“Stop Making Kids Your Trophy” | Ashish Kundra (Dad of 1, CEO of Conceptual)

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Apr 30, 2026

Ashish Kundra, founder and CEO of Conceptual and dad of a four-year-old, talks parenting, building companies, and life design. He explains how being married to a pediatrician shapes everyday choices. He shares why he started a company with a young child, why small falls build resilience, how he avoids over-parenting to preserve agency, and why he journals to track happiness.

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ADVICE

Prioritize Water Fiber And Skip Hidden Sugar

Avoid giving kids a lot of sugar and prioritize hydration to prevent common issues like tummy aches.
Ashish and his pediatrician wife skip juice, focus on water, fiber, and make oat-egg-banana pancakes as a portable high-fiber protein staple.

ADVICE

Startups Can Work With Toddlers If You Plan

If founding a company feels values-aligned, do it even with a young child, but plan carefully for finances and time.
Ashish started when his son was one because he preferred building something satisfying now rather than coasting later.

ADVICE

Give Kids Agency On Low Risk Choices

Give children agency on low-risk decisions instead of forcing compliance to build responsibility.
Example: ask about a jacket a few times, carry it, and let the child feel the consequence of being cold so he learns choice and feedback.

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Ashish Kundra is the CEO of Conceptual, a growth agency that helps companies like Cursor, Perplexity, Superhuman, Fenty Beauty, GPTZero, and dozens more. Prior to that, he led growth at DuckDuckGo and founded two other companies.

He’s also a husband and the father of a four-year-old son. In this episode, Ashish shares why starting a company when his son was one made sense for his family, how being married to a pediatrician shapes their parenting, and why he believes small falls prevent big falls. We discussed:

Being married to a pediatrician and how that shapes parenting: Why Ashish sees it as a major advantage in handling health, nutrition, and everyday parenting decisions.
Starting a company when his son was one: Why Ashish felt that early parenthood was still the right time to build something of his own.
Avoiding over-parenting: How he gives his son more agency and lets natural consequences do some of the teaching.
Why small falls prevent big falls: How Ashish thinks about struggle, discomfort, and building resilience early.
Tracking happiness and contentment: Why he journals regularly and what he’s learned about sleep, exercise, and stress.
Why your child is not your trophy: How he thinks about ambition, identity, and raising a son without ego.

Where to find Ashish Kundra