Tigerfeathers

"It’s like what the Internet did for data, or UPI did for money, they want to do for the physical world — for the world of atoms. Drones just happen to be the form factor." Last Friday on Tigerfeathers we published a piece that's been in the works for a large chunk of this year. It covers the story of Airbound, which sits in that rare class of Indian startup that - if successful - would fundamentally reshape how the world works. Started by Naman Pushp when he was a 15-year-old high schooler in 2015, Airbound now counts on the contributions of some of the best young engineering talent in the country. The team is obsessed with the goal of making the 'best aircraft physically possible', to add a new layer to the rails of global transport. It's a tale of novel engineering and outsized ambition still very much in its opening act, fresh off an $8.65 million seed round led by Lachy Groom alongside Lightspeed India (Hemant Mohapatra) and Humba Ventures (Leo Polovets), announced just last week. If you're remotely interested in aerospace and hardware; if solving last mile delivery keeps you up at night; if the challenge of 'moving atoms like bits' or 'making one rupee delivery a reality' sounds compelling, you'll probably enjoy this one 👇 Abhishek S. (gradCapital) Aprameyo Roy Mayank Joneja Amrit H. Ganesh Yadav Stefard Dsouza Mohanty Sambit https://lnkd.in/dk2zQVbT

Finished 70% of Rahul Sanghi phenomenal post on Airbound & Naman Pushp. I like how Naman's reconciliation as an inventor & the turmoil of a founder is captured as he's going through the motions. Wildly fascinating to see how a germ of idea begins to take flight.

Had a super fun time reading the Pixxel piece. Glad there is such an amazing piece now on Airbound. Thanks Rahul Sanghi for capturing the story so well!

This article captures the heart of what we’re trying to build. Rahul spent weeks with our team to understand why we’re obsessed with engineering at the edge of what’s possible and why we believe ₹1 delivery isn’t a dream but an engineering problem waiting to be solved. If you’ve ever wondered what drives us, this piece comes close. Thank you Rahul Sanghi for telling the story of Airbound so thoughtfully.

"The fact is that one rupee delivery is a fundamental paradigm shift. It’s like the internet for goods. What the Internet did for information we want to do for atoms." This morning we published a new Tigerfeathers piece that's been in the works for the past five months. It covers the story of Airbound, an Indian startup that's building 'the world's most efficient aircraft' to be employed as part of an aerial delivery fleet. Their mission is to make logistics invisible, instant, and affordable - bringing down the cost of last mile delivery to (near) zero. Founded by Naman Pushp and now boasting some of the brightest young engineering talent in the country, Airbound belongs to that rare class of Indian startup that - if successful - would fundamentally reshape how the world works. It's a tale of novel engineering and outsized ambition still in its opening act, backed by an $8.65 million seed round led by Lachy Groom alongside Lightspeed India (Hemant Mohapatra) and Humba Ventures (Leo Polovets), announced earlier this week. If you're looking for some reading to keep you occupied (and stir some inspiration) through the holiday weekend, we've got you covered 🫡 Aprameyo Roy Mayank Joneja Amrit H. Ganesh Yadav Stefard Dsouza Mohanty Sambit https://lnkd.in/dSghr6Ka

Bombay tech friends - on 16 Sep Tigerfeathers is hosting a special evening with the founders of Hunger Inc. (The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, Veronica’s, Papa’s, Bombay Sweet Shop). We're chatting world-building, storytelling, and the superpower of hospitality - plus drinks, nibbles & great company. Link to sign up in the comments - limited spots this time around but this is hopefully the first of more Tigerfeathers IRL in 2025 👀

Funny how one ad-placement travelled so far. Samantha shared a newsletter where Secret Alchemist was talked about. Followed by Ankita Thadani. But a Zoho One blurb I worked on (along with Shivasharan) quietly made its way into Tigerfeathers, a newsletter taking cue on culture-meets-commerce. The blurb was about coherence, how public digital infrastructure in India (Aadhaar, UPI, Account Aggregators) has moved fast, while most private tools are still disparate. And how Zoho One aims to bridge that gap. The idea found a big moment, nestled inside a newsletter by Harnidh and Rahul Sanghi on India’s fragrance economy and the rise of massmium perfumes: identity-led brands redefining how Gen Z smells, shops, and signals. Proud to have Zoho One sponsor the edition, not simply because it fits the product, but because it fits the philosophy. In a world full of fragmented tools and fleeting trends, coherence, in work, in expression, in storytelling, is what actually scales. Sometimes, the right line lands in the right story at the right time. And that’s enough to keep writing. If you’re building quietly, or writing honestly, keep going. Someone’s paying attention. #ZohoOne #NewsletterAd

Last Sunday, I mentioned that each Sunday, I will give a shout-out to things that deserve a larger audience. Here's today's list of three things. 1/ Nikunj Taneja is building Stay Parfums. I just got a Discovery set, and so far I like it. If you are in for a long read, do consider reading Harnidh's piece on the fragrance market in Tigerfeathers. 2/ Nipun Jain needs no introductions, but since she can't "get" LinkedIn, here's my attempt to have her get more active here. 3/ Roohi sent me her update, and I was so stoked to see that she's got two very very big investors on her podcast. If there's one person who exemplifies grit, hardwork, perseverance, focus and all that, it's Roohi. More young people must learn from her. Do check her work out. That's it for the day! -- I plan to do this every week (till this falls off my radar). If you think you need a larger audience, lemme know and I will post from my handle.

Fresh out of surgery, unable to move, I did what any self-respecting millennial would do: mindlessly swiped through Instagram Stories. But there was something odd. Every few taps: perfumes. Body mists. Attars. Where were these brands coming from? Who was buying them? More importantly, what was driving this sudden surge? That’s when I put my “curious VC” hat on. India has one of the richest scent histories in the world- attars, temple fragrances, Ayurvedic blends- and yet, for decades, fragrance as a consumer category has been underdeveloped. Now, there’s a flurry of massmium (mass premium) perfume brands trying to define an “everyday aura” for the Indian market. It’s a fascinating moment: - A deep heritage meets a modern consumption wave. - The category looks back at its global dominance, while struggling to articulate itself in today’s middle ground. - Distribution is moving from duty-free shelves to Instagram ads and quick commerce checkouts. I break this down in my new piece for Tigerfeathers on the economics, the players, and the cultural undercurrent shaping India’s fragrance boom. Grateful to Rahul Sanghi for giving this a home (and for editing me while I was high on post-surgery painkillers 🙃). https://lnkd.in/dYnMwf4t

"India, a country historically drenched in attar and deoderant (i.e. deo), was quietly undergoing a scent revolution. But this wasn’t just about how we smell, it was about how we 'signal'." The Tigerfeathers Spotlight Series continues this week with a guest post from Harnidh K., who takes us into the fascinating history and economics of the fragrance market in India 👃 Her piece takes us down from Kannauj's forgotten distilleries to Instagram's fragrance discovery subculture, unpacking what it takes to build a perfume brand that ‘smells expensive, feels inevitable, and actually scales’. If consumer brands are your thing; if you’re looking for a business case to launch your own perfume company; if you’re interested in solving the riddle of Gen Z’s buying preferences; if phrases like ‘scent hauls’, ‘moodboard mindsets’ and ‘everyday auras’ get your juices flowing, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy today’s piece. Shoutout to our friends at Zoho One for supporting our efforts 🫡 https://lnkd.in/gWM3-E4w