That One Idea by WaterBridge Ventures

WaterBridge Ventures
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That One Idea is a podcast series produced by WaterBridge Ventures, an early stage, tech-focused, VC firm investing in India centric teams and businesses. We cover the humans behind the founders and the back stories that lead them to starting up.

  1. India's Next Wave of Consumption Will be Driven by Women, ft. Swetha, Neha & Navneet | TOI S04E11

    11/25/2025

    India's Next Wave of Consumption Will be Driven by Women, ft. Swetha, Neha & Navneet | TOI S04E11

    Key moments in the episode: (00:00): Highlights (02:15): Neha's childhood growing up in a joint Marwari family in Bombay (04:54): Swetha grew up playing hockey for U16 Karnataka (07:40): Navneet's childhood growing up in a Punjabi, male-dominated society (12:56): The 4Ms in a woman's life - Marriage, Mobility, Motherhood, Medical Care (and Menopause) (16:35): Sisters in Sweat started with overflowing love on WhatsApp group (19:12): Is it FinTech? No, it is FemTech (25:52): Engagement loops that bring women back to the sports field (30:17): Women are prolific networkers (33:20): Are women reactive in taking care of their health? (38:27): Women in Tier II+ towns are eager to join the formal workforce (44:01): Rapid-fire Q&A (48:44): An ideal coming back-to-work kit (54:44): A no-brainer product for women that doesn't exist today (56:30): The 1 thing Indian women need to do to change the status quo (58:21): What excites them about the future Relevant Links: WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/ HerKey: https://www.herkey.com/ FemTech India: https://www.femtechindia.com/ Sisters in Sweat: https://sistersinsweat.com/ LinkedIn Profiles: Anjali Sosale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkamma/ WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures Neha Bagaria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehabagariaherkey/ HerKey: https://www.linkedin.com/company/herkeyofficial/  Navneet Kaur: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navneet-kaur-80109b227/   FemTech India: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechindiaorg/ Swetha Subbiah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swethasubbiah/ Sisters in Sweat: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sistersinsweat/ You can also listen to this podcast on: YouTube: https://youtu.be/YoWJEDL7ies Disclaimer: The information in this podcast (“Content”) is solely for educational and information purposes. The content does not reflect the views or opinions of WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members. The content is not intended to be legal or other expert advice or services and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate professionals. The content shall not be reproduced, distributed, shared, or relied upon in any manner whatsoever, in whole or part, without prior written permission of WaterBridge Ventures. In no event shall WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members be liable for any liability, loss, injury or risk which is incurred or suffered as a direct or indirect result of the use of the contents.

    1h 3m
  2. Lal Chand Bisu, Founder of Kuku FM, on Scaling India's Largest Audio Platform | That One Idea S04 E10

    11/25/2025

    Lal Chand Bisu, Founder of Kuku FM, on Scaling India's Largest Audio Platform | That One Idea S04 E10

    Born in a tiny village in the district of Sikar in Rajasthan, Bisu spoke only Shekhawati (a Rajasthani dialect) till Class X. He learnt Hindi during his +2, and English after he joined IIT Jodhpur. Learning a new language accompanied every His was the first student intake batch, in 2008. The institute entrusted him to set up the labs, fests, competitions and culture. Initiative and institution was ingrained in him from a very early age. Entrepreneurship for him was a natural choice. Today, Kuku is the largest audio platform in India, streaming 1.4B minutes of content every month, created by 50K+ creators in 10+ languages. Key moments in the episode: : (00:00): Highlights (01:50): Growing up amidst storytelling in Sikar, Rajasthan (06:26): Setting eyes on being the first entrepreneur from IIT Jodhpur (10:10): Latching on to audio content before it became a global rage (15:30): India does not listen to podcasts (18:57): How to build an enduring audio platform (22:02): Subscription vs micro-transactions - who wins? (26:50): Kuku's first customer was a shopkeeper, listening to Bhagavad Gita (32:30): Power users compound - hold 'em close (34:50): GenAI first, since 2022 (38:25): People are loyal to specific form factors (41:24): Scaling what matters - high-quality, original, exclusive content (44:53): Managing without a marketing team (50:12): For young founders who are raising their first VC dollars (52:27): Never give advice unless asked Relevant Links: WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/ Kuku FM: https://kukufm.com/ LinkedIn Profiles: Anjali Sosale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkamma/ WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures You can also listen to this podcast on: YouTube: https://youtu.be/2GkffkDkUhc Disclaimer: The information in this podcast (“Content”) is solely for educational and information purposes. The content does not reflect the views or opinions of WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members. The content is not intended to be legal or other expert advice or services and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate professionals. The content shall not be reproduced, distributed, shared, or relied upon in any manner whatsoever, in whole or part, without prior written permission of WaterBridge Ventures. In no event shall WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members be liable for any liability, loss, injury or risk which is incurred or suffered as a direct or indirect result of the use of the contents.

    57 min
  3. Storytelling That Beats TikTok with 2X Engagement ft. Ranjeet Singh, Co-founder of Pratilipi | That One Idea S04 E09

    11/25/2025

    Storytelling That Beats TikTok with 2X Engagement ft. Ranjeet Singh, Co-founder of Pratilipi | That One Idea S04 E09

    Born in a very small village near Rae Bareilly, Ranjeet used to read 100+ books a year. Language to him was a tool to unite minds. But millions of (non-English speaking) Indians lacked a place to read and write in their own languages with dignity, discovery, and community. Ranjeet wanted to give every storyteller a voice in their own language Today, Pratilipi has created a language-first storytelling ecosystem across formats - stories, comics, audio, proving that regional and vernacular aren’t niches anymore. Relevant Links: WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/ Pratilipi: https://www.pratilipi.com/ LinkedIn Profiles: Ranjeet Pratap Singh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjeetpsingh/ Anjali Sosale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkamma/ WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures You can also listen to this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sMYGvNB1K_4 Disclaimer: The information in this podcast (“Content”) is solely for educational and information purposes. The content does not reflect the views or opinions of WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members. The content is not intended to be legal or other expert advice or services and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate professionals. The content shall not be reproduced, distributed, shared, or relied upon in any manner whatsoever, in whole or part, without prior written permission of WaterBridge Ventures. In no event shall WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members be liable for any liability, loss, injury or risk which is incurred or suffered as a direct or indirect result of the use of the contents.

    45 min
  4. Inside AppsForBharat: Building a Category-Creator in $60B Faith Market with Prashant Sachan | That One Idea S04 E08

    11/25/2025

    Inside AppsForBharat: Building a Category-Creator in $60B Faith Market with Prashant Sachan | That One Idea S04 E08

    Prashant was born in an agrarian family in a village near Kanpur. His tryst with entrepreneurship started at the age of 18, when he started a customised T-shirts business.  Prashant started AppsForBharat / Sri Mandir App in 2020, following his deep insight that Indians are culturally bound together by their faith. Yet, nothing existed in India's $60B FaithTech/Digital Devotion market that could bring them closer to their deities daily.  Today, AppsFor Bharat has 40M+ downloads, and has raised $36M+ from marquee VCs to continue penetrating this consumer category.  Key moments in the episode:  (00:00): Highlights  (01:09): The meaning of "Faith", and its importance in our lives  (05:50): Sifting through experiments to discover Sri Mandir's value proposition  (10:04): Hitting PMF with profound user love  (12:25): Why choose an unproven market as a second time founder?  (14:59): Nudges that improve engagement - Punyamudras  (19:50): Scripting monetisation: the users will tell you what they want to pay for  (27:45): Bridging the trust gap between Indians and their devotion  (32:50): Understanding how temples make money  (36:30): Being online helps temples be top of mind  (39:36): 8X more people go to Varanasi than Goa  (43:16): Attracting investors in an unproven category  Relevant Links: WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/ AppsForBharat: https://www.appsforbharat.com/en LinkedIn Profiles: Prashant Sachan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prashantsachan/ Anjali Sosale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkamma/ WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures You can also listen to this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CpYTCI7nLsc Disclaimer: The information in this podcast (“Content”) is solely for educational and information purposes. The content does not reflect the views or opinions of WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members. The content is not intended to be legal or other expert advice or services and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate professionals. The content shall not be reproduced, distributed, shared, or relied upon in any manner whatsoever, in whole or part, without prior written permission of WaterBridge Ventures. In no event shall WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members be liable for any liability, loss, injury or risk which is incurred or suffered as a direct or indirect result of the use of the contents.

    51 min
  5. Making Learning Addictive with Seekho, India's First Edutainment OTT ft Rohit Choudhary of Seekho | That One Idea S04 E07

    11/25/2025

    Making Learning Addictive with Seekho, India's First Edutainment OTT ft Rohit Choudhary of Seekho | That One Idea S04 E07

    After graduating from IIT Kanpur, Rohit joined Toppr, where he shaped one of India’s pioneering EdTech successes. Rohit eventually joined Lal Chand Bisu, his colleague at Toppr, at Kuku FM as a Product Lead. In 2020, while in lockdown, Rohit started Seekho, which now has over 20 lakh paying subscribers, and on its way to becoming Bharat’s ‘Netflix for Learning’. Relevant Links: WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/ Seekho: https://seekho.in/ LinkedIn Profiles: Rohit Choudhary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitchoudharydm/   Anjali Sosale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkamma/ WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures You can also listen to this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MgQz9y2qa-s Disclaimer: The information in this podcast (“Content”) is solely for educational and information purposes. The content does not reflect the views or opinions of WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members. The content is not intended to be legal or other expert advice or services and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate professionals. The content shall not be reproduced, distributed, shared, or relied upon in any manner whatsoever, in whole or part, without prior written permission of WaterBridge Ventures. In no event shall WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members be liable for any liability, loss, injury or risk which is incurred or suffered as a direct or indirect result of the use of the contents.

    53 min
  6. Life Lessons from 4X Entrepreneur Srikanth Iyer, Co-founder & CEO, HomeLane

    05/02/2025

    Life Lessons from 4X Entrepreneur Srikanth Iyer, Co-founder & CEO, HomeLane

    HomeLane is India’s premier end-to-end home interiors platform for Urban India, disrupting an $18B market using technology and predictable, cost-efficient execution. Buying a home is hard enough, but with HomeLane, setting that up wouldn’t be.  So far, HomeLane has delivered 45K+ homes in 29 cities across India, working with 600+ in-house designers. With $114M raised in capital from marquee investors such as WestBridge Capital, Accel and Peak XV, HomeLane is on track to close ₹1400Cr in revenue in FY25, growing at a 50% CAGR over the last 5 years.  Srikanth Iyer was born and brought up in Bangalore. He tried his hand at entrepreneurship after he quit his first job at Wipro in just 90 days. He founded Edurite (TutorVista), sold it to Pearson for $200M cash exit, and was appointed the CEO at Pearson. Now at his 4th stint as an entrepreneur, Srikanth co-founded HomeLane after discovering a deep problem plaguing the Indian home-buyers.  Key Moments in the episode:  (00:00) Namaskara to 4X entrepreneur Srikanth, co-founder & CEO of HomeLane  (03:00) it's not about right or wrong, it's just about choosing the path that  (7:35): Stint 1 - Making a quick buck assembling PCs imported from China & Taiwan  (10:48): Lesson on evading bankruptcy by the skin of his teeth  (12:53): Moonlighting as a cyber-cafe owner  (14:04): Cutting through the Chakravyuh of debt  (16:01): The accidental entrepreneur strikes again, with Edurite  (20:52): Showing a new trick every few months  (24:45): Extra dose of transparency sets the foundation for a stronger relationship  (26:37): Starting up again, because elephants can't dance  (31:57): Everyone agreed that doing up your home is a pain  (35:30): HomeLane getting rejected by 148 investors  (39:30): Success in startups often boils down to just refusing to die  (42:30): Advice for a 1X investor from a 4X entrepreneur  (49:11): Homelane's philosophy of org and culture building  Relevant Links:  WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/  HomeLane: https://www.homelane.com/  LinkedIn Profiles:  Srikanth Iyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iyersrikanth/  Anjali Sosale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkamma/  WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures  You can also listen to this podcast on  YouTube: https://youtu.be/K4BmG4qQzaQ Disclaimer: The information in this podcast (“Content”) is solely for educational and information purposes. The content does not reflect the views or opinions of WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members. The content is not intended to be legal or other expert advice or services and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate professionals. The content shall not be reproduced, distributed, shared, or relied upon in any manner whatsoever, in whole or part, without prior written permission of WaterBridge Ventures. In no event shall WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members be liable for any liability, loss, injury or risk which is incurred or suffered as a direct or indirect result of the use of the contents.

    57 min
  7. Cross-Border Exchange for Companies to Hire $8.5T Talent Globally ft Gautam & Divya of CBREX

    05/01/2025

    Cross-Border Exchange for Companies to Hire $8.5T Talent Globally ft Gautam & Divya of CBREX

    CBREX orchestrates enterprise talent acquisition by digitizing and automating recruitment agency partnerships globally. It enables companies to hire niche and specialised talent at an unforeseen speed and scale, even for roles open across geographies, at benchmark-defying price points.  Gautam is a 2X entrepreneur, having built TVA Infotech to become India's largest IT recruiting company. TVA was acquired by Allegis Global Services in 2008. He served as the CEO of the combined entity, before branching out to start CBREX in 2015.  Divya started her career at TVA Infotech, eventually rising to become the Head of Internal Talent Acquisition at the Allegis Group. She leverages her rich experience to spearhead all product developments at CBREX.  Key Moments in the episode:  (00:00): Welcoming Gautam and Divya, co-founders of CBREX to S04 E02 of That One Idea podcast  (01:10): Recruiters then and now - from manual tracking to AI-based matchmaking  (04:20): Helping clients with agency-led hiring, vs going directly to candidates  (07:10): Making recruitment platforms become magically fungible  (11:04): Hiring in Barcelona, from Mexico  (14:01): C-TALK streamlines coordination with multiple agencies  (15:57): Talent is the most important constraint, after capital  (19:00): CBREX - an ally to TAs  (22:24): Upgrading suppliers to embrace tech and get access to high-profile recruiting  (30:55): Evaluating a candidate using C-Screen  (33:55): Launching C-Lightning - Hire at scale and speed!  (35:00): Power of the platform triumphs over individual vendors  (36:31): Audacious plans for 2025  Relevant Links:  WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/  CBREX: https://www.cbr.exchange/  LinkedIn Profiles:  Gautam Sinha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gautamtva/  Divya Chethan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/divyachethan/  Anjali Sosale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkamma/  WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures  You can also listen to this podcast on  Youtube: https://youtu.be/xpLRs0JetWE Disclaimer: The information in this podcast (“Content”) is solely for educational and information purposes. The content does not reflect the views or opinions of WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members. The content is not intended to be legal or other expert advice or services and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate professionals. The content shall not be reproduced, distributed, shared, or relied upon in any manner whatsoever, in whole or part, without prior written permission of WaterBridge Ventures. In no event shall WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members be liable for any liability, loss, injury or risk which is incurred or suffered as a direct or indirect result of the use of the contents.

    38 min
  8. How to Sell SaaS to Banks for $1.3T Digital Lending Market, with D Venkatesh, CEO of Lentra

    05/01/2025

    How to Sell SaaS to Banks for $1.3T Digital Lending Market, with D Venkatesh, CEO of Lentra

    Founded in 2019, Lentra digitizes end-to-end lending processes for banks and NBFCs. The company has empowered 50+ financial institutions in India, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Tata Mutual Fund, through API-driven modular architecture that creates unique customer experiences, prompts increased access to new client bases, reduces NPAs and improves operational efficiencies. Lentra's 24/7 platform uptime, ISO 270001 compliance and Zero Trust Security (ZTS) protocols offer guaranteed reliability and minimal turnaround times. With Lentra's zero-risk, instant-lending solutions, India's topmost financial institutions have already stepped to leapfrog into the future! DV brings more than three decades of work experience as a successful business leader in the technology domain. He has helped establish Lentra as a trusted technology solution provider to leading banks and financial institutions. Prior to this, DV was a co-founder and board member of Softcell. As a part of the Encore Entrepreneurs Series, we're delighted to bring DV's experience to our viewers! Yellow Metal offers gold loan disbursal at your doorstep, primarily operating in Tier II+ towns in South India. Rahul is the Co-founder of Yellow Metal. Key Moments in the episode: (00:00): Highlights (02:10): From Softcell to the accidental birth of Lentra   (06:18): DV's childhood in Hubli (09:32): Left to fend for himself, DV joins a TV company (15:45): Starting Softcell in 1991 (22:10): Scaling Softcell to ₹7Cr of PAT by early 2000s (26:22): Even B2B sales needs brand building (28:33): If you sustain for long enough, you'll make money (30:10): Golden playbook to crack banking partnerships (36:20): Focus on your first customer, and excel at it (41:41): That One Idea - Building Lentra (46:00): Investors not backing DV - a 20-year-old on the inside (50:20): If you're scared to rewrite your code, don't start a SaaS company (54:15): Unhelpful advantage - people who run banks are all DV's friends Relevant Links: WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/ Lentra: https://lentra.ai/ Yellow Metal: https://www.yellowmetal.co/ LinkedIn Profiles: D Venkatesh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvenkatesh/ Lentra: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lentra/ Rahul Boggaram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulboggaram/ Yellow Metal: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yellowmetal/ WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures You can also listen to this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rG7xGlx2hVM Disclaimer: The information in this podcast (“Content”) is solely for educational and information purposes. The content does not reflect the views or opinions of WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members. The content is not intended to be legal or other expert advice or services and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate professionals. The content shall not be reproduced, distributed, shared, or relied upon in any manner whatsoever, in whole or part, without prior written permission of WaterBridge Ventures. In no event shall WaterBridge Ventures and/or any of its members be liable for any liability, loss, injury or risk which is incurred or suffered as a direct or indirect result of the use of the contents.

    1h 4m
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About

That One Idea is a podcast series produced by WaterBridge Ventures, an early stage, tech-focused, VC firm investing in India centric teams and businesses. We cover the humans behind the founders and the back stories that lead them to starting up.

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