The Brand Called You

Vinayak Kamath is the co-founder and managing partner of Hearth Ventures, which is India's first mentor fund for craft and circular economy enterprises. Vinayak is an alumnus of the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Sciences and has a background in engineering and management. Before starting Hearth Ventures, Vinayak worked as a corporate executive with Indian multinationals like Arvind Mills and G, co-founded a couple of companies, and worked as a private equity investor. The motivation to start Hearth Ventures came from a desire to invest in the handicraft sector in India, which was missing at-risk capital. The sector had numerous skilled artisans but was facing challenges such as skill attrition and traditional art forms dying. With the help of experts in the craft sector, it was concluded that at-risk capital was needed to rejuvenate and revive traditional Indian art forms. Vinayak and his team hope to be the first to set up a venture fund for the craft sector and believe that with at-risk capital, the other elements of a successful venture such as marketing and distribution, design expertise, and a market audience, will fall into place.

Nikhil Chaudhary is the founder and general partner of Nirman Ventures. He is a senior and accomplished professional from San Francisco, USA, and has been in the US for 20 years. He has a background in civil engineering and has founded several award-winning companies in the US. Nirman Ventures is a venture fund that focuses on the construction technology ecosystem. The construction industry is worth around 7-8 trillion dollars annually and is expected to become a 14 trillion dollar industry by 2030. 00:29- About Nikhil Choudhary Nikhil Choudhary is a Silicon Valley-based venture capitalist and founding partner of Nirman Ventures (www.nirman.vc), a VC fund focused on construction tech, clean tech, and property tech. Previously, Nikhil has founded several award-winning companies in the United States and has been an angel and real estate investor for over a decade. He has been recognized, felicitated, and awarded countless times, including the Inc500 & Indian Achiever Award - Entrepreneur of the Year.

When speaking with Dave Stevens, one gets the sense of this man's genuine authenticity. He understands that he holds a certain amount of responsibility to set an example for not only the broader disability community but for society at large. He believes that part of his mission is to "break the stereotypes of what it means to be handicapped or disabled." About Dave Stevens and his journey. ·      Dave Stevens is an athlete and a 7-time Emmy Award-winning sports broadcasting professional. · Stevens, a congenital amputee, is the only athlete ever to play college football or minor league baseball without legs. · Stevens played minor league baseball for the St. Paul Saints in 1996. He was a college athlete at Augsburg College, where he played varsity football and baseball and wrestled. · In 2015, Stevens reinvented himself as a motivational speaker. He enjoys being a father to his three sons and continues to touch the souls of others who are different.

Leaders can define workplace cultures that foster the accomplishment of common goals. What are the key attributes that an efficient leader ought to have? Is (s)he was born with such qualities, or can be developed? We have your answers covered in today's episode of “The Brand Called You.” About Tissa Richards Tissa Richards is the CEO, Keynote Speaker, Leadership Expert, Board Facilitator She is a Repeat Software founder and CEO. She is also the Author of the book "No Permission Needed".

We live in a highly polarised world, where we are divided either towards conservatism or liberalism. With journalism becoming politically aligned, several minorities lose their voice in the raging screams of the news anchors. Several people have come forward, across the globe, to launch independent platforms for giving voice to the niche or the minority communities. Today, we discuss one such platform, Xizzle TV launched by an Emmy Award winner Kirk Gimenez who solely focuses on giving voice to the immigrants' community. [00:45] - About Kirk Gimenez Kirk is the founder of Xizzle TV. He is a two-time Emmy winner. He is a TV personality and a content creator. Kirk was the first Latin American hired to anchor on ESPN news.

Employee-generated content is created and shared by employees within an organisation, often through social media or internal communication platforms. This provides a unique perspective and can enhance a company's brand image, foster internal communication, and increase employee engagement. In this episode, we have Johnathan Tetsill, who talks about employee-generated content. He also talks about the need for better communication and the method to achieve it. About Johnathan Tetsill Jonathan Tetsill is the managing director of Feedback Films. He is leading the way on employee-generated content. Feedback works with Google, RBS, Coutts, GSK and Direct Line Group to create internal and external content to improve the employee experience.

In this episode of THE BRAND CALLED YOU, Soumitra Agarwal educates us on how important it is for young people or anyone who is a potential candidate to become discoverable. As early as possible in their lives, they should position themselves s thought leaders in their respective domains. About Soumitra Agarwal and his journey. · Soumitra Agarwal is Managing Partner at NGS Global based in Mumbai, India, where he has lived and worked for the last 25 years. · A former executive in operational roles, Mr Agarwal possesses deep industry and market know-how and has successfully conducted numerous C-level and senior leadership search assignments for large, mid-sized and emerging enterprises across various industries. · He has worked closely with Private Equity/Venture Capital funds to help their portfolio companies hire leadership talent at various stages of their lifecycle. · Mr Agarwal holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, India, and is a postgraduate in management from the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta.

Elaine Lum MacDonald, CEO of the Knowledge Impact Network (KIN), leads a mission to connect social ventures with expert knowledge for impactful change. She discusses the innovative catalyze sessions, where leaders tackle specific issues in 90-minute workshops. Lum MacDonald highlights the importance of collaboration, improving food security, and workforce readiness through strategic partnerships. She emphasizes the transformative potential of sharing knowledge in the social sector, showcasing how structured connections can elevate community-focused initiatives.

The concept of networking has always gained traction, and it has increased all the more with social media. However, we often tend to miss the real meaning of networking in the constant race of meeting new people. It is good, but what is better is to be able to create connections with the people in your network. Today, we discuss the difference between connecting vs. networking. We also delve into how can one cultivate meaningful connections. [00:39] - About Lou Diamond Lou is the Chief Executive Officer of Thrive LouD, an organization helping people and companies to explode their sales, retain their clients and build a thriving culture through the power of connecting. He is a professional speaker, sales and leadership consultant, and an award-winning podcaster. Lou is also an author of two books: “Master The Art of Connecting” and “Speak Easy”.

Neelu Gupta, crafted with love, is a NameSake that makes ordinary art extraordinary. Gupta tells us about the sustainable alternatives currently available to replace toxic ones. Also, she tells us about the challenges faced by sellers to meet the right customers. About Neelu Gupta and her journey. · Neelu is a new-age Artist who loves to experiment with multiple media in her artworks. She is an entrepreneur, art mentor and mother. · As a freelance art consultant, she started my entrepreneurial journey with TIMES OF INDIA. After spending a few years as a freelancer, Gupta started incorporating her vision and knowledge to design her product range and establish her brand. · Being an art entrepreneur, Neelu loves to promote the folk-art forms of the state of Chhattisgarh, where she was born & brought up, so you can find a mix of tradition, nature and culture in her work.