The BarberShop with Shantanu

What if Bombay Shaving Company’s biggest opportunity is already in front of it, but the founders are not seeing it clearly? In this episode, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) sits down with Aditya Sehgal (Founder, Asgard. World and Ex-President & COO, Reckitt), along with Deepak Gupta (Co-Founder & COO, Bombay Shaving Company), to unpack what it really takes to build a large Indian consumer brand for the next decade. At the centre of this conversation is Bombay Shaving Company’s next big question: Can a grooming brand from India become a ₹4,000 Cr business, and eventually build products strong enough to compete globally? Aditya breaks down why India may still be behind China in innovation velocity, why local manufacturing is not just a financial decision but a strategic one, why AI will completely change how teams are built, and why money follows opportunity, not the other way around. What you’ll learn from this episode: - Why 10-year-old startups learn and adapt faster than 100-year-old FMCG giants - How the "XEMES" innovation formula works and why India's "jugaad" mentality might be holding it back - What the 2x2 AI Decision Matrix is (Repeatability vs. Sensitivity) and what tasks to automate - Why taking a lower margin to build local manufacturing is a massive strategic moat - How a non-tech executive built a fully functional app in 8 days just by using AI If you’re building a consumer brand, D2C business, retail company, or India-first startup, this episode gives you a sharp look at what it actually takes to build beyond the next quarter and create something that can compound for years. Navigate your way through these chapters: 00:00 Coming up 01:20 Introduction 02: 40 How They Built the Business 08:17 Breaking Down the XEMES Framework 16:15 Scaling Without Losing Quality 21:49 The Playbook for Building a ₹4,000 Cr Brand 27:42 How AI Will Transform Every Company 37:08 Closing Thoughts

Everyone talks about building a brand. Few talk about what actually breaks when growth starts becoming real. This is the very first episode of Founder's Meet, and it's happening in Pune. Shantanu Deshpande sits down with founders building across skincare, AI, home décor, food, climate action, travel, experiences, and consumer brands to unpack the real questions behind scaling in India. From a ₹50 Cr D2C food brand trying to scale to ₹500 Cr, to a SaaS founder questioning India's willingness to pay, to premium brands figuring out storytelling and consumer trust, this conversation brings together the messy but important problems founders face after the first phase of growth. What this episode covers: Why the product and brand need to grow together How storytelling builds trust beyond product claims Why scaling without systems can break a startup What makes consumers forgive, return, and stay Why a real community is more than just followers and comments How founders should think about co-founders, hiring, and equity Why entrepreneurship is not freedom, but accountability If you're building a D2C brand, SaaS company, consumer business, or founder-led startup in India, this episode offers a raw look at the decisions, trade-offs, and uncomfortable truths behind building something that lasts.

India’s next big consumer brands won’t be built on taste. They’ll be built on habits. In this episode of Khul Ke Scale, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) sits down with Rahul Jain (Co-founder, Beanly Coffee) and Samayesh Khanna (Co-founder, Beanly Coffee), along with industry veterans Shiv Shivakumar (Operating Partner, Advent | Ex-SVP, Nokia | Ex-CEO (India), PepsiCo) and Toshan Tamhane (Global Chief Operating Officer, UPL) to break down what it really takes to build a modern consumer brand in India. From coffee habits and convenience culture to product psychology, repeat purchases, distribution, and brand recall, this episode goes deep into why some brands become daily rituals while most disappear after the initial hype cycle. Beanly Coffee explains why they’re betting on India’s “on-the-go” lifestyle, how small product decisions influence consumer behaviour, and why building a habit is far more important than simply building a good product. At the centre of the conversation is a bigger question every founder struggles with: Why do consumers remember some brands instantly… while forgetting others completely? What you’ll learn from this episode: • Why 25% of Indians skipping breakfast is a massive business opportunity • Why convenience is becoming India’s biggest consumer trend • Why most D2C brands fail after their first growth spike • The real role of packaging, fragrance, texture, and recall in FMCG • How founders misunderstand consumer behaviour while scaling • What makes certain products become part of people’s daily routines If you’re building a consumer brand, D2C startup, FMCG business, or simply trying to understand where Indian consumer behaviour is heading, this episode offers a sharp breakdown of what actually creates long-term brand relevance in one of the world’s toughest markets. Navigate your way through these chapters: 00:00 Coming Up 01:40 Introduction 02:25 How Beanly Started 10:39 Question 1: Innovation, Scale, and Strategic Focus 19:35 What Latin America Teaches About Coffee 26:18 Question 2: Building the Right Omnichannel Mix 34:38 Question 3: How to Think About ESOP Allocation 44:00 Building a Strong Employee Value Proposition 49:46 Question 4: Choosing the Right Investors and Capital Structure 53:24 Shiv’s Key Takeaways for Beanly 59:41 Closing Thoughts

Everyone thought women needed “safe” razors. Turns out, that was the biggest mistake the industry made. In this episode, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) breaks down how one insight led to building Bombae, a ₹150 Cr brand in just a few years. From understanding how women actually shave to rejecting the entire “make it pink” playbook, this is a masterclass in building products that truly solve for the user. Not by copying what exists, but by questioning the assumption itself. Shantanu explains how the real gap wasn’t safety, but lack of control and feedback, and how designing for that changed everything. What makes this conversation powerful is the clarity: most brands don’t fail because of execution, they fail because they solve the wrong problem. What you’ll discover: • Why “pink razors” are fundamentally flawed • The real difference between men vs women shaving behaviour • How one insight built a ₹150 Cr brand • Why copying incumbents guarantees failure • The thinking behind designing the Roll Blade Can a brand win just by understanding the user better than everyone else? This episode shows what happens when you stop guessing and start observing.

Everyone thinks luggage is a simple business… until they try building one. So how did Nasher Miles build a ₹150 Cr brand in one of the toughest consumer categories in India? In this episode of Khul Ke Scale, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company) sits down with Lokesh Daga (Co-Founder & CEO, Nasher Miles) and Shruti K. Daga (Co-Founder, Nasher Miles) along with Revant Bhate (CEO, Mosaic Wellness) to unpack what it really takes to build in a market dominated by VIP, Safari, Samsonite and now Mokobara. From scaling to ₹150 Cr revenue, raising ₹37 Cr from 70 angel investors after Shark Tank, building a luggage brand in a low-repeat category, depending heavily on marketplaces, competing with VIP, Safari, Samsonite and Mokobara, to figuring out offline retail, EBOs, branding, profitability and Made-in-India manufacturing… this conversation goes deep into the realities of modern consumer brands in India. This episode covers: How Nasher Miles scaled through Amazon & marketplaces D2C vs marketplaces vs offline retail EBO economics & retail expansion Competing against legacy giants like VIP & Samsonite Why colour became Nasher Miles’ biggest differentiator If you’re a founder, operator, marketer, investor, or someone building a consumer brand in India, this episode is packed with hard-earned lessons on growth, positioning, retail, and brand-building.