In this episode of the Prime Venture Partners Podcast, we speak with Sushant Junnarkar, who shares his raw and honest journey of building and eventually shutting down an early-stage startup.
Sushant takes us through the complete entrepreneurial roller coaster from early traction and funding to competition, pivots, and the tough decision to shut down.
In conversation with Sanjay Swamy, he shares insights on:
• The 3 phases of a startup journey
• Why startups fail beyond just lack of capital
• The funding vs scale dilemma
• Founder challenges and decision-making under pressure
• Key lessons for early-stage entrepreneurs
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:08 - Meet Sushant Junnarkar & The Book
02:02 - Sushant’s Background & Career Journey
03:11 - The Online Grocery Startup Idea
04:16 - Breaking Down the Startup Phases
05:46 - Phase 1: Idea, Research & Strategy
09:38 - First Orders & Early Traction
12:35 - Early Growth & Press Coverage
14:34 - Competition Enters the Market
16:22 - Tech Challenges & Moving Beyond Jugaad
17:23 - Phase 3: Funding Challenges Begin
18:30 - Last Attempts to Save the Startup
20:45 - When Founder Motivation Declines
23:06 - Who Should Read It
27:42 - Key Advice: Passion & Product-Market Fit
30:31 - Why Startups Fail: Execution
34:10 - Capital, Competition & Strategy
36:10 - Final Lessons on Entrepreneurship
38:22 - Closing Thoughts
This is a must- watch episode for anyone building or aspiring to build a startup.
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to the Prime Venture Partners Podcast for more real founder stories and insights from India’s startup ecosystem!
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