Galata

Vikas Baradia: Building Shoffr, Funding from Customers & Growth Lessons

Vikas and I dive into his journey building Shoffr: From testing with just 2 BYD cars to scaling a thriving fleet, his unique “vibe-based” hiring philosophy, raising funds directly from customers, spotting massive growth opportunities, and much more!

Nikhil Kamath: Luck, Discipline, and Rethinking Wealth

Nikhil Kamath, Co-founder, Zerodha, and I discuss markets, Greek philosophy, helpers high, Renaissance paintings, luck and so much more!Reach Nikhil on Instagram: @nikhilkamath586Links to significant resources mentioned in the interaction:Books:Money: Master the Game - 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders Updated (Indian Reprint)The Courage To Be Disliked: How to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happinessMichelangelo: A Life in Six MasterpiecesOn the Shortness of Life (Penguin Great Ideas) By SenecaKochland - The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in AmericaMaverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual WorkshopPS If enough of you buy from these links, Amazon India will treat me with a Thick Chocolate Shake.from Corner House!Other ResourcesBeing ethical is long-term greedy- Naval RavikantKasparov's classic quote in this New Yorker articleGod Friended Me episode.Investing advice for beginners by Nikhil on Shradha Sharma's Money MattersCorrection: The quote was not by Barkha Dutt; it was by Shoba De. Link to the article***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Drop a note to puneethsuraana@gmail.com

#89 Aman Srivastava: From BITS Goa To Shark tank Sensation, Empowering Blind Students, Tech For Good

#88 Building Bangalore’s Future: Ravichandar V’s Blueprint for Public Spaces

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Ravichandar V, the visionary behind Bangalore International Centre (BIC) and Sabha. From his early days at BITS Pilani and IIM Ahmedabad to founding Feedback Consulting and later transitioning to civic leadership, Ravi shares his remarkable journey of building public spaces and cultural institutions in Bangalore. Discover how he revolutionised property tax systems, created world-class venues for arts and culture, and mobilised philanthropic support from tech leaders like Nandan Nilekani and Azim Premji. This episode offers valuable insights into entrepreneurship, civic engagement, fundraising strategies, and the importance of community building in modern India.Challenge to You:“Better Citizen Challenge”The Challenge:“How can I be a better citizen tomorrow compared to the citizen I was today? Ask yourself what I can personally do better, and as a result of which the city will become better.”Hashtag: #BetterMeAction Items:• Identify one thing in your neighbourhood that you’d like to fix• Take personal action to improve it• Share your effort on social media with #BetterMe• Tag both me (@Puneethsuraana) and the guest (Ravichandar V)Core Philosophy:Individual civic responsibility leads to collective city improvement - focusing on personal accountability rather than just complaining about problems.Duration: One-week challengePeople & Personalities Mentioned:• Ravichandar V - Civic leader, entrepreneur,• Puneeth Surana - Yours truly :-)• Nandan Nilekani - Infosys co-founder, Bangalore Agenda Task Force• Hema Ravichandar - Former Infosys HR head, Ravi’s wife• Azim Premji - Wipro chairman, philanthropist• SM Krishna - Former Karnataka Chief Minister• Thomas Callet - Major BIC donor• Mohandas Pai - Philanthropist• Shibu Lal - Tech entrepreneur, donor• Jayaraj - Former BMP Commissioner Institutions & Organisations:Educational: BITS Pilani, IIM Ahmedabad, Monfort School, Yercaud. Corporate: Infosys, Wipro, Myco (now Bosch), Feedback Consulting.Cultural: Bangalore International Centre (BIC), Sabha, Chennai International Centre, Bangalore Literature FestivalGovernment: Bangalore Agenda Task Force, BMP, JNNURM, City ConnectEvents: OASIS (BITS cultural festival) Books, Movies & Media Mentioned:• “Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verges - Ravichandar’s fiction recommendation, which he found “absolutely mesmerising”• “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari - One of two books that “really resonated” with him• “The Wisdom of Crowds” by James Surowiecki - His second non-fiction pick, focusing on how crowds have more wisdom than select experts OTT/Streaming:• “Slow Horses” (Apple TV+ series) - Recent content he consumed and “quite enjoyed” for unwinding• Galata Podcast - Mentioned as content he listens to while walking with his earbuds

#87 Sonam Wangchuk - Revolutionary Voice of Ladakh: Fighting for Indigenous Rights & Climate Justice in the Himalayas

Join us for a deep dive with visionary engineer and activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose groundbreaking ideas on education, sustainability, and social justice have inspired millions worldwide. In this extended conversation, you’ll learn:• What education is truly for: Why we must shift from conquering nature to nurturing it, and how unschooling and mother-tongue instruction empower real learning.• Climate wisdom from Ladakh: Stories of Wangchuk’s mother predicting the farming crisis and how indigenous knowledge drives his fight against glacial melt.• The “I Live Simply” movement: How a pledge-based platform can mobilise global behavioral change—planting trees, reducing meat consumption, choosing trains over flights—without spending a rupee.• Revolutionary activism: Lessons on nonviolent resistance, the power of failure, and Gandhi’s timeless call to “live simply so others simply live.”As Wangchuk awaits a Supreme Court hearing on October 6th, challenging his detention, his words resonate with urgent clarity: personal change sparks collective revolution. Perfect for climate activists, education reformers, social entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking practical, scalable solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.About I Live Simply movement:A unique crowd-funding campaign where the contribution made is not monetarily, rather by pledging a greener and simpler lifestyle changes.As leaders of tomorrow, students’ participation in this movement can have a huge impact on fighting global warming. Some of the pledges today’s youth can make could be: Making your college campus plastic-free, planting more trees in your campus and around, adopting bike-pooling or using more of public transport, reducing unnecessary water consumption, less data consumption which meant lesser online streaming, taking initiatives to partner with waste management organisations for proper recycling of e-waste, TetraPaks, plastics etc.PS: To measure the impact of this episode, I urge you to use #ilivesimply #TheGalataPodcast Link: https://www.ilivesimply.org/ About Sonam Wangchuk,A mechanical engineer by education, Sonam has worked in the field of education reform for 27+ years. The man who inspired the popular “Phunsukh Wangdu” character in the Bollywood hit Three Idiots, Sonam has been instrumental in changing the face of education in the mountains. His sessions throw a whole new perspective on innovation and entrepreneurship that embraces social change.In 1988, he founded SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh) that aims to reform the government school system in Ladakh. In 1994 he was instrumental in the launch of Operation New Hope, a triangular collaboration of the government, village communities and the civil society, whose work has been instrumental in improving the pass percentage of 10th graders in the region from a dismal 5% to 75%.For students who still failed in their state exams, he founded the SECMOL Alternative School Campus near Leh, a special school where the admission criterion is a failure in exams and not grades. As an engineer, Sonam Wangchuk has been teaching innovation at the SECMOL Alternative School, where together with the students, he designed and built solar heated buildings that are low cost, made of earth/mud but maintain +15 C even when the outside temperature is –15 C in Ladakhi winters.His “Ice Stupa” artificial glacier has claimed fame for helping solve the water crisis in the region due to climate change and fast melting glaciers. The Ice Stupas store water in the winter in the form of giant ice cones or stupas, which melt over summer and provide water to the lands, just in time for irrigation.Sonam is the recipient of several awards, The Rolex Award for Enterprise 2016 in Hollywood USA, The Terra Award 2016 for World’s Best Earth Buildings in Lyon France, The UNESCO Chair for Earth Architecture for India in 2014, ‘Real Heroes’ Award by CNN IBN Channel in 2008, ‘Green Teacher’ Award by Sanctuary Asia Magazine in 2005, Ashoka Fellowship by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public in 2002, ‘Man of the Year’ by The Week magazine in India in 2001 and the Governors Medal by the J&K State Government in 1996.Introduction Credits: Outstanding Speakers Bureau.Links to reach Sonam:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wangchuk66Website: https://secmol.org

#86: Bijoy Ramachandran on Meaning, Memory & Making Public Spaces | Galata Podcast

🎧 About Galata Podcast Galata is a Kannada word that means the ruckus of noise. Through candid, long-form conversations, I explore entrepreneurship, creativity, and the pursuit of meaningful work with some of India’s most interesting minds. 🏛️ About Hundredhands Hundredhands is a Bangalore-based collaborative architecture practice founded by Bijoy and Prem Chandavarkar. Their work spans institutions, cultural spaces, and residences, known for thoughtful design, sensitivity to context, and the philosophy that architecture is less about materials and more about meaning. 🔗 Learn more: http://hundredhands.com📚 Mentions & ReferencesPeople & Practices• Nilesh Thakkar – restorer• Shaju & team (Kerala) – carpenters• Prof. Vasavada – Ahmedabad, conservation mentor• Arjun Mallik – Mumbai• Sensing Local – Bangalore practice• Compartment S4 – design practice• Matter – Goa practice• Malleswaram Rising Team – Suchitra and teamOther Mentions• RBNMS Trust – heritage owner of Cinnamon & Sabha• Prem Chandavarkar – Bijoy’s brother & collaboratorBooks & Magazines• Ways of Seeing — John Berger• Invisible Cities — Italo Calvino• Mad Magazine• Asterix comicsLectures• Neil McLaughlin lectures on YoutubeMovies• Conclave• Perfect DaysFilms by Bijoy & Prem• Doshi (2009) — documentary on B.V. Doshi• Doshi (2019) — follow-up film after Doshi’s Pritzker Prize🏛️ Places, Projects & Works Mentioned• Bangalore International Centre (BIC) – Bangalore• Sabha – Bangalore (restoration project, RBNMS Trust)• Cinnamon – Bangalore (RBNMS property)• IIM Bangalore – campus designed by B.V. Doshi• Aira School – Bangalore• Innovation Hub at IISc – Bangalore• Hope Orphanage – Trichy, Tamil Nadu• Arshila Project – Kochi• Parsi Temple renovation – Bangalore• National War Memorial – near Planetarium, Bangalore (by Somaya & Kalappa)• Nandi / Bhoganandiswara Temple – Nandi Hills• Kovalam Ashok Hotel (now Leela Kovalam) – designed by Charles Correa• Kerala temples – referenced for their spatial sequences and intimacy• Sri Rangam Temple – Tamil Nadu (contrast with Kerala temples)• Akbar’s Mausoleum at Sikandra – Agra• Diamond Bourse – Mumbai (B.V. Doshi project)

#85: How Suresh Kumar Bootstrapped to $1M in 3 Months, Mastered Proactive Sales, and Said No to Investors

In this episode of The Galata Podcast, I’m joined by Suresh Kumar, the founder of Pepul Tech, a privacy-first social network that’s reimagining how people connect online. Suresh has an incredible journey: he bootstrapped Pepul from zero to a million users in just three months, built strong relationships that powered growth, and even turned down funding offers to stay true to his vision. In this conversation, we dive into the art of proactive selling, the courage it takes to say ‘no’ when everyone expects a ‘yes,’ and the deeper philosophy behind building a social platform that’s designed to make the internet more human.Resources mentioned in the episode:Books mentioned:As a man thinketh The Secrets by Ronda BryanTough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! - Robert H. Schuller7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. CoveyZero to Million Dollar by Suresh Kumar G | MacAppStudio at AIC RaiseSteve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement AddressThe making of Girish Mathrubootham - Factor Daily articleMovies Founders - McDonald's moviePadayappaBaashhaShoutouts:Balaji Kalyana RamanGirish MathruboothamVijay Shekar Sharma RajnikanthM. G. Ramachandran

#84 Vijaypat Singhania: An incomplete life | Raymond

#70: CK Kumaravel on Building Naturals, Sparking the Sachet Revolution, Home Husbands, and Lessons in Growth

In this heartfelt conversation, I sit down with CK Kumaravel, co-founder of Naturals Spa & Salon, to unpack his inspiring journey — from pioneering India’s beauty revolution to the secret to catching unstoppable growth, why even a great product needs marketing muscle, and how dreaming big attracts big opportunities. A must-listen for dreamers, doers, and entrepreneurs alike!

#69: Sunny Garg On building a Startup, Getting Acquired for Crores at Age 25 | Crib