Shows
Close CallVC Talk #2: Conversation with Lavanya Bhamidipati, Partner at Inhealth Ventures, Building a thesis, Taking risks, how to get a promotion as a VC, Mckinsey, LBS, Investor journeyVC Talk #2: Conversation with Lavanya Bhamidipati, Partner at Inhealth VenturesIn this conversation, we explore the following:Lavanya's journey from Mckinsey to LBS (India to London) and to investing in global health-tech. Being persistent in building a thesis, building conviction, and making the first investment Managing time to do side projects amidst a busy VC day Career progression - Lack of playbook and how to make authenticity a real toolBuilding your own style and voice to succeed as an investorLavanya's fascination with the "health and patient care" problem and global ambitionFramework to measure growth - a...2025-06-0622 min
Close CallVC talk #1 : Conversation with Esha Vatsa, Partner at Mercuri VC, on getting the VC job, growing from Associate to partner, how to handle NOs in a job searchVC Talk #1: Conversation with Esha Vatsa, Partner at Mercuri vcIn this conversation, we explore the following:Esha’s journey into becoming an investorMoving geographies and shifting careers - India to UK | Consulting to InvestingRole of an Associate at an early stage fund - what to do, how to measure your progress, and what to prioritise for growth as you become a Principal How to deal with a port.co failure as a VCHow to handle NOs in a job search**********************************************************Connect with me here: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaysr...2025-05-1824 min
Close CallCC #16: Customer Delight, how to influence VCs, Creating Fomo, 3Mn Seed roundClose Call #16: Conversation with Anastasia Kuskova, CEO of BeSirius, an AI tool that is here to end the mess and headaches that come with sustainability reporting.In this conversation, we explore the following:Anastasia’s journey into Entrepreneurship from being a Top boss in a hurge corportation as an immigrantBuilding for the Metals & mining industry - as an insider that wants to disrupt and improve the status quo.The challenges and the advantages of building as an industry incumbentMastering Founder led sales - the life sauce of SartUps, especially ENTERPRISE SALES - Long and big contractsHow to...2025-04-1953 min
Close CallCC #15 | Grant Funding Demystified for a SAAS businessClose Call #15: Conversation with, Phanos Hadjikyriakou, Co-Founder & CEO of 2050 Materials. The data layer for a sustainable built-world.In this conversation, we explore the following:Phanos’s journey into Entrepreneurship and finding a data problem to solve in the construction industryGrant Funding - how to approach it, apply for it, and stack with other funding methodsThe serendipity of building a custom use case becoming one of the fastest growing featuresHow to find the right investors for different stages of a company’s growth**********************************************************👉🏼 Know more about 2050 Materials https://2050-materials.com/**********************************************************Connect with me here: 🔗...2025-04-0231 min
Close CallCC #14 | Lessons from FireUp: Pricing, Supply Chain, and Winning Customer Trust with Raghav AgarwalClose Call #14: Conversation with Raghav Agarwal, Founder and CEO of FireUp, the company bringing the first major innovation to cast iron cookware in over a century.
Here’s what we dive into:
1️⃣ Raghav’s journey from completing an MBA at Oxford University to co-founding a company with a professor.
2️⃣ Dragons’ Den insights: Shooting the episode, crafting the high-energy pitch, and meeting the Dragons.
3️⃣ Building a *D2C brand* with a highly differentiated product and a personal story that resonates.
4️⃣ Lessons in supply chain management: Finding the right supplier or contract manufacturer to avoid disruptions...2025-01-2942 min
Close CallCC #13 | Hot Pre-Seed Round, Managing board members, finding your A-TeamClose Call #13: Conversation with Sarah Daniel, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Hey Savi, the ultimate fashion matchmaker, Hey Savi finds you your perfect item or outfit in under 60 seconds
In this conversation, we explore the following:
Sarah’s fundraising journey - First all female team to raise £2.2Mn in pre-seed raise in the UK
Finding the right co-founders - How to network, look for the right skills and selling a vision
Board Management - Both before and after the board meeting. How to manage the asks of different stakeholders and bring them onboard
Pre -Prep mode for a s...2024-12-2839 min
Close CallCC #12 | Raising for a B2C business during Funding Winter | Tough calls - scaling down to stay alive | Saying No to crazy term sheetsClose Call #12: Conversation with Eva Kuttichova, Co-founder of Macromo, a deep data personal health company for Europe.
In this conversation, we explore the following:
Eva’s journey into entrepreneurship. She always built something, facing multiple failure to building Macromo.
Product design expert to managing a company and what key metrics and metrics to track.
Raising for a consumer business during the funding winter and the inherent structural challenges Macromo faced.
Discipline to say NO to a predatory term-sheet and detailed note on what is not acceptable for an Early stage business.
Building a profitable business with so...2024-11-1740 min
Close CallClose Call x VC Talk | New Exciting Series AnnouncementRead More: At our new substack pagehttps://jaysri.substack.com/p/close-call-vc-talk?r=5iq04Connect with me here:🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaysrithangam/✅ Want to be on the podcast? Fill this form:https://forms.gle/e2wBmxZGqdmEYaVY9🌍 Know more about us here:https://closecallshow.notion.site/Clo...💯 Work with mehttps://forms.gle/QBnMzj6K8E41KpBB6📽️ Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@Close-call-with-jaysri--- #career #progression #2024 #2025 #sustainability #sustainablefashion #fashfashion #podcast #tiffany #loropiana #burberry #comfort #recycle #recycling #italy #gemstone #highvaluewomen #experience #loyalty #data #crm #entrepreneurship 2024-10-2603 min
Close CallCC #11 | Managing an over subscribed Crowdfunding Campaign & Future of Culture-competent careClose Call #11: Conversation with Sonia Kaurah, Founder and CEO of Tala Thrive
In this conversation, we explore the following:
1. Sonia's journey to #entrepreneurship and her personal story on struggles with #identitycrisis, #racism, and sheer lack of #support for #immigrants .
2. Mental health landscape and problems for #BIPOC, immigrants and #cultural differences
3. Managing a successful #crowdfunding campaign
4. Common mistakes, pitfalls, and what to watch out for when selecting a #platform
5. Sonia's vision for the future of Mental health
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👉🏼 Join the waitlist:
https://www.talathr...2024-10-2547 min
Close CallCC #10| Future of Retail | Reality of Pivots | Finding the right InvestorClose Call #10: Conversation with Rebecca Morter, Founder of Lone Design Club. LDC reimagines the future of fashion and brand experiences through data, AI and physical spaces.
In this conversation, we explore the following:
1. Rebecca's journey from being a designer in London Fashion Week to Entrepreneur
2. Being prepared/trained for the cutthroat world of building a startup
3. Stigma around business pivots, and job changes
4. The strong fundamentals that a STEM or Finance degree offers
5. Not getting complacent vs Founder mode
6. Finding the right Investors for YOUR...2024-10-0747 min
Close CallCC #9 | Building for Social Impact, User vs Payer, Breaking Survivorship Bias in startup worldClose Call #9: Conversation with Rachel Drapper, Founder of Fairshare - a startup that aims to balance gender roles in relationships and couples.
In this conversation, we explore the following:
1. Rachel's journey from #oxforduniversity to an #mba at the #harvardbusinessschool and the importance of scholarships as a first-time graduate. #fullbright
2. Building for Social Impact vs Non-impact problems - the challenges and difficulties
3. The problem of misaligned #incentives - who pays and who reaps the benefits for a consumer solution
4. Deciding when to stop and the #sunkcostfallacy
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Connect with us here:
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaysrithangam/
Rachel's Socials:
Tik...2024-09-2152 min
Close CallCC #8 | Building a Sustainable Luxury Fashion brand | High value customers | Traps vs opportunities | A whole body YesClose Call #8: Conversation with Felice Langkamp, Founder of My Cashmere, a D2C sustainable luxury brand.
In this conversation, we explore the following:
1. Felice's journey into the world of Luxury sales, data, and loyalty with brands like #Tiffany
2. Consumer behaviour - Fast fashion Consumers vs Luxury buyers
3. The role of a sustainable supply chain and materials in our daily lives. Reduce, Reuse, and then Recycle - In that order
4. How to make business decisions as a Solo Found...2024-08-2138 minClose CallCC #7| Passion Project to successful Company | Angel Investing | Managing life's curve balls with Utkarsh AmitabhClose Call #7: Conversation with Utkarsh Amitabh, Founder of Network Capital, Author, Angel Investor and more:
In this conversation, we dive into the following topics:
1. Utkarsh's journey from India to INSEAD MBA to DPhil @ Oxford and how he managed moving geographies
2. How to be disciplined when building your passion project and be laser-focused on what success looks like
3. Decision to go full time leaving a full-time job at Microsoft and starting from scratch
4. How to optimise for having multiple careers and yet building a POWERFUL brand Identity - Category of...2024-07-2832 min
Close CallCC #6 | Investor to Operator, key markers on going full time on a side project, Great Boards and board managementClose Call #6: Conversation with Sophie Winwood, Co-Founder & CEO @ WVC:E | Operating Partner @ Foxe Capital
In this conversation, we dive into the following topics:
1. Sophie's journey from big corporate to very early stage #investing to running her own company.
2. Making pivotal decisions and hedging them to minimize the downside and looking for signs that give you a clear indication
3. Building a Brand and trust - "faking it as if you already made it".
4. The VC archetype or the lack thereof --> leveraging experience to add value before and after investing2024-07-0247 minClose CallCC #5| Finding the right product to focus on, North Star metrics for your customer, and winning as a non-technical co-founding teamClose Call #5: Conversation with Jade Cohen, Co-founder and CPO, Qualis flow: https://www.qualisflow.com/
In this conversation, we dive into the following topics:
1. Jade's journey from Skanska to building a charity to building Qualis Flow (Series A funded)
2. What to look for when building an MPV to create a winning product? and how to set the North start metric.
3. Hiring - What to optimise for hiring the right team in the early days?
4. Navigating fundraising as non-technical co-founders (non-coders).
5. Time blocking, inbox Zero, and using Notion 2024-05-2031 minClose CallClose Call #4 | Knowing when to Pivot, YC or EF or other programs, How to avoid Founder conflicts, Productivity frameworkClose Call #4: Conversation with Camilo Jiménez Fuentes, CTO, Littio.co (YCW23)
In this conversation, we dive into the following topics:
1. Camilo's serial entrepreneurship journey from being a CS professor to building 5 businesses
2. When and how to Pivot (B2B vs B2C) and the tell-tale signs to look for
3. Is getting into YC / Antler / Techstars the end game?
4. How to optimise for success and avoid conflicts by creating a data-driven decision-making framework - Conscious vs Unconscious systems.
5. How to construct productive days to avoid anxiety or p...2024-04-1326 minClose CallClose Call #3 | Cold Start problem, Importance of Customer feedback, the art of simple product flowsClose Call #3: Conversation with Lucy Clarke - Founder of Fixed Construction, UK.
In this conversation, we dive into the following topics:
1. Lucy's life as a Goldman Banker, VC, and now a construction tech founder
2. Rookie mistakes and blind spots founders need to look for even as an industry expert and having lived the problem first-hand.
3. Proactive risk mitigation if you are building your startup with your partner/siblings.
4. Where and how to start and build trust if you are a D2C product.
5. Frameworks for work-life balance.
Tools:
1. Notion - you know this tool.
2. Diary/ Calander...2024-04-0137 minClose CallClose Call #2 | Breaking into Startups after a long corporate stints, Figuring out feedback, and setting expectationsClose Call #2
Conversation with Tarushi Garg delves into:
1. Moving and adapting into un-structured high-performance environments.
2. Getting into startups after a long corporate career
3. Seeking feedback and working on them objectively
4. Getting to Inbox 0 to avoid Monday blues.
5. Decision-making on career moves
Tools Mentioned:
1. Notion - You know this
2. Super Human - email tool
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...2024-03-2529 minClose CallClose Call #1: My journey from operator to investorThis episode covers 4 main topics:
1. The story behind this podcast
2. My journey from Fintech startups to becoming an investor
- Doing things that don't scale and its power - YC
- The beauty of quick decision-making
3. What is the Close Call show about
4. Leaning into your strengths
👍🏼 Know more about us here:
https://closecallshow.notion.site/Close-Call-Podcast-1bf4b95e20924685b9873957fa83e44c
😎Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Close-call-with-jaysri
2024-03-1720 minClose CallClose Call TrailerHere's a quick sneak peek into what the Close Call podcast is all about. Stay tuned.2024-02-2401 min