Vyapaar

Siddharth Bothra

Enter the world of entrepreneurs and innovators. Their Journeys. The Failures. The Tough Spots. And the Ecstasy.

  1. 03/12/2024

    EP24: Democratizing startup investing w/Tyke Invest's Karan Mehra

    In this episode, I invited Karan Mehra - Founder & CEO of Tyke Invest, a company that has created a platform which enables people to invest in startups with as little as INR 5000.  Up until now, retail investors had to watch VCs corner the BIG gains from increase in startup valuations, but now the game is open for everyone.  Through Tyke, everyone can get in on the act & own a piece of the pie. I had a really fun session & learned a lot conversing with Karan.  We spoke about a range of topics in this episode like:  (00:00): Introduction  (4:37): Exploring Karan's background & understanding how he dipped his feet into the world of entrepreneurship  (6:00): What's the Elevator Pitch for Tyke Invest & what are the pain points that the company seeks to address  (09:51): What were some of the biggest BLOCKERS that Karan faced while building Tyke  (11:19): Tyke's competitive advantage & why this space hasn't been explored by other players yet  (12:21): The process of investing in a startup through Tyke from A to Z  (16:00): Possibility to execute this model on a global level? Can Tyke tap into international investors?  (17:00): How was Tyke able to reduce the investment amount to as low as INR 5000?  (18:05): Talking about User growth and traction since Tyke's beta launch & what are the different segments that they’re targeting in B2B segment   (23:28): What's the market size & how BIG of an opportunity is Tyke tapping into?  (25:12): Is competition heating up in this space & how is Karan planning to stay ahead of the curve?  (27:12): Talking about Tyke's revenue model (I really liked it!) and what potential revenue streams can they leverage in the future  (30:24): Karan's key takeaways of running his own business & what are some of his learnings   (33:10): The story behind the name ‘Tyke’?   Do you want to be the owner of a startup? Make your first investment through ⁠Tyke⁠!

    36 min
  2. 02/20/2024

    EP23 : Decoding Meal Replacements w/23BMI + Upnourish's Kuonal & Aayushi Lakhapati

    In this episode, I invited Kuonal & Aayushi - founders of 23BMI & Upnourish, two brands which are perfectly positioned to tap into the growing meal replacement market in India. We spoke about a range of topics in this episode like: (00:00): A brief into Kuonal & Aayushi's respective backgrounds and how the idea of starting a meal replacement company popped in their minds(08:55): Talking about the R&D process, building new products and execution of the idea into action (13:15): How long it took to turn the idea into a marketable product? And what it felt like to see an idea manifest into reality. (15:20): *CLICHE Q* How are meal replacements different from protein powders?(20:00): The meal replacement market opportunity - how big is the market? Who are the other players in this segment?(27:56): Talking about the Product SKUs(28:15): The thought process behind setting up two separate brands [23BMI & Upnourish](31:40): Decoding the founder journey - talking about the challenges & key learnings along the way(35:50): *THE BIG Q* How long does it take for an overweight person to start seeing changes in their body after taking Upnourish’s meal replacements? [Hint: you’re gonna love the answer!](36:57): What are the immediate changes that happen inside your body & how long before someone reaches 23BMI [science-y stuff] (39:50): Talking about pricing points & the traction generated(42:15): What’s it like being business partners AND partners in life!(45:55): Some customers can be a biaatch :P (48:05): What’s in the pipeline for Upnourish and 23 BMI?Ready to try out meal replacements? Check out ⁠23BMI⁠ & ⁠Upnourish⁠!

    52 min
  3. 09/23/2021

    EP20 : Building a Holistic Hemp Company w/India Hemp & Co's Jayanti & Shalini Bhattacharya

    In this episode, I invited Jayanti & Shalini - two sisters who have created India Hemp & Co, a company which sells various products made from Hemp - like protein powder, hemp oils etc. We talked about a range of topics in this episode like: 1. The central idea behind building a company in the Hemp space 2. Challenges faced during the initial days (insert - the pandemic) & how they turned crisis into opportunity. Also spoke about the GTM strategy and the target market of the company. 3. How being incubated with IIM-Bangalore have helped in the brand building process 4. The product offerings, the manufacturing & sourcing process and the regulatory landscape around Hemp in India & abroad 5. IH&C's NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH - GOOD DOGGO TREATS. We discussed the R&D process, how they came up with the idea to create something in the pet space. IH&C is the only company to launch a hemp treat for pets! 6. Talked about the potential of Hemp, how it could disrupt various sectors & why it is the next BIG thing. 7. Jayanti & Shalini's words of wisdom for anyone entering the Hemp or the F&B space8. IH&C's long term vision and how they plan to capture opportunities in this space And, understanding the experience of working with a sister who is also the co-founder. [Well, their secret is that they never fight! :p] If you're someone interesting in the hemp space or want to learn how to build a sustainable/creative brand - this episode is just for you. Find more about IH&C here - https://www.indiahempandco.com/

    56 min

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Enter the world of entrepreneurs and innovators. Their Journeys. The Failures. The Tough Spots. And the Ecstasy.