Janardan Prasad

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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🌿✨ 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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Excited and looking forward to discussing the evolving challenges of raising capital for early-stage startups at SAASCON24. Join me as I dive into the current trends, what founders need to know, and how we can navigate this more challenging environment. #SAASCON24 #StartupFunding #EarlyStageStartups #SaaS #Entrepreneurship

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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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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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In my latest conversation with Sanjeev Mohan , we took on a topic that resonates with so many of us: → Imposter Syndrome. We all have moments of self-doubt, especially in the fast-paced world of tech and startups. Sanjeev shared his personal experiences and insights on overcoming that nagging feeling of "not being enough." This conversation is a must-listen for anyone who has ever felt like they don't belong or are just waiting to be "found out." →  Check out the clip and don't forget to subscribe to the Better You by Neeraj podcast on your favorite platform. The full episode will be released in 2 weeks. 😎 Just search for "Better You by Neeraj" and hit subscribe! #Podcast #ImposterSyndrome #Startups #Leadership #TechTalks

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While feature parity is a common concern in SaaS, the reality of true product commoditisation might be more complex than we think. Even in crowded markets where features can be easily replicated, there's always room for meaningful differentiation. In this clip, Ranudi Jayasinghe shares an interesting perspective using the analogy of strawberry sellers - how two seemingly identical products can still capture different market segments based on factors like convenience and values alignment. But this raises some interesting questions: 🤔 In a world where features can be replicated quickly, how sustainable is product differentiation? 🤔 Are we overlooking simple differentiators that matter more to buyers than we realize? 🤔 How many SaaS companies are actually investing in identifying and communicating their unique value propositions? What's your take on product differentiation in SaaS? Have you seen examples where seemingly minor differentiators made a major impact on buying decisions? You can find the full episode on YouTube and on popular podcast channels. #unsoldpodcast #saas #marketing #differentiation #b2bsaas #positioning

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AI's hype in Board Rooms = "Hire, CAIO." AI's hype dents the P&L = "Ciao, CxO!" #D_Funda If there's anything that every Industry Revolution, All the tech.-waves & now AI, has taught us... Is that making the most of the human capital, Is often the best way to scale with tech. More so, when tone that's been set around the hype is driven by the cost-arbitrage of AI eventually replacing humans. So in the backdrop of rising AI-induced layoffs, How soon before we get to "Ciao, CxO"? _ #ai #futureofwork #cxo #caio #layoffs #jobs #employment #worDplay #iykyk

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Kudos to Navan and Ankur’s perseverance and hardwork! Leaving high paying jobs to build one fintech model >> Realising the gaps in the first model early >> Taking the learnings from the first model and solving a much larger problem >> Not taking offers from mega fintech to build their solution under a boss >> Not accepting an offer undervaluing their solution (we all know how tough it is to reject the first offer till it remains the only offer on the table) >> Building a million dollar pre-seed round with strategic angels and funds. One hell of a rollercoaster over the last 12 months but off to a solid “start”. Super proud and excited to see CirclePe grow one milestone to the next! 🚀🚀🚀🚀 #venturecapital #earlystage #investing #fintech #funding #rentalfinancing Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma Anvit Baliga Miloni Yash Ashank Apurva Reshma https://lnkd.in/de8Fw2yQ

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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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The a16z podcast on product-market sales fit with Jyoti Bansal, Peter Levine, Satish Talluri and Sonal Chokshi is a goldmine of lessons for founders and product leaders of startups at different stages. Here are a few key takeaways from my perspective: 1: There is no market without the user.  In the early phases of a company, when you're still pre-product-market-fit, obsesses over the user, not the technology. It is crucial at this early stage that you are able to define what metric you will use to measure user adoption, and optimize for it accordingly. 2: Integrate the go-to-market model into your product thinking. Who you sell the product to, and how you intend to sell and support your product is just as important as the functional & technical requirements of the product. The features of the product should reflect aspects of the go-to-market strategy. 3: Solving an existing problem? Do it 10x better. If you want to introduce a product in an already established market, make it 10x better - 10x easier, or 10x cheaper or 10x more scalable. 4: Bridge the gap between engineers and customers. Who said engineers don’t need to understand the customers? While this may be especially relevant to technical products, I’d argue this applies across the board. Engineers hold the keys to innovative solutions, but to fully equip them, it's necessary they possess a robust understanding of both the business and its customers. 5: if your users are getting adoption and are happy with the product, the money will come.  Lower margins for the first year with a platform + services deal is still okay, if it significantly increases your chances of renewal. 6. Follow the two-thirds, one-third rule Dedicate two-thirds of your engineering resources to sustaining current customers and penetrating existing markets further. Assign one-third of your engineering resources to broadening your TAM (new markets/new users). 7. Display creativity with your product, but maintain simplicity in pricing. Keep it straightforward for your sales team to explain your pricing structure. Price your product in a format that your customer is familiar with. Understand the ROI, the value your product adds to the business, and their budget constraints. Use these factors as pricing guidelines. Once you know this, it's better to price higher; you can always offer discounts later. 8. Concentrate on the aspect you must learn the most to reach the next milestone. Excel at it and then proceed to worry about the subsequent milestone when you get there P.S. I've put the link in the comments below" 👇 #brand30 #productmanagement

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Hyderabad-based SaaS startup Bizom, founded by Lalit Bhise and Shree Bhise along with Vasudeva Manjunath, has raised $12 million in a Series B round of funding led by venture capital firm Pavestone VC. This funding round saw Pavestone contributing $7.5 million, with participation from existing investor IndiaMART InterMESH Limited and various family offices. Previously, Bizom had raised around $6 million in its Series A funding round. #fundingnews #saasstartup #retaildistribution #b2binnovation #startupgrowth #startupnews #startupstory

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What an inspiring talk by Padmasree Warrior in a fireside chat with Rajan Anandan for Peak XV Partners #Spark and Surge founders. Incredible gems of leadership include: 1. Don’t just focus on competition…understand market transitions. (I found this statement profound) 2. ⁠Don’t do the same job twice 3. ⁠Choose your path and make the journey interesting 4. On the transition from handling 30,000 to 30 employees…in the former “your job is to ask the right questions and not micromanage” and as a founder at the early stage “your job is to do everything”. In a big company “you need a lot of stamina”, as a founder “you need a lot of resilience”. In a big company they’re coming for the brand, in a startup they’re coming for you. Building talent is key.” 5. “Embrace your difference as your advantage. Never give up your power.” 6. If you don’t catch the market transition you become irrelevant.

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if you know, you know Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures. nerd. founder. wise. man. been there done that sv. wisdom. it's missing. let's face it. it's always been missing over time. for.ever. so it's a blessing truly to have an o.g. that keeps it for reals. yes we are a fan. much like Jensen Huang Fei-Fei Li ilya sutskever ...and other good people in sv. they are the ones who make this place so special. indeed they do. here https://lnkd.in/exWqey9K we have sam i am that's all that i am sam (alt)man having a 1-1 with the man. this is a must watch to provide a foundational (no llm required here) mindset as to how sv is at it's best (and worse). caution. watch out for the truth bombs. vinod is (in)famous for this style and we <love> him for it. thank g-d he exists. if you meet the dbags in sf/bayarea your experience you will be quickly lonely, dazed and confused. best to listen to these wise words from vinod and from that determine your spot in the sv landscape. with an insight on the sv playbook from a master. well. need i say more. it's about the very spirit of sv that makes it so special. and this is indeed embodied in a few who are masters. deserve our attention. yeah. yeah. i know attention is all you need. although what happens if your attention is being distracted from building. being in the company of those who will join your mission ala brian chesky of Airbnb. missionaries. search for the good missionaries in sv. keep away and keep in mind of the mercenaries. they are there. pg. he's another gift (as opposed to the grifters) paul graham wrote about this too https://lnkd.in/eEYmQwqZ - being a chesky-esque missionary. these are good things to follow on the path of achieving escape velocity as an (ai) startup. oh. hollywood has entered the ranks of sv. yes it has. so there is a bit of performance art that is required. not enough that you've created something that's novel (truly, novel). also requires a bit of showmanship. audacious in fact. it's a well known sentiment that audacious ideas motivate people. sun microsystems. audacious. juniper. audacious. OpenAI. vinod as an early investor. audacious. Vinod Khosla was born audacious. so fitting he found a place in this world where many have benefitted from this sentiment. perhaps years ago a bit on the abrasive side. now with those white hairs. the elder statesman. non-diplomat. rules, the roost of that which allows for others to flourish. note if you manage to thread the needle of vinod means that it's a very very very good beginning. nothing is guaranteed of course. as my lawyer 'friends' like to say. * buyer beware. be aware. Vinod Khosla is. are you (ai)? are you?? perhaps yes. perhaps, non. < . >

DSW | Data Science Wizards (DSW) has successfully secured $1.4 million in seed funding, achieving a valuation of $16.4 million, led by an angel investor. Founded in 2019 by Pritesh Surendra Tiwari, Ramesh Khare, Sandeep Khuperkar, and Shivam Thakkar, the company aims to revolutionize industries with its advanced AI platform, UnifyAI. The funding will enhance UnifyAI and expand DSW's team. Among their upcoming offerings is insurAInce, designed specifically for the insurance sector, featuring tools to improve risk management and operational efficiency. DSW also plans to introduce solutions for banking, telecom, retail, and manufacturing, enabling rapid implementation of AI in these sectors. #DataScienceWizards #FundingNews #AIInnovation #UnifyAI #StartupFunding #InsurTech #DigitalTransformation #ArtificialIntelligence #DeepTech #BusinessSolutions #AIAdoption #TechForGood #Startup77

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{New pod 🎤} "𝐆𝐓𝐌 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐒-𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐁2𝐁 𝐒𝐚𝐚𝐒 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬" This episode explores GTM strategies and learnings for US-India B2B SaaS startups. We cover everything from finding design partners in the US, scoping MVPs, figuring out what ICP to focus on, navigating the unique challenges of early PMF, GTM hiring in the US, and finally, working towards creating M&A exit options. Joining me for this discussion is Satya Ganni, an experienced SaaS founder and operator who has successfully built and sold five companies and led two acquisitions as a buyer. He is currently serving as CEO of Beamer and Userflow. Beamer is developing a cutting-edge product-led growth toolkit tailored to product leaders at SaaS and digital-first companies. They recently acquired Userflow to augment the business. TIME STAMPS: (01:15) Satya’s journey as a repeat US-India SaaS founder and operator (04:38) [Case Study: 0-to-1] Finding US design partners (11:09) Scoping B2B SaaS MVPs (15:42) [Case Study: $10k-100k ARR] Identifying which ICP to focus on - SMB vs mid-market vs enterprise (22:23) [Case Study: $100k-$1Mn ARR] Navigating the unique challenges of early PMF (27:18) [Case Study: $1-5Mn ARR] Building a US leadership team post-PMF (34:33) [Case Study: $5-20Mn ARR] Working towards creating M&A exit options  (38:46) Learning to become a proactive relationship builder YouTube - https://lnkd.in/guGQeBwA Spotify - https://lnkd.in/gAg7XeF4 Apple Podcasts - https://lnkd.in/gkYEDpED An Operator's Blog - https://lnkd.in/ggGbzSKY

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How a Bootstrapped Founder Built a $100M ARR Empire Podcast link in comments 👇 From my conversation with Rajesh Jain from Netcore Cloud in June of 2022 on the Forge Podcast (formerly SaaS Universe Podcast): → The untold story of building Netcore without a single $ of funding ↳ Perfect weekend wisdom for ambitious founders 5 game-changing insights that challenged conventional startup wisdom: 1. The "Proficon" Revolution → Profitable + Bootstrapped + Valuable ↳ Built a $100M ARR company with zero external funding ↳ Proves you don't need VC money to build something massive Customer Obsession as Growth Engine → Turned customer complaints into product roadmap ↳ Email pain points → Full-stack marketing solution ↳ Revenue grew directly from solving real problems "Build Forever" Mindset → Approach: Build like you'll run it for life ↳ No exit strategy needed ↳ Results in better long-term decisions Revolutionary Employee Equity (25%) → Unheard of in bootstrapped companies ↳ Created massive alignment ↳ Built a culture of owners, not employees The 30:2 Success Ratio → Failed 30 times, succeeded twice ↳ Each failure = stepping stone ↳ "Mountains beyond mountains" mindset 🚀 Want more breakdowns on AI x Enterprise Growth? Follow for hard-learned insights on: → Enterprise focused GTM → MarTech stack optimization → Thought leadership at scale → $100M+ campaign playbooks → Building AI-first revenue engines #Podcast #Growth #Startups

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