Two Founders Walk Into

Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti
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One got fired. The other nearly went bankrupt. Naturally, they did the most illogical thing—built one of India’s fastest-growing Change Movements with 37,000 changemakers. On this podcast, Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti spill the secrets of leadership—sharp insights, harsh truths, and enough jokes to make HR nervous. Because great leadership isn’t built in boardrooms. It’s built in moments when everything goes spectacularly wrong.

  1. 1d ago

    What Does It REALLY Take to Create Change at Scale? | Exponential Change with Sanjay Purohit | Ajit & Satish | Podcast

    What does it actually take to build something that can reach a billion people?In this episode, Sanjay Purohit unpacks what exponential change really means, and why social impact can't be approached the way we approach business growth. After 25 years in the corporate world, Sanjay stepped away at 50, mentored by Nandan Nilekani, to build the Center for Exponential Change. Ten years later, after EkStep, Shiksha Graha, and now Apurva.AI, he puts it bluntly: if you tried to train India's 4.5 million school leaders one institution at a time, it would take 5000 years. So he didn't. He built a network instead.Sanjay pushes on three sharper questions: What is scale? What is speed? And what does it mean for change to actually sustain?The conversation explores:Why scale is about the size of the problem, not the size of your organisationWhy solutions need to be portable, able to spread through other people's handsThe relationship between scale, speed, and sustainability, and why "differentiation" is often the wrong questionWhy sometimes "slow is faster" than what we think is fastThe "farm vs. forest" mental model, and why interconnected systems outlast standalone programsHow networks help solve problems too large for any single organisation (Project ECHO's "all teach, all learn" model)Why expertise needs to be diffused, not concentrated in a few expertsHow young changemakers can build the self-efficacy to lead systemic changeHow AI can become a force for diffusion rather than concentration, shaping Apurva.AIWhat it means to design for population-level impact, not project-level impactIf you're interested in systems change, social impact, exponential change, innovation, leadership, AI, or networks, this episode is for you. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - Co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+.About U&I - A nonprofit committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees. Core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact #inthistogetherAbout Change+ - Helps people become the leaders they're meant to be, blending self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking for emerging and senior leaders. Follow them on LinkedIn:Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/ Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteerPartner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csrWork With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiringDonate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/Follow Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditvSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into More from Sanjay: Rhythm, Harmony, Melody: https://centreforexponentialchange.org/rhythm-harmony-melody-the-art-of-system-orchestration/System Orchestration: https://centreforexponentialchange.org/it-is-a-system-orchestration-at-play/Podcast with ShikshaLokam: https://youtu.be/6s_qIK0VV8QPodcast with Apurva: https://youtu.be/Z3oIx4WwHbwThink Collective Month: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-squirrels-know-scale-societal-thinking-9tsdc/Think Books: https://societalthinking.org/books/Project ECHO: https://societalthinking.org/distributing-the-ability-to-solve-moving-knowledge-faster-with-with-echo/What is Exponential Change: https://centreforexponentialchange.org/what-is-exponential-change/

  2. Aug 24

    Why Managers Are a Bottleneck by Default | Ajit & Satish | Season 2 | Podcast

    Why do fast-growing companies suddenly slow down? Often, the bottleneck isn’t strategy, technology or even talent. It’s the management layer. In this conversation, we unpack why managers can become one of the biggest barriers to scaling a company — and what CEOs, founders and senior leaders can do about it. We explore the three leadership bottlenecks growing organisations need to solve: * Execution ownership * People leadership * Leadership systems From Google removing managers and bringing them back, to Netflix building a culture of context over control, Microsoft moving from “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all,” and HUL developing leaders through real-world responsibility, we look at what some of the world’s strongest organisations have done differently. We also discuss why managers often end up with 100% accountability and 0% autonomy, why promoting your best individual contributor doesn't automatically create a great people manager, and why leadership development cannot stop at workshops. The bigger question is this: How do you move from accidental managers to leadership by design? Because ultimately, a company can only grow as fast as its managers. If you’re a CEO, founder, CHRO, business leader or people leader building a scaling organisation, this conversation is for you. Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q  Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts  About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+.  About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether  About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership.  Follow them on LinkedIn:  Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/  Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/  Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/  Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer  Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr  Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring  Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/  Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into  #podcast #genz #leadership #ngo #entrepreneur #management

  3. Jun 24

    It's Okay to Shut Down Your NGO | Dovetails's Amit Alex Antony Explains Why

    What does it actually take to get funded as an NGO in India and why are so many organisations pitching the wrong funders entirely? In this episode of Two Founders Walk Into, we sit down with Amit Antony Alex, Investment Director at Dovetail Impact Foundation, where he manages an international portfolio of social enterprises and impact organisations. Before Dovetail, Amit led investments at Upaya Social Ventures and headed enterprise grants at the UN Foundation's Clean Cooking Alliance giving him a rare vantage point from both sides of the funder-NGO relationship. This conversation goes deep on the structural realities of philanthropy in India: why the sector is maturing but still has a long way to go, what the 10x startup culture is doing to nonprofits, and why the most honest thing a social entrepreneur can sometimes do is shut their organisation down. Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q  Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts  About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+.  About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether  About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership.  Follow them on LinkedIn:  Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/  Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/  Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/  Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer  Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr  Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring  Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/  Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into  Timestamps: 00:00 — What excites Amit about where India is heading 02:30 — India's growth story and the two Indias 06:21 — Three things India's philanthropic sector needs to fix 08:21 — The funder-NGO power imbalance, explained 15:33 — How nonprofits can build towards scale the right way 18:01 — The controversial case for closing your NGO 19:36 — AI and its real (vs. hyped) potential in the social sector 22:03 — Career advice for young people entering the social sector 26:32 — Should funders pay for salaries? Unrestricted funding explained 29:03 — One change that would transform the nonprofit sector in 10 years #philanthropy #nonprofit #socialimpact #NGO #India #ImpactInvesting #TwoFoundersWalkInto #socialentrepreneur

  4. Jun 9

    50% of Grade 5 Kids in India Can't Read Grade 2 Text | Here's What U&I Is Doing About It

    India has 96–97% school enrollment. So why can't 50% of Grade 5 students read a Grade 2 sentence?That's the question at the heart of this conversation — and it's the exact problem that Akshay and Madhuri from U&I have spent years trying to solve on the ground.In this episode, we go deep inside U&I Teach, one of India's most innovative after-school education programs, now running across 150 learning centers in 40 cities including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Chennai. #EducationIndia #SocialImpact #NGOIndia #LearningGap #TheoryOfChange #VolunteerIndia #FoundationalLiteracy #MentorshipIndia #AfterSchoolProgram #IndiaEducation #ShelterHome #ImpactPodcast #BengaluruNGO #HyderabadNGO #MumbaiNGO

  5. May 25

    "I wasn't okay" | Jemimah Rodrigues Opens Up on Cricket, Family and Purpose

    What happens when one of India's brightest cricketers gets dropped not once, but twice and has to find a reason to keep going? In this deeply personal conversation, Indian Women's Cricket Team star Jemimah Rodrigues sits down with Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti of Two Founders Walk Into to talk about the journey that most people never saw: the anxiety attacks before matches, the 35 days of faking smiles, the tears on a flight back to Mumbai and the faith, family, and community that pulled her back every single time. This is not just a cricket story. It's a story about identity, belonging, and what it truly means to be part of a village. About Jemimah Rodrigues: She is an Indian international cricketer known for her explosive batting and joyful presence on the field. She plays for India Women's cricket team across all formats and represents Delhi Capitals in the WPL. She scored a match-winning 105* against Australia in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup semi-final in Mumbai. Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q  Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts  About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+.  About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether  About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership.  Follow them on LinkedIn:  Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/  Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/  Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/  Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer  Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr  Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring  Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/  Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into  #JemimahRodrigues #TwoFoundersWalkInto #IndianCricket #WomensCricket #ICCWomensWorldCup2025 #Faith #Leadership #MentalHealth #Cricket #IndiaWomen #Podcast #Inspiration #VolunteeringIndia #CricketPodcast #IndianWomensCricket #WorldCupSemiFinal

  6. May 5

    Gen Z vs Millennials: Work From Home, Mental Health and Career Growth | Real Workplace Debate

    Millennials and Gen Z walk into the same workplace and see completely different things. In this episode, Ajit and Satish host Anu and Nandu, two employees of U&I Trust, for a frank cross-generational conversation about the debates reshaping work today. Did remote work kill culture, or just reveal which teams never had it? Is job loyalty a virtue or a trap? Should burnout come with a leave policy? And is work-life balance even a real thing or do we need to redesign that idea from scratch? This is the conversation your leadership team, your HR department, and your group chat are all having separately. We brought everyone into the same room. Candid, funny, and genuinely useful, whether you manage a multigenerational team or you're building your own career in 2026.

  7. Apr 21

    Bangalore Urban Planning Crisis: Why Your City Feels Broken in 2026 | Srikanth Viswanathan | Podcast

    What's really broken in Bangalore and how do we fix it? In this episode of Two Founders Walk Into, we sit down with Srikanth Viswanathan, CEO of Janaagraha, one of India's foremost urban governance experts. With 15+ years working with city governments, constitutional bodies, and citizen groups, Srikanth breaks down why Indian cities keep failing their residents and what a systems-level solution actually looks like. We cover: → Why traffic, pollution, and flooding are symptoms, not the real problem → The three city systems every urban leader must understand: planning & design, political ownership, and state capacity → Why Bangalore still doesn't have an elected mayor accountable to its citizens → How walkability could unlock clean air, public health, women's safety, and traffic relief, all at once → Tender SURE streets and what's already working in Bangalore → The citizenship ladder: how residents move from passive consumers to active contributors → The role of organisations like Janaagraha, U&I Trust as civic connective tissue → Srikanth's personal journey from Big Four consulting to systems-change nonprofit leadership → What genuine empathy looks like in leadership and why it took 15 years to learn If you care about Bangalore, Indian cities, civic participation, or building organisations that create lasting change, this episode is for you. Two Founders Walk Into is featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 India Leadership Podcasts. Follow us for conversations with thought leaders, urban thinkers, and civic changemakers building a better India.

  8. Mar 10

    Zero Budget Marketing for Nonprofits: The People + AI Playbook | Sharene Joseph & Kiran George

    Can nonprofits create real buzz and drive impact without a marketing budget?In this episode, we unpack a practical playbook for zero-budget marketing in the nonprofit world. From leveraging passionate communities to empowering staff and using accessible technology, this conversation explores how organizations can amplify their voice even in a crowded digital landscape.The discussion focuses on people-powered marketing, community champions, and smart use of technology to create meaningful engagement and real-world impact.Whether you’re a nonprofit leader, communications professional, or social impact enthusiast, this episode offers practical, low-cost strategies to build visibility and momentum.Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+. About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether About Change+ - The organisation helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership. Follow them on LinkedIn: Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/ Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/ Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/ Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/ Follow Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into Timestamps:00:00 Introduction: Can nonprofits market with zero budget?02:05 Community as leverage: Fans and supporters as co-creators04:15 How nonprofits can activate volunteers as ambassadors05:30 Equipping communities with toolkits and campaign kits06:10 The “Purple Cow” concept and standing out creatively07:20 What nonprofits without large communities can do08:30 Employees and staff as powerful brand amplifiers11:00 AI tools and templates for scalable campaigns13:10 Accessing nonprofit discounts for marketing tools15:50 The role of AI in simplifying content creation16:10 The shift from “work speaks for itself” to storytelling16:30 Recap: The three levers of zero-budget marketing#podcast #genz #leadership #ngo #entrepreneur #management

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About

One got fired. The other nearly went bankrupt. Naturally, they did the most illogical thing—built one of India’s fastest-growing Change Movements with 37,000 changemakers. On this podcast, Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti spill the secrets of leadership—sharp insights, harsh truths, and enough jokes to make HR nervous. Because great leadership isn’t built in boardrooms. It’s built in moments when everything goes spectacularly wrong.

Information

  • Creator
    Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti
  • Show Website
    Two Founders Walk Into