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Rachel Varghese
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Daybreak
Nothing's changed in your Blinkit order. Everything's changing behind it
Over the past six months, Blinkit has been making a structural shift that most customers would never notice. For years, its fresh fruits and vegetables were sourced by Hyperpure, its own parent company Eternal’s business-to-business arm that also supplies restaurants. As Blinkit grew into Eternal’s primary revenue driver, Hyperpure grew with it. In FY25, more than 60% of Hyperpure’s revenue came from Blinkit.Then Blinkit decided to source its own inventory.Hyperpure’s revenue more than halved in two quarters. It is now separating its books and rebuilding around restaurants.What doe...
2026-02-16
08 min
Daybreak
Are SIPs always right? Nah, says a new study
A mutual fund executive told our colleague something shocking: "SIPs are a problem." Part of the shock came from the fact that it was coming from someone in an industry that was basically built on "SIP sahi hai."Now a new research paper backs up that controversial take—and the findings contradict what millions of Indian investors have been told about systematic investment plans.Turns out the marketing narrative around SIPs has some serious gaps. The math tells a different story. And with small-cap SIP assets exploding 6.5x since 2019, the stakes have never been...
2026-02-16
10 min
Heart Rhythm TV Pod
Episode 131: Unlocking Antiarrhythmics From ABCs to Action — Next-Gen Rhythm Monitoring at Home
In Episode 3 of Unlocking Antiarrhythmics From ABCs to Action, #HRStv host Deepthy Varghese, DNP, ACNP, FNP is joined by Megan Labreck, PharmD, Jose L. Merino, MD, PhD, and Rachel Schreier, MSN, ACNP, APRN, to explore the cutting-edge intersection of wearable technology and antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) in managing heart rhythm conditions from home. Discover how next-generation wearables are making continuous arrhythmia monitoring possible — delivering real-time data that helps guide treatment decisions and improve patient outcomes. We break down how these devices work alongside AAD therapy, highlight the latest innovations in remote cardiac monitoring, and share practical insights on integrating technology in...
2026-02-13
18 min
Daybreak
Friday Roundup: Adani goes nuclear and AI's talent exit
On February 12, 2026, Adani Power formed Adani Atomic Energy Ltd, a new unit to generate, transmit, and distribute nuclear power. This follows the SHANTI Bill opening India's nuclear sector to private firms. Both Adani Power and Tata Power, coal giants with long-life thermal plants, now lead the shift.Coal powers 74% of India's grid today. These firms profit big from it. So what happens when they control nuclear's pace too? Snigdha explores the conflict.In other news, top AI researchers have been quitting the big AI labs. Anthropic's Mrinank Sharma left over value clashes (X letter) and...
2026-02-12
13 min
Daybreak
Did Claude Cowork trigger a real “SaaSpocalypse” or is it overkill?
In early February, Indian IT stocks crashed 6% in a single day—the worst selloff in six years. ₹2 lakh crore vanished. Wall Street lost $300 billion.The trigger? Anthropic launched Claude Cowork, an AI agent that can organize files, parse spreadsheets, and write reports autonomously. For the first time, AI doesn't just assist—it executes entire workflows with minimal supervision. Investors panicked, and experts coined the term "SaaSpocalypse." But is this really the end of software companies, or are we watching an overreaction? Today, host Rachel Varghese unpacks both sides.Tune in.List...
2026-02-11
13 min
Daybreak
Decathlon is testing if fashion can learn to move at grocery quick-commerce speed
In November, Decathlon began piloting two-hour deliveries across 10 Indian cities.It's a surprising move for a company that just swung into losses—and it raises a question the rest of the sector is watching closely: can the economics of fashion quick-commerce actually work?More than 50 million dollars has flowed into the space in 18 months. At least one startup has already shut down. The problem isn't speed. It's frequency, inventory, and unit economics that refuse to close.Tune in.If you have any thoughts on this episode write to us at podcasts@th...
2026-02-08
14 min
Daybreak
What does it take to build a new tech city? Ask Karnataka’s neighbours
Karnataka keeps talking about decentralizing tech beyond Bengaluru. Its neighbors are actually doing it.Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh are building tech cities from scratch—tier-2 clusters with land banks, fast-track approvals, and statutory bodies with real power. Major companies are choosing Visakhapatnam and Tirupati over Bengaluru now.The difference? Decision-making authority. Karnataka's development body is stuck in a promotional role while other states hand their institutions the teeth to actually execute. One state makes announcements. The others are laying fiber, clearing land, and signing deals.Southern India's tech map is being re...
2026-02-05
24 min
Daybreak
AI probably can't do your job yet. But it might get you fired anyway
Amazon fired 16,000 workers last month. Oracle is set to cut up to 30,000 more.Tech layoffs have increasingly been attributed to AI. But Oxford Economics found something strange: there's no macroeconomic data showing AI is actually replacing jobs or boosting productivity. In fact, output per worker is slowing, not accelerating.So what's really happening? Host Rachel Varghese breaks it down.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.
2026-02-04
14 min
Daybreak
India’s AI still doesn’t speak India. Can it?
ChatGPT butchers Punjabi with spelling errors and Bollywood-style Hindi bleeding through. Hindi bots trained on newspapers miss dialects like Awadhi and Bhojpuri entirely, while Tamil AI ignores the rich variations between Kongu and Madurai speech.Sure, Gurugram collected ₹200 crore in taxes using Hindi AI calls, but that's because Hindi dominates datasets. Most other languages remain stuck in translation hell. Private companies optimize for speed over nuance, government corpora like Bhashini sit underused, and multimodal data that captures tone and emotion is too expensive to build.The result? AI is flattening India's 780 languages into sanitized, standardized ve...
2026-02-02
12 min
Daybreak
Is banning social media for children a cure or a cop-out?
This week, Goa said it is actively considering a ban on social media for children under 16, inspired by Australia’s new law. Andhra Pradesh has also set up a panel to examine whether similar restrictions could work there. The push reflects rising anxiety around teen mental health, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful online content. Supporters argue platforms are unsafe by design and impossible to regulate through guardrails alone. Critics question whether bans can keep up with technology or address deeper social issues. In this episode, hosts Snigdha Sharma and Rachel Varghese step back from the rh...
2026-01-29
32 min
Daybreak
Why Gita Gopinath says pollution hurts more than tariffs
Every winter, Delhi chokes. Masks become mandatory, air purifiers work overtime, and life somehow goes on. But beyond the health crisis lies an economic catastrophe most people ignore—until now.Gita Gopinath's recent warning at Davos sparked controversy, but the numbers don't lie: pollution is costing India 1.67 million lives and nearly 3% of GDP annually. Meanwhile, China turned its pollution crisis around in just a few years with ruthless accountability.India has the knowledge and technology. What it lacks is political will. And every year of delay continues to put lives at risk and pushes the $5 tr...
2026-01-28
14 min
Daybreak
The rivalry between hospitals and insurers will always be heated
When your insurance card suddenly stops working, it is not just a glitch. It is the symptom of a deeper crisis in Indian healthcare.Hospitals say insurers have failed to update reimbursement rates despite medical inflation. Insurers say hospitals are inflating bills and resisting standardization.Millions of policyholders are caught between them, forced to pay out of pocket for care they thought was covered.How did India’s healthcare system end up in this deadlock. And who really decides what your treatment is worth?Tune in.*This episode was or...
2026-01-25
09 min
Daybreak
Your E-Bus Will Be Fixed. Eventually. Probably.
When a public electric bus breaks down in India, three agencies get notified. None of them can actually fix it. The buses don't belong to the cities that run them. The contracts sit with central agencies. The warranties belong to manufacturers. When a four-year-old bus stalls because its battery management system glitched, the city logs a complaint, calculates a fine for the manufacturers, and takes the bus off the route. Commuters are left slim pickings. And India's about to deploy thousands more using the same model.Daybreak is produced...
2026-01-23
14 min
Daybreak
Sam Altman said ads were a "last resort." Welcome to last resort
Sam Altman called ads a "last resort" in late 2024. That day has arrived. OpenAI just announced ChatGPT is running ads—personalised ones based on your conversations. The company spent $8 billion in 2025 alone with zero profit, and an essay predicted they'll burn through cash by 2027. Meanwhile, Google's Gemini is betting on staying ad-free, preserving user trust while ChatGPT strains it. Host Rachel Varghese breaks down the enshittification playbook, why OpenAI's "code red" memo signals desperation, and whether ads can actually save a company hemorrhaging billions.Tune in.Daybreak is produced fr...
2026-01-21
12 min
Daybreak
Gandhinagar vs Delaware: Are India's next 1,000 startups ready to live in Gift City?
For over a decade, Indian startups have chosen to be incorporated in Delaware and Singapore when raising venture capital. Now India wants to change that with Gift City—a financial enclave designed to compete globally. But can it? We explore why founders still choose Delaware's speed and legal certainty, what Gift City offers to funds but not startups, and the structural gaps that need fixing.Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stor...
2026-01-18
14 min
Daybreak
AI is learning healthcare from a broken system
AI is learning healthcare from systems that are stretched and uneven. In this episode, hosts Snigdha Sharma and Rachel Varghese discuss what tools like ChatGPT Health and Claude for Healthcare could mean in India. We talk about how people already use AI to understand symptoms and reports, how hospitals deal with data and paperwork, and how bias and privacy shape these tools. Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.
2026-01-15
23 min
Book Lounge by Libby
2026 Book Release Radar: The new books we can’t wait to read
New year, new books, and SO many reasons to freak out (in the best way). In this bonus episode of Book Lounge by Libby, Joe is joined by Jananie K. Velu and Meara to kick off 2026 with a full-on Book Release Radar—highlighting the upcoming titles they’re most excited to read this year. From buzzy new releases to books that already feel like future favorites, they're sharing what’s climbing to the very top of the TBRs and why 2026 is shaping up to be an exceptional year for readers. Consider this...
2026-01-15
1h 10
Daybreak
How Reliance's price war made Pepsi and Coke love 'zero sugar'
India’s soda shelves have changed almost overnight. Coke and Pepsi now sell zero-sugar versions of their drinks at prices as low as 10 rupees. The move came after Reliance launched Campa Cola with its own budget zero-sugar option. Now, they are taking over in big cities and small towns alike.But what looks like a health trend is really a business strategy. What is really inside those bottles? And what does it mean for consumers?Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news p...
2026-01-14
09 min
Daybreak
Meta has an illegal gambling ads problem. It doesn't really care
Four months after India's nationwide ban on online gambling ads, Meta platforms were still running them—140 in December alone. A Reuters investigation into leaked internal documents reveals this isn't an oversight. Meta made specific calculations about how much enforcement it could afford, and governments worldwide are hitting the same wall. From Malaysia to the Philippines, removal requests pile up while the ads keep running. What happens when a platform decides compliance is negotiable? Host Rachel Varghese digs in.Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s firs...
2026-01-14
13 min
Daybreak
Only 30% invested from a Rs 10,000 cr startup fund. Yet India obsesses over a new fund
India's Fund of Funds for Startups 1.0 is winding down this March—but it's falling short of its goals. Of the ₹10,000 crore mandate, only ₹6,500 crore has been disbursed, and just ₹3,200 crore has actually reached startups. Meanwhile, FFS 2.0 remains stuck in limbo with no guidelines released yet. Despite catalyzing India's startup boom—from 3,000 startups in 2016 to over 200,000 today—the program faces criticism over cheap terms for fund managers, delays, and transparency issues. As the government prepares FFS 2.0, fixing these operational inefficiencies will be crucial.Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, Ind...
2026-01-11
12 min
Heart Rhythm TV Pod
Episode 125: Unlocking Antiarrhythmics From ABCs to Action — Foundations First: AAD Classes & Safety
Unlocking Antiarrhythmics From ABCs to Action is a new 3-part series designed to strengthen foundational knowledge and support real-world clinical decision-making for allied professionals. From the basics to advanced strategies, this episode breaks down antiarrhythmic drug classes, safety considerations, and how to personalize therapy across diverse patient populations — including the latest on outpatient sotalol and wearable heart monitoring. #HRStv host Deepthy Varghese, DNP, ACNP, FNP is joined by Megan Labreck, PharmD, and Rachel Schreier, MSN, ACNP, APRN for a practical, clinically focused discussion to support confident patient care. Stay tuned for Episodes 2 and 3:
2026-01-09
14 min
Daybreak
Friday Round-up: Who pays when Grok fails, Venezuela's crisis is Reliance's win, and more
In this episode we fill you in on four standout stories from the past week.First, a quick look at how the Venezuela crisis is benefiting Reliance and ONGC;Next, why the quick fashion promise stands on shaky ground;Third, how AI has been filling up Indian shopping carts; And finally, why the discourse about Grok AI is starting to sound a little lopsided. Tune in.Read The Ken's story on quick fashion here.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s fi...
2026-01-08
17 min
Daybreak
Can Apollo Hospitals fix its digital cash burn with Rs 299 from 10M users?
Apollo 24/7 has bled money for five years. But its loyalty program, Apollo Circle, might be the cure. For 299 rupees yearly, members get free teleconsultations, priority access, and discounts—locking them into Apollo's ecosystem of hospitals, pharmacies, and diagnostics. The strategy is working: average orders doubled, losses shrank, and Apollo Health Co turned profitable. Now the company wants Circle to drive breakeven next year while funneling customers away from neighborhood clinics into its high-margin private labels and hospital services. It's a playbook borrowed from Amazon—and Apollo's betting everything on it.Tune in.Li...
2026-01-06
12 min
Daybreak
How Indigo ran out of pilots—gradually, then suddenly
India's largest airline crisis made headlines for weeks. Last month, Indigo cancelled nearly 4,000 flights over 10 days, forcing the government to cut 10% of its schedules until March. The culprit? A severe pilot shortage that the airline had two years to prepare for.While Air India doubled its pilot strength ahead of new flight duty rules, Indigo ended up with fewer pilots than before. The airline's response has been less than encouraging. Cut leaves, slash night allowances, and even telling unhappy pilots "where else will you go?"With India needing 30,000 new pilots over the next 15 ye...
2026-01-04
13 min
Daybreak
The mystery fund that played God and wreaked havoc on the stock market
This episode revisits one of The Ken's most consequential stories from 2025. When journalist Anand Kalyanaramn started investigating unusual patterns in India's options market, he uncovered alleged manipulation on a massive scale. Someone was controlling market movements to guarantee profits—making billions while regular traders lost everything. SEBI identified Jane Street as the culprit; and the firm is appealing the allegation. Today, Anand explains how the alleged scheme worked, why India was vulnerable, and what this landmark case means for the future of fair markets.*The host mistakenly says that SEBI began investigating Jane St...
2026-01-01
20 min
Daybreak
Why teaching at India’s public universities now looks like gig work
Teaching at India’s public universities no longer offers the certainty it once did. Permanent jobs have become scarce, while short term contracts have quietly filled the gap. Many teachers are now hired semester by semester, paid per lecture, and required to reapply for their jobs again and again. This shift has reshaped academic careers and changed how universities function day to day. What caused this shift? And what does it say about the future of higher education and university teaching as a career choice?Tune in.Daybreak is produced from th...
2026-01-01
11 min
Daybreak
How surging property prices are turning dream homes into pipe dreams
Property prices across Indian cities have gone through the roof, up by nearly 30% in the last two years. This along with ever increasing rent and general cost of living has made planning for the future quite challenging for those in their 20s and 30s. So has the idea of home ownership changed among the younger generations, like in many Western countries where more and more people are choosing to rent rather than buy? Or are we still attached to the idea of owning a home?And what’s behind these record-breaking property prices anyway?Tu...
2025-12-31
32 min
Daybreak
When private equity acquires schools, the price may be quality education
Private equity is reshaping India’s schools. A relaxed New Education Policy and rising demand for international curricula have opened the doors for global operators to buy up chains across the country.The promise is scale, better infrastructure, and tighter governance. But the reality looks a little different—lean budgets, shrinking salary hikes, and a growing focus on cost-cutting. And the fallout? Increasing staff attrition, decreasing academic quality, and schools trading their founder-led ethos for a standardised model.Tune in.*Disclosure: The writer comes from a family that previously owned a school acquired part...
2025-12-29
12 min
Daybreak
The super consultants saving India’s elite from themselves
From the very public Ambani family feud to the private struggles of the Raymond family, the transfer of wealth and power has often been messy.With over 850,000 millionaires in India, and many of them looking to transition their wealth in the next decade, there's a growing, yet largely unaddressed market for a specific type of expert: the succession coach.Part mediator, part therapist, part strategist—they do more than just advise. They keep dynasties from tearing themselves apart.Tune in.*This episode was originally published on September 1st 2025.Daybreak is...
2025-12-25
10 min
Daybreak
The Ken: Stories that shaped 2025
In this episode, we bring you two reported stories from The Ken's newsroom that stayed with us this year. The first, reported by Nuha Bubere, looks at Flipkart at a moment of pressure and at how its CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy is running the company as competition intensifies and expectations remain high. In the second, Atul Krishna tells us about India’s decision to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in the country, and what that shift says about the state of higher education and public capacity. You can find more of our be...
2025-12-23
17 min
Daybreak
Orange is the new healthcare bet Amazon won't commit to
Buried deep in Amazon's app is a partnership with Orange Health Labs for at-home diagnostics—it's third healthcare experiment in India after pharmacy and telemedicine. The strategy? Target existing customers with zero advertising spend, keeping the bet low-risk while competitors like Bigbasket and Blinkit capture other categories. With its U.S. healthcare playbook built on insurance infrastructure that doesn't exist in India, Amazon is playing a cautious waiting game. The question: is this genuine ambition or just a way to keep a foot in the door?Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of Th...
2025-12-22
13 min
Daybreak
The disruption playbook is now open source
Traditional case competitions are boring theater—companies toss out fake problems, students present cookie-cutter solutions nobody uses. The Ken flipped the script. It revealed something interesting: no company is safe anymore. Students attacked more than a 100 incumbents—from McKinsey to temple economies—and built working prototypes showing exactly how they'd do it. The insight? AI hasn't just lowered the cost of building to near-zero; it's fundamentally changed who can be a disruptor. Even established companies know this. Some volunteered as targets, desperate to understand how the next generation thinks. When anyone can build anything, disrup...
2025-12-22
22 min
Daybreak
Indian robotic-toys maker Miko is running where Silicon Valley ones stumbled
The consumer-robotics graveyard is littered with well-funded American startups. Moxie, Jibo, Anki—all raised millions, then collapsed under cloud costs and thin margins. Enter Miko, a Mumbai company selling AI companions to American kids. With Indian manufacturing cutting costs to one-fifth of US production and subscriptions driving recurring revenue, Miko has advantages its rivals never had. Yet it's still losing money—120 crore rupees last year. Now, as the company hits 500,000 units in annual sales, it's reaching the exact scale where others stumbled. Can Miko's India edge break the robotics curse, or will it become just anot...
2025-12-19
13 min
Daybreak
How India became the world's biggest AI lab, and not an architect
India has the engineers, the users, and the ambition to be an AI superpower. But as OpenAI floods the market at ₹399/month, Google invests $15 billion, and global giants harvest Indian data, a critical question emerges: Will India settle for being the world's largest AI user, or can it become a builder that matters?From DeepSeek's $6M shock to the race for AI sovereignty, we connect the dots on India's AI moment—and what could be next.Tune in. Episodes mentioned: Deepseek: Spotify | Apple | Youtube ChatGPT 399 Plan: Spotify | Apple | YoutubeIndia's Sovereign AI: Spot...
2025-12-17
13 min
Daybreak
How Youtube is challenging Instagram's social commerce dominance
Youtube launched Shopping in India in October 2024, and within a year, 40% of eligible creators adopted it. The platform is betting on high-intent audiences who research before buying—unlike Instagram's impulse-driven model. By building shopping infrastructure in-house and partnering with Flipkart and Myntra, Youtube offers creators high commissions.The shift is democratizing income for micro-creators, while affiliate GMV exploded from Rs 10 crore to Rs 300 crore in two years. Youtube isn't trying to beat Instagram at its game—it's doubling down on what it does best.Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the...
2025-12-14
14 min
Daybreak
Netflix-Paramount, Indigo, and why monopolies should go out of style
In this episode we fill you in on three standout stories from the past week. First, a deeper look at this year's latest Wealth Inequality Report; Next, what the Netflix-Paramount fight for Warner Brothers means for Indian players; And finally, why and how Indigo has started to behave.Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.
2025-12-11
16 min
Daybreak
India’s innovation engine works. About 5% of the time
India's Atal Incubation Centres promised to be the backbone of government innovation. With 500 crore rupees in initial funding and support from Niti Aayog, these 72 centres were supposed to nurture startups with grants, mentors, and infrastructure.Nearly a decade later, the results are sobering. Of 3,500 incubated startups, fewer than 5% have raised external capital. Most centres lack basic websites or outcome metrics. No external audits. No unicorns.Now the government wants to double down—allocating 2,750 crore rupees to expand the ecosystem. But nobody seems to care if the existing network actually works.Tune in.
2025-12-09
12 min
Daybreak
Free cricket was Jio’s big play. It’s also why the maths stopped mathing
Yesterday, the Economic Times reported that JioStar has told the ICC it wants to exit its India media rights deal for cricket events, even with two years still left in the cycle. The company also doubled its provisions for expected losses suggesting the rights may cost more to deliver than they can earn back. It all started in late 2024 when Jio came in and flipped the script by streaming cricket tournaments for free and leaning towards a more ad-heavy model. For viewers, it felt like progress. But now with the drop in ad spending from online money...
2025-12-08
09 min
Daybreak
How TISS became IIM-lite
Manoj Kumar Tiwari had a tough job: transform the Tata Institute of Social Sciences into something that looks more like a management school. In his two year term? Mission accomplished.TISS now uses the same entrance exam as IIMs. It's hiring faculty from business schools instead of NGOs. Management courses are in, social science programs are struggling to fill seats. Over 100 staff were laid off in 2024.This isn't just about TISS. It's part of a larger pattern where institutions like JNU and IRMA are sacrificing arts and humanities for what the "market" wants. T...
2025-12-07
14 min
Heart Rhythm TV Pod
Episode 117: (Advancing Allieds) Incoming AHP Council Chairs
In this Advancing Allieds interview, #HRStv host Deepthy Varghese, DNP, ACNP, FNP is joined by Rachel Schreier, MSN, ACNP, APRN and Julie Thomas, PA-C, CCDS, the incoming AHP Council Chair and Co-Chair, for an insightful conversation on leadership and growth within the Heart Rhythm Society. Together, they discuss the new roles they're stepping into, including the development of a new leadership pathway designed to support and elevate allied health professionals across the EP community. The conversation also reflects on and celebrates the history and impact of allied professionals within the Heart Rhythm Society since the council's creation. ...
2025-12-03
15 min
Daybreak
The Government wants to be on your phone. It's not asking nicely
The Indian government quietly mandated that all smartphones sold in the country must come pre-installed with Sanchar Saathi, a state-owned cybersecurity app that users cannot delete or disable.The app tracks lost phones and blocks stolen devices. But it requires deep permissions. It can read messages, access phone data, make calls, and view photos. Privacy advocates warn these permissions could be expanded overnight to scan for banned apps, flag VPN use, or monitor SMS patterns.The directive was sent secretly to manufacturers like Apple and Samsung, giving them 90 days to comply. Apple has already indicated...
2025-12-03
11 min
Daybreak
Zepto isn't just faster anymore. It's also something else
Zepto is getting cheaper and everyone has noticed. But the real story is what the company is trying to fix behind the scenes. Aadit Palicha wants Zepto to feel like Dmart for quick commerce: lower prices, better availability, and more value each time you open the app. But this shift comes with big questions. The company is burning more cash. Competitors are calling it out. Senior leaders are leaving. And the IPO clock is ticking. Today, we look at why Zepto is changing its strategy now and what it means for the next year.
2025-12-01
12 min
Daybreak
India's e-bus ambitions are running on borrowed power
India wants 50,000 electric buses on the road by 2030. It's a clean mobility revolution that should clear the air in crowded cities.But there's a problem: the power grid wasn't built for this. Cities are plugging bus depots into the same 11kV lines that serve homes and corner shops. In some areas, the strain is already showing: voltage drops and flickering lights in residential areas.So, the country is racing to electrify its transport without electrifying the infrastructure beneath it. What happens when climate ambition outruns planning?Tune in. Daybreak is produced...
2025-11-30
13 min
Daybreak
Your phone number is at the center of a fight between Zomato and Indian restaurants
India's restaurants just won a four-year battle for customer data access from Zomato and Swiggy. But here's the twist: this "victory" comes precisely as the industry becomes more platform-dependent than ever. While the NRAI celebrates phone number sharing, investors are pouring billions into QSRs and cloud kitchens—business models that assume permanent platform capture. With delivery platforms extracting 16-30% commissions and controlling discovery, logistics, and customer acquisition, data sharing is less a power shift and more a pressure valve. The real story? Restaurants are betting that platform-enabled scale will overcome platform-extracted margins. Host Rachel Varghese expl...
2025-11-27
11 min
Selling the Couch
ENCORE: The 10 Biggest Mistakes I Made As An Online Course Creator
I’ve been focused on building a life around my family and self-care rather than fitting those things around a career. I’ve learned that there is much wisdom in slowing down and not keeping up a crazy pace. One thing that has helped me accomplish these goals is creating an online course. Even though I’m super grateful and blown away by the success, I made a lot of mistakes along the way. Join me as I share my insights and lessons learned. You’ll Learn:The 10 biggest mistakes I made as an online course creator:1...
2025-11-27
28 min
Make India Competitive Again (Private)
Indian VCs’ newfound love for deep tech: A step change or in lockstep?
Deep tech is increasingly connected to India’s national and regional sovereignty, and the way companies in this space are funded is changing.The Indian cabinet earmarked Rs 1 lakh crore ($12 billion) earlier this year for a Research, Development, and Innovation Fund, then followed up this month with a call for “second-level fund managers”—entities such as alternative investment funds, development finance institutions, and non-banking financial companies.All types of VCs recognise this is their new frontier. After all, the verticals of blitzscaled digital platforms, D2C, and consumer apps are things of the past, while artifici...
2025-11-17
08 min
Daybreak
Olympic swimmer Nisha Millet on why some goals should feel out of reach
What does it take to perform at your best — not once, but over and over again? Olympian Nisha Millet has spent her life answering that question.In sport, as in business, success isn’t about one big win — it’s about showing up, even when it’s hard. From the pressures of competing at the Olympics to building a career as a coach and entrepreneur, Nisha shares what the pool taught her about focus, resilience, and managing performance under pressure.In this episode, host Rachel Varghese explores how elite athletes think about consistency, how they recover fr...
2025-11-13
39 min
Daybreak
ChatGPT is everywhere. Not everyone is impressed
Last week, ChatGPT launched its own AI browser — a tool that promises to surf the web for you. It can summarise articles, add chocolates to your cart, or even tell you which email to reply to first (though… not always correctly). OpenAI’s vision is clear: make ChatGPT the centre of your digital life. But are users buying in? From buggy app integrations with Canva and Spotify to real concerns around privacy and data access, host Rachel Varghese explores why AI-powered tools aren’t quite the game-changers they claim to be — yet. And why OpenAI keeps rolling them out a...
2025-10-30
09 min
Daybreak
Ozempic sparked the weight-loss drug trend. Mounjaro is leading it in India
Six months after launch, Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro is already India’s second-biggest pharma brand, ahead of antacid Pan and just behind antibiotic Augmentin. Days later, Eli Lilly announced a $1 billion investment and a new Hyderabad hub.The timing is no accident: India has one of the world’s largest obese and diabetic populations, Ozempic’s patent expires in 2026, and local pharma giants are gearing up with cheap GLP-1 generics.In this episode of Daybreak, host Rachel Varghese unpacks how this landscape presents both an opportunity and a challenge for Eli...
2025-10-09
11 min
Make India Competitive Again (Private)
Breaking India’s semicon future out of the simulator and into the real world
The Indian Semiconductor Mission, or ISM, is one of the most ambitious initiatives undertaken by the government in decades. Out of Rs 76,000 crore earmarked for production-linked incentives, roughly Rs 65,000 crore has already been committed, and the mission supports 10 major projects across the value chain.This is all good and great for building the infrastructure and facilities for making chips, but the right kind of human capital is just as important—and largely absent.The ISM launched a skilling programme in July 2023 to address precisely that problem, aiming to train the professionals who would then populate In...
2025-10-05
07 min
Daybreak
Phonepe is taking the IPO leap. But can it avoid Paytm’s fate?
Phonepe is stepping into the public markets with a $15 billion IPO. For Walmart, which has pumped billions into the payments firm, this is both a chance to cash in and a test of its India strategy.Unlike Paytm’s disastrous, hype-heavy listing in 2021, Phonepe is going in with steadier financials, fewer regulatory scrapes, and the scale to back its story. Yet, the timing isn’t without risk: subsidies are shrinking, UPI share caps are on the horizon, and investor appetite has cooled since 2021. Host Rachel Varghese explores what's in store.Tune in.Daybreak is p...
2025-10-02
10 min
The Innovative Therapist
Creativity, Entrepreneurship, & Living an Aligned Life (Season 5)
Episode 137: Creativity, Entrepreneurship, & Living an Aligned Life (Season 5) Welcome to Season 5! I’m so excited to kick off this season of The Innovative Therapist Podcast with a fresh approach: a seasonal model. In Episode 137, I share why I made this shift and how this season’s theme, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, & Living an Aligned Life, will guide us through meaningful and inspiring conversations. Taking extended breaks between seasons has been an intentional choice to allow time for rest, creativity, and alignment with what feels most life-giving—and I’m thrilled to bring this energy into Season 5. To start off this episode and season...
2025-02-17
27 min
The Common Good Podcast
Aubrey reads the blessing she read over her dying friend last December
Both sides of Aubrey come out in a silly and beautiful solo show: a dictionary of Gen Z sayings, a Top 5 list of 90's women musicians compiled with Renewal Church staff member Rachel Varghese, and a remembrance of final moments spent with Jenn, Aubrey's best friend who passed away last year. Follow The Common Good on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Hosted by Aubrey Sampson and Brian From Produced by Laura Finch and Keith ConradSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2023-07-15
27 min
Milton Massachusetts Public Meetings
SB27 - Select Board 3/21/23
3. Public Comment 4. Acceptance of a Donation in the amount of $275,000 to the Milton Fire Department for health and safety equipment 5. Traffic Commission Recommendations / Amendments to the Traffic Rules and Orders: a. Article V - Section 12: Granite Avenue, Adams Street to Basset Street - A request to create three (3) 15-minute parking spots was supported b. Article V - Section 12: Central Avenue Business District – The parking standardization plan presented by the Planning Dept was supported 6. Request for use of Manning Park for a te...
2023-03-31
2h 06
Milton Massachusetts Public Meetings
SB25 - Select Board 3/7/23
3. Public Comment 4. Annual Town Meeting warrant articles a. Warrant Article for an Appropriation for the School Building Committee b. Warrant Article from the Bylaw Review Committee regarding extension of the Bylaw Review Committee and an appropriation c. Warrant Article for a Historic District Bylaw from the Historic District Study Committee 5. Executive Session Discussion/Strategy with respect to litigation filed by the Town of Milton v. Federal Aviation Administration, No. 22-152 (U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit) 6. Executive Session To discuss strategy with respect to...
2023-03-10
1h 56
The Parable Podcast with Danielle Zapchenk
TPP #54 | Will I Get Out of This Abyss with Rachel Varghese
Send The Parable Podcast a TextBeing in the middle of your parable story can be a tricky spot. We wonder if He is listening, are we missing something, or impatience arises. For me, it is all the above. Parables are meant to be not so blatant, there is a process of figuring things out on our own. I have the honor of being on our teaching team at the West Ridge Community Church in Elgin, and as a part of their parable series, I was asked to incorporate The Parable Podcast into a Sunday morning. Always gra...
2022-09-07
23 min
West Ridge Community Church Podcast
Parable: The Parable Podcast Live with Rachel Varghese
Check out The Parable Podcast on Instagram or FacebookListen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you catch your pods.We are glad you are here. To better serve you, offer prayer, or answer any questions visit https://westridgechurch.com/links.Give online at https://westridgechurch.com/give/ or text "GIVE" to 847-488-1761.West Ridge Community Church | Helping people encounter, embrace and embody the radical love of God.Sunday Services at 9:00 am or 10:30 am in person or onlineLocated at 3300 Encounter...
2022-07-18
20 min
Selling the Couch
313: The 10 Biggest Mistakes I Made As An Online Course Creator
These past few years, I’ve been focused on building a life around my family and self-care rather than fitting those things around a career. I’ve learned that there is much wisdom in slowing down and not keeping up a crazy pace. One thing that has helped me accomplish these goals is creating an online course. Even though I’m super grateful and blown away by the success of the Healthcaster’s course, I made a lot of mistakes along the way. Join me as I share my insights and lessons learned. You’ll Learn:The 10 bigg...
2022-06-09
30 min
Church Talk
Overcoming Hurts in Church
Welcome to Church Talk! Today we have Rachel Francis in conversation with Pastor Priji on how to handle hurts in church, and in the process how to grow and achieve our God given potential to the full.
2022-02-26
34 min
Selling the Couch
301: Balancing Fatherhood and Entrepreneurship
Today’s topic is one of great interest to me because of my journey through life. It can be difficult and very challenging to balance fatherhood and entrepreneurship in a way that feels like you are giving your best to both roles. Maybe you find yourself in a similar situation. Join me for today’s conversation to learn more!Our Featured Guest:Ryan SpenceRyan Spence is a father of two, a former corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur, and a life coach who helps others show up as their best selves to live their best...
2022-02-17
35 min
Be the salt
Wouldn't change a thing! - Christina Varughese
This episode is featuring Christina Varughese who says she considers her time with God as her 'oxygen mask'! Christina is married to Sam Varughese and is the mom of 3 beautiful girls - Evelyn, Abigail and Rachel. As Christina shares her experience through her 2 pregnancies - with both Abigail and Rachel, she says facing the unknown was the hardest thing during this season. She learned to release her fears into God's hands and believes he is El Roi - The God who sees us and He provides favor in every assignment.
2022-02-01
57 min
Dr. Deen's Mind Voice
Episode 4 : എന്താണ് സുരേഷ് ഗോപി ചെയ്ത തെറ്റ്..?
Kaaval (2021 film) Kaaval (transl. Guard) is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Nithin Renji Panicker. Produced by Joby George under the banner of Goodwill Entertainments, the film stars Suresh Gopi and Renji Panicker in the lead roles. Ranjin Raj composes the film's original score and soundtrack, and Nikhil S. Praveen is its cinematographer. Whilst film received positive reviews from critics, most consider it Suresh Gopi's thundering return to lead roles in Malayalam Cinema, reminiscent of the 80s and 90s. Thampan (Suresh Gopi) and Antony (Renji Panicker) are a long time best friends and busin...
2021-12-05
10 min
Behind the Grind Podcast (AUS)
Practice at Hive Legal
Are you a lover of flexible work and acting on social justice issues?If so today’s episode is perfect for you! In this episode with Hive Legal we chatted with Adrienne Trumbull and Rachel Varghese about work at their firm! Together we discussed the benefits of flexible working hours and how private practice can be more than high pressure and long hours. We also spoke about how the firm prioritises social justice through close partnerships with other organisations! Listen in to this episode with your hosts – Neeharika Palachanda and Paige Carter...
2021-03-10
33 min
Good Will Hunters
Shaun Star - India, Education and Aid
Welcome to Episode 48 of Good Will Hunters, with Shaun Star. This episode is sponsored by Spark Strategy. Spark Strategy is an agency for strategic thinking, transformation and sustained action. Bringing together ideas, capability and capital, Spark helps the not for profit, government, corporate and philanthropic sectors with strategic planning, sustainable business model design and government engagement ... to unleash their potential, and to transform themselves and the societies in which they work and live. Go to sparkstrategy.com.au to find out more. Shaun Star is an Associate Professor & Assistant Dean (International Collaborations) at Jindal Global Law School and Executive Director...
2019-10-11
43 min