SeedToScale | Curated by Accel

Anand Daniel, SEED TO SCALE Podcast Series
SeedToScale | Curated by Accel

Accel launched SeedToScale in August 2020 to remove information asymmetry in the startup ecosystem and make a founder's path to success as frictionless as possible. We aim to achieve this by providing the best source of knowledge and actionable insights for company building. In the three years since, we have created over 300 knowledge pieces covering all stages of building a company. We collaborated with 80+ industry experts, successful founders, and mentors to create thematic series, reports, blogs, guest articles, podcasts, and other forms of content. Overall, we have reached 500K knowledge seekers.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Google DeepMind's Manish Gupta on Opportunities for AI Startups in India | Decoding AI Episode 5

    Google DeepMind stands at the cutting edge of AI innovation, solving some of the most intricate scientific and engineering challenges. From protein structure prediction through AlphaFold to enhancing energy efficiency in data centers and advancing robotics for real-world applications, DeepMind is shaping the future of technology. But how can AI startups in India leverage DeepMind's insights? In this episode of Decoding AI, Prayank Swaroop, Partner at Accel, speaks to Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Director at Google DeepMind, APAC to find out. Dr. Manish shares insights into the current landscape of language models, spotlighting groundbreaking work like the IndicGenBench project. The conversation dives into how Google DeepMind focuses on foundational technologies while empowering startups to create transformative solutions in sectors like healthcare and education. Dr. Manish also offers valuable guidance for startups, elaborating on Google's Trusted Tester Program and its collaborative approach to IP sharing. Dr. Manish also reflects on India’s distinct position within the global AI ecosystem, emphasizing the country's unique opportunities and challenges, and the potential of AI in scientific breakthroughs, including its role in advancing fusion energy.

    31 min

  2. 13 JAN

    Inside IIT Madras: India's AI Research Powerhouse | Decoding AI

    India is making strides in artificial intelligence, blending academic rigor with real-world applications. In Episode 4 of Decoding AI, Prayank Swaroop, Partner at Accel, is joined by Professor Balaraman Ravindran of IIT Madras, a pioneering figure in Indian AI research and application. As the founding head of several prestigious AI-focused centers, including Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science & AI, and the Centre for Responsible AI at IIT Madras, Professor Balaraman discusses how IIT Madras is driving innovation in AI research, language models, healthcare, and more. Key highlights include IIT Madras's work on Indian-language AI systems, such as translating NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) videos into multiple languages and collaborating with the Supreme Court to make legal documents accessible in regional languages. On the healthcare front, groundbreaking initiatives like Garbhini tackle maternal and fetal health challenges unique to India. Professor Balaraman also provides insights into how startups can engage with IIT Madras's vibrant research ecosystem. Looking ahead, he emphasizes the importance of solving uniquely Indian problems, urging startups and investors to focus on creating value within the country instead of catering to first-world markets.

    25 min

  3. 13 JAN

    Building AI Infrastructure from India for the World: Insights from Simplismart | Decoding AI

    Simplismart is an AI infrastructure company building the critical platform-agnostic middleware to deploy, train/customize, and serve open-source AI models in production. With a very small team and under $1M in funding, these two Bengaluru-based founders built the world's fastest inference engine. In Episode 3 of our Decoding AI series, Amritanshu Jain, Co-founder and CEO of Simplismart, joins Anagh Prasad to discuss the startup's remarkable pivot. Initially built as an AutoML platform, Simplismart's breakthrough came when they happened to discover the speed of their inference engine after a conversation with a potential customer. In this episode, Amritanshu also elaborates on the open-source versus closed-source debate, noting that the comparison is complex and requires significant education. He emphasises that it is not simply about declaring one model superior to the other but understanding the broader context and specific advantages each model offers. While open-source solutions can offer high customization and cost efficiency, the choice between open-source and closed-source models ultimately depends on the unique needs and constraints of the enterprise.

    41 min

  4. 07/10/2024

    Lessons on Product, Pricing, and Trust: Insights from ServiceNow | Decoding AI

    GenAI is growing rapidly, evolving from a mere tool into an intelligent partner that empowers businesses to scale with greater speed and efficiency. In Episode 2 of our Decoding AI series, Vishwesh Pai, Senior Director of Product Management for AI Platform at ServiceNow, and Anagh Prasad, Investor at Accel dive into how large companies are navigating the opportunities in enterprise software, especially with the rise of generative AI. Vishwesh reflects on his journey from leading AI initiatives at Amazon Alexa to spearheading AI development at ServiceNow, where he leads the company’s efforts from India. Vishwesh discusses how ServiceNow leverages generative AI to enhance customer productivity and agility while addressing legal, ethical, and security concerns. He emphasizes the company’s focus on AI safety and trust, which are critical in the enterprise space. According to him, generative AI presents a “golden opportunity” for ServiceNow to deliver more value to its customers and accelerate product development. Listen to this conversation for deeper insights into how large companies like ServiceNow are navigating the AI revolution and the challenges and opportunities for startups in the AI space.

    41 min

  5. 27/08/2024

    Building Agentic AI for the Enterprise with Ema | Decoding AI

    With GenAI on the rise, software is evolving from a tool that needs constant supervision to an intelligent partner that handles tasks autonomously, similar to human assistants. This shift promises a future where enterprises are more efficient, with AI seamlessly integrating into daily operations. In Episode 1 of SeedToScale's Decoding AI series, Accel's Anagh Prasad explores the future of enterprise software with Surojit Chatterjee, Founder and CEO of Ema, a company which elevates Agentic AI to the enterprise level. Surojit explains how the next generation of enterprise software, driven by Gen AI, will be radically different from the current systems. These new applications will break down data silos and access information across the enterprise to create adaptive, real-time user interfaces that respond dynamically to user needs and roles. Watch the full episode as Surojit shares how Ema is designed to bridge the gap between AI capabilities and business needs, and how Gen AI, much like past technological revolutions, is poised to create more jobs and opportunities than we can currently imagine.

    42 min
  6. Timeless Lessons for the Future | SeedToScale Specials

    21/08/2023

    Timeless Lessons for the Future | SeedToScale Specials

    2023 is particularly momentous to Accel as we complete 40 years as a global fund and 15 years in India. As we celebrate this milestone, we hope to share insights from the firm’s shared history with you, in this riveting two-part podcast series. We begin with a look at the past, and how startups and investors evolved over the years; moving on to investing today, and why many call 2023 the year of reset in VC. Finally, we look to the future, with timeless lessons the next generation of investors must carry forward.

    30 min
  7. Learnings from 40 Years in VC | SeedToScale Specials

    16/08/2023

    Learnings from 40 Years in VC | SeedToScale Specials

    2023 is particularly momentous to Accel as we complete 40 years as a global fund and 15 years in India. As we celebrate this milestone, we hope to share insights from the firm’s shared history with you, in this riveting two-part podcast series. We begin with a look at the past, and how startups and investors evolved over the years; moving on to investing today, and why many call 2023 the year of reset in VC. Finally, we look to the future, with timeless lessons the next generation of investors must carry forward.

    56 min

  8. 01/12/2022

    Masterclass #9 | How Urban Company created tech-led value in the at-home services space

    Know what is harder than pivoting when the going gets tough? Pivoting when the going is good. On the surface, most metrics were scaling efficiently for Urban Company (previously UrbanClap) at the end of 2015. The tech company mainly generated leads for at-home service providers. But founders Abhiraj Bhal, Varun Khaitan, Raghav Chandra recognized that improving the experience of suppliers and customers would require deeper involvement. They needed to build a full stack marketplace with trained professionals. Eight years later, the company is valued at $2.8 billion. After proving their chops by taking the beauty industry online, Urban Company went on to digitally connect customers with a range of professional services including cleaning, repairs, electrical works, plumbing, and carpentry. When they first looked into the space, at-home services in India had been full of holes. The founders, all three from IIT Kanpur, knew that the problem had the potential to keep them busy for a lifetime. So they joined hands in 2014 to bring in organization and digitization. *** Over the past decade and a half, new-age marketplaces in India have transformed how people buy and sell products and services. From Flipkart to Swiggy, Urban Company, and Zetwerk, each has reimagined "the bazaars," shaping the future of commerce and livelihood in India. Starting November 3rd, we will share stories from the trenches about building and scaling these marketplaces, along with foundational lessons from their journeys. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3UnptTO *** 0:00 - Introduction 1:20 - Origin story 4:10 - Early days 9:33 - Product-market fit 14:25 - Picking the right service 16:30 - Testbed 17:40 - Zero-to-one phase 21:15 - Scaling the company 24:30 - Key strategic decisions 27:40 - Value to service partners 32:40 - Disintermediation 34:10 - Creating value on both sides 36:30 - Navigating COVID 39:50 - Leadership and culture 43:20 - The future

    47 min
See All (95)

4.5
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

Accel launched SeedToScale in August 2020 to remove information asymmetry in the startup ecosystem and make a founder's path to success as frictionless as possible. We aim to achieve this by providing the best source of knowledge and actionable insights for company building. In the three years since, we have created over 300 knowledge pieces covering all stages of building a company. We collaborated with 80+ industry experts, successful founders, and mentors to create thematic series, reports, blogs, guest articles, podcasts, and other forms of content. Overall, we have reached 500K knowledge seekers.

Information

  • Creator
    Anand Daniel, SEED TO SCALE Podcast Series
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © SEED TO SCALE Podcast Series
  • Show Website
    SeedToScale | Curated by Accel

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada