Podcast Episodes

How a made in Punjab jeera-flavoured soda is popping the Coke-Pepsi-Parle bubble

Episode 473

 Here’s the thing about the Indian carbonated beverage market – for decades now it has been a two, sometimes three horse race dominated by everyone’s favourite black coloured colas. Pepsi, Coca Cola …

Published on 8 months, 1 week ago

Biyani’s retail empire flamed out. His daughters seek redemption in birthing new brands

Episode 472

In 2021, Ashni and Avni Bayani, the scions of industrialist Kishore Biyani’s Future Group, launched their own venture – a startup studio called Think 9 Consumer Technologies.

The concept was simple – …

Published on 8 months, 1 week ago

Turns out someone has to pay for free UPI

Episode 471

On 19 March, the Indian government slashed incentives for UPI transactions by more than half to Rs 1,500 crore for FY25. 

After it launched in 2016, UPI very quickly became the backbone of India’s dig…

Published on 8 months, 1 week ago

The career ladder is broken. What’s your next step?

Episode 470

In this episode, we dive into a topic that is as daunting as it is exciting — the future of careers.

First, we talk about a troubling trend in workplaces today — the rise of the unwilling retiree;

Ne…

Published on 8 months, 1 week ago

When cricket and Koffee aren’t enough, JioHotstar wants to make 'Sparks' fly

Episode 469

What happens when India’s biggest streaming platform decides it’s no longer satisfied with just airing Koffee with Karan and cricket? And it now wants to take on YouTube and Instagram?

You get Sparks–…

Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Lenskart built its empire on franchisees. Now it’s battling them in courts

Episode 468

In a little over a decade, Lenskart has gone from being just India’s biggest online eyewear retailer to becoming one of Asia’s biggest omnichannel eyewear giants. Needless to say, business has been b…

Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Scaler wanted to do for tech education what Masters' Union did for the MBA. AI had other plans

Episode 467

Back in 2019, an ed-tech called Scaler Academy decided to do for tech education what Masters’ Union did for the traditional MBA. 

The tech-upskilling platform launched in 2019 with a simple pitch: tak…

Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago

McKinsey, Bain, and BCG welcomed AI with open arms. Creativity is the first casualty

Episode 466

Welcome to the world of consulting in 2025. AI is everywhere—from writing reports and making decks to crunching numbers. But you’d think the likes of McKinsey, Bain, and BCG would be worried about AI…

Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago

‘Boys will be boys’ — Trump, tariffs and the dismantling of global trade

Episode 465

In this episode, we talk about the global trade war that stopped before it started.

First, we talk about US President Donald Trump's decision to reverse the "reciprocal tariffs" on almost every count…

Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Minimalist was the glow-up Hindustan Unilever's skincare line needed

Episode 464

One of the largest deals to acquire a D2C brand took place in January this year. India’s largest manufacturer of consumer good, Hindustan Unilever acquired the skincare company Minimalist, a 90% shar…

Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago