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 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.