Firms are the means of economic progress. India's micro, small and medium enterprises have been hobbled for decades, and flounder even today. Sudhir Sarnobat and Narendra Shenoy join Amit Varma in episode 419 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss this landscape -- and Sudhir's brilliant new venture that aims to tackle this. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NO…

Why did the attacks in Pahalgam happen? What took place in the skirmishes after that? What have we learnt about geopolitics and our military preparedness? Pranay Kotasthane and Aditya Ramanathan join Amit Varma in episode 418 of The Seen and the Unseen to try to clear some of the fog of war. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also c…

A few months ago I had an amazing opportunity to chat with Cyan Banister: Co Founder of Long Journey Ventures Cyan has backed some incredible companies as an angel and now a VC And in this episode we chat about Long Journey Ventures Investment Thesis Skills to Break into Venture Capital Biggest wins or Anti Portfolio And more There's a bit of backg…

Data is apolitical and always useful, right? Then why is the caste census so controversial? Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley join Amit Varma in episode 417 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss its history, context and implications. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Pranay Kotasthane on Twitter, LinkedIn, Am…

This month's episode features none other than Nick Huber(Sweaty Startup on X) Nick has built an audience and following of over 100 k + on X During the conversation with Nick we chat about 1. A few of the concepts from his new book 2. From Cornell University to Business and other topics Guest Nick Huber's Handles⤵︎ Ideas; https://sweatystartup.com/i…

The most astonishing men lie in the far, forgotten corners of history. Kavitha Rao joins Amit Varma in episode 416 of The Seen and the Unseen to shed light on the life and times of two magnificent failures, Chatto and Roy. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Kavitha Rao on Twitter, Instagram, Amazon and her own web…

He observed our society from up close as an advertising man -- and then became an iconic storyteller on Twitter. Ramakrishna Desiraju aka Ramki joins Amit Varma in episode 415 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his journey, and all that it taught him. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ramakrishna Desiraju a…

He learnt his craft from Shyam Benegal, became a pioneer & a legend of advertising filmmaking, learnt & taught scuba diving, started the Prithvi Cafe, and lived every moment to the full in a million different ways. Prahlad Kakar joins Amit Varma in episode 414 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his long and wondrous life. (FOR FULL LINKED SHO…

This months episode of BizPodRoohi features John Tay John grew up in a single income family home And worked different kinds of jobs like at a petrol pump, Mc Donalds and eventually found his way to Venture Capital and startups This episode is inspiring for anyone who wants to make it We chat about: 1. John's journey to Tin Men Capital 2. How to bri…

One of India's tragedies lies in the schooling of our children. We have let our kids down. Can we fix this problem? Shaheen Mistri joins Amit Varma in episode 413 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe her journey -- and what she has learnt about education. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Shaheen Mistri on Inst…

So much in history never made it to the popular imagination -- such as the battles of 1967 in which India beat China. Probal DasGupta joins Amit Varma in episode 412 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his time in the Indian army -- and his fascinating discoveries as a military historian. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also ch…

In this podcast I am joined by a dream guest Rohit Bhargava: Host of The Startup Playbook Podcast, The Founder of The Komo Club We chat about: Podcasting in 2025 and beyond The Komo Club Genesis The Startup Playbook Podcast Playbook Ventures Guest Rohit's Handles⤵︎ The Komo Club Website here: https://www.thekomoclub.com/ Email: rohit@startupplayboo…

Business and life can sometimes be seen more as a search for values than a quest for profit. Private equity pioneer Vishal Nevatia joins Amit Varma in episode 411 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey towards finding his true north. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Vishal Nevatia at True North. 2. I…

In this podcast I am joined by Karna Shinde Karna is a strategic angel investor We chat about red, and green flags in founders, advice on mentorship, and more topics Join the Whatsapp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DQ5OVsL6n9n8parDzdYG4a (Get Regular Updates on Podcasts guests, Events & More!) Guest Karna’s Handles⤵︎ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedi…

She's an economist, an institution-builder, an ecosystem-nurturer and one of our finest thinkers. Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 410 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life & times -- and her remarkable work. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Shruti Rajagopalan on Twitter, Substack, Inst…

He's lived a rich life as a journalist, a human rights activist, an author, a columnist -- and now he's written a great book on Gujaratis. Salil Tripathi joins Amit Varma in episode 409 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his learnings, these times we live in -- and the times that came before. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSE…

One of the up and upcoming people in the micro grants space Suhas and Andrew Co Founded EVM Capital In this episode we get into 1. Early days of EVM Capital 2, What EVM looks for in builders Connect with Suhas below: X: https://x.com/suhasasumukh Email: [email protected] EVM Capital's Website: https://www.evm.capital/ Connect with the host Roo…

His earlier episodes on this show have been huge hits, and as he completes a trilogy of books, he returns to complete a trilogy of episodes. Amitava Kumar joins Amit Varma in episode 408 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about writing, noticing, painting, travelling, trees, and unfulfilled train journeys. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNS…

Waited for 3 years to make this episode happenIt was worth the waitDuring this episode we spoke about:- Hanoverand moreConnect with Chris here:X: https://x.com/chrishladHanover's Website: ⁠https://www.hanover.co/Connect with the host Roohi here:X:⁠⁠https://x.com/roohi_kr⁠⁠LinkedIn:⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/roohi-kazi-53174113b/⁠Big newsWe are p…

He was born in Sikkim and lives in the USA, and in the course of engaging with his identity, has written powerful books of Sikh history, and revived its music. Sarbpreet Singh joins Amit Varma in episode 407 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his writing, his music and the lessons of Sikhism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSE…

Today's episode features James Conde Investor Relations at Plug and Play APAC In this under 30 minute deep dive episode we get into: 1. Culture 2. Early days at Plug and Play Thanks to Jay Mahajan- for designing the epic thumbnails Special thanks to Fatima Abdullah for making the intro here, and this episode happen Connect with James Conde here:Lin…

Got the chance to speak with amazing builder Manas Bam in SingaporeWe spoke about: Journey to NUS Building side projects and moreConnect with Manas:LinkedIn: https://x.com/bamitsmanasConnect with the host Roohi here:X:https://x.com/roohi_krLinkedIn: / roohi-kazi-53174113b

She worked with Femina for 26 years, 12 of them as editor. And she wrote numerous biographies after that. Sathya Saran joins Amit Varma in episode 406 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss Indian society, feminism, femininity, her life as a journalist and the art of the biography. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1…

A few months ago I was lucky to get a chance to sit down with Akshat in Dubai Akshat is one of the people behind Arrayah Hacker House Hear more about his journey, and the vision behind starting Arrayah Hacker House Connect with Akshat here: X: https://x.com/lifeoftheshat LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshat418 Connect with the host Roohi he…

Every simple story about it is wrong: Hinduism contains multitudes. And it went into the directions it did for specific reasons. Manu Pillai joins Amit Varma in episode 405 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe the role of history in the shaping of Hinduism -- and Hindu nationalism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out…

Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. Note: This is Part 2 of a 12-hour episode, being uploaded in two parts now because Spotify and YouTube don't allow upl…

Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. Note: This is Part 1 of a 12-hour episode, being uploaded in two parts now because Spotify and YouTube don't allow upl…

Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out 1. Devdutt Pattanaik on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn…

In this episode I am joined by Ari Dutilh building Bagel Fund, and helping to grow Merge Club - Merge Club is a fantastic initiative of Julian Weisser and Team We chat about: 1. His life's work and many other topics Connect with Ari below: Ari's Website: https://www.aridutilh.com/ Merge Club grant guide: https://merge.club/guide You can connect wit…

Populism is on the rise everywhere, and the long arc of history has bent away from freedom. Shikha Dalmia joins Amit Varma in episode 403 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the derangements of our modern times -- and the threat that Donald Trump poses. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Shikha Dalmia on Twitter…

He's a polymath who cares deeply about the world, tries to understand it, and straddles many fields. He's played a key role over the last few decades in India's journey towards development. Ajay Shah joins Amit Varma in episode 402 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life and times. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also c…

This week we are joined by Adrija of Sattva Ventures We talked about: 1. Sattva Ventures 2. Building in India 3. YC Concept in India Connect with Adrija below LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrija-agarwal-366971a9/ You can connect with the host Roohi below: Business Podcast by Roohi Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://businesspodcast.tr…

Bloody hell. The world has changed, society looks different, and men and women have to find new ways of relating to each other. We're not equipped for this. Sanjana Ramachandran and Samarth Bansal join Amit Varma in episode 401 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how meeting and mating are both easier and, well, harder. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTE…

It's episode 400, and on this special and unlikely occasion, Shruti Rajagopalan gets Amit Varma to chat about all the life lessons he has learnt during these eight years -- and favourite books, films, music and poetry. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Amit Varma on Twitter, India Uncut, Substack, The Art of Clea…

He's a bestselling writer who's brought Hindi literature into a modern age -- and he also writes films and tells stories. Divya Prakash Dubey joins Amit Varma in episode 399 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his language, his society and his art. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out:1. Divya Prakash Dubey …

She learnt journalism in America and spent many years in South Africa writing a portrait of their troubled society, where everything is complicated and nothing is settled -- much like anywhere else. Eve Fairbanks joins Amit Varma in episode 398 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life, her work, her craft and the world around her. (FOR FUL…

We take money and banking and finance for granted -- but the way they exist in the world is not the only way they could exist. Lawrence H White joins Amit Varma in episode 397 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss ideas, ideologies, money, crypto and the field he pioneered, free banking. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check…

Today's guest is Sanjay Nath the Co Founder of Blume Ventures Had a super interesting discussion with Sanjay around Blume Ventures Blume Ventures is a top notch VC Fund in India and have an excellent content strategy Blume has invested in companies like Unacademy, Classplus, Purplle, and more- across various funds You can connect with Sanjay Below:…

They started out busting misinformation. Then, as fake news became weaponized at an industrial scale, they become warriors not just for truth, but for a better society. Mohammed Zubair and Pratik Sinha join Amit Varma in episode 396 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about their life, their work and their country. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO…

She's an authority in the field of foreign policy -- and what makes her such a force is her deep curiosity about, well, everything. Tanvi Madan joins Amit Varma in episode 395 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life, her learnings and this changing world. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Tanvi Madan at…

Why is our political discourse so polarised? Why do we shout past each other instead of talking to each other? Arnold Kling joins Amit Varma in episode 394 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, the state of the world and how a fourth language has joined the three he mentioned in his seminal book on political discourse. (FOR FULL LINKED SH…

Today's guest is the first repeat guest on the podcast Had a super interesting discussion with Juan Abundes: Solo GP at Aito Capital In this podcast we cover: GP’s leaving to start their own funds Creative ways of liquidity Secondary Funds Funds merging, and acquisitions and more You can connect with Juan Below: Juan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedi…

She grew up reading three books a day, became a high-flying consultant, and then became hyperfocused on healthcare. Amrita Agarwal joins Amit Varma in episode 393 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her learnings from years of studying the field. Also discussed: first-principles thinking, consulting, philanthropy, longevity and sunscreen. (FOR FULL…

This week's episode features Wei Yong of XVC We cover 1. Investing in China and more Connect with Wei below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wy2024/ Check out the XVC Website here: https://www.xvc.com/en/ You can connect with Roohi here: Business Podcast by Roohi Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://businesspodcast.transistor.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠…

He's an economist who cares more about people than numbers -- and he thinks his field needs more sociology and anthropology in it. Vijayendra (Biju) Rao joins Amit Varma in episode 392 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about what makes him angry, what drives him forward and what brings him peace. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) …

This week's episode features Sina Meraji of Learning Loop In this in person podcast we get into: 1. Network effects and more Connect with Sina below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinameraji/ X:https://x.com/sinasanm Check out the Learning Loop Website here: https://www.learningloop.com/ Learning Loop X here: https://x.com/learninglooporg Y…

The internet has changed the way we live -- and someone needs to make sense of it all. Shephali Bhatt joins Amit Varma in episode 391 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe all that she has learnt through her deep dives into popular culture, the creator economy, this turbulent society and her Mamaji's library. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEE…

In this episode I get into podcast growth, and many other topics You can connect with Roohi here: Business Podcast by Roohi Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://businesspodcast.transistor.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/roohi_kr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/roohi-kazi-53174113b/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the Business Podca…

He started in advertising in 1979, became a pioneering ad filmmaker, broke new ground in Indian television, and is the managing trainee of his own life. Sanjiv Sharma joins Amit Varma in episode 390 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his frameworks for living. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Sanjiv Sharma on I…

This week we are joined by Jon Chu of Khosla Ventures We talked about: Khosla Ventures Investment Thesis What KV looks for in founding teams His Journey to VC Advice for applying to YC And more Great chatting with Jon Connect with Jon below: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jchu/ X: ⁠https://x.com/heyjchu You can connect with Roohi here: Busi…