Suyash Joshi

Natasha Malpani Launches ₹200 Crore Fund to Power India’s AI Startups Former Kae Capital partner Natasha Malpani has launched Boundless Ventures, an early-stage venture fund with a corpus of ₹200 crore, dedicated to supporting homegrown AI-native startups across India. The fund will focus on pre-seed and seed-stage investments in companies innovating across consumer AI, infrastructure, agent tooling, healthcare, logistics, deep tech, and make-in-India hardware. Boundless has already written its first cheques to startups including Superhealth, Armatrix, PierSight, Knot, and two stealth ventures in AI infrastructure and consumer AI. Beyond capital, the fund promises to bring narrative and network support to founders. As Malpani puts it, India today has a once-in-a-generation advantage talent density, digital rails, and ambition to build global AI leaders from day one. At Startup Veda, we’re thrilled to see local capital fueling the AI frontier. This fund signals rising maturity in India’s venture ecosystem—placing conviction behind AI-first founders well before the rest of the world catches on. Join the conversation: Which early-stage AI ventures excite you the most? How powerful is the mix of capital + storytelling for building AI startups? #Startup #AI #VentureCapital #DeepTech #StartupIndia #FounderStories

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Shivakumar Ganesan, Co-founder & CEO of Exotel, joins The Neon Show. A 14-year journey from bootstrap to scale, Exotel’s story is one of India’s most remarkable SaaS journeys. We discuss: 1. How Exotel grew for 8 years post-seed round without external funding 2. What happened when COVID slashed revenues from $10M to $5M. 3. The bold strategic moves: 3 funding rounds & 2 acquisitions that followed. 4. The tough transition of customer base from SMBs to enterprises. 5. Building a ₹2500 crore+ business without leaving India. 6. Why Shivku chose to stay focused on India despite advice to go global first. 7. How automation could cut contact center jobs by 80%. 8. The challenge of building voice AI across 30+ Indian languages. And much more on timing, reading the market, and creating moats in overlooked opportunities. The episode drops today on The Neon Show.

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How does he sell products on Amazon every THREE seconds? The answer lies not just in the product, but in the PRICE. 💰 ➡️In the chapter “PRICING: THE HOLY GRAIL OF BUSINESS” from my book Startups of Bharat, we unpack the story of Varun and Tarun from Boult, one of India’s top three audio and wearable brands that has bootstrapped its way to 750 CR in revenue. 😳 At a time when international heavyweights like Bose, Sennheiser, and Marshall already dominated the premium segment, and local brands were competing on price, Boult charted its course. 👇🏻 Varun and Tarun discovered a clear gap ⏩Customers wanted premium design and sound quality — without the premium price tag. However, identifying a gap and monetising it are two distinct things. The real game-changer? Boult’s adoption of the target costing model—a method where you first decide the price customers are willing to pay and then engineer your product to fit the cost constraints. For example, if the COGS is capped at 60% and comes to 2200, with a remaining 40% margin, your price would be Rs 3080. This meant tight control over production costs, design-led differentiation, and a refusal to fall into the trap of over-innovation. Profitability wasn’t a distant milestone—it was baked into the business model from day one and reinvested to grow the business to 750 CR and take the No. 3 spot in the ever-competitive audio category. 💪 Ask yourself ⬇️ I) Would your customers still trust your product if it cost 20% more—or 20% less? II) Are you pricing based on cost or value perception? III) Is your pricing strategy helping you build a brand, or just moving inventory? IV) What does your price say about you, even before your product does? Find the answers in “PRICING: THE HOLY GRAIL OF BUSINESS” — only in Startups of Bharat on Amazon. Link in comments! Varun Gupta Surya Pasricha 🌞 BOULT #startupsofbharat #startups #india

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In venture capital, ultimately “only a handful of companies per year actually matter”. Just 7 firms led the Series A of ~60% of startups in India that are worth $1B+ today. The list of firms leading investments in these cos is fairly predictable - PANZEL + Tiger Global. Full post on India's unicorn hunters in the comments

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GREST raises ₹16 crore to scale electronics re-commerce in India 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁? Grest is a consumer electronics re-commerce startup that sources, refurbishes, and resells devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets, and wearables across both online and offline channels. It’s focused on building trust in the refurbished electronics market. Grest was founded in 2018 by Shrey Sardana and Nitin Goyal. 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 The funding round was led by equentis, which invested ₹7 crore. Other participants include The Chennai Angels, Lead Invest, and India Accelerator. The round includes both equity and debt components. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 / 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 The capital will be used to:   • Expand Grest’s retail footprint beyond its existing ~60 stores   • Upgrade its 20,000 sq. ft. refurbishment lab   • Strengthen its e-commerce and B2B platforms   • Enhance supply chain capabilities   • Expand into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India Grest’s raise underscores growing investor confidence in circular economy models and sustainable consumer tech. By improving infrastructure, transparency, and reach, it’s helping make high-quality refurbished electronics more accessible. At Startup Veda, we spotlight stories where capital, product, and market intersect to shape new sectors. Follow us to stay on top of funding trends and startup moves redefining industries. #IndianStartups #IndiaStartups #AI #StartupIndia #SeedFunding #Startup #IndiaStartups #Funding #post #linkedin #news #update #startups #new

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The Great GCC Paradox: We’re Hiring, but Losing India’s GCCs are expected to cross $100B by 2030. But here’s what no one’s openly talking about: We’re leaking talent at the top, and hiring at the bottom. 1. A new study by Mercer shows mid-career attrition in tech has doubled since 2022. 2. CXO-level hiring cycles in GCCs have stretched beyond 6 months (Zinnov, 2024). 3. Returnee talent with global exposure is still asked: Q) “Why do you want to come back?” Q) “Are you too senior for this role?” We’ve mastered delivery. But we’re stuck in a talent loop: - Entry-level upskilling is celebrated - Strategic leadership hiring is feared - Internal mobility is sluggish - Culture fit outweighs culture transformation The result? India’s most capable talent is being interviewed by Singapore, Berlin, and Dubai, while local GCCs are still refining JD drafts. What if the real growth limiter isn’t infrastructure or policy… …but our inability to bet on catalytic leadership? You can’t build a $100B ecosystem with a $1M mindset. Let’s talk: What one mindset shift would unlock India’s next-gen GCC play? #GCC #LeadershipHiring #IndiaTalentCrisis #DigitalTransformation #ReturneeTalent #LeadershipGap #CXOHiring #Mercer #Zinnov #StrategicIndia #FutureOfWork #TalentFlight #HyderabadTech #GCCReset Zinnov Achyut Menon "AK" LinkedIn News India Reshab Shaw Vishwanadh Raju Viswanathan K S GCC Pulse™ Korn Ferry KPMG India

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Most poeple don’t get Boba Bhai right. But, as an investor via Titan Capital Winners Fund, I’ve had the fortune to see this story play out very closely. It is not just winning the bubble tea market in India - It is creating it. - Before their explosive entry, the category was a fragmented, niche curiosity-a handful of scattered outlets with no cohesive market identity - And Boba Bhai’s strategic execution is a live case study in transforming a fringe trend into a dominant, mainstream consumer category Their first move was to define the product for the Indian masses. By fusing Korean formats with Indian flavours, they created an accessible, craveable version of bubble tea and street food that could achieve broad appeal, moving it out of the niche corners of K-culture enthusiasts. Next, they built the physical infrastructure for the category at an unprecedented speed. Scaling to over 70 outlets, they are single-handedly putting bubble tea on the map in cities across the country, building the distribution network that is making the drink a household name. But their most visionary move in category creation is happening right now, in the digital aisle. The launch of Ready-to-Drink (RTD) canned bubble tea on quick commerce platforms like Blinkit and Zepto is another big bet. Effectively, they are not just entering a new channel - they are creating an entirely new FMCG category from scratch - packaged bubble tea. This allows them to own the "at-home" occasion, building brand salience far beyond their physical footprint. And this is very inspiring, because this is how categories are built. A single brand becomes so dominant in the consumer's mind that it becomes synonymous with the product itself. Think Xerox for photocopying or Maggi for instant noodles. With a stated goal to make K-Pop culture mainstream in India across food, drink and more, Boba Bhai, and its amazing founder, my friend Dhruv (in pic), are not shy about their ambitions. - And having read this whole thing, I am sure you would now get that they are not aiming to be a player in the bubble tea space - They are building the entire stadium and positioning themselves as the home team And that’s why I always say with pride and confidence, that Boba Bhai isn't just another QSR. What do you think? ---- I've begun to share my learnings from the world of startups more frequently to gain wider perspective. Thus, if you hold any additions or differences to the thoughts I shared above, do share in the comments. That will help widen my thinking horizons. Thanks! Best, Shiv

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India’s Mobility Story is Being Rewritten💫 In my latest podcast episode, I sat down with three people deeply invested in shaping how India moves: Kunal Khattar (Advantage VC) Prashant Kumar (zingbus) Anubhav Sharma (Baaz Bikes) The conversation was not about hype. It was about ground realities, hard numbers, and long-term bets. Here are some key insights that stood out: 1. Mobility in India ≠ Mobility in the West Only 1% of Indians can afford a four-wheeler. Real mobility lies in buses, two-wheelers, and three-wheelers. This single data point changes the entire lens of how mobility should be built and funded. 2. Electrification is about impact, not vanity metrics Just 10% of commercial vehicles consume 70% of India’s energy. Electrifying trucks, buses, and last-mile delivery vehicles is where the real disruption will happen — not in premium EV sedans. 3. Perception is as important as technology Bus travel in India is associated with compromise. Zing Bus is proving it can mean reliability and dignity. Gig workers often distrust EVs. Baaz is showing that when uptime and cost per km are solved, EVs actually increase monthly earnings. 4. Capital ≠ Moat, Execution = Moat As Kunal shared: Rapido became twice the size of Ola in bike taxis with only 8% of Ola’s capital. The differentiator wasn’t money — it was sharper execution. 5. The founder–investor partnership is a marathon The best VCs aren’t driven by FOMO. They are driven by conviction. Advantage’s north star is not just returns — it is to create 100 successful founders. That requires patience, respect, and backing even in downturns. The conclusion was clear: building generational mobility companies in India is a 10–15 year journey. It will not be defined by Silicon Valley playbooks but by solving uniquely Indian challenges — affordability, energy, and trust. The full episode is live. For anyone curious about how India’s EV and mobility landscape will actually unfold, this discussion offers rare clarity. 👉 Link to Watch the Episode: https://lnkd.in/grVUPvfg #EV #Mobility #Startups

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