Ep 106: India's Latest Unicorn ft. Porter

Join us as we talk to Ashok Hariharan, the CEO of IDfy about their story. Ashok earned his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State Engineering and went on to complete his MBA at the Indian School of Business. His career as a hardware engineer includes positions at Acterna, Coree Networks, Marconi Communications, Laurel Networks, and Astuto Networks. He also served as a strategy manager at British Telecom. In 2008, he founded Gaboli Online Services and has been the CEO of IDfy since May 2011. 🏢 About IDfy: IDfy is an Integrated Identity Platform that combats fraud with advanced KYC, KYB, and verification solutions. Recognized by Deloitte and Forbes in 2023, IDfy performs 2 million daily verifications. Key offerings include APIs for verification, a video onboarding platform, RiskAI for risk management, IDfy360 for custom workflows, and CrimeCheck for legal history checks. 🌐 For more visit - https://ajuniorvc.com/podcast/ Playlists🎬: 🎙️Founders Unfiltered: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZb75L7Qi_1r_yCxtrkFtTqwgoKj8f66 🎥 AJVC BTS: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZb75L7Qi_2SqAGAJ0_rS1--1u82jvfL 🦄 Start-up Chronicles: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZb75L7Qi_0ujPMygWRZQcJBK250BXbC 🔎 AJVC Insights: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZb75L7Qi_00SpPyAU_zhicXdehoNuBd 🎯 Deep Dives: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZb75L7Qi_2BHzAOji1wBEKjXo-go7e6 📈 Founder Insights: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZb75L7Qi_1L3HjHLvNUQgPWGrfcoc-q 🎤 About the Hosts : Aviral Bhatnagar is a VC at Venture Highway and is the Founder of A Junior VC. He started the A Junior VC Newsletter in 2018 after observing whitespace in conversations in the Indian Venture ecosystem. He completed his B. Tech from IIT Bombay and MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. Mazin Biviji is a Product Owner at Agoda and a founding member of A Junior VC. He previously worked at Deloitte as a Senior Consultant. He completed his MSE and BSE from the University of Michigan and his MBA from INSEAD. 🌍 Join us at https://ajuniorvc.com/community/ to be a part of an exclusive community and grab the opportunity to question and hear our guests live every Sunday. 🚀 AJVC: https://ajuniorvc.com/ ✂ Editing Credits: 1. Neel Panji - https://www.linkedin.com/in/neel-panji-598b7b176/ 2. Sweta Singhania - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweta-singhania-755b92183/ 🔎 Research: 1. Ayush Kumar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayushkcs/ 2. Sahil Nizam - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilnizam12/ 3. Aditya Chauhan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditya-chauhan-27b298177 4. Deepthi Nagoorkar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepthi-nagoorkar-64408085/ 00:00 Intro 02:24 Rapid Fire 08:24 Early Days 17:02 First Company 19:01 Meeting the Co-founder 20:33 The Idea 22:30 Post Ideation 23:51 Failure of the First Version 25:20 Start of the Enterprise Business 25:53 Initial Pitch 28:32 Growth Stage 29:50 The Struggles 31:21 Leadership lessons in Growth Phase 33:36 Vipassana 35:12 The North Star 37:07 Culture and Transition 38:57 Leadership Development 41:58 The Website 45:10 Fraud 1:00:18 Accelerated Growth 01:04:26 Unfiltered Feedback #ajvc #startups #india

Join us as we talk to Uttam Digga, the Co-founder & CEO of Porter about their story. Uttam completed his integrated MSc in Economics at IIT Kharagpur in 2012. Following that, he held positions as an Analyst at both HSBC and J.P. Morgan before launching Porter in 2014. 🏢 About Porter: Porter goes beyond logistics, fueled by their mission to 'move a billion dreams, one delivery at a time.' Embracing 'Own It,' they've grown rapidly with 7.5 million drivers and 15 million customers. Backed by $150 million in investments from leaders like Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global, their tech-driven approach sets new standards in last-mile logistics.

Join us as we talk to Ranvir Singh, the Founder and CEO of Kissht and Ring about their story. Ranvir completed his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2001 and his MBA from IIM Bangalore in 2005. He served as an associate partner at McKinsey & Company, held the position of Managing Director at Si-Creva, and established Kissht in 2016. He is also the founder and CEO of Ring and a founding member of FACE. 🏢 About Kissht & RING: Kissht is a fintech platform that provides instant, seamless credit to consumers for purchases at both online and offline points of sale. This next-generation financial technology company strategically aids individuals in increasing their borrowing capabilities. RING is a top fintech company in India, emerging from the success of Kissht. It excels in data-driven lending and serves over 11 million customers, with 40% from tier 2 cities and beyond. RING provides both short and long-term loans for business, personal, and recurring needs.

Join us as we talk to Rajat Deshpande, the Co-founder and CEO of FinBox about their story. In 2009, Rajat completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering at IIT Bombay. His professional journey includes roles such as General Analytics Associate at ZS Associates, Senior Associate at Citigroup, Advisor at BookMyCab, and Vice President of Product at GoPigeon. In 2017, he co-founded FinBox. 🏢 About FinBox: FinBox was founded in 2017 with a mission to democratize financial services for the next billion Indians. It provides advanced credit infrastructure, simplifying business operations so companies can concentrate on growth. It offers a comprehensive lending platform, featuring tools like bank statement analysis, alternate data underwriting, LOS, journey orchestration, partner management, business rules, and multi-bureau analytics.

Join us as we talk to Sumeet Mehta, the Co-Founder and CEO of LEAD Group about their story. Sumeet earned his Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering at PEC, followed by an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad in 1999. After his MBA, he delved into brand management at Procter & Gamble, Singapore, and later served as CEO at Zee Learn for almost five years. In 2012, he co-founded LEAD School. 🏢 About LEAD Group: LEAD, India's largest school EdTech unicorn, strives to revolutionize schools for a confident India. With a vast network of over 9000 LEAD partner schools, LEAD impacts over 5 million students across 400+ cities in India.

Join us as we talk to Sneh Jain, the Co-founder of The Baker’s Dozen about their story. Sneh Jain completed his B.Tech degree at UDCT, Mumbai, and subsequently an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad in 2009. He gained professional experience at renowned firms such as Cipla and Orchid Pharma before serving as a consultant at McKinsey & Company post his MBA. In 2012, alongside his wife, Aditi Handa, he co-founded The Baker’s Dozen. 🏢 About The Baker’s Dozen: The Baker’s Dozen is a neighbourhood artisan bakery specializing in a wide range of international baked goods, with a focus on delivering high-quality, freshly made European breads and pastries.

Join us as we talk to Ramaswamy Iyer, the Founder and CEO of Vayana Network about their story. Ramaswamy completed his Bachelor of Engineering at VJTI, Mumbai, followed by an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. Subsequently, he gained experience as a senior consultant at Accenture. Additionally, he played a pivotal role as a Co-founder of CashTech Solutions, later acquired by Fundtech. Following this, he Co-founded Clayfin in 2009 and eventually founded Vayana Network in 2017. 🏢 About Vayana Network: Vayana, India's top supply chain finance platform, offers trade credit and trade enablement solutions for all supply chain tiers. It has facilitated financing of over USD 30 billion across 3,000+ supply chains and 3,00,000+ enterprises. It spans 600 cities and 2000+ pin codes, focusing on MSMEs.

Join us as we talk to Mohit Bedi, the co-founder of Kiwi about their story. Mohit pursued his MBA degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Management in 2000. Subsequently, he held positions such as Product Manager at GE, AVP and Product Head at Citi Bank, Head of Bancassurance at Barclays, Head of Credit Cards at Standard Chartered Bank, SVP and Business Head at Axis Bank, and Senior Vice President at PayU. Finally, in 2022, he co-founded Kiwi. 🏢 About Kiwi: Kiwi introduces an innovative payment solution that combines the advantages of a credit card with the ease of UPI payments. With Kiwi, users can experience the seamless blend of credit card perks and the simplicity of UPI transactions, marking a significant shift in India's payment landscape.  🌐 For more visit - https://ajuniorvc.com/podcast/

Brought to you by the Founders Unfiltered podcast by A Junior VC - Unscripted conversations with Indian founders about their story and the process of building a company. Hosted by Aviral and Mazin. Join us as we talk to Anshuman Singh, the Co-Founder of Scaler about their story. Anshuman graduated with a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIIT Hyderabad in 2010. As a college student, he excelled as a two-time ACM ICPC World Finalist. He began his career as an intern at Directi before joining Facebook's US office. Later, he moved to Facebook's London office, contributing significantly to tech recruitment. In 2015, he co-founded InterviewBit, followed by Scaler in 2019. 🏢 About Scaler: Scaler offers comprehensive programs for individuals looking to enhance their coding skills and pursue successful careers in software engineering or data science. The curriculum is industry-ready and taught by expert instructors, fostering a supportive learning environment. 

Brought to you by the Founders Unfiltered podcast by A Junior VC - Unscripted conversations with Indian founders about their story and the process of building a company. Hosted by Aviral and Mazin. Join us as we talk to Yamini Bhat, the Co-founder & CEO of Vymo about their story. In 2004, Yamini completed her Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from BITS Pilani, followed by her MBA from IIM Bangalore in 2007. She gained internship experience at Goldman Sachs, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and INSEAD before joining McKinsey & Company as an engagement manager. In May 2013, she co-founded Vymo. 🏢 About Vymo: Vymo is a sales engagement platform designed for financial institutions, prioritizing mobile accessibility and offering solutions for over 18 industry-specific challenges. Its unique focus lies in addressing real issues faced by banks, insurance, and financial services.