Entrepreneur's Live Interviews 🎙️

Hosted by Priya Ranjan Mohanty

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539

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Jun 2026

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India is evolving to become the next economic superpower. It is essential for everyone to play their part. We are doing so by building a platform where entrepreneurs can share their stories with the masses. We expect the result to be more people joining the path of entrepreneurship and in turn skyrocket our economy. ELI or Entrepreneur's Live Interviews 🎙️ is a social venture that aims to inspire young people into entrepreneurship. India needs a lot of entrepreneurs right now. Entrepreneurs create employment, produce economic value, and bring glory to our country.

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June 2, 2026Episode 54438 min

ELI - 544 | Building a $300 Billion "Everything Human" Economy | Sanjeev Kumar (Harley of London)

Sanjeev Kumar, Founder and CVO of Harley Street Healthcare Group and Global CEO of HARLEY of LONDON, joins ELI to share his vision for building the world's first integrated health, wellness, and lifestyle ecosystem. From Wall Street to Harley Street, he talks about the HOLNESS framework, bringing affordable genetic sequencing to India, and why tier 2 cities are the future of healthcare.Harley of London is a London-based luxury healthcare group expanding rapidly into India with its HOLNESS ecosystem and MyCare 360 digital platform. The company recently acquired Mahaveer Hospital in Aurangabad and is partnering with state governments on preventive genomics programs aimed at making healthcare more precise, personalized, and affordable.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction01:00 - The Entrepreneurial Journey: Trial, Error & Curiosity04:00 - The HOLNESS Framework Explained08:50 - India Market Entry & Genetic Sequencing Vision14:00 - Why Tier 2 Cities? The India Expansion Strategy19:30 - MyCare 360: The Digital Health Ecosystem23:00 - AI Agents Liora & Aarav: Your Health Companions26:00 - NBFC Financing for Healthcare29:00 - The Wholeness Dollar: A New Financial Infrastructure33:00 - AI in Healthcare: Practical Reality vs Hype38:30 - Closing---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur's Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India's startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

June 2, 2026Episode 54329 min

ELI - 543 | AI Won't Replace You - It Will Upgrade You | Akash Karnik (1Point1 Solutions)

In this episode, Priya Ranjan Mohanty speaks with Akashanand (Akash) Karnik, Global COO & Whole Time Director of 1Point1 Solutions Limited - a BSE-listed, AI-powered Business Process Management (BPM) company operating across 9 delivery centers on 5 continents.Akash shares how India's BPM industry, once built entirely on labor arbitrage, is being transformed by AI. But his take is refreshingly human: 'It is not about human elimination - it's about upgrading the human to solve problems faster.' He walks us through 1Point1's growth via 3 strategic acquisitions in 3 years, how their AI platform handles multilingual CX across continents, the real impact of AI on jobs (reskilling vs. replacement), and why the company chose to go public on BSE. A candid conversation about the intersection of AI, people, and global business process delivery.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction & BSE Listing Congratulations00:45 - What Does 1Point1 Solutions Do?03:50 - Growth Strategy: M&A + Organic Sales04:55 - India's BPM Industry & the AI Disruption Question08:30 - Building an AI-First Tech Stack10:43 - AI for Multilingual Customer Support13:45 - AI's Real Impact: Cost Savings for Clients16:15 - Will AI Replace White-Collar Jobs?17:23 - 'It's Not About Elimination, It's About Upgrading'21:00 - Human-in-the-Loop: AI + People Working Together24:00 - AI in Customer Service: Real-World Examples27:27 - 'Upgrading the Human to Solve Problems Faster'29:05 - Closing Remarks---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur's Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India's startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

June 2, 2026Episode 54229 min

ELI - 542 | From 2 People to 500+ in Packaging Automation | Krunal Kantale (Alligator Automations)

In this episode, Priya Ranjan Mohanty speaks with Krunal Kantale, Co-founder & MD of Alligator Automations - a packaging automation company based in Pune that has grown from 2 people to 500+ employees since its founding in 2008.Krunal and his co-founder Srinivas Choudhary started their journey winning 43 national and international robotics awards while still in college. They quit their jobs during the 2008 recession - against their families' wishes - and landed their first order of Rs 1.5 lakhs. Today, Alligator Automations serves industries from FMCG to fertilizers to chemicals, handling everything from primary packaging to palletizing, warehousing, and dispatch. He discusses the challenge of selling automation in a country where labor is cheap, the role of AI and computer vision in modern manufacturing, and how customization wins projects over standard machines.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:31 - About Alligator Automations01:00 - Krunal's Background & Experience04:14 - Starting During the 2008 Recession05:27 - First Order: Rs 1.5 Lakhs from Mumbai08:20 - What Alligator Automations Does09:47 - Is Packaging Automation a Big Market?12:30 - Use Cases: FMCG, Fertilizer, Chemicals15:15 - Pitching Automation When Labor is Cheap19:30 - Customization vs. Standard Machines21:00 - IoT, AI & Computer Vision in Manufacturing23:30 - Global Expansion: Middle East, Africa, Americas27:46 - Advice for Entrepreneurs29:05 - Closing Remarks---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur's Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India's startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

June 2, 2026Episode 54129 min

ELI - 541 | Solar Pays Off in 3 Years, Then 25 Years Free Power | Anand Jain (Aerem)

In this episode, Priya Ranjan Mohanty speaks with Anand Jain, Founder & CEO of Aerem (meaning 'clean air' in Latin) - a solar-focused FinTech platform making rooftop solar adoption accessible through financing, technology, and an end-to-end ecosystem.Anand, a Yale MBA and former Wall Street investment banker, breaks down a staggering shift: 10 years ago, 70% of energy investment went to coal and gas. Today, 70% goes to solar. Yet India has tapped only 5-7% of its rooftop solar potential. The catch? Lack of financing, fragmented installer ecosystem, and consumer hesitation. Aerem solves this with structured loan products, a curated solar equipment marketplace (SunStore), remote monitoring (AeROC), and training for 2,000+ EPC partners. He also discusses India's dramatic shift from 90% Chinese module imports to 85% domestic manufacturing in just two years.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:37 - What is Aerem?01:00 - The Company Name: Clean Air in Latin04:20 - Solar Energy: Current State & Potential05:00 - 70% of Energy Investment Now Goes to Solar09:00 - Solar is 70-80% Cheaper Than Grid Power09:35 - Why Isn't Every Rooftop Solar Yet?10:00 - The Financing Gap Aerem Solves12:50 - 2,000 Projects in 4 Years14:00 - Consumer Hesitation & Technology Maturity16:55 - Standalone Solar vs. Hybrid with Battery21:00 - India's Solar Manufacturing Revolution24:00 - Future of Solar Technology26:40 - Advice for Entrepreneurs29:05 - Closing Remarks---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur's Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India's startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

June 2, 2026Episode 54033 min

ELI - 540 | Who Takes Care of Your Parents When You Live Abroad? | Navneet Gupta (ServiceGTD)

In this episode, Priya Ranjan Mohanty speaks with Navneet Gupta, Founder & CEO of ServiceGTD (Get Things Done) - a platform solving elder care and concierge services for NRIs whose parents live back in India.Navneet shares his personal journey as an NRI who realized the massive gap in India's elder care ecosystem. With no single reliable platform for NRIs to arrange care for aging parents remotely, he built ServiceGTD - a trusted concierge that handles everything from caretakers and nurses to daily errands. He discusses the fragmented service landscape, partnering with local providers across India, using AI chatbots to bridge timezone gaps, quality control challenges, and the emotional weight of caring for loved ones from thousands of miles away.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:36 - What is ServiceGTD?01:04 - Why the Name GTD (Get Things Done)03:30 - The NRI Problem: Elder Care Gap in India04:54 - Problems ServiceGTD Solves08:30 - COVID as an Eye-Opener for Elder Care10:05 - Building the Platform & Service Categories12:45 - Care at Home: Attendants & Nurses16:30 - Using AI & Chatbots for 24/7 Support18:28 - Operating as a Young Company with Partners22:26 - Vetting & Selecting Service Partners25:30 - The Onboarding & Fulfillment Process26:15 - Scaling Pan-India: City-by-City Strategy28:30 - Quality & Trust: Refusing Bad-Fit Customers32:00 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs32:52 - Closing Remarks---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur's Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India's startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

June 2, 2026Episode 53928 min

ELI - 539 | 60% of Internet Traffic is Bots - She's Fixing It with Blockchain | Manasa Rajan

In this episode, Priya Ranjan Mohanty speaks with Manasa Rajan, Co-founder & CEO of Jupiter Meta - a deep tech startup using zero-knowledge proofs and blockchain to deliver privacy-first consumer intelligence.Manasa shares how 60% of internet traffic today comes from bots, making traditional data collection and ad targeting unreliable. Jupiter Meta's solution uses on-device Aadhaar verification (zkKYC) to prove users are real humans without ever storing their personal data. She walks us through their products - Superch (consumer app), Hercules (AI-powered brand intelligence platform), and Poseidon (deep data query tool) - and their recent MoU with the Karnataka government.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:33 - Manasa's Background & Entrepreneurial Journey01:33 - Why Jupiter Meta Was Born03:00 - The Data Quality Problem05:35 - 60% of Internet Traffic is Bots08:01 - How Jupiter Meta Solves This08:16 - Zero Knowledge Proof & On-Device KYC10:55 - The Superch App & User Experience13:55 - How Brands Use the Data (Hercules Platform)17:15 - Poseidon: Deep Research & Consumer Insights19:30 - Behavioral Data from Real App Usage21:37 - Is Privacy a Myth? The Decentralized Difference25:04 - Vision: Democratizing Data Access for Entrepreneurs28:08 - Closing Remarks---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur's Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India's startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

June 2, 2026Episode 53830 min

ELI - 538 | 85 Years of Trust: From Law Firm to Boutique Advisory Empire | Dhruv Chopra (DPNC)

In this episode, Priya Ranjan Mohanty sits down with Dhruv Chopra, Managing Partner of Dewan P.N. Chopra & Co. and MD of DPNC Advisors — one of India’s top boutique advisory firms founded in 1940.Dhruv shares the remarkable three-generation journey of transforming a pre-Independence law practice into a full-service advisory powerhouse serving 30 of India’s top 200 business groups. He discusses the evolution of the CA profession, the rise of family offices in India, navigating family disputes, and advice for aspiring advisory professionals.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:49 - About Dewan P.N. Chopra & Co.01:55 - History of the Firm (Founded 1940)06:16 - Dhruv’s Journey & Building DPNC Advisors08:30 - Evolution of the CA Profession09:36 - Why Businesses Need Advisors Today12:30 - Specialization vs. Generalization in Advisory13:17 - DPNC’s Proprietary Framework for HNIs16:45 - Rise of Family Offices in India20:08 - Professional vs. Personal in Family Investing23:04 - Navigating Family Feuds & Disputes27:56 - Advice for Aspiring Advisory Professionals29:53 - Closing Remarks---About ELI Podcast:ELI (Entrepreneur’s Live Interviews) brings you inspiring stories from India’s startup ecosystem. Real founders, real journeys, real insights.Website: https://eli-podcast.com

June 2, 2026Episode 53724 min

ELI - 537 | Why Adulterated Food is the "New Normal" & How to Fix It | Dr. Prithwi Singh

Welcome back to the ELI Podcast! In this episode, Priya sits down with Dr. Prithwi Singh, Co-Founder and CEO of Khetika, a rapidly growing clean-label food brand in India focusing on fresh batters, spices, dry fruits, and staples.Dr. Singh shares his journey from consulting at BCG to building a food brand centered entirely around honesty, single-origin sourcing, and transparency. We dive into the four major types of food adulteration rampant in India today, why chemical preservatives aren't always necessary for shelf life, and how Khetika’s "SAATHI" program connects directly with farmers to ensure a completely clean, farm-to-plate supply chain.If you are curious about what really goes into your packaged food, or if you are an aspiring entrepreneur looking to understand supply chains and the FMCG space, this episode is a must-watch!🎧 Check out more episodes at: https://eli-podcast.com⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Dr. Prithwi Singh & Khetika0:28 - What is a "Clean Label" Food Brand?1:41 - The Truth About Preservatives & Shelf Life3:24 - Dr. Singh’s Background: From BCG to Entrepreneurship4:16 - The Four Major Types of Food Adulteration in India7:58 - The Early Days of Khetika & Tackling the Staples Market9:25 - "Making Honest Food the New Normal" & A Personal Wake-Up Call11:41 - The Khetika SAATHI Program: Building a Transparent Farm-to-Plate Supply Chain13:26 - How to Maintain Consistent Quality with Single-Origin Sourcing17:12 - Pricing Strategy: How Khetika Competes with Mass Market Brands18:36 - Utilizing $18M in Series B Funding: Clean Manufacturing Expansion19:54 - Navigating Competition Against FMCG Giants21:26 - Brand Loyalty & The Indian Consumer’s Shift Towards Health23:03 - The Realities of Entrepreneurship: Purpose Over Profit🔗 About the Guest:Dr. Prithwi Singh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Khetika, a brand committed to making honest, clean, and unadulterated food the new normal in India. Learn more about their mission at khetika.com.Tags:#ELIPodcast #Khetika #DrPrithwiSingh #CleanEating #FoodTech #FMCG #Entrepreneurship #SupplyChain #StartupIndia #HealthAndWellness

June 2, 2026Episode 53629 min

ELI - 536 | The Future of EV Infrastructure & Energy Trading | Akshay Shekhar | ELI Podcast

Welcome back to the ELI Podcast! In this episode, Priya sits down with Akshay Shekhar, the Co-Founder and CEO of Kazam, India's leading agnostic E-mobility and charging platform.Akshay shares his entrepreneurial journey from his corporate days at PepsiCo and Godrej to building his second startup. We dive deep into how Kazam is solving the massive challenge of EV charging infrastructure in India, specifically for the booming two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and commercial fleet markets. We also discuss the future of peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading, the realities of building V1 products, and the core traits every successful entrepreneur needs: curiosity, perseverance, and humility.Whether you're an aspiring founder or interested in the rapidly growing climate tech and EV space, this episode is packed with actionable insights!🎧 Check out more episodes at: https://eli-podcast.com⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Akshay Shekhar & Kazam0:39 - Akshay’s Background: From Corporate Life to Second-Time Founder4:19 - Starting Kazam: The YouTube Channel & Early EV Hypothesis7:35 - Solving Charging for Q-Commerce Fleets (e.g., BigBasket)10:21 - The Reality of Building V1 Products & OEM Integrations13:07 - How Kazam's Software Reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)17:15 - The Future of EV Payments & Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Energy Trading20:47 - The Realities of Entrepreneurship: "You Are a Salesman for Life"24:32 - Managing Culture and Scaling from 5 to 350+ Employees26:20 - Top 3 Traits of Successful Founders: Curiosity, Perseverance, and Humility28:53 - Why Now is the Best Time to be an Entrepreneur in India🔗 About the Guest:Akshay Shekhar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kazam, an IoT-based EV charging platform building the future of electric mobility and energy management across India. Learn more about their work at kazam.energy.Tags:#ELIPodcast #Kazam #AkshayShekhar #EVCharging #ElectricVehicles #Entrepreneurship #StartupIndia #ClimateTech #EnergyTrading #SaaS

June 2, 2026Episode 53524 min

ELI - 535 | Building India's Largest B2B Medical Supply Platform | Vivek Tiwari, Medikabazaar

Welcome back to the ELI Podcast! In this episode, Priya sits down with Vivek Tiwari, the Founder of Medikabazaar, India's pioneering B2B online marketplace for medical supplies and equipment.Vivek shares his entrepreneurial journey—from his corporate experience at Tata and setting up dialysis clinics, to building a platform that solves complex procurement and supply chain challenges for hospitals. We discuss the early days of B2B e-commerce, overcoming the marketplace "chicken and egg" problem, and the massive scale Medikabazaar operates at today. Vivek also dives deep into VIZI, their patented AI/ML hospital inventory management software, and explains how it is uniquely tailored to tackle Indian healthcare challenges and disease patterns.🎧 Check out more episodes and resources at: https://eli-podcast.com⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Vivek Tiwari & Medikabazaar0:58 - Vivek’s Background: From Corporate Life to Healthcare Entrepreneurship3:32 - How Medikabazaar Works: Solving Hospital OPEX & Procurement Pain Points6:56 - Navigating the Early Days of B2B E-commerce in 201510:01 - Managing Massive Scale, Growth, and Customer KRA/KPIs12:24 - Catering to Government Hospitals and Tenders14:41 - Understanding Regulatory Nuances in the Medical Supply Chain16:08 - Deep Dive into VIZI: Patented AI/ML for Hospital Inventory Management19:26 - Adapting Global AI Tech for Indian Healthcare Nuances (e.g., Seasonal Diseases)22:57 - Vivek’s Vision for the Future and Next Steps🔗 About the Guest:Vivek Tiwari is the Founder of Medikabazaar, an industry leader revolutionizing the way medical institutions and practitioners procure supplies, manage inventory, and optimize healthcare costs across India.Tags:#ELIPodcast #Medikabazaar #VivekTiwari #HealthTech #B2BMarketplace #Entrepreneurship #MedicalSupplies #AIinHealthcare #SupplyChain #StartupIndia