Shows
Weekend EntrepreneursEp. 9: Building a 150 crore business without VC funding. The Urban Vault Story with Amal MishraIn this episode, Rohith and Govind sit down with Amal Mishra, co-founder and CEO of Urban Vault, a bootstrapped managed office space company generating over 150 crore INR in revenue with an 18% profit margin. Amal shares his journey from techie to entrepreneur, the challenges of scaling a business with blue-collar workers, and the principles of sustainable, people-first business growth.
This conversation explores themes of bootstrapping, market strategy, and the impact of building meaningful livelihoods for the team while scaling a highly profitable business.
Chapters:
0:00 – Introduction to Amal Mishra and Urban Vault
0:45 – From Tech to Furniture to Managed Office Spaces
10:39 – The Decisi...2025-01-151h 13Weekend EntrepreneursEp. 8: Pickleball and Startups: How GoRally is Transforming Recreational Sports in IndiaPickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America, and it's now making waves in India. In this episode, we sit down with Sam and Abhinav, co-founders of GoRally, a company that's revolutionizing recreational sports in India by introducing full-stack pickleball experiences.
GoRally's mission is to get the next 10 million Indians playing sports regularly. They're starting with pickleball, setting up courts, building communities, and leveraging technology to make sports accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of age or gender.
Here's what you'll learn in this episode:
🎯 The inspiration behind GoRally and their mission to transform recreational sports in India
🏓 What is pickle...2024-12-191h 43Weekend EntrepreneursEp. 7: How Sathya Sampat Built BoldCap: Lessons on Starting a VC Fund & Backing SaaS🚀 What does it take to build a VC fund from scratch?
In this episode, we sit down with Sathya Sampat, the Founder and Managing Partner of BoldCap, to explore his incredible journey of starting and running a venture capital fund focused on early-stage SaaS startups.
BoldCap is a VC fund that specializes in backing early-stage SaaS startups originating from India. With a mission to help these startups scale globally, BoldCap has already made a mark with investments in companies like SpendFlo, Testsigma, and SpotDraft.
Here's what you’ll learn in this episode:
🛠️ The preparation required to launch a VC fund
💼 How...2024-11-271h 04Weekend EntrepreneursEp. 6: Is Mensa Brands' Billion-Dollar Valuation Justified? A Deep Dive into Rollup CompaniesIs Mensa Brands truly worth its billion-dollar valuation? In this deep dive, we explore the strategy behind India’s leading D2C rollup company, Mensa Brands. From their acquisition approach and founder involvement to distribution advantages and capital strategy, we dissect what sets Mensa apart and the challenges it faces.
We also dive into why D2C brands are booming in India, how traditional brand moats are changing, and if Mensa’s valuation holds up. Plus, we look at lessons from Thrasio and rollup opportunities across other industries such as software and food.
00:00 - Teaser
00:44 - Introduction to Mensa Bran...2024-11-2535 minWeekend EntrepreneursEp. 5: Applying to Y Combinator? What to Expect + Application Tips from a 2-Time YC FounderConsidering applying to Y Combinator, the world's top startup accelerator? In this episode, Govind Chandrasekhar shares his decision-making framework for evaluating if YC is the right fit for your startup and provides expert insights on navigating both the application and interview processes. Govind has been through Y Combinator twice—first in 2013 with Semantics3 and again in 2023 with Branch AI.
If you’re working on your YC application and would like feedback, feel free to send it to yc@weekendentrepreneurs.com, or connect with Govind directly on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govindchandrasekhar/
Chapters:
00:00 - Teaser
00:38 - Introduction
01:20 - Wh...2024-11-2344 minWeekend EntrepreneursEp. 4: Building a Global QSR Chain - Diksha Pande's MissionThis is a must-watch for anyone who has ambitions of starting their own food brand or restaurant!
Join us as we sit down with Diksha, one of the co-founders of Samosa Party, to uncover how they’re revolutionizing Indian street food.
They share their journey from spotting a big opportunity with a humble dish (the samosa) to scaling a thriving QSR brand. We dive into key insights on building a culture of innovation, mastering logistics, and navigating partnerships with platforms like Swiggy and Zomato.
Discover the critical metrics they track daily, their strategies to crack delivery growth, and why th...2024-11-211h 38Weekend EntrepreneursEp. 3: From Paypal to WOTU/Zomato Hyperpure to Rize.farm: Dhruv Sawhney's JourneyDhruv Sawhney, Founder & CEO of Rize.farm and the former founder of WOTU (acquired by Zomato and rebranded as Hyperpure), joins the Weekend Entrepreneurs podcast to share his inspiring journey from working as an executive at PayPal to building successful B2B businesses in India.
In this conversation, Dhruv dives deep into the challenges and opportunities of the Indian B2B landscape. He discusses his early days building WOTU, the strategic decision to sell to Zomato, as well as the mission oriented approach he is taking to build his current company - Rize.farm.
Dhruv also offers valuable insights...2024-11-191h 33Weekend EntrepreneursEp. 2. The Fresh Grad’s Dilemma: Should You Start a Company or Join One?🎓➡️💼 Thinking about starting a company right after college? 🚀 In this video, we dive deep into the exhilarating yet challenging world of entrepreneurship right after college! 💡
We'll explore:
✅ The unique advantages of launching with fresh eyes and boundless energy
❌ Potential pitfalls of diving into entrepreneurship without industry experience
Whether you're a soon-to-be graduate or just curious about the startup journey, this video will help you weigh the pros and cons of becoming a founder before you've even framed your diploma! 🏆
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:50 - Pros of starting a business right after college
06:18 - Cons of starting a business right after college
12:34 - Our rec...2024-11-1917 minWeekend EntrepreneursEp. 1: SaaS, RCM & AI for DentistsIn this episode, we explore successful SaaS products and business models in the dental industry, and use this as a springboard to discuss broader opportunities in healthcare technology. We'll explore trends in adjacent healthcare specialties, the disruptive potential of AI, and take a closer look at India's healthcare landscape.
If you’re curious about building a niche SaaS business or breaking into healthcare, this one is for you!
(00:00) Overview of dental products & business models
(09:07) How we would think about building a new startup in this space
(13:00) AI, voice bots and agentic employees
(19:26) Building for the India market
(22:56) Revenue Cycle Ma...2024-11-1932 min