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The Indian Startup Show

Neil Patel

Welcome to the Indian Startup Show! 🎙️

I'm Neil Patel, your host and producer of the Indian Startup Show — a podcast dedicated to India's dynamic entrepreneurs, innovators, and the groundbreaking startups they're building.

The Indian startup ecosystem is one of the most exciting in the world, and we are here to document it. We go beyond the headlines and funding rounds to uncover the raw truth of what it actually takes to build a company today. From the initial spark of an idea to acquiring first customers, overcoming setbacks, and celebrating milestones—we talk about it all.

Are you building something amazing?

The heartbeat of this show is the belief that everyone has a story worth telling. Whether you are bootstrapping a passion project from your bedroom or scaling a massive tech platform, we want to hear from you. You don't need millions in funding, just a genuine passion for what you do.

Subscribe for new episodes, and if you have a story to tell, reach out to me today!

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21 episodes
Avg 35 min
English

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#230
Monday · 22 min
Why Are Indians Shopping for Things They’ll Never Buy? Purvansh Parmar, Co-founder of Food Never Comes
What happens when you turn one of the most common dopamine loops—ordering food out of boredom—into a website? I sit down with Purvansh Parmar, a 26-year-old software engineer and entrepreneur from Udaipur, to unpack the story behind Food Never Comes, a website designed to make people more aware of the habits and dopamine loops surrounding online food ordering. Built by two 26-year-old software developers - Purvansh Parmar and Anshul Sharma - from Udaipur in India's northern state of Rajasthan, F
#229
September 27 · 34 min
Must Be Nuts: From Corporate Partner to Crazy Founder | Rajesh Ivaturi
Make healthy snacking fun again. What happens when a former management consultant decides to leave the corporate world and build a snack brand from scratch? You get Must Be Nuts. Today I speak to Rajesh Ivaturi, the founder of Must Be Nuts. A brand born from a simple observation: healthy food doesn't have to feel boring, serious or joyless. In this episode, Rajesh takes us behind the scenes of building Must Be Nuts, from the original idea and naming process to the realities of launching, raisin
#228
September 21 · 34 min
The Startup World Ignored Elders. She Didn’t | Arasi Arul
She watched 140 million senior citizens become invisible overnight. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Arasi noticed a quiet crisis hiding in plain sight: elderly people struggling with everyday tasks while their families lived far away. This observation sparked the creation of 60 Plus, an elder-care platform that supported nearly 50,000 seniors across India over six and a half years. In this episode, Arasi opens up about building a deeply human business from the ground up, her journey into angel in
#227
September 14 · 32 min
Selling to the Government: The Indian Startup’s B2G Playbook w/ Mithun Pangal
How can founders identify government opportunities? Today I sit down with Mithun Pangal, a technology veteran with over 25 years of experience building everything from software to 40-foot-high robots. Mithun breaks down the reality of building a Business-to-Government (B2G) startup in India. We dismantle the myths surrounding government procurement, discuss how to navigate tenders, and explore why the public sector offers superior security and unmatched scale for founders willing to learn the r
#226
August 27 · 40 min
How to Become AI-Ready: Treat AI Like an Intern, Not a God | Aditya Pati (Build with Adi)
Helping professionals become AI ready! Today, educator and builder Aditya Pati (founder of "Build with Adi") joins the show to demystify the AI revolution for non-technical founders. We explore the shift from traditional no-code tools to AI-driven platforms like Claude, complete with a live website modification breakdown. Adi shares hard-hitting lessons from his failed startup and his mission to build a global network of "AI enablers" solving local problems. we discuss: The Prompt Trap. The AI
#225
August 22 · 39 min
AI, Gold & Investing in startups - Devansh Alijar
What happens when gold, AI and startups collide? Today on The Indian Startup Show, I’m joined by Devansh Alijar for a wide-ranging conversation about AI, investing and building modern businesses. Devansh has helped transform a traditional family jewellery business, and we talk about how he’s using AI to make the business more efficient — from operations and hiring to training and decision-making. We also explore how he thinks about investing in startups, gold, and other assets, including what he
#224
August 15 · 44 min
Frustrated corporate engineer to a master of the stage. Ankur Nigam on why Storytelling is Your Ultimate Currency.
The Business of Laughs! Today I sit down with Ankur Nigam a Stand-up & Improv Comedian and Storytelling Coach dedicated to helping teams communicate with clarity, confidence, and a bit of humor. Ankur shares his incredible journey of leaving a stable consulting career to chase the spotlight, the brutal reality of his first on-stage failure, and how a life-altering open-heart surgery at age 35 completely shifted his perspective on legacy and living in the moment. He talks about adapting to the d
#223
July 31 · 39 min
Take Back Your Time: Beating the Algorithms & Breaking Screen Addiction | Aditi Mandal
Stop Doom-Scrolling! In 2026, the global average screen time has climbed to a staggering 6 hours and 38 minutes a day. We are constantly plugged in, but is it a lack of willpower, or are we just losing a rigged game? Today on the podcast, we sit down with Aditi Mandal to find out. Aditi spent a time working as a UX researcher, designing and making highly engaging digital products. But in 2017, she realized she was falling victim to the very systems she helped build. After embarking on a digital
#222
July 14 · 29 min
Dr. Tathagata Neogi CEO & Co-Founder, Immersive Trails, connecting travellers with authentic, expert-led experiences across India.
Travel isn't just about places, it's about the stories and the people behind them. In this episode of the Indian Startup Show, I sit down with Dr. Tathagata Neogi, Co-Founder and CEO of Immersive Trails. Armed with a PhD in archaeology, he returned to Kolkata to build a dynamic, tech-enabled marketplace that connects conscious travelers with expert curators. We dive into the realities of bootstrapping a startup, the challenge of educating investors on a niche business model, and how Immersive Tr
#221
July 13 · 41 min
Entrepreneur & Zero Waste Chef - Sarah Patka on Bootstrapping Love & Flour's tasty desserts.
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel Freezer Epiphany That Sparked a Zero-Waste Bakery. Today I speak with Sarah Patka, the visionary chef and founder behind Mumbai’s premium niche bakery, Love & Flour. Driven by a passion for baking science and a strict zero-waste philosophy, Sarah shares her journey from working the grueling shifts at the Taj Mahal Palace to bootstrapping her own boutique dessert brand. We dive deep into the operational strategies of running a made-to-order, storefront-free bakery, the
#220
July 8 · 42 min
Nikky Kumar Jha, CEO of Saptkrishi on Building the "Fridge Killer" to Hack Global Food Waste.
Marry the problem, not the product! In this episode, I sit down with social entrepreneur Nikky Kumar Jha, the first engineer from his small village in Bihar, India. Nikky initially set out to tackle massive global issues like climate change—until a professor advised him to look in his own backyard. What he found was a devastating local crisis: despite the fertile soil along the Ganges, farmers were losing 40% of their produce to rot because standard refrigeration was too expensive and the rural
#219
June 20 · 41 min
Rishi Krishna CEO of Symbionic - On building an assistive tech startup dedicated to building affordable, life-changing prosthetic devices.
Giving People a Second Life! We are thrilled to welcome back Rishi Krishna, the visionary Founder and CEO of Symbionic, for his first appearance since November 2021! A lot has changed since our last conversation. After losing his right arm in a tragic bus accident in 2018, Rishi channeled his personal adversity into founding Symbionic, an assistive tech startup dedicated to building affordable, life-changing prosthetic devices. In this episode, we dive deep into the massive pivots the business h
#218
June 7 · 22 min
Alankar Chandra CEO & Founder of Wild Voyager & Ilora Retreats on Leaving the Corporate World to Build an Experiential Travel Startup
Turning Wanderlust into a Business. Can falling in love with a place completely change the trajectory of your life? For Alankar Chandra, a trip to the Masai Mara did exactly that. Today, I speak to Alankar Chandra, the CEO and Founder of Wild Voyager and Ilora Retreats. An IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Alankar left his comfortable corporate job to pursue his true passions: wildlife and travel. In this episode, we discuss how he turned his hobby into a thriving experiential travel company, born out of a
#217
February 14 · 28 min
Nishant Sharma founder & CEO of Rutland Square Spirits on building a fast-growing premium spirits brand.
The India–Scotland Entrepreneurial Journey! Today’s guest is Nishant Sharma. the Indian-born, Edinburgh-based entrepreneur whose company blends Indian heritage with Scottish craftsmanship. Nishant’s story is one of resilience, legacy and bold reinvention. After leaving a successful career in financial services, he set out to build a brand with long-term meaning. Inspired by his late grandmother — and a family history that traces back to his great-grandfather becoming a whisky distiller during t
#216
January 28 · 41 min
Kanupriya Poddar, CEO of MagickWorld on building India’s first travel platform for kids.
Reinventing Kids Hospitality in India. Today my guest is Kanupriya Poddar, CEO of MagickWorld. She is building a platform to help parents discover kid-friendly stays, experiences, shops, and enrichment services across cities. In this episode, she shares how she launched MagickWorld alongside her 8-year-old daughter (a mini-entrepreneur, Shark Tank fan, business mindset!), onboarded 100+ local businesses within two months of soft launch, and cracking the distribution model. She reflects on lesson
#215
January 19 · 29 min
Ritesh Arora, Co-Founder of TRU.BIKE, on building India’s first global bicycle brand.
Building a global brand from India. Today my guest is Ritesh Arora, Co-Founder of TRU.BIKE, TRU.BIKE designs premium, lightweight and safe bicycles for children, and is now exporting e-bikes to Europe. In this episode he talks about why India, despite being the second-largest bicycle manufacturer, has no global brand, and how TRU.BIKE is changing that. Ritesh shares their journey from bootstrapping in year one to raising funds, achieving product–market fit, and growing fast. He talks about buil
#214
Mar 5, 2025 · 35 min
Saurabh Nigam, author of People-Powered Startups: Building a Culture of Collaboration, Innovation, and High Performance.
In this episode, I sit down with Saurabh Nigam—HR leader, angel investor, and author of People-Powered Startups: Building a Culture of Collaboration, Innovation, and High Performance. With over two decades of experience, Saurabh shares actionable insights on building a thriving startup culture, avoiding common HR mistakes, and hiring the right people at the right time. We dive into: Why startups struggle with HR—and how to fix it. The role of AI in recruitment. How to retain top talent and manag
#213
Feb 27, 2025 · 30 min
From Mumbai to NYC: Leia Tyebjee on Building Pylot Studios, a global platform empowering emerging artists
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 t
#212
Nov 25, 2024 · 41 min
Indie Hacker Special: Piyush Patel founder of AmplifyX Labs on Building Micro-SaaS, Bootstrapping, and Scaling.
Indie Hacker Special! I speak to Piyush Patel, the founder of AmplifyX Labs and a prominent voice in the micro-SaaS and indie hacking space. From bootstrapping projects to building in public and exploring AI-powered tools, Piyush shares invaluable insights into his personal journey, product development strategies, getting your first customers and the future of micro-SaaS. This episode is packed with actionable advice for aspiring indie hackers, developers, and entrepreneurs who want to build and
#211
Nov 17, 2024 · 34 min
From Spicy Dreams to Market Domination: Mikhel Rajani co-founder of Naagin Sauce on building India’s No.1 hot sauce brand.
Chicken and hot sauce are a match made in heaven! Today, I’m joined by Mikhel Rajani, co-founder of Naagin Sauce, India’s first and favourite hot sauce brand. Five years ago, Mikhel and his co-founders spotted a gap in the market, and now Naagin Sauce is a household name, partnering with KFC India and taking Indian Ghost Chillies global. In this episode, we talk about: How they built the brand from scratch. The spicy challenges they faced along the way. Mikhel’s insights from 15 years in the

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