The Indian Startup Show

Nishant Sharma, founder and CEO of Rutland Square Spirits, blends his Assam tea and spice heritage with Scottish craftsmanship. He talks about creating a unique oolong white tea–infused chai-spice gin and rum. He shares the rollercoaster of rebuilding a business after near-bankruptcy and a health crisis. He discusses cracking India’s complex alcohol market, recipe R&D, branding and global expansion.

Kanupriya Poddar, founder and CEO building MagickWorld, a kids-first travel and lifestyle platform. She talks about launching a kid-focused directory and onboarding 100+ local businesses fast. She describes moving from McKinsey to startup life, building an MVP with her daughter, cracking distribution and marketplace challenges, and plans to use AI for family travel recommendations.

Ritesh Arora, co-founder of TRU.BIKE and maker of premium kids’ bikes and exported e-bikes, shares his journey building India’s first global bicycle brand. He talks about product development, bootstrapping to revenue, cracking exports via European shows, retail vs e-commerce challenges, meeting European quality standards, and scaling marketing and distribution globally.

Join Saurabh Nigam, an HR leader and angel investor with over two decades of experience, as he shares insights on successfully building a startup culture. He tackles why startups often struggle with HR and offers smart hiring strategies, emphasizing cultural fit over skills. Saurabh discusses the role of AI in recruitment, retaining top talent amidst challenges, and managing toxic high performers. He also sheds light on mental wellness in high-growth environments and the critical non-negotiables for startup culture.

Showcasing emerging artists—today, my guest is Leia Tyebjee, co-founder of Pylot Studios, an interdisciplinary creative platform dedicated to artistic design, curation, and community engagement. In this episode, we discuss the challenges of creating spaces for artists, breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry, and how Pylot Studios is redefining art curation. Leia also shares her thoughts on AI in art, mistakes emerging artists make, the importance of community, and why she still chooses to work with film photography in the digital age. And finally, we talk bananas, interesting first impressions of New York, travel photography tips, and much more!In this episode we talk about:The Birth of Pylot Studios – From a coffee-fueled idea in 2019 to a thriving creative platformThe Problem They’re Solving – Helping artists find space and opportunities to showcase their workThe Hardest Part of Curation – Reaching out, building trust, and bringing themes to lifeLeia’s Background – From Mumbai to New York, studying photography, and her artistic influencesWhy She Still Shoots on Film – The tactile, immersive experience of analog photographyPhotography Trips & Creative Rituals – Habits that fuel her artistic processMistakes Emerging Artists Make – And how to navigate the art world more effectivelyArt & Technology – Thoughts on AI’s impact on creativityBreaking Barriers – Navigating a male-dominated industry and standing up for yourselfThe $6.2M Banana?! – The wild side of the contemporary art worldBuilding Community – How to start from scratch, make connections, and find your creative tribeand much more LinksPylot Studios WebsitePylot Studios Instagram - @pylotstudios Leia Tyebjee Instagram - @leiatyebjee Yitzhak Franco Instagram - @__ytzk__  Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Piyush Patel, founder of AmplifyX Labs and indie‑hacker building micro‑SaaS products, discusses sourcing and validating ideas from personal problems and Twitter, using landing pages and creative tactics to get first customers, selling before building, scaling bootstrapped products with SEO/YouTube/DMs, leveraging AI tools to build without deep coding, and the emotional realities of shutting down and restarting ventures.

Chicken and hot sauce are a match made in heaven! In this episode, II’m joined by Mikhel Rajani, co-founder of Naagin Sauce, India’s first and favourite hot sauce brand. Mikhel and his team spotted a gap in the market about five years ago and have since transformed Naagin Sauce into a household name, now partnering with KFC India and reaching both domestic and international customers.We dive deep into the story of building Naagin Sauce and what it takes to pioneer a brand in an untapped market. Here's what we cover:Why India didn’t have a hot sauce brand before Naagin and how they championed Indian Ghost Chillies.The challenges of being first movers in the market—and how they overcame the heat, both figuratively and literally.Creating and  testing recipes that balanced nostalgia and innovation.Mikhel’s insights from 15 years in the F&B industry: branding, marketing, and growing a team from 3 to 50 employees.His hiring philosophy: "Loyalty over certificates."Overcoming the challenges of Covid, raising funding, and why every business idea should be stress-tested by smarter people who can punch holes in it.We also touch on fascinating behind-the-scenes stories:The quirky inspiration for the brand name, involving cricket and the iconic "Naagin dance."Mikhel’s preference for low-key launches instead of flashy events.His incredible marketing innovations, including the world’s first pizza delivery by drone in 2012, which was featured on BBC and CNBC.Mikhel also shares valuable advice for founders:Why India is not for beginners, and how to handle 100 rejections without taking them personally.How his management style has evolved over the years and why documenting mistakes is crucial for growth.Practical tips on working with co-founders and maintaining healthy partnerships.Finally, Mikhel’s closing advice for first-time founders:“Don’t accept defeat. There will always be someone willing to help you on your journey.”Links https://www.naaginsauce.com/ Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Adarsh Gopalakrishnan, founder of Move101 in Chennai, shares his journey from a school dropout to owning a unique strength and conditioning gym. He discusses making fitness accessible, how word-of-mouth drives his business rather than ads, and the prevalent protein gaps in Indian diets. Adarsh highlights the challenges posed by social media pressures in fitness, while revealing how the pandemic spurred innovation in coaching methods. His insights encourage prioritizing health over unrealistic expectations in a world increasingly impacted by obesity.

Anushka Gupta, co-founder of MyMuse, discusses smashing taboos and disrupting the industry, innovative products, funding rounds, social media marketing, building a brand from scratch, email marketing for brand loyalty, customer development, education in dismantling taboos, future of sexual wellness in India, surprising moments in entrepreneurship, and which city in India is the most frisky.

Prince Thomas, co-founder of Bangalore-based MetaShot, is revolutionizing cricket gaming with their innovative console-like experience. He shares how the idea sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses the journey from early prototypes to a successful launch on Flipkart. Prince elaborates on the challenges of start-up life, the importance of customer feedback, and creative influencer marketing strategies. He also highlights the growth of gaming culture in India and his personal journey as a cricket enthusiast, all while enjoying the humorous memories from their development process.