Sudarshan's Podcast

Sudarshan Baskar

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Entrepreneurship
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Raw truths and practical wisdom of startups from founders and operators about their business models, fundraising, and invaluable lessons learned along the way. No fluff, just real talk. If you're building, running, or investing in startups, tune in. Follow for unfiltered wisdom🚀🔥 Hosted by Sudarshan Baskar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudarshanbaskar/

Aug 27

EP087 - What 0→1 Marketing Actually Looks Like ft. Mukil @Consark

Mukil Ganesan, Director of Marketing at Konsark, joins me to talk about building marketing functions from 0→1, why he keeps choosing early-stage startups, and how AI is fundamentally changing the way marketers work. Mukil's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mukilganesan/ My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudarshanbaskar/ Mukil has 11+ years of experience in SaaS marketing, having worked across Zoho, Facilio, Zluri, and now Konsark. He has built demand generation teams, marketing operations, positioning systems, and marketing functions from the ground up. Why Mukil keeps choosing 0→1 startupsWhat makes a great early-stage marketerWhy execution speed matters more than processesHow AI is changing the role of marketersWhy marketers should stop chasing tools and start building systemsBuilding an AI-powered marketing operating systemUsing AI to create context-rich sales and marketing assetsWhy positioning and messaging come before demand generationHow AI agents are changing SaaS workflowsWhy marketers need to think beyond MQLs and vanity metricsBayesian thinking and how it can change the way marketers evaluate evidenceHow to approach joining an early-stage startupWhy marketers need a broader understanding of business, economics, and AI
Aug 24

EP086 - B2B Marketing Is Changing. Here’s What Still Works | Raghav, Beacon.li

What actually changes when AI reshapes the B2B marketing playbook? In this episode, I spoke with Raghav, Head of Marketing at Beacon.li, about how AI is changing discovery, SEO, outbound, MQLs, customer marketing and the way modern B2B teams should think about growth. We also get into what it takes to market an emerging category, how Beacon.li differentiates itself from similarly named companies, and why customer advocacy can become one of the strongest growth engines for a B2B company. Raghav's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raghavkz/ My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudarshanbaskar/ About Raghav: Raghav is a B2B SaaS marketing leader who has worked across technically complex companies including Beacon.li, Locus and CleverTap. His experience spans product marketing, customer advocacy, growth and marketing strategy. We discussed: How AI is changing the B2B marketing playbookWhy SEO traffic is becoming less importantWhat happens when buyers research companies through LLMs instead of GoogleWhy marketers need to start thinking about AI citationsWhether MQLs are becoming a vanity metricWhy original research and proprietary data matter more than everCustomer advocacy as a growth engineHow to build a customer advocacy program from scratchWhy video testimonials can be more powerful than written case studiesHow CleverTap built 200+ customer advocatesHow to approach category creationThe challenge of differentiating Beacon.li from Beacons.aiWhy ICP clarity matters more in an ABM worldWhat modern marketing teams should measureRaghav's "Smash or Pass" on modern B2B marketing tacticsAdvice for someone starting their career in 2026
Jul 22

EP085 - 20+ Years of B2B Marketing Lessons in One Podcast

In this episode, I sat down with Avadhoot (AP) Patwardhan, a B2B marketing leader with over two decades of experience across companies like IBM, Informatica, Mindtree, Druva, Bicycle AI. We discussed what modern B2B marketing actually looks like in the AI era—from founder-led marketing and branding to experimentation, GTM, websites, analyst relations, and why AI is changing workflows, not replacing marketers. Avadhoot's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avadhoot-patwardhan/ Sudarshan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudarshanbaskar/ Why founders need to understand marketingWhat modern B2B branding actually meansWhy your website is your first salespersonFounder-led marketing vs thought leadershipHow AI is changing marketing (and what won't change)Why marketers should embrace failed experimentsHow to onboard and train junior marketersDeal-based marketing explainedAnalyst relations & Gartner Magic QuadrantBuilding marketing systems that scaleCommon mistakes B2B startups makeAdvice for aspiring B2B marketers If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing for more deep dives with founders, operators, and marketers building great B2B companies.
Jul 17

EP084 - How AI Is Changing Performance Marketing

In this episode, I sat down with Thomas Abraham, Director of Strategy & Growth at Pixis, to understand how the best performance marketers think about experimentation, AI, hiring, and building high-performing marketing teams. Thomas's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-abraham-29349310b/ Sudarshan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudarshanbaskar/ Thomas started his career as a mechanical engineer before transitioning into digital marketing. Over the last 8+ years, he has worked with global enterprise brands and agency networks like Dentsu, WPP, Omnicom, GroupM, and today leads Strategy & Growth at Pixis, helping marketers leverage AI to scale performance. We discussed why speed of experimentation is becoming the biggest competitive advantage, how AI is changing the role of performance marketers, and the mindset that separates good marketers from great ones. WE DISCUSSED:Why faster experimentation beats bigger budgetsHow to build better marketing hypotheses using dataThe hiring framework Thomas uses instead of textbook interviewsHow to identify marketers with strong fundamentalsWhy AI adoption is still difficult inside marketing teamsThe biggest mistakes companies make while introducing AIHow AI is transforming data analysis, creative workflows, and strategyWhy marketers should focus on reducing effort—not adding more toolsHow communication changes as you move into leadershipThe future of performance marketing in an AI-first world
Jun 26

EP083 – Marketing Ops in AI Era: Agents, Automation & RevOps | Ananda Narasimhan

In this episode, I sat down with Ananda Narasimhan, Head of Marketing at Amura Health, to understand how AI is reshaping Marketing Operations (MarkOps). Anand's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simhan911/ Sudarshan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudarshanbaskar/ Anand has spent over a decade building marketing systems at companies like Zoho, Freshworks, Sprinklr, CleverTap, Zuddl, Sirion, and now Amura Health. We discussed why marketers need to think beyond tools and automation and how AI is changing the way modern marketing teams operate. We discussed:How Marketing Operations has evolved over the last five yearsWhy AI is shifting us from tool orchestration to agent orchestrationWhy more output doesn't always mean better outcomesProduction → Consumption → Measurement: a framework for using AI effectivelyThe role of humans in an increasingly autonomous marketing stackAI agents every marketer should build todayHow reporting, dashboards and analytics are changingWhy marketers need to unlearn and relearn continuouslyHow to break into Marketing OperationsBrand vs Operations: why Anand wishes he had spent more time in brand marketingCompanies that have built memorable brands in B2B SaaS
Jun 18

EP082 – Thought Leadership Is Broken | Building Modern B2B Marketing with Amrapali (Yellow.ai)

In this episode, I spoke with Amrapali Shetty (Polly), Marketing Leader at Yellow.ai, about what has fundamentally changed in B2B marketing in the AI era. We explored why content has become infinite, why most thought leadership fails, how modern marketing teams should be built, and why marketers need to think beyond attribution dashboards. Polly also shared her Demand Triangle framework for balancing demand creation, demand capture, and trust. Towards the end, we also discussed reading, writing, creativity, and why becoming a better marketer starts outside of marketing. WE DISCUSSED:Why content has become infinite in the AI eraFighting for attention instead of impressionsWhy most thought leadership failsWhy executive content can't be outsourced to AI aloneBuilding a startup marketing team from scratchHiring generalists vs specialistsThe Demand Triangle frameworkWhy attribution isn't a startup's biggest marketing problemChoosing the right marketing stack without tool overloadWhy marketers need to think end-to-endReading outside your interests to become a better writerCreativity, critical thinking, and learning outside workKEY TAKEAWAYSInfinite content makes attention the scarcest resource.Great thought leadership comes from lived experience, not AI prompts.Small marketing teams win by hiring adaptable, end-to-end thinkers.Marketing should balance creating demand, capturing demand, and building trust.Attribution matters, but alignment, people, and execution matter more in the early stages.Reading widely and learning outside your domain improves storytelling and strategic thinking.The best marketers build systems for learning, not just campaigns.
Jun 2

EP081 - Brand, ABM & Social Proof in B2B SaaS

In this episode, I spoke with Adithya , first GTM hires at Everstage, where he helped build the marketing function from the ground up as the company scaled from its early days to a Series B SaaS business. We explored why brand matters more than ever in an AI-first world, how Everstage approached community building, thought leadership, ABM, events, podcasts, and social proof, and why trust is becoming the most important currency in B2B marketing. We discussed:• Transitioning from RevOps to Marketing • Why great brands reduce buyer risk • Building trust through communities and thought leadership • How Everstage grew its newsletter and content engine • The role of social proof in B2B buying decisions • ABM lessons after years of experimentation • Why podcasts became a key GTM channel • AI's impact on content, trust, and marketing distribution • Why "verifiably human" content may become more valuable than ever • The future of brand building in B2B SaaS Key TakeawaysBrand is not your product positioning; it's the story buyers associate with your company.Social proof often matters more than feature differentiation.ABM takes years to mature, not months.In an AI-saturated world, authentic human interactions become a competitive advantage.The best marketing channels often compound slowly before producing outsized results.
May 26

EP080 - AI, Owned Media, SEO & The Future of Marketing | Chirag Parmar

In this episode, I spoke with Chirag Parmar, Head of Marketing at Sharpsell and founder of Brand Pro, about how AI is reshaping modern marketing teams, workflows, SEO, demand generation, and distribution. We discussed: • Why distribution/owned media matters more than content creation now • AI-generated content & SEO myths • Hyper-personalized email marketing workflows • Brand trust & community building • Why marketers should learn tech • The future of marketing roles in the AI era • Which marketing roles could boom or become obsolete

Raw truths and practical wisdom of startups from founders and operators about their business models, fundraising, and invaluable lessons learned along the way. No fluff, just real talk. If you're building, running, or investing in startups, tune in. Follow for unfiltered wisdom🚀🔥 Hosted by Sudarshan Baskar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudarshanbaskar/

Creator

Sudarshan Baskar
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

87
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Sudarshan Baskar
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Sudarshan's Podcast