Minus One
South Park Commons
Recent Episodes
If you want to know what it’s like to be the architect of nations, not just platforms - you ask a man like Nandan Nilekani.
In this episode of Minus One, Nandan breaks down the ideas, effort and intent behind building Aadhaar for 1.4 billion people, his next chapter in using AI to drive social impact across India, and what his vision of the future looks like.
Connect with us here:
- Nandan Nilekani- https://x.com/NandanNilekani
- Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/
- South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/
00:00 Trailer
01:36 Introduction
02:12 Curiosity and Conviction: Keys to Success
15:11 AI and India's Future
25:46 The Startup Boom in India
27:03 Challenges and Opportunities in Ease of Business
31:38 AI and Digital Public Infrastructure
40:26 Future of Energy and Final Thoughts
SPC alum Tuhin Srivastava sits down with Aditya Agarwal to break down how a failed four-year startup, plus early chapters in finance and biotech, shaped the way he is scaling Baseten into one of the fastest-growing AI infrastructure companies today.
His approach is simple: kill what doesn’t work, don’t scale before you’re ready, and stop pretending you can see past three months in AI.
Apply to SPC membership -https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagIZspLSFX7QrXcn/form
Connect with us here:
1. Tuhin Srivastava- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuhin-srivastava/
2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/
3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/
00:00 Trailer
00:56 Introduction
01:28 Insights from Cricket to Startups
03:30 Career Journey: From Finance to Tech
08:16 Navigating the Startup Ecosystem
22:48 Embracing Change and Customer Focus
25:38 Unique Company Philosophies
30:14 Compensation and Team Dynamics
39:29 Cricket Predictions
Rahul Chari is a leader in India’s tech evolution, from building Flipkart’s foundations, to architecting PhonePe’s planet-scale platform. Simply put, there are very few people in a country of over a billion, who have not used what he built.
In this episode of Minus One, he reflects on forming lasting partnerships, building for the future, and building to last.
Connect with us here:
1. Prateek Mehta- https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-mehta-a571972/
2. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/
After years of operating at scale at companies like Facebook and Dropbox, Ruchi Sanghvi, founding partner of South Park Commons, and Aditya Agarwal, General Partner, turn the mic on each other to revisit the early days that grew this community to over 1,000 founders and technologists.
They reflect on what it takes to build something enduring together, and why the best ideas rarely emerge from comfort.
Apply to SPC membership- https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagIZspLSFX7QrXcn/form
Connect with us here:
1. Ruchi Sanghvi- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsanghvi/
2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/
3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/
(00:00) Trailer
(01:15) The Journey of Founding SPC
(05:33) The Importance of Constructive Conflict
(15:51) Scaling and Leadership Insights
(28:39) Embracing the Learning Journey
(29:43) The Power of Storytelling in Startups
(33:19) Balancing Optimism and Realism
(49:13) Navigating the Complexities of Markets
Akshay Kothari has built tools that transform the everyday by making technology feel effortless, like Pulse and Notion.
He joins Aditya Agarwal to share the counterintuitive lessons behind enduring products, why selling can sometimes be the braver choice, and how constraints often spark lasting creativity.
Apply to SPC membership - https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagIZspLSFX7QrXcn/form
Connect with us here:
1. Akshay Kothari- https://www.linkedin.com/in/akothari/
2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/
3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/
00:00 Trailer
01:02 Welcome to the Minus One Podcast
01:49 Navigating the Early Days of Pulse
06:59 The Silicon Valley Influence and Ambition
21:07 The LinkedIn Journey and Its Impact
22:39 Balancing Patience and Urgency in Silicon Valley
25:25 The Vision and Early Days of Notion
36:46 Personal Reflections and Philosophies