The Indian Startup Show

The India–Scotland Entrepreneurial Journey!  Today’s guest is Nishant Sharma. the Indian-born, Edinburgh-based entrepreneur whose company blends Indian heritage with Scottish craftsmanship. Nishant’s story is one of resilience, legacy and bold reinvention.
After leaving a successful career in financial services, he set out to build a brand with long-term meaning. Inspired by his late grandmother — and a family history that traces back to his great-grandfather becoming a whisky distiller during the British Raj — he brought his Assam roots into the heart of Scotland’s spirits industry. 
The journey, however, was anything but smooth. At one point, the business had just £25 in the bank with major bills due. The stress led to a near-fatal heart attack at just 35. He survived. Rebuilt. And came back stronger.  In this episode, we discuss building a global spirits brand against the odds. Operating in highly regulated markets; India's complicated relationship with alcohol, building a global brand. Great advice for first time founders. Why ignorance can be bliss; raising investment; and even how to drink it — ice or no ice? And finally… if India plays Scotland at cricket, who is he supporting?
We also talk about:
Growing up in India and moving to Scotland
First impressions of Scotland: cold, rainy… but kind people
Working as a waiter, dishwasher and cleaner in Glasgow
The family whisky connection during the British Raj
Why he chose spirits
Spending 4 years perfecting the recipe
Creating the world’s first oolong white tea infused chai-spice spirit
Why 2021 failed… and why 2022 failed again
building without industry experience
Building a global premium brand in a crowded market
Expanding into India — why it’s not for the faint-hearted
The aspirational Indian consumer market
Links
https://rutlandsquare.com/

Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel
https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2

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Music by Punch Deck.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Reinventing Kids Hospitality in India. Today my guest is Kanupriya Poddar, CEO of MagickWorld. She is building a platform to help parents discover kid-friendly stays, experiences, shops, and enrichment services across cities. In this episode, she shares how she launched MagickWorld alongside her 8-year-old daughter (a mini-entrepreneur, Shark Tank fan, business mindset!), onboarded 100+ local businesses within two months of soft launch, and cracking the distribution model. She reflects on lessons from her McKinsey background, explains why she prefers top-down strategy over bottom-up execution, and talks about bootstrapping, investor interest, the pressure of startup life , and staying grounded with advice from her father. And finally she shares must visit Jaipur recommendations, including places to see, do, and eat, along with advice for anyone considering leaving a corporate career to build a startup and much more!
In this episode we talk about:
🚀 Building MagickWorld
Creating the world’s first kids-focused lifestyle & travel ecosystem
The problem MagickWorld is solving for parents & families
Launching with a free directory model
Onboarding 100+ local businesses in 2 months
Cracking distribution and early customer acquisition
Managing supply & demand in a two-sided marketplace
👩‍💼 Founder Journey
Going from McKinsey to startup life
Lessons learned from McKinsey: simplifying complexity
Tackling “elephants in the room” in business
Bootstrapping vs investor interest
Managing early-stage pressure
Getting advice from her father
Building a startup while raising an 8-year-old daughter
Her daughter as a mini-entrepreneur (Shark Tank fan, business mindset)
🧠 Strategy & Product Thinking
Top-down vs bottom-up strategy — and why she prefers top-down
Developing the product roadmap
Pricing & discovery challenges for small businesses
Pay-to-play discovery vs affordable visibility
Solving real customer problem statements
🤖 AI, Tech & Future Vision
Being optimistic about AI
Building an AI recommendation bot
The future of kids hospitality & family travel
What hospitality in India looks like in 2026
🌏 Geography, Culture & Hospitality
Running hospitality businesses in Singapore & India
Why Indians are great at hospitality globally
Why Jaipur is the hospitality capital of India
Staying in Jaipur instead of moving to Bangalore
Jaipur’s rise in tech talent & innovation
Predictions for Jaipur in the next 5–10 years
🍽️ Jaipur Recommendations
Best things to see, do, and experience
Weekend itinerary ideas
Food & restaurant recommendations
Why she’s obsessed with Jaipur’s culture and energy
💡 Advice & Takeaways
Advice for people thinking of quitting corporate jobs to start a company
Hiring strategy: young talent & unconventional thinkers
Staying resilient as a founder
Links
https://magickworld.in/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@magickworldindia

 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magickworldindia

 
Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/magickworld

 
LinkedIn: @magickworld

Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel
https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends.

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https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Music by Punch Deck.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Building a global brand from India. Today my guest is  Ritesh Arora, Co-Founder of TRU.BIKE, TRU.BIKE designs premium, lightweight and safe bicycles for children, and is now exporting e-bikes to Europe. 
In this episode he talks about why India, despite being the second-largest bicycle manufacturer, has no global brand, and how TRU.BIKE is changing that.
Ritesh shares their journey from bootstrapping in year one to raising funds, achieving product–market fit, and growing fast. He talks about building a strong marketing engine.
Being mentally prepared for the startup journey. Why your first hire should be a finance person. He talks about taking Indian products global that comes from a deep sense of patriotism and finally some great book recommendations and much more. 
In this episode he talk about 
Bootstrapping.
His Co-founders.
Competing in a crowded market (and why you shouldn’t overthink it)
The primitive nature of India’s domestic bicycle market.
Attending global bicycle exhibitions.
Maintaining quality standards and pricing correctly.
Opening retail stores.
Why bikes aren’t e-commerce friendly and how they overcame that!
What excites Ritesh most about the future.
And much more 
Links
https://tru.bike/

Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel
https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends.

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Music by Punch Deck.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

In this episode, I sit down with Saurabh Nigam—HR leader, angel investor, and author of People-Powered Startups: Building a Culture of Collaboration, Innovation, and High Performance. 
With over two decades of experience, Saurabh shares actionable insights on building a thriving startup culture, avoiding common HR mistakes, and hiring the right people at the right time. 
We dive into: Why startups struggle with HR—and how to fix it. The role of AI in recruitment. How to retain top talent and manage toxic high performers. Managing mental wellness in a high-growth startup environment. The three non-negotiables in any startup culture. Red flags that indicate a new hire isn’t working out. The best time to hire your first HR professional and much more.
In this conversation we talk about:
How Saurabh became a LinkedIn Top Voice and his strategy for success
Top HR Skills: Why empathy and resilience are key traits for success
Remote Work: Myths and best practices for building a distributed team
Giving Tough Feedback: How to deliver criticism without demotivating employees
Angel Investing in HR Tech: What Saurabh looks for in a startup
Links 
https://www.amazon.in/dp/0143473743

Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel
https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends.

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Music by Punch Deck.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Showcasing emerging artists—today, my guest is Leia Tyebjee, co-founder of Pylot Studios, an interdisciplinary creative platform dedicated to artistic design, curation, and community engagement. In this episode, we discuss the challenges of creating spaces for artists, breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry, and how Pylot Studios is redefining art curation. Leia also shares her thoughts on AI in art, mistakes emerging artists make, the importance of community, and why she still chooses to work with film photography in the digital age. And finally, we talk bananas, interesting first impressions of New York, travel photography tips, and much more!
In this episode we talk about:
The Birth of Pylot Studios – From a coffee-fueled idea in 2019 to a thriving creative platform
The Problem They’re Solving – Helping artists find space and opportunities to showcase their work
The Hardest Part of Curation – Reaching out, building trust, and bringing themes to life
Leia’s Background – From Mumbai to New York, studying photography, and her artistic influences
Why She Still Shoots on Film – The tactile, immersive experience of analog photography
Photography Trips & Creative Rituals – Habits that fuel her artistic process
Mistakes Emerging Artists Make – And how to navigate the art world more effectively
Art & Technology – Thoughts on AI’s impact on creativity
Breaking Barriers – Navigating a male-dominated industry and standing up for yourself
The $6.2M Banana?! – The wild side of the contemporary art world
Building Community – How to start from scratch, make connections, and find your creative tribe
and much more 
Links
Pylot Studios Website
Pylot Studios Instagram - @pylotstudios 
Leia Tyebjee Instagram - @leiatyebjee 
Yitzhak Franco Instagram - @__ytzk__
 

Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel
https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes
https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Music by Punch Deck.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV