Vyapaar

Most of us have a hard time waking up in the morning and hitting the gym. Or going for a run. Or doing basic stretching. It's hard. We take annual gym memberships and then we forget about it!To save time, you might think about building a home gym. But for that, you need space. You need to buy different equipments. Not everyone can do that.Enter AroLeapXA smart home gym, that can be mounted on the wall. It uses digital weights to create resistance. 150+ exercises. Data driven insights for progressive training. Looks very aesthetic. It's the future of fitness. AroLeap recently launched a new product called Ferra. Built for people who have NEVER worked out. Designed to promote healthy aging - requiring only 5 MINUTES of daily exercise! You can get Ferra by paying a monthly subscription fee and you don't need to pay for the hardware - which is the case with AroLeapX.I had a lot of fun picking Rohit's brain, which was bubbling with creative ideas. We spoke about a range of topics:(02:19): Introduction to Rohit and how did the seed of building things take fruition? [talking about Mechanical Engg, entry into IIT Delhi & the Robotics Club](08:03): Journey of the co-founders after college + creation of the ICONIC WhatsApp Group to discuss potential ideas(11:54): IDEA FOR AROLEAP and exploring the concept of digital weights(16:18): IDEA > PROTOTYPE > FUNDRAISING > R&D > FIRST SALES(23:28): Challenges faced while building the product(26:56): WhatsApp Groups for each customer and taking customer feedback to another level(32:29): ELEVATOR PITCH + how does AroLeap work?(39:45): The SharkTank Experience(45:55): LAUNCH OF FERRA - for people aged 40+ with minimum strength training + leveraging the subscription model(59:22): What’s next for Aroleap?(1:03:16): What does it take to run a biz in India?You can check out their story and the amazing suite of products they're building here

Plant based leather is the future. It is cruelty free. More durable. On par with pricing compared to animal leather. If you're a conscious consumer - plant based leather is a no brainer.And that's what Gayatri is building with Green Hermitage.Premium hand-bags made from plant leather. Exquisite designs. Empowering artisans. We need brands like GH to usher into a world of sustainability.In this podcast, I learnt so much from Gayatri. She is a force. And one key takeaway for me, listening to her story - was that you do NOT need a degree to build anything. You need grit. You need desire to make an impact. And you're good to go. The rest can be learnt along the way.(03:23): Introduction to Gayatri, her early career (corporate law + living in Africa + working w/UN) and how she got introduced to the world of carbon credits.(09:53): BIG TRANSITION — quitting her job to do something impactful, shifting to Uganda + working with the UN + GIZ + Ugandan Parliament!(16:22): Diving into Academia - studying for Masters in Environment & Development.(20:45): Studying consumption, waste and sustainable materials & how a damaged bag started a chain of thought to start a sustainable bags company.(22:15): INCEPTION — sourcing plant leather + finding artisans + working on designs.(27:32): Early days of Green Hermitage - challenges and learnings.(31:42): How should a female business owner deal with investors?(37:18): ELEVATOR PITCH for GH(39:35): A crash course in plant based leather & how a bag is made.(45:15): GTM strategy, distribution model and talking about customer feedback from different geographies.(50:03): GOING GLOBAL — Expanding beyond India.(53:13): Talking about designing + naming of the bags.(56:57): What’s next for Green Hermitage?(100:33): RAPID FIRE QsYou can check out their website @ greenhermitage.com

Logistics is an unorganized industry. Not a lot has changed in a very long time, and this industry is ripe for disruption.One of the big problems in India (and globally), is the transport of empty containers. This is what happens:(1) Once a container lands in India, it goes to the Importer's premises by road and it is unloaded.(2) Once unloaded, the empty container goes back to a depot, where it is inspected and then it is re-used for Export.(3) Once again, post inspection - the empty container travel by road to the Exporter's premises.This delays exports. Stretches working capital for shipping lines. No one wins. And this is precisely the problem that MatchLog is trying to solve. It tracks empty containers and links importers & exporters. They inspect the empty containers so that it doesn't have to travel all the way back to depots.MatchLog works with various stakeholders in the Logistics industry and through their platform have been able to drive efficiencies for all players involved.I had a blast picking Harsh's brain about all things Logistics and how they built MatchLog through several iterations. We spoke on various topics like:(01:55): Introduction to Harsh Gupta - talking about college biz, family biz, a few job stints before starting MatchLog.(11:44): Making a transition from operating a family business to joining Grab + learning how to integrate tech into logistics + ultimately starting MatchLog.(16:07): ITERATIONS - talking about various changes in the b-model & a crash course in container logistics(23:06): ELEVATOR PITCH FOR MATCHLOG(26:09): How much time is MatchLog saving?(27:34): How does International Logistics work? Is empty container shipment a global issue?(30:46): Who are the various stakeholders involved in Logistics?(32:19): Talking about carbon emissions, competition, awareness required, dealing with business owners(37:07): Current sales strategy & pushing technology into Logistics(41:17): Recruitment @ MatchLog - BIG opportunity(42:29): What’s next for MatchLog? Talking scale and expanding to new geographies.(45:42): How difficult is it to iterate? What goes in the mind of a founder? How do you deal with uncertainty?(48:39): CORE TEAM @ MATCHLOG(51:27): Rapid Fire QsYou can check out their website here

When I think about diamonds, a few words come in my mind instantly. Shiny, glamorous, precious, rare and expensive.Buying diamond jewellery used to be a luxury for most people in India. People would save for years and buy on special occasions like family weddings, anniversaries, birthdays & festivals.But, times have changed. And diamond trade is going through a phase of evolution. A wave of disruption caused by lab grown diamonds (LGDs).LGDs are an exact replica of mined diamonds with a contrasting difference - their cost. Cost of LGDs are lower by 80-95% compared to mined diamonds.Riding this wave, is Solitario - a luxury lab grown diamond brand with presence in India, Dubai, Malaysia among others.The brand promotes sustainable practices with the aim of making luxury diamonds more accessible to a wider audience.This podcast was a crash course for me on LGDs and I had an absolute blast hosting Anurag. We spoke on a range of topics like:(3:13): TRICKS OF THE TRADE - How does a mall work? (8:03): The Engineering DNA - how can do they everything?(14:06): Joining Solitario + creating the offline launch strategy(20:05): GOING GLOBAL - launch in Dubai @ Burj Khalifa & other countries + how mall zoning helps in building an aspirational brand.(27:16): A crash course in lab grown diamonds [CVD / HPHT](33:50): Potential of the LGD Market(36:03): Quick take on Distribution / Marketing strategies - Target audience, Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs), Multi Brand Outlets (MBOs), Indian customer profile, Global customers(40:11): Current challenges for growth(42:52): Leadership Team @ Solitario (Ricky + Vivek Oberoi)(46:17): RAPID FIRE QsYou can check out Solitario's luxury collection here

In 1978, Nand Kishore Chaudhary (NKC) got a job offer from a Government bank and the chance to move from Churu to Jaipur -- something most people could only dream of back in the day.But, he declined that offer. He saw an opportunity in the carpets business which was a 100% export market and was growing steadily. He also saw this as an opportunity to impact lives and connect with people.So, he took a leap of faith. He took a loan of INR 5000 from his father. Bought a bicycle. Two looms. And started working with 9 artisans in Churu.And that's how Jaipur Rugs was born.Fast forward to today, he has created a sprawling empire with their carpets being exported to 60 different countries. They have trained >40,000 artisans and run various social initiatives via Jaipur Rugs Foundation.NKC & Jaipur Rugs are a shining example of how a business can create lasting impact in the lives of people.I learnt a lot while speaking to NKC and we spoke about a range of topics like:(02:03): How NKC started his entrepreneurial journey with INR 5,000(08:14): Inception of JaipurRugs — navigating early challenges of doing biz in the 1980s(14:49): What goes into making an exquisite handcrafted rug? Wool > Yarn > Carpet(20:31): How long does it take to make one carpet?(22:02): Challenges in the rug making biz - machine made carpets + reduction of artisans(25:28): BIG OPPORTUNITY — Evolution of luxury rugs market in India(28:17): Jaipur Rugs Foundation — changing lives of artisans(32:12): BUILDING LEGACY — Integrating children into the family biz(36:33): New initiatives @ JaipurRugs - converting artisans to artists(39:41): RAPID FIRE QsYou can check out their website @ JaipurRugs