Matrix Moments by Matrix Partners India

Ashish Kashyap needs no introduction. The first country head for Google in India, before he turned entrepreneur, Ashish is a serial founder. He's founded and scaled marquee Indian internet startups RedBus, PayU, GoIbibo, before starting his most recent FinTech venture, the super app, INDMoney. Ashish was a guest on Matrix Moments People First with Rupali, where shared startup and team-building learnings from his journey across the companies he's built.

Revant Bhate on #PeopleFirst by Matrix Moments! Passionate about building a people-centric culture, Revant takes on dual roles at Mosaic Wellness as both CEO and CHRO. In a conversation with Rupali Sharma on our latest episode, Revant delves into the intricacies of building his startup from scratch, emphasising the pivotal role of human capital. Key takeaways from the episode: 1️⃣ Fundamental Team Building Principles: Revant shares insights on leveraging his network of seasoned operators who trust his vision, a crucial asset in the volatile startup landscape. His core team comprises individuals who have previously collaborated with him, highlighting the importance of building trust from the onset. 🔎 Strategic Recruiting: Transparent communication about challenges and expectations is paramount during the hiring process. Revant's clarity from day one ensured that team members joined with the right mindset and expectations. 🧲 Aligning Incentives: Revant stresses the significance of employees understanding the startup's growth trajec

On the latest episode of Matrix Moments, catch Aakash Kumar, Sudipto Sannigrahi, Pranay Desai, and Anish Patil of Matrix Partners India as they discuss the India consumption and growth story, insights on investing in Digital India and their predictions for 2024. This episode covers: 🚀 India's $10 Trillion Vision: Anticipating India's trajectory, there's a strong belief that India will grow into a $10 trillion economy by 2035. Growth is fuelled by deepening markets, robust internal demand coupled with strong public and private capital investments 🌐 Secular Trends & Growth: Long-term growth seen in sectors like manufacturing & exports, energy, defence, financial services and consumer retail 📊 Market Dynamics & Investment Strategies: The sectors that Matrix Partners India is bullish about in 2024, exploring India's growth dynamics and entrepreneurial landscape. 🔮 Predictions & Optimism: The advent of experienced founders and digital industrialists, the rise of “phy-gital” business models and a dispersion in value-creation beyond traditional hubs will help India retain its lure as an attractive market for venture capital

Join Asish Mohapatra, Co-founder and CEO of OfBusiness, and Rupali Sharma on the latest episode of "People First" by Matrix Moments. Explore OfBusiness's remarkable journey and unravel the intricacies of building a resilient organization. This episode covers: 🌐 Innovation Hub: OfBusiness leads the way in innovation, with the team embodying a fusion of values and innovation, working collectively towards profitability and shared achievements. 🔐 Org-Building Secrets: Asish delves into the organizational alchemy that catapulted OfBusiness to market leadership in just seven years. 🌱 Investing in Tomorrow: The conscious decision to build in-house talent, as Asish shares the challenges and benefits of this unique approach. He highlights why nurturing young talent for sustained success yields substantial returns long-term. 📈 Non-negotiables in Hiring: The hiring philosophy, focusing on qualities like a commitment to doing the right thing, a strong work ethic, and a commercial mindset. 👥 Maintaining Organizational DNA: OfBusiness ensures the preservation of its core values and culture as it scales, with Asish sharing both successes and mistakes in this journey.

The driving forces propelling the Indian startup ecosystem forward all share a common thread—they are all People. Founders, investors, employees—all united working towards growth and success. At Matrix, we believe in putting our founders first, and now, we want to shine a spotlight on the talent and teams that move these visionaries forward. In the very first episode of "People First" by Matrix Moments, Avnish Bajaj and Rupali Sharma from Matrix Partners India, highlight the pivotal role of human capital teams in shaping successful ventures. The episode covers: 💼 People First Philosophy: The significance of prioritizing founders and recognizing that, at their core, founders are people. This underscores the essence of the podcast's title, "People First." 🚀 Evolution of VC Ecosystem: The Indian venture capital landscape focusing not only on investments but also on aiding companies in building robust teams. 💰 Investment in Human Capital Teams: As the venture ecosystem expanded, why Matrix invested in a human capital team, viewing it as a strategic function crucial for supporting startup growth. 🏆 Value Creation: The core objective is to expedite startups' value creation, with human capital teams playing a vital role in ensuring that the right talent propels this growth. 🌐 Reinvention: Founder roles and team dynamics evolving to stay relevant. Managing human capital strategically is a vital competitive advantage in the digital age. 🤝 Communication and Transparency: Fostering trust and collaboration within the organization for clarity in expectations and skillsets, ensures optimal returns.

On the latest episode of Matrix Moments, Ashish Aggarwal, Co-Founder, AppBroda and Vivek Ramachandran, Matrix Partners India discuss the world of mobile apps and the growing segments in the gaming landscape in India. This episode covers - 📈 Growth Potential: Discover why India's gaming industry is on the brink of an inflection point in the next 18 months. 🌐 Developer Talents: Learn about India's vast developer talent pool and their evolving role in the global gaming industry. 🌍 Global Perspective: Gain insights into the importance of expanding beyond local markets to maximize revenue and user acquisition. 💡 Monetization Strategies: Advice on incorporating ads, premium formats, and effective user acquisition to boost your game's success. 📈 Scaling Success: How developers who started small and grew into million-dollar studios and why now is the perfect time to embrace the entrepreneurial plunge in the gaming industry.

Atomicwork leverages the power of AI to seamlessly bring together employees, IT systems, and HR operations. On the latest episode of Founder Moments, Vijay Rayapati, CEO and Co-Founder of Atomicwork, along with Vikram Vaidyanathan and Pranay Desai, discuss his phenomenal founder journey. This episode covers - 🚀 The Minjar Journey: Vijay shares insights from his entrepreneurial experience with Minjar, highlighting the challenges faced in fundraising, seeking suitable partners, and entering foreign markets. He also discusses the significance of cultural alignment, which ultimately led to the sale of the startup. 💼 Building a SaaS company: Vijay emphasizes the creation of value through service and encourages a deep focus on redefining AI rather than simply adding it on top of existing solutions. He introduces the concept of Act 1 in a company's evolution, describing it as an iterative phase where various approaches are explored to solve problems. 👥 Co-founders' Chemistry: He also elaborates on the qualities that drew him to his co-founders. Patience, perseverance, curiosity, and a shared cultural context played crucial roles in their partnership. 📈 Team Building and Hiring: Vijay highlights the founder's role in not only selecting but also fine-tuning the team's DNA to align with the company's vision and values.

Amidst the lack of innovation & transparency in traditional fixed return assets, which constitute approximately 70% of Indian household savings (with around 45% in FDs), a significant opportunity arises to bridge the gap. On our latest episode of Matrix Moments, Saurabh Jain and Harish Reddy, join Anand Khetan to discuss their foray into wealth fintech with Stable Money, India's first of its kind fixed-return investment platform. This episode covers: 🚀 Transitioning to Entrepreneurship: Saurabh and Harish share their incredible personal journeys. Harish's transition from a lifelong trader to Saurabh's wealth of experience from organizations like Navi and Swiggy, adds depth to their story. 💹 Drive Behind Wealth Fintech: Discover the driving forces that led them to launch the Stable Money product, its standout features, and their relentless pursuit of building trust among investors. 👥 Forging the Team: Explore the early stages of team building and the qualities that the founders were seeking in their initial hires. 📊 Customer Insights: Saurabh's conversations with customers and the insights gained, emphasizing the importance of trust and feedback. 💼 Navigating Regulatory Challenges: Drawing from their past experiences at companies like Navi and Estee Advisors, the founders share insights into navigating the regulatory hurdles in the fintech landscape. 📈 Future Vision: The episode also showcases a glimpse into Stable Money's long-term vision and how they plan to shape the future of India's wealth fintech industry. #FoundersFirst #MatrixMoments #MatrixFintech

In the latest episode of Matrix Moments, Sudipto Sannigrahi, and Anurag Srivastava, delve deeper into the existing B2B landscape and cover why Matrix Partners continues to be bullish on the segment and the fundamentals that make a good B2B business This episode covers: 1. Is B2B still an attractive segment to build in 2. Fundamentals of a good B2B business 3. Sustainable, defensible moats in a good B2B business 4. Pitfalls for B2B founders to be aware of in their 10 – infinity journey 5. Importance of good corporate governance Traditionally centered on distribution, B2B investments are now shifting toward core IP-led manufacturing. We consider ourselves fortunate to witness the inner workings of a diverse range of B2B businesses, spanning from well-established companies like OfBusiness, FarMart, Captain Fresh, and VEGROW to upcoming innovative product companies like ZippMat, XIMKART, and bijnis among others.

On the latest episode of Matrix Moments, we feature seasoned entrepreneurs including Arvind Parthiban, CEO & Co-Founder at SuperOps.ai; Rishi Kulkarni, Managing Director at LegalZoom; Vijay Rayapati, Co-founder and CEO of AtomicWork; along with Pranay Desai. These founders share valuable insights from their second innings building SaaS companies. This episode covers - Strategically aligning go-to-market approach with market demand. Embracing market immersion and adapting to international markets. Fostering agility for success in the dynamic SaaS landscape.

The Indian SaaS ecosystem has demonstrated greater resilience than its global counterparts. Revenues crossed $7 billion, formation of new SaaS companies expanded three-fold, and India now corners 2% of the global SaaS market, as per a report by SaasBoomi and McKinsey. On this episode of Matrix Moments, Arvind Parthiban, CEO & Co-Founder at SuperOps.ai; Rishi Kulkarni, Managing Director at LegalZoom; Vijay Rayapati, Co-founder and CEO of AtomicWork, and Pranay Desai, delve into the journeys of second-time SaaS founders. Explore the driving forces that led to embarking on a fresh journey, coupled with their approach across pivotal domains including market strategies, co-founder synergies, product innovation, customer exploration and much more.

On our latest episode of Founder Moments with Salone Sehgal, Founding Partner at Lumikai Fund, and Aakash Kumar, we shine a spotlight on why India stands at the cusp of revolutionizing gaming. This episode covers: 👥 Shifting Demographics 📈 India's Gaming Potential 🖥 Emergence of Indian Talent 🎮 Convergence of Gaming and Social Media & much more!

After building a large profitable digital company, what do such infinity founders do next?! Become “Digital Industrialists!” Up next on Matrix Moments, we discuss a counter narrative concept – that its okay for infinity founders to start multiple businesses as long as it is about value creation for all stakeholders and not value capture. As big a violation of first principles of company building as it sounds, we invite you to tune in to know more in our latest episode.

GenWise, founded by Geentanshu, Nehul, and Rajat, is driven by a collective vision to develop a lifestyle app that empowers the elderly and bridges the digital gap between generations. GenWise leverages innovative features such as a personal digital assistant, streamlined digital passbook, medication reminders, scam education, and engaging social tools. They employ cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence, for a seamless user experience, creating an elder-friendly digital environment. Within two months of their launch, GenWise has hit ~100k installs Hear the founders next on Matrix Moments, as they share their vision to empower and enrich the digital experiences of the elderly through India's first lifestyle app.

The tailwinds in the Media Social and Gaming space are building up to a perfect storm. At a high level Media, Social and Gaming seems to be converging especially for GenZ. Marry this with the fact that AI is going to disrupt Media Social and Gaming by significantly altering the Quality/Quantity isoquant as well as allowing for personalization at scale. High velocity of content will also lead to innovations in content management in general. At the core of this lies content, catering to ever-changing attention spans. With its multi-modal capabilities encompassing text, image, video, audio and more, AI acts as a catalyst, igniting revolutionary experiences, sparking creativity and fostering meaningful connections between content creators and their audiences. It’s why we’re calling this piece ‘Feel good inc.’ internally. If you thought you are binging today, wait for AI to be properly integrated into your content. Up next on Matrix Moments, Tarun, Aakash and Chandrasekhar Venugopal, delve deep into the AI Revolution in Media and Social, where they uncover the potential, challenges and countless opportunities that lie ahead in this evolving landscape.

Scapia has made a remarkable entry into the market with the launch of its co-branded credit card in collaboration with Federal Bank. The response has been overwhelming, with massive growth in customer sign-ups. Tailor-made for travel lovers, the card turns a customer's everyday expenses into exciting travel rewards. And the perks are unparalleled! From zero-forex markup to unlimited domestic lounge access, zero joining and annual fees, it is the ultimate travel companion. Founder Anil Goteti’s passion for travel and understanding of the younger generation's needs, has been the driving force behind Scapia. Brace yourselves for our latest episode of Founder Moments, as Vikram uncovers Anil’s approach to building Scapia and his vision for the future. With less than 5% of the population currently possessing credit cards and India projected to have 200 million credit cards in circulation by 2030, the opportunities are vast.

To unlock India's immense potential in the semiconductor industry, Sudipto and Nivedith deep dive into the possibilities that lie ahead on our latest episode of Reflections. 1. The Complex Semiconductor Supply Chain: Dive deep into the intricacies of the semiconductor supply chain and its pivotal role in shaping the industry. 2. India's Role in the Global Semiconductor Value Chain: Explore India's limited participation and the golden opportunities arising from recent changes. 3. The Semiconductor Opportunity in India and its Subsets: Uncover the vast potential of the semiconductor market in India, along with the most promising subsets. 4. The "Right to Win" for Indian Companies: Discover winning factors that can drive Indian companies to make a mark in the global semiconductor value chain. 5. Commercial Implications of Moore's Law: Explore how Moore's Law evolution impacts the semiconductor landscape and the commercial implications of advanced technologies like 3D architecture. 6. Notable Players in RISC-V Adoption: Learn about leading global and Indian companies driving the adoption of RISC-V. 7. The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and India's Role: Discover how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing semiconductors and the potential role of India in this transformative trend. 8. Where will the Next Set of Indian Founders Emerge: Uncover potential sources of the next wave of Indian founders and valuable insights for those building in India.

On our latest episode of Reflections, join us as we unravel opportunities in Fintech infrastructure and Banktech. We will explore the changing landscape of BaaS and delve into how it has revolutionized the delivery and accessibility of financial services. The episode covers: 🚀 BaaS 2.0: BaaS 2.0 represents the evolution and maturation of the concept since its initial inception. BaaS 2.0 offers a more robust and scalable platform, enabling a wider range of services and features. 🔀 Fintech vs. SaaS: What aspects are different? While both Fintech and BaaS focus on leveraging technology in the financial sector, they differ in their primary offerings. 💡 Exciting spaces and our investment framework: Within the BaaS ecosystem, we are excited about certain spaces like payment gateways, lending platforms, wealth management solutions and more. We will discuss our investment framework used to evaluate and select opportunities. 🌐 Identifying adjacencies and tapping into them: Adjacencies play a crucial role in the growth and expansion of BaaS platforms. Tapping into adjacencies is essential for expanding the customer base, increasing revenue streams and creating synergies. 🔧 Skillsets required for building a Banktech play: Building a successful Banktech platform requires a specific set of skillsets. These include expertise in banking operations and regulations, technology infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and customer experience. 📲 Indian rails as public goods vs. private in the US: Boon or bane? The Indian rail infrastructure, including Aadhaar Authentication (AA), Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and Open Credit Enablement Network (OCEN), is considered public goods. In contrast, the rail systems in the United States are predominantly private. Comparing these two models raises important questions about the benefits and challenges of each approach. 🌍 Global expansion: Is it imminent? As the BaaS industry grows, evaluating the Total Addressable Market (TAM) in India is crucial to assess its potential for building a large-scale business. Additionally, exploring the feasibility and necessity of expanding to geographies similar to India provides valuable insights into global expansion opportunities and challenges.

In our latest episode of Reflections, we explore the use cases of generative AI in fintech with Aakash Kumar, Anish Patil, and Anand Khetan. Hear them as they discuss AI's disruptive impact, emerging patterns in technology development, future trends, as well as risks and opportunities in financial services. Tune in!

In this latest episode, Ankur Edkie and Sneha Roy pull back the curtain on how they have built a rapidly growing business. Tune in.