Founders Unfiltered

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 Mazin about his journey and the experiences that shaped his path.He shared how A Junior VC evolved from a simple newsletter into a thriving community and eventually a fund, along with the lessons he learned along the way.We also dived into his journey of hosting the AJVC Unfiltered podcast alongside Aviral, and the conversations and insights that came from it.Mazin completed his BSE and MSE from University of Michigan and later pursued his MBA from INSEAD.Over the years, he worked across global organizations including Deloitte, Emirates NBD, and Pfizer.He is currently a Senior Product Manager at Agoda.🌐 For more visit - https://ajuniorvc.com/podcast/

🎙️Founders Unfiltered Ep-146: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 Prashant Gupta, the co-founder of Wealthy about their story.Prashant earned his B.Tech from IIT Madras and later completed his master’s at IIM Ahmedabad.He began his career as an analyst at Evalueserve and Société Générale, and later served as Vice President at Morgan Stanley.In 2015, he co-founded Wealthy.🏢 About Wealthy:Wealthy.in is an award-winning fintech platform for Mutual Fund Distributors (MFDs).It empowers them with advanced technology, dedicated support, and in-depth product research to grow their businesses and serve investors better.

🎙️Founders Unfiltered Ep-145: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 Sharad Bairathi, the Founder & MD of Embitel Technologies about their story.Sharad completed his B.Tech in Electronics & Telecommunications from VNIT, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Industrial Management (PGDIM) from SPJIMR (SP Jain) and an Executive MBA from London Business School.He began his career as an IT Engineer at CMC, progressed to Regional Manager for Europe and the USA at Tata Elxsi, and eventually founded Embitel in 2006.🏢 About Embitel:Founded in 2006, Embitel Technologies specializes in driving digital transformation across Automotive, IoT, and Connected Car solutions.As a Volkswagen Group Company, Embitel partners with global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to deliver advanced automotive and full-stack IoT innovations.Headquartered in Bengaluru, India, the company also operates development centres across India and maintains an international presence in Germany and the UAE.

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 with Aviral Bhatnagar, the Founder and Managing Partner of A Junior VC, as he shares his predictions for the startup ecosystem in 2026.

Join us as we talk to Shantanu Gangal, the CEO of Prodigal about their story.Shantanu earned his B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Bombay in 2009 and an MBA from The Wharton School in 2013. He then worked at BCG, Blackstone, and Fundbox before founding Prodigal in 2018.🏢 About Prodigal:Prodigal is a YC-backed AI company that helps lenders and debt collectors maximize recoveries using personalized, data-driven consumer engagement, trained on 400M+ finance conversations.

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 Mayank Kumar, the co-founder of BorderPlus about their story.Mayank completed his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi and went on to pursue an MBA from ISB Hyderabad. He began his career as an analyst with the Tata Group, later served as a Senior Principal at EY-Parthenon, and then as Vice President at Bertelsmann India.In 2015, he co-founded upGrad, and in 2024, he went on to co-found BorderPlus.🏢 About BorderPlus:BorderPlus is a global workforce mobility platform helping blue-collar professionals—especially nurses—access international opportunities. It provides AI-driven language training, visa and licensing support, job placement, and relocation services, anchored by a Finishing School that builds real-world readiness and cultural fluency.

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 Prasanna Rao, the Co-founder and CEO of Arya.ag about their story.Prasanna holds a PGDRM in Rural Management from the Institute of Rural Management Anand and is a Chevening Financial Services Fellow from King’s College London. He led commodity-based financing at ICICI Bank for nearly eight years and has served as a Strategic Advisor at SecurEyes for over 14 years. He later co-founded Arya Collateral Warehousing Services Pvt. Ltd., where he has spent almost 13 years scaling an agri-supply chain enterprise in India.🏢 About Arya.ag:Arya is a leading agritech platform operating at the farmgate with 5 million tonnes of storage across 21 states. Through Arya.ag, it connects farmers and agri businesses with buyers, offers post-harvest credit, and reduces losses. The company has facilitated ₹4,400+ crore in loans while running a profitable, tech-enabled model.

Join us as we talk to Sameer Merchant, the MD & CEO of Laxmi Dental Limited about their story.Sameer Merchant is a Certified Dental Technician (CDT) who began his entrepreneurial journey in 2001 by co-founding Laxmi Dental Limited with Rajesh. Over the years, he has travelled extensively to countries including Japan, Italy, Germany, the USA, the UK, and Liechtenstein to gain expertise in advanced dental techniques and technologies.🏢 About Laxmi Dental:Laxmi Dental is India’s first publicly listed dental company, offering certified, high-quality dental products and equipment worldwide. With a focus on innovation, precision, and global standards, it provides reliable solutions trusted by dental professionals across the globe.

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.