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

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106 episodes
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Thursday · 1 hr 42 min
I Review My Own 2017 Book On Freelancing
In 2017, Abhinav Chhikara (founder of 10K Designers) and I wrote "Pyjama Profit" - a book that predicted the remote work revolution years before the pandemic made it mainstream. This book provided a blueprint for building a sustainable freelance career and became a guide for thousands of young professionals in India. 7 years later, we revisit our predictions and explore deep insights about creativity, personal branding, and building trust online - all predicted years before they became mainstream concepts. From pioneering remote work strategies to accurately forecasting the rise of AI, we break down what we got right and wrong about the future of work. We also share invaluable lessons about building sustainable careers on the internet and why community matters more now than ever. An insider's perspective on how freelancing has evolved from a niche concept to a global movement, and where the next opportunities might emerge. Uploaded 08-11-24 0:00 - Introduction to "Pyjama Profit" book from 2017 4:25 - Original motivation behind writing the book about freelancing 10:34 - Freelance economy predictions and remote work evolution 19:36 - Evolution of design industry and UI/UX transformation 30:35 - Content writing and marketing industry changes 41:30 - Why Product Management failed as a freelance category 51:00 - Why cold emailing is no longer effective for freelancers 1:18:06 - AI predictions from 2017 and their accuracy today 1:22:24 - New predictions for the future of work and freelancing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 22 min
A GOOD PITCH DECK... | METASTARTUP #26
Subscribe to me in one click: https://bit.ly/2Rbq52r Uploaded 28-03-19 Avalon and I are not affiliated with FrontApp in any way. Don't sue me. Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thevarunmayya Metastartup Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/361737054599889 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 29 min
What India can learn from DeepSeek
Special thanks to Yandex for supporting this video, go check them out by clicking on this link: https://bit.ly/4170Hxp. Uploaded 11-02-25 Read the Medium article for more information: https://medium.com/yandex/yandexs-high-performance-profiler-is-now-open-source-95e291df9d18 In this video, we breakdown three crucial questions about AI: Should India build its own LLM? What does the new Chinese model DeepSeek mean for AI? How can YOU actually make money in AI? What’s fascinating is how the answer to all three question is the same. Watch as we decode how DeepSeek disrupted the game by cutting AI training costs from $100M to just $5-6M, and what this means for the future of AI development as bigger players adjust their strategies and join the the table too. I’ll also share how we built the world’s largest AI avatar platform, generating 400M+ views across channels, and how we did it by playing our cards right. 00:00 - Introduction 01:49 - The AI vs Software Development 03:00 - OpenAI's First Big Bet 04:27 - Deep Seek Changes the Stakes 08:33 - India's Place at the Table 14:27 - Playing the River 16:01 - AI Avatar Success Story 20:39 - Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 6 min
Why children NEED fairytales
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
Thursday · 6 min
Indian Superman
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
Thursday · 6 min
The Big Bang is still happening
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
Thursday · 7 min
Hacking Neuroscience to be Happy
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
Thursday · 11 min
HOW TO REACH ANY EDITOR AT FORBES: Cold Email 101
If you like this and want to learn more, don't forget to follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevarunmayya/ Uploaded 12-07-18 Tbh, email made me who I am today. Learn how drip emailing works, with a live example. Here, I show you how to use powerful email tools and common sense to help you do sales, land projects and reach absolutely anyone. Follow me on Instagram at instagram.com/thevarunmayya for more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 43 min
Career Advice for People Who Feel Lost | Kata 7
In this session, we talk about confusion and why it is such a common problem, especially early in your career. We look at how having too many options, constant exposure to new opportunities, and fear of making the wrong choice keeps people stuck. The idea is simple, most people are not lacking ability, they are just unable to decide and commit. Uploaded 29-03-26 We then break down how to deal with this. Instead of chasing everything, we focus on choosing one thing and sticking with it long enough for it to work. We also talk about the difference between being confused and actually diversifying, and why doing too many things too early reduces your impact. Finally, we look at how decisions should be made in practice. When to move fast, when to take time, and why taking action matters more than overthinking. The core idea is that clarity does not come before action, it comes after you decide and start. 00:00 - Highlights 00:55 - The Confusion 01:23 - Hyper Gambling 04:05 - Confusion vs. Diversification 04:46 - Peter Thiel's 4 Quadrants 08:49 - Greg McKeown's Essentialism 10:43 - Gary Keller's The One Thing 11:44 - The Freelancer's Trap 18:57 - Clarity as Your Competitive Edge 28:47 - The Anti-Confusion Playbook 29:07 - One-Way Doors vs. Two-Way Doors 32:34 - The Rule of Three 34:03 - Growth Rate vs. Absolute Scale 35:46 - Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 1 hr 14 min
How To Take Risk Like Rich People Do (1 Hour Masterclass) | Kata 9
In this Kata, we break down how risk actually works in real life, especially in careers and business. We move away from the idea that success comes from taking big risks, and instead focus on understanding risk properly, reducing it over time, and making better decisions. Uploaded 20-04-26 We then look at how decisions should be made in practice. Instead of overthinking or guessing, the focus is on running small experiments, learning from real results, and adjusting as you go. We also cover the gap between what people say they want and what they actually do, and why observing real behavior gives better clarity. Finally, we bring it together into a simple approach. Keep your downside limited, avoid decisions that close future options, and only scale what is working. The idea is not to remove risk, but to manage it in a way where you stay in the game long enough to benefit from the upside. 0:00 - Intro 2:55 - What this episode covers 3:33 - Everything in life is risk 6:03 - Content dampens effect of luck 7:05 - Stated vs revealed preference 7:59 - Spot permanent behavior shifts 9:29 - Timeless human nature stays constant 13:06 - Risk is what you missed 14:35 - Think in probabilities, not binaries 16:18 - GTO: cheap experiments, high payoff 18:08 - Startup funding stages explained 23:24 - How Aeos staged its risks 27:40 - Two-year career outcome modeling 33:40 - Never burn irreversible bridges 35:05 - Fake vs real optionality 40:06 - Second-level thinking on crowds 41:38 - Always have shock absorbers 45:12 - Three stories on risk and randomness 48:15 - Infosys shares story 49:35 - How venture backed founders make money 50:56 - Loss aversion hurts more 53:31 - Keep 80-90% ultra safe 56:12 - Medium risk wipes you out 57:43 - Productive paranoia in good times 1:00:10 - Skill domains vs random domains 1:02:01 - The antidote to risk 1:07:14 Summary and closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 5 min
SOME FOLLOW-UP TIPS FOR SALES | METASTARTUP #27
Subscribe to me in one click: https://bit.ly/2Rbq52r Uploaded 04-05-19 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thevarunmayya Metastartup Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/361737054599889 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 15 min
Satya Nadella on the Future of SaaS, How 2025 is the year of Agents, Advice for Indian Engineers
Just had an incredible conversation with Satya Nadella! From the future of SaaS to AI agents reshaping business, we covered so much ground. Some fascinating insights on India's role in the AI revolution, career advice for young engineers, and where technology is headed. Uploaded 13-01-25 If you are a brand looking for a collaboration, please email us at teamvarunmayya@gmail.com. 00:00 - Is SaaS Dead? 03:30 - India's Competitiveness 06:00 - Career Advice For 25-Year-Olds 08:04 - Future Technology Trends 09:20 - Legacy Businesses And AI Adoption 11:01 - Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 6 min
HOW TO REGISTER A COMPANY IN INDIA? | METASTARTUP #6
In this episode, we answer: Uploaded 25-11-18 - How to register a company in India? - Difference between Private Limited Companies and LLPs - Which one do investors prefer? - How to split equity with your co-founder? - How to buy shares in your own company? Metastartup is a 100% course that will teach you how to run an Indian startup from scratch to finish. Follow me on Instagram at instagram.com/thevarunmayya Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 34 min
ALL THE PARTS OF A STARTUP! | METASTARTUP #17
I HAVE EXCITING NEWS! DO NOT FORGET to follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thevarunmayya Uploaded 01-01-19 Want to know what a startup is made of? Here you go! Join the Facebook group (it's free): https://www.facebook.com/groups/361737054599889 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 45 min
Why Indian Startups Are Unprofitable | KATA 6
Welcome to the sixth session of the 16-Kata series. This one takes on one of the most quietly destructive problems in business and life: attribution. Figuring out what's actually responsible for your success or failure, and why most people get it completely wrong. Uploaded 09-03-26 The session walks through how Nike lost $25 billion by chasing what was easy to measure over what actually built the brand, why Indian startups stay unprofitable by overdosing on performance marketing, and why tools like coupon codes, ROAS, and "how did you hear about us" forms give you garbage data. It also applies the same lens to life, challenging ideas like "hard work leads to success" and "the best product wins" as textbook poor attribution, and asking a room spending 10 lakhs on degrees whether those degrees had anything to do with where they are today. Whether you're in marketing, building a company, or just trying to figure out why certain decisions aren't paying off the way you expected, learning how to attribute correctly changes how you spend your money, your time, and your energy. If you're optimizing the wrong inputs in your business or your life, this one's for you. 00:00 - Highlights 00:59 - What Is Attribution? 03:40 - Creators Who Steal Credit 05:06 - ROAS Is Killing Your Brand 07:50 - How Nike Lost $25 Billion 09:52 - The Performance Marketing Death Spiral 13:20 - Your Survey Data Is Lying to You 16:50 - The Proxy Attribution Hack 18:31 - Shares Are the Only Metric That Matters 20:48 - How People Actually Buy Things 24:00 - Bad Products Advertise for Competitors 25:08 - The Only Attribution Method That Works 26:36 - Did Your Degree Even Matter? 29:00 - There's No Single Path to Success 34:32 - Hard Work Is Not Enough 36:00 - The Actual Formula for Business Success 37:43 - Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 10 min
Quantum Suicide
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
Wednesday · 17 min
HOW TO RAISE A SERIES A IN INDIA | METASTARTUP #10
List of VCs, discussion and metrics to raise in this group right here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/361737054599889 Uploaded 29-11-18 In this video, I detail the process of raising a Series A from VCs in India. We outline the process of rounds, value creation, dilution, anti-dilution and briefly go over termsheets and a change in board structure. I also throw out tips on how long the process takes and link you to awesome resources that will speed things up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 14 min
WHAT TYPE OF STARTUP ARE YOU? | METASTARTUP #16
Download the slide deck in the Facebook group below: https://www.facebook.com/groups/361737054599889/ Uploaded 21-12-18 Follow me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/thevarunmayya In this video we talk products vs services, and hybrid startups! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 36 min
5 Apps I Built With AI to Run My 500-Person Company
Try Lovable here: https://lovable.link/4zzDmvc, they're the sponsors of today's video but regardless the usecases displayed in the video are ones we use every day. Uploaded 06-07-26 In this video, we explore how AI coding tools have evolved and what they actually mean for software teams today. Instead of talking about the future in theory, we walk through the internal tools we’ve built at AEOS using Lovable, and where this approach genuinely works today. We show how we built dashboards to track content performance, onboarding systems for new employees, equipment management tools, internal knowledge bases, and hiring software, all with AI-assisted development. Along the way, we discuss where AI can already replace weeks of development work, where human engineers are still essential, and how teams can think about risk when deciding what to build with these tools. More than anything, this is a conversation about how software development is changing. We discuss what the role of engineers could look like in the years ahead, why building internal tools has become much easier, and how businesses of every size can use AI to move faster without needing massive engineering teams. If you’ve been wondering where AI coding tools actually fit into the real world, this is a good place to start. 00:00 - Introduction 02:45 - App 01 07:13 - App 02 14:03 - App 03 18:38 - App 04 21:18 - App 05 27:41 - Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 24 min
HOW TO PICK A WINNING STARTUP IDEA? | METASTARTUP #20
Subscribe to me in one click: https://bit.ly/2Rbq52r Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thevarunmayya Uploaded 13-01-19 Here's how to pick a winning idea -- from my experiences and research from the biggest VCs and accelerators in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 61–80 of 106 episodes