BusinessScienceTechnology

Varun Mayya

Science and business follow the same principles and are practically the same thing - you experiment, you observe, you make conclusions, and you repeat.
I help entrepreneurs build software, content, small companies, and freelancing careers with actionable advice. I try my best to distill new developments in technology for the masses. Most importantly, I practice what I preach. I failed countless times on countless projects with a few small wins, and I have come to realise that this is the norm :)

Collabs: teamvarunmayya@gmail.com

Links:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thevarunmayya

Play

Open in

106 episodes
daily
Avg 28 min
English

Episodes 106

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

Today · 1 hr 25 min
Guide to Scaling A Startup with Zero Funding | Kata 1
Welcome to the first session of a 16-Kata series where I break down everything I have learned about starting and scaling companies over the past decade. Uploaded 21-12-25 In today’s dense session, we discuss how AEOS was built, how it was scaled from zero to a profitable organization without any external funding, the decisions, mistakes, and contrarian bets that shaped its trajectory, and what I learned along the way. The session also explains why distribution matters more than product, why talent is the real moat, and why running multiple small bets with high failure tolerance works better than chasing one perfect plan. If you are building, operating, or trying to understand how bootstrapped companies really scale, this session may have what you are looking for. 00:00 - Introduction 03:00 - The 16-Kata Framework: How This Series Works 04:24 - Company Origin Story and Ecosystem 10:46 - First Principles and Unconventional Decisions 17:03 - Act 1: The Video and Content Opportunity 20:41 - Building the Video Editing School 27:30 - Act 2 : YouTube as a Service (YAAS) 30:08 - Act 3 : Technology Integration (Labs and AI Avatars) 39:25 - Talent Pipeline (100x Engineers) 48:08 - Act 4 : The Future Gaming Thesis 58:55 - Personal Reflections on Fear and Bootstrapping 1:02:15 - The Early Days 1:16:50 - Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 28 min
Build a personal website WITHOUT CODING in under 30 minutes!
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram! http://instagram.com/thevarunmayya Uploaded 06-08-18 With Webflow, the time I take to build a website has dropped from a few weeks to a few hours. A personal website is your calling card - it will replace business cards, resumes and even the way you introduce yourself. In this video, we'll learn how to build a personal website from scratch, without the need to write code. You'll learn the basics of HTML and CSS without the need to actually write any. The possibilities of what you can create are endless! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 50 min
How I Manage Projects End To End (1 Hour Masterclass)
In this Kata, we break down how to manage projects when you don’t have all the answers from the start. We explain why traditional project management methods no longer work as well, how clarity comes from building instead of planning forever, and how we used Unleash the Avatar as a real example to develop our own way of managing projects. Uploaded 05-08-26 We then walk through the entire process of turning a rough idea into a structured team. We cover how to decide what needs research, what already works, when to hire, when to outsource, when to invest in better tools, and how to use AI to keep large teams aligned. Along the way, we also share how we built different parts of Unleash the Avatar, from motion capture and photogrammetry to custom internal tools and playtesting. Finally, we talk about how projects grow over time. We discuss getting feedback early, building the right team before scaling, avoiding expensive mistakes, and why every successful project is really a series of small experiments that slowly bring more clarity. Whether you’re building a startup, an app, a game, or any large project, the ideas in this Kata can be applied almost anywhere. 00:00 - Intro 02:04 - You Don't Know What You're Building (Low Resolution) 03:17 - Why Waterfall and Agile Are Outdated 05:45 - Set a Deadline to Decide 06:31 - Break Projects into Departments, Not Roles 08:17 - The Minimum Viable Team 09:43 - Sure Shot vs R and D 14:18 - Vertical Slicing: Alpha, Beta, Gold 15:58 - Building the High Resolution Team 18:03 - Case Study: Photogrammetry R and D 21:46 - When to Invest in Technology (The Math) 25:11 - Where AI Fits in Projects 27:50 - 5 Choices for Every Role 31:03 - Why Distribution Helps (Feedback, Talent, Mentors) 34:58 - Funding: Seed to Series B 36:46 - Success Metrics: Conversion, Wishlists and TAM 40:44 - The Playbook = Your Org Chart 42:12 - Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 32 min
Qualcomm CEO on Self-Driving in Indian Traffic, Smart Glasses Potential in India and More!
In this conversation, Cristiano opens up about Qualcomm’s evolution beyond smartphones. From building AI-powered PCs with multi-day battery life to partnering with Meta on the Ray-Ban smart glasses that merge the digital and physical world. He breaks down why mobile and PC are converging into a single computing ecosystem, how gaming will be transformed by AI, and why the next wave of connected devices will emerge from markets like India, not Silicon Valley. Uploaded 11-11-25 Cristiano also shares Qualcomm’s next big bet: disrupting the data center with energy-efficient AI inference chips, and bringing intelligence to cars, glasses, and everything in between. From autonomous driving and AI copilots to redefining how humans interact with technology, this is a rare look into the mind of the man rearchitecting the future of computing. 00:00 - Introduction 01:15 - Gaming Evolution and AI Integration 07:07 - Meta Ray-Ban and Smart Glasses Future 12:34 - Data Center Plans and AI Inference 14:54 - Connected Cars and AI Integration 20:02 - Self-Driving Technology in India 22:02 - CEO Challenges and Market Timing 25:36 - Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 40 min
What Google's Secret AI Lab Actually Looks Like (I Got Exclusive Access)
We got exclusive access into Google DeepMind and the prestigious AI for Science Forum, and we have some fascinating insights to share. Uploaded 25-02-25 Watch this video to witness the brilliant minds shaping our future through groundbreaking projects like AlphaFold, AlphaProof, and SynthID. We’ll explore game-changing ideas, from cracking protein folding to designing gene-edited cows that slash methane emissions. Not just this, we even capture DeepMind's unique workspace culture with scientist-named meeting rooms and a library that would make any polymath envious. But beyond the tech, this video uncovers DeepMind’s real edge—its culture of curiosity. Whether you’re an AI enthusiast, a future innovator, or simply fascinated by how the world’s sharpest minds solve problems, this is a rare glimpse inside a world few ever see. 00:00 - Introduction to the AI Race and Google DeepMind 02:33 - AI for Science Forum 04:57 - The Polymath Advantage in Research and Success 08:08 - DeepMind’s Founder: A Journey Across Domains 09:49 - Tour of the DeepMind Office 10:48 - Four Exciting DeepMind Projects 12:24 - DeepMind's Impressive Library and Cafeteria 14:37 - Interview with Pushmeet Kohli: Inside the "Intelligence Factory" 15:58 - The Future of Programming with Alpha Code 20:57 - General World Models and Paths to AGI with Alpha Proof 27:05 - SynthID: DeepMind's Watermarking Solution for AI Content 30:53 - AI-Generated Synthetic Content and Detection Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 5 min
TOP 3 MISTAKES NEW FOUNDERS MAKE + TIPS | METASTARTUP #18
Follow me on instagram: http://instagram.com/thevarunmayya Uploaded 02-01-19 Metastartup is a free, open-source MBA alternative. Join us on Instagram! In this video I run through the top 3 mistakes I see new founders make! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 29 min
5 Things India Should Learn From Silicon Valley
https://bit.ly/circuitvarun - Did you know that vibe-coding could literally win you a brand new MacBook Pro? Turns out, CodeCircuit Hackathon is offering just that. The only requirement is that you build a sleek, functional webapp. To learn more, check the link above! Uploaded 16-05-25 Ever wondered why so many big tech companies come only from Silicon Valley, but not from India even though we have some of the smartest people on the planet? Well, it’s not about talent or money. It’s about how people think. In this video, we’ll show you what makes Silicon Valley so different. Why they don’t laugh at risky ideas. Why they support each other. Why even things people call “just a wrapper” can turn into billion-dollar companies. And why people in India play it safe and stick to the same kind of ideas. We’ll break down the mindset that leads to real innovation. We’ll also show you how you can build your own projects using AI tools right from your home. No fancy degrees or contacts needed. Just the right way of thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 54 min
How to Build $10M SaaS in 5 Months (2026 Playbook)
Having served Google as Principal Engineer, and Time as its interim CEO… today’s guest, Zack Lloyd, quit both before taking on one of the oldest problems in software engineering that no one wanted to touch: rebuilding the terminal from the ground up… and around AI agents. Uploaded 18-12-25 Even if you may not immediately recognise his name, you’ve probably used Warp, the company he founded and now leads as CEO, that’s behind the first serious attempt in decades to rebuild the terminal for modern engineering teams. Its block-based execution model, real-time collaboration, and integrated intelligence stack are already shaping how thousands of developers work every day. In this conversation, Zack will break down how he approached redesigning one of computing’s oldest interfaces, why the terminal needed a fundamental rethink, and what he believes the next era of developer infrastructure will look like Check out Warp - https://go.warp.dev/varunytagents 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - Discovering Warp: Bottom-Up Adoption in India 06:31 - Raising $50M from Sequoia at 5,000 Users 09:06 - The AI Explosion 10:45 - Top Warp Use Cases 12:20 - How Developers Discover Warp 14:51 - Scaling Challenges 16:38 - AI SaaS Margins Problem 20:37 - Consumption-Based Pricing 23:08 - The Future of Coding 26:13 - Craft vs Outcome 28:29 - From Engineer to Entrepreneur 40:05 - Counterintuitive Insights 41:55 - AGI Timeline and AI Direction 44:30 - Lessons from Building Warp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 1 hr 17 min
[ADVANCED] BUILDING A COMPLEX WEBSITE WITH PHOTOSHOP AND WEBFLOW | METASTARTUP
A lot of you have been asking for a complex website webflow guide so I made one. This will be a part of Metastartup, but I'm not numbering this episode yet. Uploaded 31-12-18 You will need to refer to my previous Webflow tutorial if you want to learn the basics. This isn't a tutorial, it's a walkthrough. You'll need to keep pausing and Googling stuff if you don't understand it - this is what makes a good designer/developer/entrepreneur. Being able to start out by understanding other people's work while using Google as a crutch to fill in knowledge gaps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 5 min
Don't lie
Cero means "Zero" in Spanish. Uploaded 12-07-19 Business was my gateway drug to philosophy and understanding humans. In these short podcasts, let's talk black holes, computing, physics, business and philosophy, and let's try to keep it short. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More: At the end of the day, everything from product to marketing to sales is fundamentally about psychology. I spend a lot of time reading research papers and running experiments in the neurosciences lab and on people. On Instagram, I've noticed how putting out any advanced content on this type of research gets me lower engagement - so I'm going to reserve that platform to put up motivational quotes and updates, and use this playlist to put out content for people to really win at this game of life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 4 min
Why Apple won and Kodak lost
Cero means "Zero" in Spanish. Uploaded 12-07-19 Business was my gateway drug to philosophy and understanding humans. In these short podcasts, let's talk black holes, computing, physics, business and philosophy, and let's try to keep it short. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More: At the end of the day, everything from product to marketing to sales is fundamentally about psychology. I spend a lot of time reading research papers and running experiments in the neurosciences lab and on people. On Instagram, I've noticed how putting out any advanced content on this type of research gets me lower engagement - so I'm going to reserve that platform to put up motivational quotes and updates, and use this playlist to put out content for people to really win at this game of life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 1 hr 18 min
How to Think Like Rich People (1 Hour Masterclass)
In this Kata, we discuss wealth, risk, and how rich people think about money and constraints. We talk about how money changes the way you think about time, attention, risk, and opportunity. We look at why some expenses are worth paying when they remove a major problem, and why the real question is often not “how much does this cost?” but “what does this give me back?” Uploaded 14-08-26 We also discuss ownership, investing, and why building wealth is ultimately about separating your time and energy from the money you create. Along the way, we look at how wealthy people think about risk, where they choose to place their bets, and how they decide what is actually worth owning. Finally, we talk about opportunity, access, and how to think about the things that limit you. The goal is not simply to have more money, but to use it in ways that give you more time, freedom, and room to do the things that matter. 00:00 - Intro 02:39 - "Blinking" — teleporting into people's minds 03:48 - What rich people actually want 08:36 - Traits of every successful person 14:34 - The 4 wealth zones 15:23 - ₹1 Cr — security and status 18:26 - ₹10 Cr — freedom and recognition 22:57 - ₹100 Cr — influence and access 30:15 - ₹1,000 Cr — legacy and trust 36:56 - Free market participation 39:53 - Rich people buy freedom, not things 48:31 - How the rich take risks 54:55 - How to actually reach the rich 1:02:06 - Trust and proximity to power 1:10:35 - Final summary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 6 min
Unleash The Avatar - Gameplay Trailer | Bollywood Soulslike Game
Wishlist on Steam below: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4054220/Unleash_The_Avatar/ Uploaded 22-06-26 After 6 months of hard work, we're ready to show what's next. Get a glimpse of the latest gameplay trailer and story bits featuring Johnny Yong Bosch (who voices Ichigo from Bleach) as the voice actor of Vikram. This game is a work of fiction produced by an independent game studio. It is set in a fictionalized version of India and features imagined characters, organizations, locations, and events. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), groups, beliefs, or historical events is purely coincidental. In the playable game, no deity is presented without appropriate respectful context, and no disrespect is intended to any community. All cinematics and gameplay are recorded in-engine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 15 min
Session games people play
Down the rabbit hole we go Uploaded 12-07-19 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 51 min
How I Use AI (1 Hour Masterclass) | Kata 3
Welcome to the third session of the 16-Kata series, where we move from theory to execution and focus on implementing the Lightning Way using AI. Uploaded 01-01-26 This session breaks down why writing is a form of thinking, why most execution failures are context failures rather than skill failures, and why both AI systems and human teams behave like literal genies when instructions are vague. We examine how clarity, examples, references, and precise specifications reduce coordination costs, improve decision-making, and align teams at scale. We then show how to apply this practically using AI for research, planning, hiring, incentive design, reporting, and creative direction, combining AI with human verification to avoid hallucinations. If you lead teams or manage complexity, this session presents a concrete framework for using AI to scale clarity, delegation, and execution 00:00 - Intro 01:10 - Session Overview 03:03 - The Genie Thought Experiment 05:55 - AI as a Literal Genie 10:40 - Practical Writing Techniques with AI 16:40 - Using AI for Business Planning and Research 20:18 - AI Tools for Different Tasks 23:08 - Communication Best Practices 30:15 - Team Management and Delegation 37:25 - Leadership Clarity and Performance Management 42:44 - Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 35 min
How Simplifying Everything Makes You Rich
In this Kata, we talk about why simplicity almost always beats complexity. We discuss why so many people assume that doing more, building more, or adding more systems leads to better results, when in reality it often creates confusion, slows teams down, and makes businesses harder to scale. Uploaded 26-07-26 We also look at how great companies stay simple as they grow. We cover topics like delegation, team structure, decision making, reducing unnecessary work, and why the best managers focus on making things easier for everyone around them instead of adding more layers. Along the way, we share lessons from companies like Apple, Amazon, and our own experience building and scaling teams. If you’re building a company, managing a team, or simply trying to work better, this Kata will give you a practical way to think about keeping things simple. 00:00 Intro 00:53 Why People Chase Complexity 02:43 Steve Jobs and the Power of Focus 05:20 Why Large Teams Become Inefficient 06:14 Jeff Bezos’ Two-Pizza Team Rule 09:31 Why You Shouldn’t Build Everything Yourself 11:50 Why Simple Ideas Perform Better 14:27 How Too Many Features Hurt Products 18:08 The Hidden Cost of Changing Systems 20:44 Why Engineers Overcomplicate Things 24:02 One Person, One Responsibility 25:49 Do It Manually Before Automating 27:11 Final Lessons for Managers 27:57 Final Takeaway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 20 min
How we wrote a #1 Amazon business bestseller - Part 2
For part 1, visit Abhinav's channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOuiO3_-SBxnZ7-zAVSsShw Uploaded 31-12-18 Guys, we reached #1 on Amazon in the Business and Communication Bestseller list: https://www.amazon.in/Pyjama-Profit-Millennials-Sustainable-Freelance/dp/9387146847 Edit: rank's gone down a bit now, but that's normal fluctuation. Follow me on insta: http://instagram.com/thevarunmayya Follow Abhinav on insta: http://instagram.com/abhinavch Sorry about the audio quality: our mic broke down but we decided to shoot anyway because the content being out there is more important than anything else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 1 hr 21 min
The Most Valuable Skill After AI
In this secret Kata, we start by talking about world-building and why creating your own world can sometimes be a better way to think about life and business than simply following the paths that already exist. Uploaded 12-09-26 We discuss why people often get risk completely wrong, either by being too scared to try anything or by taking massive bets without really thinking them through. We also talk about FOMO, social pressure, and why doing what everyone else thinks is safe does not always mean it actually is. We then look at how we think about taking risks at AEOS, testing new ideas without betting the entire company on them, and knowing when to keep going versus when to shut something down. The goal is not to avoid risk, but to understand it well enough to take bigger swings without unnecessarily destroying yourself if things go wrong. 00:00 - Intro 01:10 - What a Brand Actually Is 02:46 - What Triggered This Video 07:51 - The Four Worlds 10:07 - The Premise 11:15 - Characters 14:07 - Hierarchy and Power 17:47 - Entry and Access 20:07 - Language 23:43 - Rituals 28:25 - Shaming 32:21 - Mechanics and Laws 33:57 - Chance 35:21 - The Everyday 36:39 - Lore 40:02 - Forking 44:53 - Technology 47:16 - Eras 50:42 - Aesthetic and Style 53:10 - Exit Penalties 54:16 - Exposition vs Interpretation 58:02 - Story Machine 1:00:52 - Consistency 1:04:55 - Retcons 1:08:12 - Why World Building Makes You Successful 1:13:14 - World Building Is Your Only Moat 1:14:04 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 4 min
REGISTERING A COMPANY IN SINGAPORE, USA OR ESTONIA | METASTARTUP #8
In this episode, we'll go over Uploaded 25-11-18 - How to register a company in USA via Stripe Atlas - How to register a company in Estonia via Digital E-Residency - Registering a company in Singapore - How Singapore handles Long-term Capital Gains tax - How Singapore handles Intellectual Property Rights - Closing thoughts Metastartup is a 100% course that will teach you how to run an Indian startup from scratch to finish. Follow me on Instagram at http://instagram.com/thevarunmayya Note: I'm still working on an article on India vs Singapore vs Estonia vs Usa. Will put the link here when ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 4 min
HOW MUCH CAPITAL DO YOU NEED TO STARTUP | METASTARTUP #4
In this episode, we discuss marking out the capital, dealing with raising a "Friends and family" round, and how much you'll need to launch your startup. Uploaded 21-11-18 Hint: It costs less than business school! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 1–20 of 106 episodes