Ep 138: First Indian Company to crack Y Combinator ft. Clear

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 Rajan Navani, the Founder of JetSynthesys about their story.Rajan Navani is the Vice Chairman & Managing Director of the JetLine Group of Companies and the Founder & CEO of JetSynthesys. A visionary entrepreneur, he has transformed a 90-year-old family business into a digital powerhouse spanning gaming, esports, music, wellness, and Web3. Rajan is also the founder of the India@75 movement and has served as National Chairman of CII’s Young Indians, shaping conversations around India’s digital and demographic future.🏢 About JetSynthesys:JetSynthesys is one of India’s leading digital entertainment companies, reaching over 100 million users through hit games, celebrity partnerships, and global acquisitions. From collaborating with Sachin Tendulkar and Google to building India’s esports and music ecosystem, JetSynthesys is redefining how India creates, consumes, and competes in the digital world.🌐 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 Anish Popli, the founder of ProcMart about their story.Anish completed his MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) after earning his engineering degree from GGSIP University.Before starting ProcMart, he worked with leading companies like Hindustan Unilever and Lava International, gaining firsthand experience in supply chain and operations the very inefficiencies he would later set out to solve.He founded Procmart in 2015 with a simple idea: to bring reliability and transparency to enterprise procurement in India.🏢 About ProcMart ProcMart is a tech-enabled B2B procurement platform helping enterprises manage indirect purchases efficiently. From safety gear to office supplies, it provides a one-stop solution backed by a trusted vendor network and real-time delivery tracking.Today, ProcMart partners with hundreds of leading corporates across India, optimizing their procurement processes and supply chains.By combining technology with deep operational expertise, it’s quietly transforming one of the most complex and overlooked segments of Indian enterprise.

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 Archit Gupta, the Founder & CEO of Clear about their story.Archit completed his B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Guwahati, followed by a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He gained research experience as an intern at Microsoft and CINI and as a research assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After working in the engineering domain for about two years, he went on to co-found Clear in 2011.🏢 About Clear:Clear is on a mission to simplify finances for Indians, offering software for invoices, taxes, payments, and credit.Handling 10% of India’s B2B invoices and e-invoices, it helps 400K+ businesses save ₹1,000 Cr annually and serves millions of individuals and enterprises. Backed by Y Combinator, Sequoia, and other top investors, Clear is rapidly scaling fintech solutions across India.

Join us as we talk to Krish Ramineni, the Co-founder and CEO of Fireflies about their story.Krish Ramineni is the co-founder & CEO of Fireflies.ai and one of the youngest product managers in Microsoft’s history.Before Fireflies, Krish built his career in product at Microsoft, then left to pursue the idea of turning conversations into knowledge. He’s a founder who embodies “doing things that don’t scale” even manually taking notes before building an AI to do it better.🏢 About Fireflies:Fireflies.ai is an AI meeting assistant used by 20M+ people across 500,000 organizations, including 75% of the Fortune 500. The platform has processed more than 2B minutes of meetings, automatically transcribing, summarizing, and generating action items.Profitable since 2023, Fireflies recently reached a $1B valuation without raising a new primary round in years. Its mission is simple but powerful: eliminate busywork in meetings and free teams to focus on impact.

Join us as we talk to Akshay Mehrotra, the Co-Founder & CEO of Fibe.India (Formerly EarlySalary) about their story.Akshay holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies. He has led marketing and corporate communications at Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, served as Chief Marketing Officer at Policybazaar and Big Bazaar, and co-founded the Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment. In 2016, he co-founded Fibe (formerly EarlySalary), a leading fintech company in India.🏢 About Fibe.India:Fibe (formerly EarlySalary) is a Pune-based fintech startup revolutionizing lending in India with a mobile-first platform, smart risk scoring, and instant credit solutions.

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 Sanjay Tripathy, the CEO and founder of BRISKPE about their story.Sanjay completed his bachelor's degree from Orissa University and an MBA from IRMA. He went on to hold managerial positions at Amul, PepsiCo, Mattel, and Reliance Infocomm, and later served as VP & CMO at HDFC Life.He founded Agilio, co-founded and led Agilio Labs as CEO, and has also been a mentor and angel investor for several companies. In addition, he was Chairman of the Board at Invesco Asset Management.In 2023, he co-founded BRISKPE and currently serves as its CEO.🏢 About Briskpe:BRISKPE is a cross-border payments platform that helps Indian MSMEs and freelancers make fast, secure, and compliant international transactions. The company simplifies regulations, ensures transparency, and provides tools to help its users compete globally.

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 Nikhil Barshikar, the Founder and CEO of Imarticus Learning about their story.Nikhil holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance and Economics from Rutgers University and an MBA from London Business School.He has held leadership roles including Vice President at Lehman Brothers and Nomura India, Executive Director at Nomura Securities, and Investment Committee Member at BLinC Invest. In 2012, he went on to found Imarticus Learning.🏢 About Imarticus Learning:Imarticus Learning is a leading professional education firm offering job-assured and industry-aligned programs in Finance, Data Analytics, Tech, and Management. With 1M+ learners, 3500+ hiring partners, and top-tier institute collaborations, it combines expert-led training with strong career outcomes.🌐 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 Gaurav Hinduja, the co-founder of axio, about their story.Gaurav studied Commerce at Christ University and went on to pursue his MBA from Stanford. He later served as COO of Gokaldas Exports and, in 2013, co-founded axio, previously known as Capital Float.🏢 About axio:axio, formerly Capital Float, is a leading Indian consumer finance company offering credit, pay-later options, and personal finance management. It uses technology to extend innovative financial products to millions, including underserved consumers.🌐 For more visit - https://ajuniorvc.com/podcast/

On this week’s episde we have a mid-year update on the fund that is on track to invest about 40 Cr in 25 companies this year. We talk about the 8,000+ companis that have applied from all over India, the problems founders are tackling and about AI and the future of work.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.

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 Akshay Verma, the Co-founder of FITPASS about their story.Akshay completed his bachelor's in Mathematics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, followed by a master's in Financial Economics from the University of Oxford and another master's in Public Administration from Columbia University.He went on to work at UBS Investment Bank in London, Echoing Green, founded Shillhippo, served as Director at Agratam India, and eventually co-founded FITPASS in 2015.🏢 About FITPASS:FITPASS is India’s leading corporate wellness platform offering a single membership for fitness and health services. With access to 8,100+ gyms across 75+ cities, it helps companies boost employee wellbeing and productivity.Its tech-led services include AI health checks, custom wellness plans, doctor consults, mental health support, and on-site programs to cut costs and boost performance.