StartupTalky

Tag: 📝Interviews

  • From DPI to Real-World Impact: Finarkein Analytics CEO Nikhil Kurhe on Building India’s Digital Future Beyond Compliance

    From powering India’s digital rails to enabling sector-specific innovation, Finarkein Analytics is evolving with the country’s maturing digital economy. In this exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, Nikhil Kurhe, Co-founder and CEO, Finarkein Analytics, shared how the company is moving beyond building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to supporting high-impact use cases in finance, health, and commerce. Finarkein is helping Financial Institutions (FIs) shift from compliance-driven adoption to real-world application, especially in onboarding, servicing, and data management. Kurhe also discussed their approach to health data under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), with a strong focus on trust, seamless integration, and early adoption.

    StartupTalky: Finarkein has been at the forefront of enabling DPI-led transformation. How do you see your role evolving as India moves from foundational digital rails to application-level innovation across sectors like finance, health, and commerce?

    Mr. Kurhe: As with any large platform shift, whether it’s AI or earlier technological revolutions, we often see initial value being demonstrated at the platform level. However, real value capture tends to move quickly to the application layer. You can see this in how large language models (LLMs) are now giving rise to high-utility applications like Perplexity, Cursor, or Windsurf (which was recently acquired by OpenAI).

    Similarly, while Finarkein has played a foundational role in building and enabling India’s DPI infrastructure, we see ourselves increasingly moving toward building or supporting high-value applications across sectors, be it finance, health, or commerce. This could mean developing these products organically or acquiring them strategically. As India’s digital economy matures, we’re keen to create meaningful value in sector-specific use cases layered on top of the digital public infrastructure we’ve helped shape.

    StartupTalky: Beyond the number of financial institutions integrated, what kinds of use cases have seen the most traction, and how are you enabling FIs to move beyond compliance to real innovation?

    Mr. Kurhe: We see adoption clustering across three key phases: origination, servicing, and management. Initially, most players began with origination use cases like substituting traditional bank statement uploads with account aggregator (AA) data for onboarding or underwriting. Then came servicing, where we led early efforts with use cases in collections, which is something now being actively adopted across the industry.

    Now, we’re seeing growing traction in the management layer. This includes deeper integration of AA data with internal systems like CRMs, loan management platforms, or policy administration systems in insurance. These help institutions operationalise data far more effectively.

    Additionally, with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) coming into focus, we’re working with clients to ensure that consented data is being used responsibly by implementing data retention protocols and enabling internal compliance monitoring.

    Mr. Kurhe: One compelling metric we track, and one that’s underappreciated industry-wide, is repeat usage. When users return to AA-based flows, even when given a choice between traditional and AA-led options, that signals not just utility but trust and a superior experience.

    We’ve seen significantly higher repeat usage among institutions powered by Finarkein, and we attribute this to the simplicity and reliability of the experience, both from our platform and the financial institutions we partner with.

    Another area we’re excited about is serving underserved business segments. While most AA implementations have focused on banking data, we’re now seeing traction in combining banking, GST, and other asset data. 

    StartupTalky: Many large institutions are wary of long onboarding cycles. What have you done to streamline go-live timelines, and what’s the fastest enterprise deployment Finarkein has enabled so far?

    Mr. Kurhe: We’ve worked with two broad categories of clients: traditional enterprises and high-growth fintechs, and the pace of deployment varies accordingly. For fintechs, we’ve achieved contract-to-go-live timelines as short as 3-4 weeks. In contrast, traditional enterprises may take anywhere from a month to 5-6 months, depending on internal compliance, legal, and IT processes.

    To accelerate deployment, we’ve invested in:

    • A robust suite of certifications, including ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, and cloud security standards.
    • Pre-configured templates and deployment checklists to eliminate friction.
    • Introducing pre-production environments for clients to test features in near-production conditions, supporting continuous integration and delivery without impacting end consumers.

    We recently piloted this setup with a large consumer brand entering fintech, helping them go through multiple cycles of rapid development and testing while maintaining an excellent end-user experience.

    Mr. Kurhe: The future is clearly headed toward a data-rich, consent-driven ecosystem, but most BFSI systems today aren’t architected to handle the volume, complexity, and contextual specificity of this data.

    We’re preparing for this in several ways:

    • Building a vertically decoupled data platform that separates different layers, allowing different internal teams to work with consented data independently and efficiently.
    • Ensuring the platform is sector-agnostic and source-flexible. We already serve clients across finance and health, and support multiple data sources beyond AA.
    • Supporting internal teams with tools that help them derive value from data without disrupting existing workflows.

    Our goal is to create a data backbone that can scale with the demands of exponential data flow while also being able to maintain compliance, security, and speed.

    StartupTalky: As the ABDM stack matures, how is Finarkein tailoring its approach for health data compared to financial data, and what do you think is key to unlocking early adoption in this space?

    Mr. Kurhe: Health data, governed by the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) framework, brings its own set of sensitivities and standards. Our approach here focuses on two things:

    1. Ensuring early adopters like hospitals, healthtech companies, and insurers understand the capabilities and compliance features of our platform.
    2. Staying engaged with regulators and standards bodies, so we have a seat at the table as the ecosystem evolves. We actively contribute feedback and adapt our tools to align with evolving health data protocols.

    The key to early adoption lies in trust and interoperability, and an integrated, verticalised end-to-end solution. 

    StartupTalky: How did your time at CIIE.CO’s Financial Inclusion Lab helps shape Finarkein’s philosophy toward product development or ecosystem contribution? Are there frameworks or insights you still use from that phase?

    Mr. Kurhe: Our time at the Financial Inclusion Lab was important in instilling a customer-first mindset, which is something that continues to shape how we build and deliver products. One of the key takeaways was just how underrated it is to talk to customers meaningfully and consistently. The Lab, especially through our work with MSC (MicroSave Consulting), pushed us to go beyond regulatory mandates and really understand the ground-level challenges and awareness gaps around frameworks like account aggregators.

    It helped us ask the right questions: Who exactly is our customer? What specific pain points are we solving? How do we move from regulatory compliance to real-world outcomes? That gap between availability and usability became a focal point in our product thinking.

    The Lab also played a crucial role in helping us approach pricing, like how to strike a balance between value creation and industry affordability. While we’ve had to reinvent some of those methods as the market has evolved, the core processes and philosophical approach still hold. Over time, the context has changed, but the emphasis on listening, testing, and iterating remains central to how we operate.

    StartupTalky: With several players now active in the AA TSP landscape, what’s Finarkein’s competitive edge, and how do you see your position evolving in a market that’s both cooperative and competitive?

    Mr. Kurhe: Our edge has always been in our product and in how effectively we scale value for our customers, not necessarily in being the first to onboard. In fact, we’ve often entered as the second or third TSP, but still ended up becoming the primary partner by capturing a majority of the wallet share. That comes from striving for product-market fit and solving for real usage, not just integration.

    As the AA ecosystem matures, we expect this dynamic to continue. There’s still a long road ahead in terms of active usage and meaningful penetration. Our focus is on what happens after landing an account: how we expand adoption, embed value, and generate measurable outcomes for the customer.

    What’s also interesting is the evolving power dynamic in the ecosystem. As the market matures, we’re seeing technology service providers (TSPs) become the key drivers of value creation, even more so than the AAs themselves. TSPs are increasingly acting as price setters, whereas AAs have become more like price takers. This shift is introducing new game-theory dynamics that blend competition with collaboration. And Finarkein’s approach is to lean into that complexity with strong products, sharp execution, and a long-term view of ecosystem enablement.

  • From Manual to Machine: Anil K. Sharma on How AKSSAI’s FINAC Is Helping MSMEs Cut Compliance Costs by Up to 90%

    In this exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, Anil K. Sharma, Director of AKSSAI ProjExel, shares practical insights on how both large corporates and MSMEs can manage accounting and compliance efficiently without large teams or rising costs. He explains the limitations of outdated tools, the value of automation through their platform FINAC, and the risks of using multiple software systems. Drawing from his Big 4 background, he highlights common financial mistakes, changing roles of Chartered Accountants, and the importance of internal accountability. Sharma also discusses real results achieved by clients, cost savings, and how FINAC stays updated with India’s evolving tax rules.

    StartupTalky: How can MSMEs future-proof their accounting and compliance functions against frequent regulatory changes without inflating costs or hiring large teams?

    Mr. Sharma: In the last 5-7 years, the government has invested billions in cutting-edge technology to identify lapses/catch every mistake in accounting and compliance done by MSMEs and issue them notices/demand penalties. Traditional tools that have worked in the last few decades will slowly be obsolete and not provide sufficient protection to MSMEs. Only using the right technology platforms (for eg, FINAC by AKSSAI), the MSMEs can compete/comply. 

    StartupTalky: From your Big 4 experience to founding AKSSAI, what are the three most common but critical financial errors you’ve observed even well-managed companies making, and how can technology eliminate them?

    Mr. Sharma: Three of the most common but critical financial errors include:

    • Not doing 360-degree reconciliations: This often leads to missed errors and financial mismatches.
    • Lack of review before delivery: Not having a structured review process results in oversight and inaccuracies in reporting.
    • Relying heavily on manual work: This increases the chance of errors and slows down operations.

    Ensuring 360-degree reconciliations, reviewing everything before it is delivered, and gradually reducing manual work as much as possible, all of these are areas that we have incorporated into FINAC.

    StartupTalky: FINAC promises up to a 90% reduction in processing time. Could you walk us through a real-case efficiency comparison before and after using FINAC, for any business size?

    Mr. Sharma: A trading business with a turnover of INR 10 crores initially used to spend 2-3 days manually doing accounting entries. With Finac, now they have to only upload invoice copies and bank statements; the system automatically posts entries, matches to GSTR2B data, and readies the GSTR1 and GSTR3B return for the month, all in a few minutes. In addition, this is being reviewed by the Finac team for 1-2 hours to do a final quality check before releasing the reports. 

    StartupTalky: With AI handling core accounting tasks, how do you see the role of Chartered Accountants evolving, especially in advisory, governance, and fraud detection?

    Mr. Sharma: AI should be perceived as a tool to facilitate CA’s work. Advisory, governance and fraud detection are critical for any business owner, regardless of their size. By simplifying voluminous tasks, it will help CAs spend their time on more meaningful areas and provide purposeful advice. Decision-making will continue to be required to come from CAs as trusted advisors for businesses. 

    StartupTalky: Given the wide range of automation tools available, what are the unseen risks businesses face when adopting piecemeal accounting and tax software instead of a unified platform like FINAC?

    Mr. Sharma: One of the risks is poor decision-making owing to limited overall visibility and inability to look at the complete picture. Occasionally, it might work to adopt multiple different tools, but there is always benefit in finding a common platform that addresses and even provides tailored insights to a business. The other key risk is inefficient use of time by juggling multiple tools/vendors/software. Other factors to consider are cost element, learning/training time to learn multiple systems vs only one system, knowing who the SPOC is to answer all/most of your questions, instead of working with multiple people.

    StartupTalky: How should growing companies evaluate whether they’ve outgrown their current compliance setup? Are there any signs in the data or operations that indicate a need for automation?

    Mr. Sharma: If there are challenges coming from team members in terms of timely reporting, getting insights from the team, and owners are not getting this despite changing the staff multiple times, then it means the system has to change instead of the people.

    StartupTalky: You mentioned that FINAC focuses equally on delivery and governance. Could you share how internal team accountability and performance are tracked within the platform, and how this translates to client satisfaction?

    Mr. Sharma: One example is that the system maintains a 100% log of every journal entry in FINAC. This includes a documentation trail such that any errors or post-date changes can be seen by reviewers, including the time stamp of when those happened. In addition, we have a mandatory 5-day approval window for each journal entry where a senior accountant must review the work done by their team. There are several means and checks to ensure the approvals take place within this window to ensure the internal team maintains delivery discipline.

    StartupTalky: Based on your internal data, what has been the average cost savings and time reduction observed by MSME clients after switching to FINAC?

    Mr. Sharma: We have seen average cost savings to be 60% initially and are gradually increasing it to 80%-90%.

    StartupTalky: India has one of the most complex indirect tax systems globally. How does FINAC simplify GST compliance for multi-state operations, and how do you ensure accuracy at scale?

    Mr. Sharma: Finac has all rules embedded, which are applied to every transaction, and the GST returns are updated in real time. There is no need to manually change or enter anything. It also provides flexibility to manually override any particular rule in case of different treatment/categorisation in case of exceptions. Accuracy is achieved through automation. Every rule has been tested thoroughly over a long period of time and only implemented after several iterations. Getting the treatment/categorisation of a transaction right is Finac’s responsibility, and hence the team of experts continuously reviews and updates the system in line with frequent changes in GST law and the GST portal.

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  • Making Every Watt Count: Ayush Gupta on How Enlog Cuts Electricity Costs by About 23% with AI

    In this engaging interaction with StartupTalky, Ayush Gupta, Co-founder and CTO of Enlog, sheds light on how his company is cutting energy waste and saving businesses up to 23% on electricity bills. From PGs to hotels, he explains how Enlog’s AI-driven tech spots waste, acts fast, and even prevents disasters. Gupta shares how building everything in-house gave them an edge in the energy space. With bold plans to cut 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2027, Enlog is not just about smart savings, it is about shaping a cleaner, more efficient future for India.

    StartupTalky: Your solutions reportedly reduce energy consumption by up to 23%. Based on your deployments, what typical electricity usage patterns have you observed in hostels, PGs, and hotels? What are the primary sources of wastage you have identified?

    Mr. Gupta: We’ve seen consistent energy wastage from ACs, geysers, and common area appliances running without occupancy. In PGs and hostels, lights and fans are often left on 24/7. In hotels, HVAC systems run in unoccupied rooms due to a lack of control integration. Our system cuts this by responding to usage patterns, real-time data and occupancy, with zero human intervention. That’s why the 23% reduction reflects our average outcome. 

    StartupTalky: Since being founded in 2019, Enlog has seen strong revenue growth, from INR 17 lakh in FY23 to INR 1 crore in a month. Could you explain the key drivers behind this growth and the strategies that enabled this scale-up? 

    Mr. Gupta: That scale wasn’t just from selling devices, it came from proving that intelligence, once embedded into infrastructure, compounds. 

    Our growth came from three levers: a full-stack product (hardware + AI + UI), a plug-and-play deployment model, and a results-oriented GTM. We didn’t ask clients to trust dashboards instead, we let them see savings in their bills. That propelled our expansion.

    StartupTalky: Enlog has managed over 20,000 MWh of electricity and reduced more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. On average, how much electricity does each client manage through your systems, and what is the typical emissions reduction per client? How do these outcomes relate to the cost of implementation and the average payback period for different types of businesses? 

    Mr. Gupta: On average, each client manages approximately 15 MWh of electricity annually through our systems. This management translates to a reduction of about 2.7 tonnes of carbon emissions per client per year. But what really matters to businesses is ROI.

    The cost of implementing our solutions varies based on the scale and specific requirements, but typically sees a return on investment within 8 to 10 months, thanks to the substantial savings on electricity bills.

    StartupTalky: Enlog aims to help India reduce 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2027. Based on your current impact, what annual reduction rate do you need to achieve this goal? What strategies are you putting in place to accelerate your progress? 

    Mr. Gupta: To reach our goal of reducing 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2027, we need to average an annual reduction of approximately 250,000 tonnes. Our strategy includes expanding our client base faster across various sectors, enhancing our energy-saving tech further, and forming partnerships to scale further. We are also offering ESG and impact reporting to help clients integrate emissions into their operational decisions.

    StartupTalky: With global electricity demand expected to rise by 40% by 2040, how does Enlog’s technology help address peak demand challenges? Could you share data or examples from any pilot projects that highlight your impact on reducing peak loads? 

    Mr. Gupta: Peak load management is where intelligence matters most. For example, in a pilot project with a mid-sized hotel, our system reduced peak load by 15% by optimising the operation of HVAC systems based on occupancy and external temperature data. Our system doesn’t just respond, it predicts. By modelling consumption spikes and load cycles, we enable buildings to flatten their own demand curves, like traffic signals managing congestion. 

    Such interventions not only lower energy costs but also contribute to grid stability on a scale. 

    StartupTalky: You are expanding into metro cities like Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. What client growth are you targeting in these markets over the next two fiscal years, and what regional differences in energy usage patterns have you noticed compared to Delhi-NCR? 

    Mr. Gupta: These cities have unique energy usage patterns; for instance, Mumbai’s high humidity levels lead to increased HVAC usage, while Bengaluru’s moderate climate results in different consumption behaviours. Understanding these regional differences allows us to use location-based AI presets to adapt across climates. We’re targeting an 8x growth in our client base as we expand across metro cities over the next two fiscal years.

    StartupTalky: Enlog is transitioning to edge computing with custom System on Chips (SoCs). What improvements in data processing speed and latency do you expect from this shift, and how will it enhance real-time electricity optimisation for your users? 

    Mr. Gupta: Our shift to edge computing with custom System on Chips (SoCs) means decisions happen milliseconds after data is captured, right at the edge. But this shift isn’t just about speed, it’s about true autonomy. For our clients, this means instant, intelligent adjustments that improve savings and system responsiveness. In incidents where milliseconds matter, like preventing overheating or short circuit, this kind of on-chip decision-making makes all the difference. 

    StartupTalky: Enlog was founded with a core question: why is electricity still treated as a fixed cost when it can be optimised? How did this philosophy shape your initial product roadmap and go-to-market strategy, particularly for cost-sensitive sectors? 

    Mr. Gupta: I’ve always believed electricity is too critical to everyday life to be treated as a blind expense. Our roadmap started with one question: how do we make every watt self-aware? 

    That led to our approach: one universal device, built for autonomous action, not just visibility. We entered through cost-sensitive sectors not because they were easy, but because they had the most to gain. If you can build intelligence that works at a PG-level unit cost, where we help in improving their profitability, you can scale it anywhere. 

    StartupTalky: Your AI not only monitors but actively diagnoses and optimises energy usage. Could you share a real-world example where your system helped prevent significant energy loss or equipment failure? 

    Mr. Gupta: In one instance at a co-working space, we saw meeting room ACs running without any occupancy for hours, but no one noticed that. Our models identified it, learned the pattern, and started switching them off when not needed. It didn’t rely on alerts or manual intervention rather, it simply made the decision and delivered savings. 

    Then there was a hotel where we caught a phase imbalance. It could’ve ended badly. The system spotted it, isolated the circuit, and sent a ping to maintenance. It happened fast. No one had to think. That’s when it hit me, we’re not just saving energy, we’re preventing disasters.

    StartupTalky: You have built both hardware and software entirely in-house, which is rare among startups. What were the biggest challenges you faced during development, and how does owning the technology give Enlog a competitive advantage over those using off-the-shelf solutions? 

    Mr. Gupta: Developing both hardware and software in-house posed challenges, including the need for specialised talent and significant R&D investment. However, I believe in first-principle thinking. This approach allowed us to create highly integrated and customised solutions, giving us a competitive edge over companies relying on off-the-shelf products. Owning the full stack gives us the freedom to scale faster and make something that never existed before. 

    Our proprietary technology ensures better performance, scalability, and solves the real problems of client needs, which no one is doing.

    StartupTalky: With installations across more than 1,580 PGs and 120 hotels, how do you ensure consistent system performance and scalability? What does your support and maintenance model look like to manage such a large and widespread client base? 

    Mr. Gupta: We’ve built our system like a telecom network-designed to handle heavy loads with low latency, fault tolerance, and automatic scalability. Just like how network technology gets connected even in remote areas, our solution works smoothly in low-network zones across India. We monitor performance proactively, so often we know about issues before our clients do. 

    From day one, we designed for scale, aiming to reach every corner of the country. Our operations model is lean by design: instead of adding more support staff as we grow, we scale intelligence through AI-driven tools, being a tech-first startup, a true tech-first approach to sustainable growth. 

    StartupTalky: Enlog was recently recognised with a DeepTech & AI award at Startup Mahakumbh 2025. How do awards like these contribute to building your brand credibility, attracting talent, and forming strategic partnerships? 

    Mr. Gupta: Winning the DeepTech & AI award at Startup Mahakumbh 2025 was a huge boost for us, especially after a rigorous assessment by a national panel of industry experts, confirming we’re ahead of others in this space. It’s not just about the recognition, but the validation that we’re leading in a complex space where energy, hardware, and AI come together.

    Having Union Minister Piyush Goyal visit our booth and appreciate our innovation was incredibly motivating for the whole team. Awards like this really help open new doors and build trust with potential partners, and attract talented people who not just build apps but aspire to innovate.

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  • Bootstrapped Bricks to IPO Dreams: Aaditya Sharda on Infra.Market’s Tech Edge, Manufacturing Power & Private Label Play

    In this exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, Aaditya Sharda, Co-founder of Infra.Market, shares how the company evolved from a bootstrapped startup to a unicorn leader in the building materials industry. Starting with an asset-light model that fueled early profitability, Infra.Market pivoted to owning manufacturing facilities to better control supply chains as demand grew. Sharda also discussed the company’s unique strategy, which includes a focus on private-label products and a diverse product portfolio, helping position it as an industry leader. With plans for aggressive expansion and technological upgrades, Infra.Market is now preparing for an IPO as part of its long-term growth vision.

    StartupTalky: Being the co-founder, what inspired you to start Infra.Market, and how has the company grown over the years?

    Mr. Sharda: For the first three years, we were a bootstrapped but profitable company. The idea behind Infra.Market was simple: we wanted to aggregate demand from multiple projects and tap into underutilised manufacturing capacities. This is to create our own private label products for demand fulfilment. In most categories, we focused on manufacturing and supplying under our own private label, while in select categories, we distributed competitor brands.

    However, our approach was very clear, the moment we launched our private label in any category, we would completely stop distributing any competing brand within that space. This asset-light model allowed us to remain profitable while being bootstrapped. This strategy also gave us a deep understanding of market dynamics, customer preferences, and supply chain gaps. It helped us identify categories where we could build stronger value propositions with our own private-label products.

    As the demand scaled, especially from large projects where we were already empanelled, we started facing fulfilment challenges. Third-party manufacturers often struggled to meet our growing demand, creating bottlenecks in delivery and execution. This became a pivotal moment, prompting a strategic shift towards owning our own manufacturing facilities and controlling the supply chain end-to-end. This transition, from a managed marketplace model to a vertically integrated platform, enabled us to ensure product consistency, improve margins, and most importantly, meet customer demand at scale with greater reliability.

    Today, we own over 250 manufacturing plants across 15+ product categories, with nearly 65% of our revenue driven by our private-label products. Supported by in-house technology for real-time demand planning and logistics optimisation, we now execute over 10,000 deliveries every day. It positions Infra.Market as a one-stop building materials platform catering to infrastructure, real estate, and retail customers across the construction ecosystem.

    StartupTalky: What is the core business model of Infra.Market, and how is it different from traditional players? 

    Mr. Sharda: Infra.Market is a leading building materials platform offering 15+ product categories through a strong network of 250+ tech-integrated manufacturing facilities across the country. Our strategy has always been focused on increasing our wallet share from every project and customer we engage with. While we are amongst the top 3 players nationally in categories like Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC), AAC Blocks, Tiles and more, our real strength lies in how we enter and expand within a project. 

    Concrete is the very first material required at the start of any construction, whether infrastructure, commercial, or residential. With over 200 RMC plants, Infra.Market ensures early entry into projects by becoming the preferred concrete partner. Once we have entered, as the project progresses, the demand for other building materials naturally follows, from AAC Blocks, Plumbing, Tiles, Sanitaryware, and Paints to MDF, Plywood, Electricals, Modular Kitchens, and Appliances. Our in-house technology tracks the progress of each project in real-time, enabling seamless lead handover across business verticals. This integrated approach allows us to cross-sell and upsell multiple product categories within the same project. It resulted in a significantly higher wallet share in a project compared to traditional players.

    With 250+ manufacturing plants across diverse product lines, Infra.Market ensures control over product quality, availability, and timely delivery, solving industry’s biggest pain points.

    What truly sets us apart is our vertically integrated business model. Unlike conventional marketplaces that simply connect buyers and sellers, we have built deep capabilities in manufacturing, distribution, and technology. It allows us to deliver a consistent customer experience at scale. As platform adoption grows and technology penetration deepens, our integrated approach will continue to drive strong growth and long-term differentiation in the building materials industry.

    StartupTalky: How does your multi-category portfolio of 15+ product lines help Infra.Market stay ahead of competitors in the construction materials space?

    Mr. Sharda: Infra.Market is building India’s first multi-product and multi-channel building material platform, and that’s exactly what sets us apart. While most players focus on gaining leadership in one product category, our strategy is to create a larger impact by capturing a higher wallet share from every project by offering multiple building material categories.

    With a strong focus on in-house manufacturing and a pan-India presence, we try and offer everything to a project from foundation (concrete) to finish (Modular kitchens). This, in turn, helps us to get the highest wallet share from that project, thereby helping us stay ahead of the competition in any project supply.

    The vast category of products offered includes RMC, AAC blocks, steel, aggregates, tiles, plumbing, MDF, plywood, laminates, electrical, sanitaryware, and even modular kitchens and appliances. This allows us to stay present across every phase of construction, starting with concrete, the first product required on-site, and expanding as the project progresses, capturing the larger wallet share of the project. It not only ensures consistent supply and better control over quality but also strengthens our brand visibility.

    Adding to this is our unique proposition of building a “House of Brands” within the construction ecosystem, a first-of-its-kind in the industry. With a portfolio that includes RDC Concrete, Shalimar Paints, IVAS, Emcer, Millennium, Amstrad and many more fully owned brands, we are creating a one-stop platform that caters to the entire spectrum of construction needs. This has not only strengthened our product offering but also helped build trust and recall across infrastructure, real estate, and retail customers alike.

    StartupTalky: What tools and technologies do you use to manage operations and optimise the supply chain?

    Mr. Sharda: We have built a tech-first platform that integrates AI-driven demand forecasting, real-time inventory management, and GPS-enabled logistics, allowing us to predict material needs accurately, optimise stock, and ensure faster, cost-effective deliveries.

    Our in-house tech tracks project progress in real-time, enabling seamless lead handover across business verticals and driving cross-sell and upsell opportunities within the same project. It helped us capture a larger wallet share of the project.

    With advanced data analytics and CRM integration, we proactively recommend products based on project needs and past purchases. It creates a smarter, more agile supply chain that sets Infra.Market apart in the industry.

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    StartupTalky: How has Infra.Market implemented automation in its operations to scale effectively?

    Mr. Sharda: Infra.Market has embedded automation across key functions to drive scale and efficiency. From digitising core workflows at manufacturing units to leveraging IoT-powered systems, our operations are built for speed and precision. For instance, real-time data from sensors on our trucks helps us optimise routes, track deliveries, and monitor material conditions in transit. This not only enhances operational reliability but also ensures faster, smarter, and more predictable deliveries for our customers.

    StartupTalky: Infra.Market saw a 2.4x rise in its profits in FY24, which is largely driven by private labels. What are the key drivers behind this growth?

    Mr. Sharda: Our growth has been largely fueled by our focus on private-label manufacturing, which has significantly improved margins and overall profitability. We have built strong private-label brands across both B2B categories like Concrete, AAC Blocks, Plumbing, MDF, and Steel, and B2C categories like Tiles, Sanitaryware, Electricals, Modular Kitchens, Laminates and Appliances.

    Today, nearly 65% of our sales come from our own brands, with 60% of these products fully manufactured in-house. This gives us better quality control, a wider product range, and deeper customer trust. Our private-label products now power large-scale infrastructure projects like airports, metros, and highways. This pivot has helped us transition from a managed marketplace model to a full-stack building materials platform, while also enabling us to expand deeper into Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets and grow our wallet share across projects.

    StartupTalky: With Hella Infra Market Limited preparing for an IPO, what are your plans, and how will this shape the company’s future?

    Mr. Sharda: We are building India’s first multi-product, multi-channel building materials platform, a one-stop solution catering to infrastructure projects, builders, and dealers. Our model is built on a simple but powerful belief: the same customer is willing to buy multiple construction products from a single trusted supplier.

    As we scale and move closer to IPO, this becomes a critical business thesis investors will evaluate: our ability to capture higher wallet share from projects. The more we succeed in deepening our presence within a project across product categories, the stronger the validation of our model, and the greater the investor confidence in our platform’s scalability and profitability. But as we look to scale the business, it is becoming evident that capital infusion is critical and going to capital markets with an IPO is also a route we are evaluating.

    StartupTalky: What are the requirements and process for setting up an Infra.Market franchise, and how does it benefit entrepreneurs looking to partner with you?

    Mr. Sharda: Most of the dealers and retailers in the building material industry trade in only one category of products offering multiple brands. The ecosystem of dealers has been made in this manner by leading building material companies because they all supply one category and aspire to become leaders by increasing their distribution footprint. Therefore, a paint dealer largely sells only paint products, and a plywood dealer mostly sells only plywood, MDF and laminates.

    Infra.Market, due to its wide variety of products and in-house brands, is helping dealers scale their business from their same retail space, thereby improving their ROI. A tile dealer is taking up modular kitchen distribution too, and a plumbing dealer is looking to include electrical products in his store. Some are even looking at selling 3-4 categories from their existing space. This helps a dealer extract a higher wallet share from their customer, architect, contractor or project, whomsoever they are supplying.

    Hence, slowly and steadily Infra.Market is improving the supply infrastructure of this industry across India. Today, it boasts 12k+ direct dealers/distributors, and many of them are buying multiple categories of products. Some who are keen on retailing at a larger scale, set up a 3000-5000 sq ft franchisee store too. We have 30+ such stores across the country. All our dealers and franchisees get our tech support, which in turn helps them optimise their inventory norms and manage timely stock turn ratios.

    This omnichannel product strategy helps us get entry into big dealer stores by expanding their offering rather than competing with their bestselling brand at the counter.

    StartupTalky: What challenges do you foresee as Infra.Market scales, and how are you preparing to address them?

    Mr. Sharda: While Infra.Market has seen strong growth, building materials remain a capital-intensive business with long payment cycles and high credit risk due to their unorganised nature. Margins are also low if the model is a pure distribution. Managing cash flows and delayed payments continues to be a key challenge, especially as we scale and expand into new markets.

    Efficient working capital management is critical, and we are actively strengthening our financing ecosystem. Self-owned manufacturing and higher contribution from private labels help us improve on margins too. Even as we navigate these challenges, our focus remains on driving value for our customers while maintaining operational efficiency and financial discipline.

    StartupTalky: What are Infra.Market’s major growth plans and priorities for the next 2-3 years?

    Mr. Sharda: ,Our revenue growth has allowed us to expand into new product categories, strengthen manufacturing, and improve supply chain efficiency. We look to add 50 Plants per year for our concrete business and mirror the footprint of these plant locations basis wherever the residential and commercial growth is happening. This is fueled by ambitious infrastructure spending by both the government and the private sector.

    Infrastructure growth remains one of the top priorities for the Government, as seen in budget allocations. And the need for smart cities, highways, airports and roads is only on the rise, which is a strong tailwind fueling our growth plans. We are the country’s biggest AAC Blocks manufacturer with nine operational plants and look to add 5-6 more as the industry pivots from Red Brick to AAC Blocks for long-term sustainability and strength.

    On similar lines, our state-of-the-art Pipes and Fitting Plant is coming up in Naidupeta. A couple of plants have already been commissioned for Wood Panels in Rudrapur and Yamuna Nagar, and capacity expansion is planned there too. Tiles is another sector where we are second in the country in terms of manufacturing capacity, and we intend to boost that further to become industry leaders.

    Other categories will also see similar expansion in manufacturing capacity, and further, we look to expand our dealer network. An extensive dealer network enables deeper penetration into projects across Tier B and C cities, where distribution remains highly fragmented. Continued technology upgrades and increased presence in these regions are key drivers of long-term growth.

    As platform awareness and tech adoption rise, we anticipate entering more projects, strengthening existing relationships and sustaining our growth momentum across infrastructure, real estate, and retail markets.

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  • Arpit Mittal on How SpeakX Is Cracking India’s English-Speaking Puzzle with AI

    ‘Communication works for those who work at it,’ said composer John Powell — yet, speaking confidently remains a challenge for many. Arpit Mittal, Founder & CEO of SpeakX, is working to change that with an AI-powered platform designed to help learners across India improve their spoken English.

    In this interaction with StartupTalky, Mittal shares how SpeakX adapts in real time to users’ regional accents and fluency levels. He explains how the team uses speech recognition, user data, and AI to boost learners’ confidence. He also talks about the company’s subscription-based model, its growth through both paid and organic channels, and future plans involving regional expansion and strategic partnerships with edtech and telecom players.

    StartupTalky: How does SpeakX’s Generative AI adapt lessons in real time for each learner, and what unique advancements in speech recognition make this possible?

    Mr. Mittal: At SpeakX, we are deeply aware that English learners in India span a wide range from complete beginners who struggle to put together even a basic sentence, to advanced users aiming to polish their fluency to near-native levels. To meet every learner where they are, our Generative AI constantly adapts in real time. It listens closely, analyses how a user is speaking, right down to fluency, vocabulary usage, and pronunciation, and adjusts the complexity of the practice session accordingly.

    For example, if a learner is getting comfortable forming basic five-word sentences, the AI gently nudges them to try more complex constructions using conjunctions or idiomatic expressions.

    What makes this seamless adaptability possible is our investment in highly refined speech recognition technology, specifically tuned for the Indian context. India has a multitude of accents, even varying within a single state. Our system has been trained on massive datasets featuring real voices from across regions, North, South, East, and West, so that it can understand and provide accurate feedback, regardless of whether a learner speaks with a Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, or Marathi accent. That inclusivity and precision allow us to create a learning journey that feels personal and motivating.

    StartupTalky: How has SpeakX’s selection for the Google for Startups Accelerator Apps program impacted its growth and innovation?

    Mr. Mittal: Getting selected for the Google for Startups Accelerator was more than just a badge of honour, it was a transformational moment for SpeakX. The program brought us into close contact with world-class mentors, product specialists, and engineers who helped us zoom in on the right growth levers. The structured sessions helped us identify user drop-off points and refine engagement strategies, which significantly improved retention.

    Perhaps more importantly, it forced us to take a step back and see the bigger picture. With Google’s guidance, we were able to fine-tune our roadmap to balance short-term user acquisition wins with our longer-term vision—building a scalable, AI-powered platform that truly changes how Indians learn to speak English. It also helped us think more globally, even while staying hyper-focused on our local strengths.

    StartupTalky: With 10 million+ downloads, what has been your most effective growth strategy—organic, paid marketing, or partnerships?

    Mr. Mittal: Reaching 10 million downloads did not happen overnight, and it certainly was not driven by one single channel. That said, our most effective strategy has been performance-driven paid marketing, particularly on platforms like Google and Facebook.

    What worked in our favour is that we understand Indian learners extremely well. We communicate in the languages and dialects they are most comfortable with, and we speak to their real needs: getting a better job, speaking with confidence, or helping their kids learn English.

    What is exciting is that as we scaled our campaigns, our customer acquisition cost dropped, which is something rare in edtech. That tells us two things: first, that the demand for spoken English tools in India is massive; and second, that there’s still a largely untapped audience looking for exactly what we offer.

    Organic growth and word-of-mouth also played a role, especially once learners started seeing progress within weeks and began recommending us to their friends and family.

    StartupTalky: What role does AI play in monetisation? Do you see potential for alternative revenue models beyond subscriptions?

    Mr. Mittal: AI plays a crucial role not just in product delivery but in monetisation as well. Thanks to AI, we can offer highly personalised learning at scale without the need for live human tutors, which keeps our costs low and our pricing affordable. Our monthly subscription model has emerged as the most natural fit, especially in India, where families are accustomed to paying recurring fees for tuition or coaching classes. It aligns well with how people already invest in education.

    That said, we are exploring other revenue models too. Freemium models, tiered plans, and even B2B offerings for schools or coaching centres are on the table. But for now, subscriptions give us both sustainability and predictability. More importantly, they allow us to keep improving the experience for every learner without needing to rely on ads or upsells.

    StartupTalky: What distinguishes SpeakX from competitors like Duolingo and ELSA Speak beyond AI-driven learning?

    Mr. Mittal: Duolingo is fantastic when it comes to introducing people to a new language in a gamified way, and ELSA Speak does a great job with test-prep-focused pronunciation feedback. But SpeakX was built with a different mission altogether—helping Indians speak English confidently in everyday life. That focus shapes everything we do.

    We are not trying to teach 30 languages or prepare people for IELTS alone. We focus on real-life communication, like how to speak to your manager at work, how to explain symptoms to a doctor, or how to introduce yourself confidently in a college interview. Our curriculum is rooted in real scenarios our users face daily. And because we train users in an Indian context, with culturally relevant prompts and accents, our learners feel immediately at home, and that leads to faster progress.

    StartupTalky: How does SpeakX leverage user data and AI to personalise learning experiences, and what key insights from user behaviour have influenced its product evolution and roadmap?

    Mr. Mittal: One of the biggest things we have learned from user data is that the biggest barrier for most learners is not lack of knowledge, it is lack of confidence. Many Indians can read and understand English, and even write well. But when it comes to speaking, they hesitate. They fear making mistakes, being judged, or simply freezing up.

    Our AI is designed to gently coach them past those fears. It picks up on where they are struggling, be it forming full sentences, using the right tense, or pronouncing certain sounds, and tailors the practice accordingly. If someone is repeating errors in pronunciation, they will get more focused practice. If someone is holding back from speaking, we reduce the pressure and create easier prompts to build momentum.

    This insight has shaped our product philosophy. We have moved away from textbook-style lessons and grammar-heavy drills and instead focused on delivering a more intuitive, confidence-building experience that gets people talking.

    StartupTalky: What were the most significant technical and ethical challenges in integrating real-time AI coaching, and how did you overcome them?

    Mr. Mittal: Technically, the biggest challenge was affordability. Building a real-time AI tutor with speech feedback requires significant computing power and processing. We knew that to reach India’s vast lower and middle-income populations, we had to keep costs low without compromising quality. Thankfully, the rise of efficient open-source AI models has made that possible—we are now able to deliver world-class speech analysis at a fraction of the cost it would have taken just a few years ago.

    Ethically, a major challenge is ensuring fairness and inclusivity, especially in a country like India with so many languages, dialects, and accents. Traditional speech recognition models often perform poorly when faced with code-mixed language (like Hinglish) or strong regional accents. We have had to train and retrain our models to ensure they understand and fairly assess all users. We have also taken care to design the feedback in a way that is encouraging rather than critical, because for learners to open up, they need to feel safe making mistakes.

    StartupTalky: What’s next for SpeakX? Are there plans for expansion, new product features, or strategic partnerships?

    Mr. Mittal: We are entering an exciting phase of growth. Right now, we are laser-focused on keeping learners motivated over time. Speaking a new language is not a weekend project; it takes weeks of steady effort, and keeping users engaged through that journey is our top priority. 

    From a business perspective, we are currently strongest in the Hindi-speaking belt, where we have built a solid user base of 125,000+ paying monthly users, with $4 million in annual revenue and over $1 million in profit.

    Now, we are preparing to expand to other linguistic regions across India, including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, etc. We are also exploring strategic partnerships with edtech players and telecom providers to deepen our reach. Our ambition is clear: to become India’s leading English-speaking brand and to empower millions more with the confidence to speak up.

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  • Prashant Singh on Cracking Global SaaS: Inside LeadSquared’s Unicorn Leap, AI Play, and IPO Push

    In an exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, Prashant Singh, COO and Co-founder of LeadSquared, discusses the company’s journey from its early days as a marketing platform to becoming a new-age SaaS CRM platform. He shares insights into building a high-growth SaaS venture, LeadSquared’s journey to becoming a unicorn in India, and its expansion across key sectors like BFSI, EdTech, and healthcare. Singh also talks about the company’s focus on AI integration, global expansion plans, and IPO readiness. He further reflects on hiring strategies, customer retention efforts, and how his passion for endurance sports influences his leadership approach.

    StartupTalky: What was the vision behind starting LeadSquared, and how has it evolved over the years?

    Mr. Singh: LeadSquared was founded with the vision of helping businesses streamline marketing, sales, and customer engagement. From 2011 to 2015, we built a marketing platform enabling marketers to engage and nurture leads before passing them to sales. However, gaps in lead handling impacted conversions, prompting us to expand into lead and sales management, which gained strong traction, particularly in education and EdTech. We further launched our automation platform and mobile app.

    Between 2019 and 2024, we entered the US and Middle East markets while also becoming the preferred solution for high-growth BFSI organisations in India, spanning securities, broking, and insurance. This expansion, coupled with Series B and C funding in 2021 and 2022, fueled rapid growth and marked our entry into the unicorn club.

    Today, we continue expanding across BFSI, education, healthcare, digital natives, and manufacturing, offering end-to-end solutions for the entire customer lifecycle, whether through application journeys, LOS in lending, or Service CRM for customer experience. Our solutions thrive in high-volume, high-velocity sales environments, with India and the US as our primary markets.

    StartupTalky: How does LeadSquared differentiate itself from its competitors in CRM and the marketing automation space? 

    Mr. Singh: Unlike traditional CRMs, LeadSquared is a vertical-focused sales execution and CX platform designed to enhance revenue operations. Our differentiation lies in our ability to provide industry-specific solutions that address the unique sales and engagement challenges of different sectors while maintaining customer-centricity. 

    For example, in BFSI, we offer solutions such as Lending Cloud and Loan Origination Systems (LOS) that digitise the entire customer journey. In education, we optimise student enrollment journeys by automating admissions and engagement. Similarly, in healthcare, we enhance patient acquisition and retention through personalised outreach and automated follow-ups.

    StartupTalky: With a target of profitability by FY26 and IPO readiness, what key steps are you taking to drive growth? 

    Mr. Singh: Our path to profitability and IPO readiness revolves around three key pillars: market expansion, product innovation, and operational efficiency. We are doubling down on our presence in high-growth international markets, particularly in the US, where our solutions have gained strong traction in the Education and Healthcare sectors. We continue to strengthen our vertical-centric capabilities by refining products for BFSI, healthcare, education, and digital-native businesses.

    We plan to optimise expenditure, particularly cloud costs, which constitute a significant portion of our outlays. Simultaneously, we are investing in core products like lead management and help desk solutions, alongside integrating AI capabilities.

    Our recent funding rounds have enabled us to scale strategically, and we are committed to building a resilient, scalable business that is well-positioned for long-term growth.

    StartupTalky: How is LeadSquared utilising AI and automation to enhance its product offerings? 

    Mr. Singh: At LeadSquared, we have integrated AI into our product ecosystem. The core areas where we see demand and acceptance are predicting the purchasing potential of a prospect. This is a fundamental and complex problem impacting the top and bottom line for our customers, and we are running multiple early-stage projects in this direction. 

    Another impactful area where AI is improving our platform is in customer interactions and support. Our AI-powered Knowledge Base Bot can automatically respond to customer queries by pulling relevant information from a trained knowledge base, reducing interaction load by up to 60%. Other features like Ticket Summarization analyse conversations to tag issues, detect sentiment, and recommend next actions. 

    For internal teams, our in-house AI assistant provides prompt assistance with various inquiries related to our products and services, ensuring efficient internal team support. 

    StartupTalky: What have been the biggest challenges and opportunities in expanding LeadSquared across industries like EdTech and BFSI?

    Mr. Singh: Expanding into sectors like EdTech and BFSI has been both rewarding and challenging. One of the primary challenges has been navigating the regulatory landscape, especially in BFSI, where compliance and security are critical. In EdTech, scaling platforms to support high user volumes has been a key challenge. 

    However, these challenges have also presented significant opportunities. In EdTech, we have helped in end-to-end student journeys on a single platform. Similarly, in BFSI, we have played a crucial role in accelerating loan disbursements and improving customer onboarding with our Loan Origination System.

    The growing need for efficiency and customer engagement in these sectors has fueled our expansion, allowing us to become a preferred solution provider in high-growth industries.

    StartupTalky: How has the recent funding shaped LeadSquared’s growth plans and long-term vision?

    Mr. Singh: We have strategically invested in expanding our product portfolio, strengthening vertical-centric product capabilities and scaling our presence in key international markets like the US. It has also enabled us to enhance our AI and automation capabilities, ensuring that we continue to deliver cutting-edge solutions to our customers.

    Additionally, we are using this capital to expand our sales and support teams, improve our go-to-market strategy, and drive customer success initiatives. With a long-term vision of becoming the leading sales execution and CX platform globally, we are leveraging these investments to scale sustainably while keeping profitability in focus.

    StartupTalky: What markets are you focusing on for global expansion, and what hurdles have you had to overcome?

    Mr. Singh: We have identified the US, the Middle East, Australia, and Southeast Asia as key markets for global expansion, as they align well with our focus industries, which include education and healthcare. 

    The primary hurdles in global expansion include navigating regulatory requirements, adapting to market-specific customer behaviors, and establishing brand credibility in new geographies. To address these challenges, we have localised our offerings and strengthened our on-ground sales and support teams. This approach has helped us scale sustainably in international markets. 

    StartupTalky: How do you approach hiring and retaining top talent in India’s competitive SaaS ecosystem? 

    Mr. Singh: Talent acquisition and retention are critical to our success, especially in India’s highly competitive SaaS landscape. We prioritise hiring individuals who align with our culture of innovation and customer-centricity.

    We offer an environment where tech professionals and problem-solvers can tackle complex challenges to make a meaningful impact. The nature of our work provides continuous opportunities for engineers and innovators to push boundaries and solve real-world industry problems, making it an exciting and fulfilling space to grow.

    Our leadership is committed to maintaining transparency, recognising contributions, and providing employees with the resources they need to succeed. By building a strong employer brand and a culture of ownership, we have been able to attract and retain some of the best minds in the SaaS industry.

    StartupTalky: What initiatives are in place to enhance customer success and retention at LeadSquared?

    Mr. Singh: We have always been customer-obsessed, with a strong commitment to delighting our customers and serving as a true partner in their growth. Beyond our scalable SaaS platform, we also provide unmatched reliability and support, ensuring long-term success for our clients.

    LeadSquared has evolved into a no-code platform so our customers can configure and use our solutions without dependency and without having to code. Our automation-first approach, native mobile apps, and AI-driven decision-making set us apart from generic CRMs, allowing businesses to drive efficiency, reduce lead leakage, and maximise conversions.

    StartupTalky: You are a seasoned entrepreneur and a marathon runner. How has your experience in endurance sports influenced your leadership style and decision-making at LeadSquared?

    Mr. Singh: Running for me is about consistency and perseverance. In building LeadSquared, this translated to focusing on sustainable growth rather than chasing quick wins. 

    Endurance sports instil mental toughness that’s invaluable in entrepreneurship. There are moments in both running and business when giving up seems like the rational choice. Whether it’s the final few kilometres of a marathon or year three of a startup facing market challenges, the ability to push through discomfort has been crucial.

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  • Pallavi Jha of Dale Carnegie on AI in Training, Leadership Demand, and the Future of Professional Growth

    In this exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, Pallavi Jha, Chairperson and MD of Walchand PeopleFirst Limited and Dale Carnegie Training India, shares insights into professional development. She explains how Dale Carnegie adapts their training methods to meet today’s business needs, using AI, digital tools, and behavioural science. Jha highlights the rising demand for leadership and public speaking courses in India and how customised training delivers real results. She also discusses empowering women leaders and key trends shaping the future of professional learning.

    StartupTalky: Dale Carnegie has been transforming lives for over a century. How has the company evolved its training methodologies to meet the changing needs of professionals and businesses today?

    Ms Jha: Dale Carnegie has continuously evolved its training methodologies to align with the changing dynamics of the workplace while staying true to its core principles of interpersonal effectiveness, confidence-building, and leadership. Today, our approach is more dynamic, data-driven, and learner-centric than ever before.

    We recognise that meaningful transformation requires both behavioural and emotional shifts. Our Performance Change Pathway™ is designed to facilitate this transformation through a structured process that includes Input, Awareness, Experience, Sustainment, and Output. We are invested in ensuring that participants not only acquire new skills but also develop the habits and mindset necessary for long-term success.

    While in-person training has long been the cornerstone of the Dale Carnegie experience, we have expanded our offerings to include live online programs, making high-impact learning more accessible to professionals who prefer virtual formats. Popularly, our blended learning approach integrates in-person workshops with digital reinforcement tools, allowing for continuous skill development beyond the training room.

    Additionally, we leverage AI and data analytics to personalise learning experiences, allowing each participant to receive tailored guidance based on their progress and needs. By incorporating the latest research in behavioural science and technology, we enable organisations to achieve scalable and sustainable performance improvements. 

    StartupTalky: Among leadership, communication, sales, and customer service training, which area sees the highest demand, and why?

    Ms. Jha: In India, the highest demand continues to be for Leadership, Public Speaking, and High-Impact Presentation courses, driven by the growing recognition that strong leadership and communication skills are fundamental to organisational success.

    As businesses operate in an increasingly complex and competitive environment, leaders must deal with uncertainty and stress, while driving innovation and inspiring their workforce through clarity and confidence. The demand for these skills is particularly pronounced in India, where rapid economic transformation and global market integration have intensified the need for leaders who can engage diverse stakeholders and drive strategic growth. Public speaking and presentation skills have emerged as critical differentiators, shaping how professionals influence decision-making, build credibility, and command attention in high-stakes settings. 

    At the heart of this transformation is the Dale Carnegie Course, the company’s flagship program that has set the standard for leadership and communication training for over a century. This course remains highly relevant because it does more than impart knowledge—it transforms behaviours. By integrating confidence-building, interpersonal effectiveness, and leadership development into a hands-on, experiential framework, it enables individuals to translate learning into immediate, measurable impact. Its enduring appeal lies in its ability to develop the complete professional, equipping individuals not just to lead, but to inspire, persuade, and build meaningful connections in an ever-evolving business landscape.

    StartupTalky: How do Dale Carnegie’s training programmes drive measurable improvements in employee engagement, leadership, and overall organisational performance?

    Ms. Jha: Dale Carnegie’s training programmes drive measurable improvements through a systematic approach that connects learning directly to business outcomes. We begin by establishing clear baseline metrics before training starts, using tools like engagement surveys, 360-degree assessments, and performance data to identify specific areas for improvement.

    Our methodology focuses on behaviour change rather than just knowledge acquisition. We create both emotional and behavioural shifts that translate into workplace applications. The approach ensures that learning extends beyond the classroom into daily practices that impact key performance indicators.

    We implement measurement at multiple levels: immediate participant feedback, behaviour change tracking through follow-up assessments, and organisational impact metrics. This multi-tiered approach allows us to demonstrate ROI through improvements in areas like employee retention, customer satisfaction scores, sales performance, and leadership effectiveness ratings.

    Organisations typically report significant results after implementing Dale Carnegie training. For example, companies often see double-digit percentage increases in employee engagement scores, substantial improvements in leadership confidence and effectiveness, reduced turnover rates among high-potential employees, and enhanced team performance on collaborative projects.

    By creating accountability structures and providing ongoing support, we help organisations transform isolated training events into cultural shifts that drive lasting performance improvements. Our approach is also adaptive – we continuously gather data throughout the training journey, allowing for adjustments that maximise impact for each specific organisation’s needs and challenges.

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    StartupTalky: How do you tailor your training solutions to fit different industries and business challenges while ensuring lasting impact?

    Ms. Jha: Our training solutions are tailored to the unique needs of each industry and organisation through a structured, insight-driven approach that ensures relevance and long-term impact. We begin with a comprehensive needs assessment, engaging stakeholders through interviews, performance data analysis, and skill gap identification to align training with business objectives. A diagnostic process allows us to move beyond generic frameworks and develop programs that incorporate industry-specific case studies, real-world scenarios, and sector-relevant challenges. 

    Customisation extends beyond content to application, where participants actively work on real business challenges, bridging the gap between theory and execution. To drive measurable impact, we ensure that training outcomes are tied to business performance. Post-training reinforcement is critical, and we integrate digital reinforcement tools, follow-up coaching, and structured manager engagement, equipping leaders with the resources to sustain and support skill application within their teams.

    StartupTalky: With a presence in over 90 countries, how do you adapt leadership and skills training to meet diverse cultural and regional business needs?

    Ms. Jha: Our global approach to training begins with a foundation of universal human principles that transcend cultural boundaries while acknowledging that effective adaptation requires deep cultural intelligence. We strike a balance between consistency and localisation by maintaining our core methodologies while customizing content and delivery to align with cultural nuances, business practices, and communication styles in each market.

    The adaptability is driven by our deep cultural intelligence and an extensive network of local trainers who bring a first-hand understanding of regional dynamics, ensuring that every program is both globally consistent and locally relevant.

    Effective adaptation requires more than translation—it demands a nuanced approach to leadership and communication. In practice, this means adjusting leadership strategies to align with varying power distance dynamics, modifying communication techniques to respect cultural preferences for directness or indirectness, and tailoring team-building exercises to reflect local collaboration norms.

    Our curriculum is shaped by extensive market research, allowing us to design training that directly addresses the unique business challenges, regulatory landscapes, and industry priorities of each region.

    Beyond regional customisation, our global network facilitates the exchange of best practices, ensuring that successful innovations in one market can inform and inspire approaches in another. The continuous learning cycle strengthens our ability to provide impactful, culturally attuned training while maintaining the integrity of our proven methodologies.

    Through this approach, Dale Carnegie remains a global leader in leadership and skills development, empowering professionals across 90+ countries to thrive in their respective business environments.

    StartupTalky: What key metrics or indicators do you use to assess the effectiveness of your training programmes for both individuals and organisations?

    Ms. Jha: We use a comprehensive framework of metrics to assess training effectiveness at both individual and organisational levels.

    For individuals, we assess multiple dimensions of growth by establishing clear benchmarks before training begins. We conduct baseline evaluations of key competencies and behaviours through self-assessments and manager feedback, creating a data-driven foundation for measuring progress. Throughout the program, we track changes in confidence, the frequency of skill application, and observable behavioural shifts through participant self-reporting and structured observations.

    Our methodology incorporates NPS and Voice of Customer insights to gauge engagement and perceived effectiveness. Post-program assessments focus on knowledge retention, skill demonstration, and the consistency of application in real-world settings, ensuring that learning translates into sustained professional development.

    At the organisational level, our metrics align with business objectives. We track employee engagement scores, measuring factors like team collaboration, innovation contributions, and participation in company initiatives. Leadership effectiveness is assessed through 360-degree feedback, tracking improvements in areas like communication clarity, team development, and decision-making quality. For customer-facing roles, we measure changes in customer satisfaction ratings, retention rates, and relationship growth.

    ROI calculations incorporate both hard metrics (sales increases, productivity improvements, error reduction, employee retention) and soft metrics (improved company culture, enhanced communication, strengthened leadership pipeline). We also track department-specific KPIs that clients identify as priorities.

    Our measurement approach is collaborative, working with organisations to identify their most meaningful indicators based on their strategic objectives. This ensures that training effectiveness is evaluated not just in terms of participant satisfaction, but in terms of tangible business impact that matters to stakeholders throughout the organisation.

    StartupTalky: How does Dale Carnegie support women professionals in leadership roles, and what impact has the #NOW Movement created so far?

    Ms. Jha: Dale Carnegie supports women professionals in leadership roles through targeted programs that address specific challenges women face in advancing their careers. We offer specialised workshops that focus on skills like assertive communication, strategic visibility, negotiation, and executive presence – all tailored to help women overcome present gender-based barriers.

    Our approach combines classic Dale Carnegie principles with research-based insights into women’s leadership development. Programs create safe spaces for women to practice crucial conversations and build confidence in high-stakes situations The #NOW Movement was created as a catalyst for women’s leadership development, emphasizing that the time for gender equality in leadership is “now” – not someday in the future. It has created a community of practice where women leaders connect, share experiences, and support each other’s growth.

    The impact of the #NOW Movement has been significant, with thousands of women participating in events and programs. Participants report increased confidence in their leadership abilities, expanded professional networks, and concrete advancement in their careers. Many organisations have partnered with us to bring these programs in-house as part of their diversity and inclusion initiatives, creating more supportive workplace cultures for women leaders.

    The movement continues to evolve, addressing emerging challenges like navigating hybrid work environments and leveraging digital presence for leadership effectiveness.

    Ms. Jha: The future of professional development is being shaped by several significant trends that are transforming how organisations approach learning and development.

    AI-enhanced personalisation is perhaps the most impactful trend, allowing for truly customised learning journeys that adapt to individual needs and preferences. Dale Carnegie is integrating AI capabilities that can analyse performance patterns and recommend specific skill development paths while maintaining the human connection that remains central to effective learning.

    The increased emphasis on social-emotional intelligence reflects organisations’ recognition that technical skills alone are insufficient in today’s complex workplace. As automation handles more technical tasks, uniquely human capabilities like empathy, adaptability, and influence become more valuable. Dale Carnegie’s historical focus on these “power skills” positions us well for this shift, and we’re enhancing our programs to further develop emotional intelligence in hybrid work environments.

    Learning in the flow of work is becoming essential as professionals face time constraints. We’re responding by creating more microlearning options and digital tools that deliver bite-sized learning experiences directly integrated into daily workflows, supported by coaching moments that reinforce key behaviours.

    The evolution of leadership for distributed teams represents another critical trend. Leaders now need skills for managing across physical and cultural distances while maintaining engagement. Our leadership programs have been redesigned to address these challenges, focusing on virtual collaboration, digital communication, and building trust remotely.

    Finally, we’re seeing a growing demand for measurable development outcomes tied to business results. Organisations increasingly expect learning initiatives to demonstrate clear ROI. Dale Carnegie has enhanced its measurement methodologies to capture both immediate impacts and long-term behaviour changes that affect organisational performance metrics.

    These trends are reshaping our approach while reinforcing the enduring value of our core principles about human connection and behaviour change.

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  • Muro Co-founder Richa Tandon Discusses Just-in-Time Sourcing, Smart Operations, and Nationwide Expansion

    In this exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, Muro’s co-founder, Richa Tandon, shares insights into building Bengaluru’s premier social club. She discusses how Muro blends great food, craft cocktails, and a vibrant social culture. Tandon explains their just-in-time sourcing strategy, advanced technology, and staff training programs that drive efficiency. She also highlights how events, Muro Café, and delivery services have expanded the company’s revenue streams. With a strong focus on employee well-being and big expansion plans, Muro wants to redefine hospitality in India.

    StartupTalky: Tell us about Muro. What does it do, what sets it apart, and what was the vision behind it? 

    Tandon: Bengaluru’s Premier Social Club, Muro is more than just a venue- it’s an immersive experience that brings together fine dining, craft cocktails, and a vibrant social culture. Located in the heart of Bengaluru on Museum Road, Muro is a haven for those who appreciate the art of hospitality. Inspired by the architectural brilliance of Carlo Scarpa, the space seamlessly blends modern design with lush greenery, offering a sophisticated yet welcoming ambiance.

    The vision is to make Muro a trailblazer in Thai & Cantonese dining and the craft cocktail scene across major Indian cities by 2030.

    What sets it apart is its perfect synergy between world-class mixology and authentic Asian flavors. It combines the energy of a high-end cocktail bar with the elegance of fine dining, ensuring every visit is a memorable experience. Every detail—from the menu to the service—is meticulously curated to elevate guest satisfaction.

    The driving force behind Muro was born from a desire to break away from conventional hospitality norms. We transitioned from financial services to create a space that blends bold Thai & Cantonese flavors with expert mixology. Our goal was to establish a dynamic yet intimate atmosphere where culinary excellence and top-tier service come together seamlessly.

    StartupTalky: Muro follows a just-in-time sourcing strategy with fast vendor payments. How does this improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure fresh, high-quality products?

    Tandon: Just-in-time sourcing at Muro ensures peak freshness and maximum efficiency.

    At Muro, freshness is non-negotiable. Our Just-in-time (JIT) sourcing model ensures that our ingredients-fruits, vegetables, seafood, and meats-arrive fresh every day. By minimizing storage and excess inventory, we reduce waste, optimize cash flow, and maintain superior quality.

    Our commitment to authenticity goes beyond just sourcing. We send our team to Thailand every two months to hand-select spices, ensuring that our flavors remain true to their roots. Essential ingredients are also imported monthly, reinforcing our dedication to quality.

    StartupTalky: Technology plays a key role in Muro’s operations. How do systems like SevenRooms, SPINE, Kyrobar, and various MIS tools enhance efficiency? 

    Tandon: Running a high-end hospitality venue is not just about great food and drinks- it’s about precision. Muro leverages advanced technology like SevenRooms, SPINE, Kyrobar, and MIS tools to streamline operations. These systems optimize reservations, kitchen workflows, inventory management, and financial tracking, allowing for flawless service, maximized efficiency, and a seamless guest experience.

    StartupTalky: Inventory and cost management are crucial in hospitality. How do your advanced tracking and financial management tools optimize operations? 

    Tandon: Precision-driven inventory and Cost Control are crucial in hospitality. Muro operates with meticulous inventory tracking and financial management. We employ demand forecasting, JIT procurement, daily stock analysis, and cost-benefit assessments to optimize operations. Additionally, outsourced menu costing ensures that our pricing remains competitive without compromising quality. Lean management strategies further enhance efficiency and profitability.

    StartupTalky: Muro’s staff training initiatives have led to increased efficiency and higher per-person consumption. What key strategies have worked best? 

    Tandon: A world-class dining experience starts with a well-trained team. Muro invests in comprehensive staff training programs that foster confidence, teamwork, and service excellence. Our approach includes:

    • Seamless front-of-house and kitchen coordination to enhance speed and accuracy.
    • Upselling and guest education strategies that improve dining experiences while increasing revenue. 
    • Continuous skill development programs to keep staff motivated and engaged. At Muro, knowledge isn’t just power- it’s a tool for growth and guest satisfaction. 

    StartupTalky: Events at Muro drive high profitability. What factors help maximize revenue while maintaining smooth operations during events?

    Tandon: Muro’s events are more than just social gatherings; they are curated experiences that drive engagement and profitability. Our mezzanine floor, which includes a private dining room and lounge, caters to corporate events and exclusive celebrations. Signature nights featuring global icons such as Funky Town (Bangkok), SG Club (Tokyo), Sidecar (Delhi), and DJ Ivan have solidified Muro’s position as a top nightlife destination.

    These events not only generate revenue but also foster brand loyalty, ensuring that guests return for more.

    StartupTalky: Muro Café, gift vouchers, and delivery services have diversified revenue streams. How have these additions contributed to overall growth?

    Tandon: Muro’s expanded offerings have strengthened its brand and revenue potential. Muro Café introduces a curated coffee experience, blending specialty brews with innovative coffee-based cocktails. This has enhanced the guest experience and boosted profitability without significant capital investment.

    Gift Vouchers encourage repeat visits and improve brand visibility, making Muro an ideal gifting choice.

    Delivery Services extend Muro’s reach beyond its physical space, tapping into a wider customer base while maintaining high-quality standards. 

    StartupTalky: Employee welfare is a priority at Muro. How do structured work hours, competitive benefits, and training programs help retain top talent? 

    Tandon: Muro places immense value on its people. Our retention strategies focus on:

    • Industry-Leading Compensation: Salaries that surpass those at luxury hotel chains like The Taj & Leela.
    • Comprehensive Benefits: Health insurance for employees and their families, paid time off.
    • Career Advancement: Internal promotions and structured growth paths. 
    • Work-Life Balance: Flexible scheduling and wellness initiatives. 
    • Recognition Programs: Employee of the Month awards and personalized incentives.

    By fostering a supportive work environment, we ensure a motivated team that delivers exceptional service. 

    StartupTalky: What’s next for Muro? 

    Tandon: Muro’s journey doesn’t stop in Bengaluru. Our expansion roadmap includes:

    • 2025: New locations in Koramangala and Hebbal. 
    • 2028: Entry into Mumbai and Delhi. 
    • 2030: 15 outlets across India, setting the benchmark for Thai & Cantonese fine dining and cocktail culture.

    Muro is poised to redefine hospitality, one city at a time.

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  • Nitin Joshi on Hitting 1M Instagram Followers in 94 Days, Business Growth, and Authentic Branding

    In this exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, business content creator Nitin Joshi shares how he gained 1 million Instagram followers in just 94 days. He shares how he found a gap in the market, created valuable content, and grew his audience without paid promotions. Joshi also discusses lessons from his businesses, managing time, and adapting to different industries. He explains his approach to brand deals, market research, and building a strong company culture. Looking ahead, he plans to create multiple IPs and start a digital media company.

    What ideas or strategies helped you reach 1M Instagram followers in just 94 days?

    Joshi: Identifying a market gap is crucial for standing out. I noticed that quality business content was primarily available in English, so I decided to present it in Hindi—a choice that turned out to be highly effective. Additionally, I committed to posting one video daily, which helped me grow my audience.

    How do you decide which topics to cover, and what is your content creation process from idea to posting?

    Joshi: I choose topics in various ways. Some are inspired by trending topics, while others come from books I read. Many ideas emerge while consuming content, and some are drawn from my personal life experiences.

    What key lessons from scaling PacoMeals and UnMess do you apply to your content creation today?

    Joshi: A value-driven approach has always been my priority, whether with PacoMeals, UnMess, or content creation. I strive to provide maximum value, regardless of whether you’re investing money or time in me. That’s why my videos deliver a wealth of information in just 90 seconds.

    How do you adapt your business strategies when shifting across diverse industries like food, EdTech, and consulting?

    Joshi: Business strategies evolve with each industry, but one constant is your value system. A strong value system serves as the foundation for both an entrepreneur and their business.

    How do you balance entrepreneurship with content creation? Do you have a time management strategy?

    Joshi: Managing both at the same time is extremely challenging. I attempted to juggle both and ended up struggling with both. Focus is crucial for success in anything you do. Along with focus, having a strong team is essential to achieving your goals.

    Your expertise in performance marketing seems to play a role in your content creation. How do you grow your personal brand and engage your audience?

    Joshi: I have never used paid promotions to gain followers, and I believe no one should. Boosting content can ultimately reduce your page’s organic reach. My goal has always been to grow an authentic audience, as I’m here for the long run and focused on building a strong, engaged community.

    As someone who has built multiple businesses, what would you say are the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when scaling a new venture, and how can they avoid them?

    Joshi: One big mistake that many entrepreneurs make is that they invest heavily in marketing to drive sales even before achieving Product-Market Fit (PMF). Also, many founders are unwilling to accept feedback, which is crucial for growth and improvement.

    Could you share any specific roadmaps or frameworks that you followed while building your businesses, especially focusing on the early stages of scaling?

    Joshi: Dream for 5 years, set a vision for 1 year, and define goals for the next 3 months. Identify the top player in your market and analyze their strategy—then try to replicate it effectively. Create your own effort and efficiency metrics and track them weekly to ensure you’re progressing toward your goals.

    With your background in consulting and training, how do you think business owners can enhance employee performance and build a stronger company culture?

    Joshi: Business owners must recognize the value of every employee, from an office boy to a director. Companies with lower attrition rates are clearly doing something better than those with higher attrition rates. If you want your employees to treat customers like kings, you must first treat your employees like kings because that culture is that they will ultimately pass on.

    How do you manage collaborations with brands while maintaining your authentic voice and trust with your audience? What advice do you have for others in the influencer space looking to partner with brands effectively?

    Joshi: I focus on understanding the target audience and the campaign’s objective before collaborating. If the brand’s audience aligns with mine and I believe my followers would genuinely benefit from their message, I take on the campaign. I typically partner with well-established brands that have built trust over decades. I especially enjoy promoting educational brands because I strongly believe in the power of education. However, I strictly avoid promoting trading apps and gaming platforms as they go against my value system.

    Joshi: I rely on both internal and external research before entering a market. If I identify a unique advantage – a “brownie point” – that gives me an edge, I enter that market. I also analyze the market size, study the top players, and assess their scale and strategies.

    Where do you see your content journey in the next 3-5 years, and how will you integrate new trends like AI or emerging tech?

    Joshi: I aim to create multiple IPs and establish a digital media company that specifically deals with multiple businesses.

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  • Vikram Prabakar on Recykal’s Mission to Revolutionize Waste Management and Propel India’s Circular Economy

    In this interview, Vikram Prabakar, Chief Technology Officer at Recykal, tells about Recykal’s waste management. To support India’s shift toward a circular economy. Prabakar explains key initiatives like the EPR Compliance Platform and Recykal8 Marketplace, which improve transparency and efficiency in the waste sector. Vikram Prabakar lastly talks on Recykal’s achievements in 2024, the challenges of educating stakeholders, and the company’s plans for growth and innovation in sustainable technology.

    StartupTalky: Can you briefly explain what Recykal does and what core solutions it offers?

    Mr. Prabakar: Recykal is a pioneer in enabling a sustainable and circular economy by leveraging innovative, technology-driven solutions for waste management. Its digital platforms seamlessly bridge between waste generators, recyclers, producers, and policymakers, ensuring efficient waste collection, recycling, and compliance reporting.

    Vision: To build a self-sustaining circular economy in India.Mission: To divert at least 10% of waste from landfills, channeling it into recycling and reuse.

    Core Solutions:

    • EPR Compliance Platform: Tracks and traces EPR targets, transactions, and performance.
    • Recykal8 Marketplace: A B2B platform facilitating the trade of post-consumer resin and yarn.
    • Managed Marketplace: A platform for recyclers and aggregators of plastic, metal, paper, and e-waste to form a cohesive network.
    • Circularity Platform: A SaaS-based solution to manage industrial and facility waste.
    • Digital Deposit Refund System (DRS): Encourages responsible waste disposal and enhances recycling opportunities.
    • V’Code: A cloud-based USI printing technology designed to combat product counterfeiting.

    StartupTalky: How has Recykal grown its presence in the waste management ecosystem this year, and what were the major milestones in 2024?

    Mr. Prabakar: Recykal is revolutionizing India’s circular economy through innovative digital solutions that ensure transparency and traceability. Since 2023, it has successfully diverted 12 billion plastic bottles, 100K+ metric tons of metal, and 90K metric tons of paper and e-waste from landfills, demonstrating its ability to formalise waste streams at scale.

    2024 Milestones:

    • Recognised as the Most Trusted Brand of 2024-25 by Marksmen Daily.
    • Awarded Best Circular Economy Initiative 2024 by UBS Forums.
    • Featured among the Top 10 Climate Innovators by the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity.
    • Recognised as Nasscom’s AI Gamechanger 2024
    • Honoured by Times Now, NASSCOM, and the World Economic Forum for sustainability and innovation.

    Mr. Prabakar: The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) recent guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), recycling, and the use of recycled content in plastic packaging represent a significant advancement towards a circular economy. Beginning in the fiscal year 2025, producers, importers, and brand owners of plastic packaging will be required to include a minimum percentage of recycled content in their products. This phased approach, starting at 30% for rigid plastics and increasing annually, underscores India’s commitment to tackling the growing issue of plastic pollution.

    Deposit return schemes are gaining traction as an effective solution. In response to the rising concern over waste contamination, the introduction of a digital deposit refund system not only prevents plastic littering but also drives mass behavioural change towards responsible waste disposal.

    Tracking the lifecycle of product packaging—beyond mere EPR compliance—by taking proactive steps towards plastic recovery is emerging as a key sustainability trend focused on protecting the environment.

    In the batteries and electronics sector, repair, refurbishing, recycling, and remanufacturing are becoming the new standard, marking a significant shift towards more sustainable practices.

    In the next 2-3 years, the industry is expected to see rapid digital transformation, stronger policy enforcement, and greater participation from businesses and consumers, accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

    Mr. Prabakar: Recykal’s inclusion in Fortune’s 2023 Change the World list highlights its transformative contribution to waste management through innovation and sustainability. Till 2023, it processed 700,000 metric tons of waste, reducing carbon emissions and diverting waste from landfills.The Recykal Marketplace has redefined India’s waste management landscape by integrating informal waste pickers and scrap dealers into the formal economy, improving their livelihoods and ensuring industry standardisation. Additionally, its innovative approach has driven business growth, with revenue increasing from $8 million in 2021 to $95 million in 2023.

    StartupTalky: What challenges do you face in onboarding businesses, brands, and recyclers onto your platform, and how do you overcome them?

    Mr. Prabakar: In the early stages, working in the waste management industry was challenging, as it was not regarded as a conventional or widely accepted business. Combining waste management with technology—referred to as “Kachre me internet”—was an unconventional approach that raised eyebrows among stakeholders.

    Fraudulent activities, such as the practice of filling packaging with water or stones to artificially increase waste weight, presented significant challenges. However, by implementing stringent quality checks at every stage, we were able to overcome these obstacles, which in turn strengthened the integrity of our operations.

    The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) marked a pivotal moment. The mandate for businesses to meet their EPR goals provided a substantial boost to the circular economy, further enhancing our operations.

    In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, sustainability has emerged as a key priority. With a growing focus on eco-friendly practices, organisations across industries are aligning with our mission to create a positive environmental impact.

    Challenges Faced:

    1. Resistance to Change: Many stakeholders were hesitant to adopt digital solutions due to unfamiliarity with new systems.
    2. Awareness Gaps: There was limited understanding of EPR regulations and the advantages of a circular economy.
    3. Trust and Transparency Concerns: Some stakeholders expressed doubts about data traceability and compliance, hindering full adoption.

    How Recykal Overcomes These Challenges:

    1. Education and Advocacy: Recykal hosts webinars and provides thorough onboarding support to educate stakeholders about the platform and its benefits.
    2. User-Friendly Platforms: We’ve designed simplified interfaces that make it easy for users to adopt and navigate digital tools.
    3. Transparent Systems: By ensuring compliance through traceable and transparent processes, Recykal has built trust among its users.

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    StartupTalky: What role does your B2B marketplace play in connecting stakeholders across the value chain, and how does it drive revenue growth?

    Mr. Prabakar: Recykal’s B2B Marketplace bridges the gap between sellers and buyers in the waste ecosystem, ensuring seamless transactions. Acting as both a buyer and seller, the marketplace leverages AI-driven tools for compliance, transparency, and quality assurance. This integration improves operational efficiency, reduces risks, and increases transaction volumes, ultimately driving revenue growth while fostering trust across the value chain.

    StartupTalky: What key regulatory or policy changes do you think are needed to speed up the formalisation of India’s waste management sector?

    Mr. Prabakar: Recykal believes that the following regulatory and policy changes are essential to accelerate the formalisation of India’s waste management sector :

    • Incentives for Recycling Infrastructure: Introducing subsidies and financial support for setting up recycling plants can encourage investment in waste management facilities.
    • Standardised Guidelines: Establishing uniform protocols for waste collection, segregation, and recycling will create consistency and efficiency across the sector.
    • Consumer Participation Policies: Implementing programs that actively engage the public in recycling efforts will drive greater awareness and participation in sustainable practices.

    These measures can create a robust framework, enhancing India’s transition towards a circular economy and ensuring sustainable waste management practices.

    StartupTalky: What are Recykal’s plans for 2025 in terms of expansion, new technologies, and global collaborations?

    Mr. Prabakar: In 2025, Recykal aims to further its mission of transforming waste into opportunities by expanding its reach and capabilities. The company plans to scale its Marketplace, strengthening links across the waste ecosystem for greater transparency and efficiency.

    Recykal is also set to lead advancements in digital Deposit Refund Systems (DRS), taking its globally recognized model to new markets and driving responsible recycling practices worldwide. With a focus on innovation, the company intends to introduce cutting-edge technologies that enhance circularity and enable sustainable practices at a larger scale.

    Furthermore, Recykal is exploring global collaborations to amplify its impact, making circularity a universal business norm and cementing its position as a catalyst for global change.

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