Virtues required to build a business today seem to have become a cliché. What often gets lost in the cracks are the subtle nuances that actually make or break a business. The importance of risk-taking and the power of a contrarian mindset in running a successful venture requires far more than mere intellect. Founders of OYO, Mama Earth, and Rare Rabbit open up about what makes them tick, from the impact of their upbringing on their ambition to the drive towards financial independence. Their experiences remind us that the real ‘secret’ to building a successful business is learning from every challenge and opportunity one encounters
We break down traits that seem to persist in high-performing individuals, not all of which come from a happy space. Financial insecurity and childhood traumas shape much of how we act and operate as adults. Watch this episode to learn about how when it is channeled the right way, it can prove to be the building blocks of the traits needed to build a successful business.

#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha, True Beacon and Gruhas
Twitter https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio

#riteshagarwal - CEO of OYO Rooms
Twitter: https://twitter.com/riteshagar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ri....teshagar/?originalSu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riteshagar/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riteshagarwall/

#ghazalalagh - Co-Founder of Mamaearth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GhazalAlagh
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ghazal-alagh
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghazalalagh/?hl=en

#manishpoddar - Founder & CEO of Rare Rabbit

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction and Objective of this Episode
1:54 Who is Ghazal Alagh? | Childhood Learnings and Struggle
5:24 School life and Insecurities
8:02 Ghazal's special relationship with her mother
12:50 How life changed for Ghazal in high school
18:50 Why is Loyalty important to Ghazal
20:40 The Drive for Financial Independence
27:50 What does art mean to Ghazal?
30:10 What was Ghazal doing before Mama Earth?
39:25 How did Ghazal Identify an Opportunity in Skin Care?
46:50 Mama Earth’s early days of Product Development and Marketing
55:40 Mama Earth’s Sales Techniques & Customer Engagement
1:09:12 Nikhil’s Summary of Ghazal’s Journey
1:13:50 Introduction to Rare Rabbit
1:15:14 Manish Poddar on Growing Up in Bombay
1:22:35 The Textile Industry in Bombay during the 1970s
1:28:15 Experience working with the Family Business
1:36:00 Entering the export business
1:38:50 Insights on the European Fashion Industry
1:44:17 Dealing with Early Failures and Learnings
1:48:36 Culture of European Fashion Companies
1:55:45 What does it take to build a Fashion Brand today?
2:03:35 Importance of Embracing Risk in Entrepreneurship
2:11:03 What is styling?
2:12:10 Story behind Rare Rabbit
2:17:30 Does getting influencers work for brands?
2:19:15 What worked for Rare Rabbit?
2:24:05 What was the breakthrough point in Rare Rabbit
02:26:51 Hacks to start a clothing brand
02:37:05 Nikhil Summarises Manish Poddar Journey
02:38:30 Ritesh Agarwal Introduction: Calmness and Belief in God
02:43:00 How does Ritiesh define spirituality?
2:48:00 - How was Ritesh's childhood like?
02:51:00 Why is India's Cost of borrowing higher than other developing countries?
02:53:30 How did Ritesh's equation with siblings change over time?
2:57:28 How important is clarity of thought and being contrarian in entrepreneurship?
03:01:30 Where did the rebelliousness come from?
03:03:54 - How does Ritesh give feedback and solve problems?
3:07:16 What are Ritesh's personality flaws?
03:08:20 - Does delay in gratification make one successful?
03:13:39 - What does a 21 year old lack today?
3:19:10 - Uday Kotak's humility
03:23:10 - How did the Thiel Fellowship change Ritesh’s life?
03:33:50 - Serendipity Moments in Ritiesh’s life?
03:40:35 - What helped Ritesh deal with low days?
03:46:10 - How did OYO scale up?
03:53:00 - How did Covid changed businesses?
03:57:45 - Relationship with Softbank CEO
04:03:00 - Advice to Entrepreneur to Find Right Opportunity
04:12:00 - WTF Fund

ElevenLabs is the AI company that makes machines sound human. They dubbed the Lex Friedman–Modi podcast into Hindi. They built an AI Gordon Ramsay that teaches you how to cook while you cook. They automated 60,000 customer support calls for Meesho. The company is worth $11 billion and is racing OpenAI to own the future of how humans talk to machines. The CEO is a 29-year-old from Poland named Mati Staniszewski who started it because every foreign film in Poland had one man dubbing every character. I sat down with him in Davos. We got into why headphones will matter more than phones, why the real opportunity for young entrepreneurs isn't building AI models but going deep into one boring domain — automotive, healthcare, e-commerce — and deploying voice agents better than anyone else. Then it took a turn. We ended up talking about why social media is fundamentally broken, why no foreign algorithm should define the mood of India's youth, and why nobody has built an AI-native social product yet. We decided to try.

00:00 Introduction
06:35 Voice as the next tech interface
13:24 Competing with OpenAI and big labs
20:12 Preserving emotion in dubbed content
27:39 Building profitable voice businesses today
35:09 AI valuations and global opportunity
42:29 Geopolitics reshaping trust in tech platforms
49:51 Designing a new social media platform
56:40 Incentivising authenticity over negativity

#nikhilkamath
Co-founder of Zerodha and Gruhas
Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast
Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/

#matistaniszewski linkedin- https://uk.linkedin.com/in/matiii
Twitter - https://x.com/matiii

Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify
https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn

Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify
https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59

Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify
https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th

#wtfiswithnikhilkamath #peoplebywtf #wtfonline

Psychology believes that you start telling yourself you’re passionate at something when you realise you’re better at that something - same logic for talent? How important is it to be talented but also be “relevant” in the industries that seem cool to be in?

In this episode of ‘WTF is’ Podcast, we have Kriti Sanon, KL Rahul, & Badshah - who chose career paths which are quite offbeat.

Is it sheer talent..?
Is it discipline to achieve excellence despite the element of talent?
or is it merely good luck? - being at the right place at the right time?


#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha, True Beacon and Gruhas
Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/

#kritisanon Acclaimed actress, model, entrepreneur, and producer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kritisanon/
Twitter: https://x.com/kritisanon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKS10/

#klrahul Star cricketer, brand ambassador, and entrepreneur
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klrahul/
Twitter: https://x.com/klrahul
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KLYoutube/videos
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klrahul/

#badshah Rapper, singer-songwriter, music producer, and entrepreneur
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badboyshah/
Twitter: https://x.com/Its_Badshah
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBadshah/

Timestamps -

00:00 Introduction
05:25 Kriti’s introduction
08:55 Kriti on perfectionism and validation
14:28 Kriti’s attachment style
17:58 Kriti on being an outsider
27:45 Kriti in 10 years from today
49:20 X factor

57:05 KL Rahul introduction
59:31 Playing multiple sports = Better Athlete?
01:01:25 KL’s love of cricket as a kid
01:03:18 How imp is talent to become a better cricketer?
01:10:15 Importance of data analysis
01:13:22 KL’s early memories with cricket
01:33:47 How does one become a Cricketer?

01:39:48 Badshah’s Introduction
01:50:13 Entrepreneurs & The Next Big Thing
02:01:23 Badshah’s success story

02:14:35 Plan B?
02:29:51 Boys Chat: Dating, Business & Life
02:40:12 How long does it take to build a successful biz in india


#nikhilkamath #wtfiswithnikhilkamath

Episode 1 of ‘People by WTF'; where we have one-on-one conversations with personalities who stand out in various industries! In this 30 min exclusive with Bill Gates, we speak about his experience with India, from his early Microsoft days to his work with The Gates Foundation. We also cover topics such as the role of philanthropy in society, energy transition, the possibilities of AGI, along with its impact on society, money, and jobs. If Bill Gates were a 25-year-old building in India today, what would he do?


#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha, True Beacon and Gruhas
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nikhilkamathcio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio


#billgates Co-founder of Microsoft , Co-chair The Gates Foundation
Twitter : https://twitter.com/BillGates
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thisisbillgates/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/BillGates/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@billgates

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
1:20 Nikhil’s past Interactions with Bill Gates
2:20 Bill’s Experience with India over the years
6:10 Does philanthropy actually work?
10:20 Capitalism Vs Socialism
11:50 How does Bill stay healthy?
12:56 Energy Transition : What are the opportunities?
16:34 AGI: Impact on Jobs, Money and Society
19:40 How can Indians leverage AI?
22:06 Sectors to Focus on with AI in India
24:10 Bill's advice for people in early 20's
25:43 What are the possibilities with AI?
29:03 Outro

#peoplebywtf #wtfiswithnikhilkamath

Data suggest that young folks under the age of 30 are spending a lot more time on social media and gaming and less time on TV and physical sports. In this episode, we have the CEO of Nazara Technologies,Krafton India and Lila Games, leaders in the Indian gaming space. We also have Animesh Agarwal (8bit Thug), a protagonist of the Indian gaming Industry,turning gaming into a full time career in india


Given that gaming for young kids today is what cricket was for Indians back in the day, we explore how one can prepare to become a part of the gaming industry: By either becoming a gamer, understanding specific skills needed and channels of monetisation or by developing and publishing games, knowing how hiring in the gaming industry works and so on.In both of these cases, what remains common is specific skills and knowledge
Given that the industry is still in its nascent stages in India, we compare and contrast the climate of the gaming industry across geographies, break down what physiological aspects and latent human desires which makes certain games tick. It could be chasing emotions, status or making progress along with the opportunities that we are primed to capitalize based on the current landscape of the gaming industry.

#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha, True Beacon and Gruhas
Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio

#animeshagarwal l - CEO of 8bit Creatives
Twitter: https://x.com/8bit_thug/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/8bitthug
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/8bit_thug/

#seanhyunilsohn - CEO of Krafton India
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hisohn?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/se....an-hyunil-sohn-16702

#josephkim - CEO of Lila Games
Twitter : https://twitter.com/jokim1?lang=en/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jokim1/

#nitishmittersain - CEO of Nazara Technology
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mittersain/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mittersain/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nitishmittersain/

Timestamps :
00:00 Introduction
0:40 - Nitish Mittersain Introduction
2:09 - What is Young President's Organisation (YPO)
5:15 - Nitish Mittersain Introduction Continued
7:00 - What do we Really think about listing a company? Pros and Cons
13:50 - Sohn’s Introduction: Life in South Korea
15:40 - Parallels between South Korean and Indian Societies
20:50 - What is an Esports Tournament?
21:35 - How did Sohn become Krafton India CEO?
24:35 - Why did Pubg get banned in India?
26:25 - Is the world becoming more fragmented?
29:40 - Indian Gaming ecosystem - Challenges & Opportunity
38:14 - Who is Joseph Kim? How did he get into Gaming?
42:25 - Animesh Agarwal / 8-Bit Thug Introduction
49:04 - How much do gamers/streamers earn in India?
55:20 - How should a 21 year old build a career in gaming?
58:28 - Where is Youth Spending Most time?
01:04:33 - How to target gaming crowd?
01:18:30 - What are Mid core, Casual, Hyper-casual Games?
01:23:20 - Monetising Game through In App Purchase vs Pay to Play
01:30:10 - What kinds of games succeed in India?
01:38:40 - Is the gaming industry failing?
01:41:40 - What’s working for Real Money Gaming?
01:53:06 - Games which will be relevant in 5 years?
01:57:15 - Building Game on Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality
02:06:25 - What kinds of games succeed in India? Continued
02:15:42 - What are 5 Skill needed to make a game?
02:25:50 - Why is Gaming Design difficult in India?
02:30:30 - How to use Data Analytics in Gaming
02:32:50 - Advice from Animesh to start gaming
02:37:15 - WTFund

What happens when you get gaming leaders from India, US, South Korea and add Nikhil in the mix?

Stay tuned to find out.

#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha, True Beacon and Gruhas
Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio

#animeshagarwal l - CEO of 8bit Creatives
Twitter: https://x.com/8bit_thug/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/8bitthug
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/8bit_thug/

#seanhyunilsohn - CEO of Krafton India
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hisohn?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/se....an-hyunil-sohn-16702

#josephkim - CEO of Lila Games
Twitter : https://twitter.com/jokim1?lang=en/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jokim1/

#nitishmittersain - CEO of Nazara Technology
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mittersain/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mittersain/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nitishmittersain/

India has had a long, colourful, and mixed history with Liquor over the centuries, with ancient fermented drinks and traditional liquors like feni and toddy. India today, holds the third-largest market for alcoholic beverages globally, which is remarkable given the challenging business environment of red tape-ism, varying excise duties across states and much more.
In episode #18 of “WTF is” Podcast, we have Founders of different sectors in the Liquor Industry of India. Abhishek Khaitan, MD of Radico Khaitan, One of the oldest and largest manufacturers of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in India; Minakshi Singh, Co-founder of SideCar, India’s only entry in the top 100 of the World’s Best Bars; Shuchir Suri, Co founder of Gin Explorer’s Club, India’s biggest gin festival with a footfall of over 100,000 people per edition; and Suraj Shenai, Founder of Goa Brewing Co, crafting ‘non-conformist, modern’ beers that challenge the traditional dominance of German and Belgian flavours.

If Euphemism for patriotism is outrightly sold to people, across the world in different pockets, can the same brand-building tactics work for Indian Products too?

For additional insight into this industry, here’s a link to explore some of the resources provided by the guests of this episode

https://nksqr.notion.site/Addi....tional-Resources-0e1

#nikhilkamath Co-founder of Zerodha, True Beacon and Gruhas
Host #wtfiswithnikhilkamath #wtfispodcast
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nikhilkamathcio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio

#abhishekkhaitan MD of Radico Khaitan
Twitter - https://x.com/radicokhaitan
LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ab....hishek-khaitan-95098
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/abhishek40/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/abhishek.khaitan.12

#minakshisingh Founder of SideCar, Cocktails & Dreams
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/min.drinks

#shuchirsuri Founder of Jade Forest, Anthem, Gin Explorers Club
LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shuchir-suri-058251b/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shuchirsuri
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/shuchir

#surajshenai Founder of Goa Brewing Company
Twitter - https://x.com/goabrewingco
LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/surajshenai
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/surajshenai/

00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:30 - Minakshi’s Intro: Part Time Job turned Full time Passion
00:06:00 - Change of course: Bartender turned Marketer
00:08:08 - Big break: Joining World’s biggest Liquor companies
00:08:40 - Building her own bar - Cocktails & Dreams
00:11:53 - Elements of a bar experience | SideCar #1 Bar in India
00:14:32 - Suraj’s Intro: Growing up in Goa
00:16:38 - Learning the ropes | Understanding India’s drinking culture
00:20:00 - Story of the beginning of Goa Brewing Co
00:21:40 - What is Indian Pale Ale? | Hops
00:25:20 - Obsession to start something new | Premiumising Quality
00:32:38 - Shuchir’s Intro: Love for Hosting Events
00:34:00 - Starting a company at 18: Early success to Downfall
00:37:00 - Joining a company | Understanding how companies work
00:38:35 - Starting the Gin Explorers Club, Food Talk India, Anthem, Jade Forest
00:42:10 - Abhishek’s Intro | Innate Passion for Liquor
00:45:10 - Joining Family Business | Overcoming Failures, Observing Trends
00:54:00 - Promoting Indian Craftsmanship Globally
00:58:50 - Objective of this podcast
00:59:34 - Size of the Liquor Industry in India | Psychology of consumption
01:06:32 - Alcohol: Is it good/ bad for you?
01:09:15 - Market Share and Revenue in India
01:10:47 - Steps to Start a Liquor brand | Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Steps
01:26:00 - Opportunities in the Current Trends | Category, Product, Price
01:54:26 - Food Break
01:55:05 - Distribution | Hacks, Storytelling, Picking a Niche
02:12:20 - Marketing Budgets in different states in India
02:15:20 - Revenue Generation Tax in states through liquor
02:17:30 - Nikhil on Long term Investment in Liquor Companies In India
02:24:32 - Celebrity Led Liquor Brands: Do they work?
02:31:46 - Are Social Media Influencers effective in Advertising?
02:35:35 - Is it possible to discern between Good V/s Premium?
02:40:40 - Is Patriotism a good backstory for a product?
02:44:35 - Is Hangover equally proportionate to % of Alcohol?
02:50:05 - Potential of Pre-ready Beverages, Wine store, Online Delivery
03:00:40 - Indian Brands vs International Brands wrt Import Tax
03:02:55 - Registration of Liquor Brands | Excise Duty, Licenses, Challenges
03:10:57 - WTFund

Disclaimer:
Alcohol consumption is injurious to health. No participants in this video promote alcohol consumption and strongly discourage underage, binge, and careless drinking. All panelists in this show express their own personal views, which do not necessarily reflect the views of the producers or promoters. Please drink responsibly.