The Uppercase Podcast

Founder and managing director of one of India's most well known venture capital firms, Matrix Partners India, AVNISH BAJAJ has a knack for picking winners. It’s not luck; it’s an ability he hones through intense research and also by studying human nature and decision making. So, how does he pick a winner? What are the traits he looks for in entrepreneurs? Avnish talks about all that on this episode of The Uppercase Podcast. But, that’s not all. Avnish has also been on the other side of the table – as an internet entrepreneur. He launched ecommerce marketplace Baazee, India's answer to eBay, in 2000 – the year that saw the dotcom bubble burst – and sold it to eBay four years later for $50 million. It’s no wonder that downturns don’t worry Avnish. ‘When businesses start in downturns, they are built the right way,’ you’ll hear him say in this episode, and he also explains how that works. It’s just one of many useful messages hopeful and budding entrepreneurs will find in this episode. So, if you’re wondering if you’re on the right track with your product/startup idea, and what you can do to grow a successful business, turn up the volume, sit back and listen. You’ll learn a little about business and a lot about life: how to frame your perspective, how to enjoy deeper, more meaningful experiences and connections and make the time for the things that matter most, what books to read to guide you along, and how to fend off that dreaded FOMO that makes us all do all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons.

If restoring structures that were constructed centuries ago has taught conservation architect VIKAS DILAWARI anything, it's how to embrace what he calls the 'least bad compromise' - because sometimes, it's simply not possible to find the exact material he wants or to go back to a long-abandoned technique. It's the trick to being happy in life, too, Vikas believes: accepting that sometimes you won't get what you want, and that what's 'good enough' can actually prove to be pretty great in the long run. It's an incredible thing to be able to be happy with what you have, says Vikas, but this, like the need to find time for his family and for other things that matter, was something he learnt over time and through experiences. His daughter once even told him, 'You've been conserving so many things, now conserve your home.' Vikas chooses his projects carefully now, preferring to immerse himself in select projects, rather than to pile up the contracts. The result? Seventeen of the buildings he's worked on have bagged UNESCO Asia Pacific awards for cultural preservation in Southeast Asia. But it took Vikas a while to slow down and to go back to something life had tried to teach him - rather painfully - in his early days as a conservation architect: the need for balance. On this episode of THE UPPERCASE PODCAST, the renowned conservation architect talks about what helps him to check his expectations, the need to shut out the noise and focus on what's important for yourself, and about the powerful tool that helps one through the tough times: a sense of humour.

'What's the good word' wasn't just some quiz show she hosted back in the 80s. SABIRA MERCHANT actually helped create the concept of the TV contest that went on to captivate the country. And, it was so much more than just a fun competition for Sabira, who was just a little girl when she discovered the power of a good vocabulary. In her book, A Full Life (Jaico Publishing), Sabira writes about how, as a young girl, she taught herself to pronounce words correctly, and about how that afforded her a certain confidence whenever she accompanied her father to social gatherings. All through her life, in fact, she's watched communication skills transform personalities, relationships and even destinies - and as a renowned communication and etiquette coach, Sabira has often played an integral role in achieving these life-changing transformations. On this episode of The Uppercase Podcast, she shares some of these stories and offers listeners some great tips - because, well, she just couldn't resist :)

Back in 1988, HARISH MEHTA of Onward Technologies joined forces with a small group of other visionaries to start an organisation that would affect not just IT policies in India but the very perception of India itself. When they set out with the aim of advocating for the Indian software services industry, Harish and his small army of mavericks had their work cut out for them. Here, in India, their first big challenge was to educate bureaucrats about what software is - overseas, the group faced an even bigger challenge: it was up to NASSCOM to build Brand India, to reverse the negative perceptions that had taken root over decades. It wasn't enough to just build the best product; they had to convince the world that India could offer the best quality, consistently and at competitive prices - and they had to pull this off within a conservative budget. How did they do it? By internalising and truly living by the 'One for all, and all for one' dictum -- plus, of course, with some nifty marketing. Coopetition - the act of cooperation between competing companies - was at the heart of every move NASSCOM and its members made. Harish's new book, 'The Maverick Effect' offers a behind-the-scenes look at this unlikely partnership that changed India's fortunes. On this episode of The Uppercase Podcast, listen to Harish talk about the vision that united India's tech gods and about why he feels it's time for other such associations to shake up the way we live and work.

Mumbai's favourite patisserie chain, Theobroma, started as a small pastry shop in Colaba Causeway in 2004. Today, it's in 90 locations across India, and it's still growing. On this episode of The Uppercase Podcast, KAINAZ MESSMAN and her parents Kamal and Farokh, the family that found sweet success with the brand, swear that they couldn't have done it without the support of their employees and friends. Or without the help of those who walked into that Colaba store as perfect strangers. Like, legendary ad veteran and designer Elsie Nanji, who fell so in love with Theobroma in its early days that the woman behind some of the country's most memorable ads, designed the pastry shop's chic packaging on incredible, 'Pay me when you can' terms. 'Guardian angels', Kainaz calls them, this army of well-wishers who have been rooting for her every step of the way. On this episode, Kainaz and her parents look back at their incredible journey and ponder what may have attracted these positive influences into their lives. What are they doing right? Listen and learn.

When he graduated from Chicago Booth in 1989, the software at the school couldn't process LUIS MIRANDA's submission because his Rs 40,000 salary was way below the $20,000 minimum it was programmed to register. Only a few years later, Luis would help build HDFC bank, and then IDFC Private Equity. Today, he's the chairman of the Centre for Civil Society and CORO, he's also chairman of ManipalCigna Health Insurance, senior advisor at Morgan Stanley. and an advisor to L&T SuFin and GMR Infrastructure. And, when Luis co-founded the Indian School of Public Policy in 2018, it found the support of people like Nadir Godrej, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, Mphasis' Jerry Rao and Vallabh Bhanshali of Flame University. Thirty-three years since he graduated, that guy who drew the lowest salary -- the one who became a chartered accountant because he didn't have the grades to study dental medicine -- is now a Trustee of the University of Chicago Trust in India and a member of the Global Leaders Group and the Advisory Council of the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at Chicago Booth. He also teaches at the Accelerated Development Program of Chicago Booth. It's a wonderful story and there's no better person to tell it than Luis himself. On the Uppercase Podcast, he talks to me about his other big wins, too: Winning Fiona's love, raising kids who have a strong set of values, building rock-hard relationships, and making a difference to the community - and about doing it all while having loads of fun.