometimes the most sensible, obvious advice is the advice that just doesn’t work. What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever gotten that just didn’t work for you?

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