Podcast
Interstellar by Stellaris
Hosted by Stellaris Venture Partners · EN
Interstellar takes you behind the scenes with the stellar founders, business builders, and next-gen leaders driving India’s startup ecosystem. Hosted by the Stellaris team, our conversations explore the bold strategies, resilience-building setbacks, and transformative scale that define some of India’s most remarkable businesses. Whether you’re a builder, dreamer, or simply curious, join us as we uncover the insights fueling these journeys.
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep.2 | How this titan built iconic brands ft. Simeran Bhasin | Interstellar | Fastrack, Wildcraft, Licious
Mar 11, 202500:43:59Tap to summarizeToday, Fastrack, Wildcraft and Licious are household names that we all recognize.Behind these iconic brands is the creative mind of Simeran Bhasin – and her story is one for the ages.After making a mark at Titan and Wildcraft, Simeran ventured into the startup world. In 2016, she launched India’s first and only young girl-focused innerwear brand. While she has made her fair share of mistakes, she has gained invaluable insights into what works – and what doesn’t.In our second episode of Interstellar, we talked to Simeran about her journey, her experiences as a founder, marketer, and business leader in a startup, and the lessons she has learned along the way.Reach Simeran Bhasin:X: https://x.com/simbhasinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeran-bhasin-2082397/Reach Rahul Chowdhri:X: https://x.com/rchowdhriLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchowdhri/In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Episode Summary(00:50) Welcome, Simeran!(01:39) Simeran's leap into entrepreneurship (03:24) The inspiration behind Brag (05:00) Simeran's offline-first bet for D2C brands(07:50) Simeran's advice to someone switching from a corporate career to starting up(10:26) On the willingness to "unlearn"(11:44) From Fractional CMO to Head of Business at Licious (15:08) Why Licious? (16:35) On Licious' alternative protein brand 'Uncrave'(20:16) How did alternative protein & mock meat appeal to a meat-lover?(22:09) Why "Uncrave" and not "Licious Green"?(23:25) The story behind the iconic Fastrack advertisement (27:37) How has the role of a CMO evolved? (31:17) Advice to founders shifting from performance marketing to brand marketing(32:39) Simeran on whether founders today care about brand marketing (33:33) Org-building in a corporate set-up v/s startups (36:03) What to expect when you're going to join a startup(39:00) Rapidfire questions(43:42) Closing commentsFind us on Apple podcasts - apple.co/41HGKvUYouTube - bit.ly/3DkQrbTVisit our website at www.stellarisvp.com
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Ep. 1 | Inside India's E-commerce Playbook with Kirti Varun | Interstellar | Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho
Feb 5, 202500:52:34Tap to summarizeIn the first episode of Interstellar, we sit down with Kirti Varun, former CPO of Meesho, who has worked across Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho, witnessing firsthand how Indian e-commerce has evolved. Here's what we unpack: How Meesho pivoted and paved their path to profitability How does zero-commission revenue model work What’s the right to exist for Amazon, Flipkart & Meesho Is Quick Commerce the next wave of commerce Product Management: Art or Science Much More ----- Reach Kirti Varun: X: https://x.com/kirti_varun_a LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirtivarun/ Reach Rahul Chowdhri: X: https://x.com/rchowdhri LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchowdhri/ In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Episode Summary (01:05) Welcome, Kirti Varun! (02:05) Meesho’s pivot from a reselling platform to Bharat's B2C platform (07:15) Tipping point for the pivot (08:28) Creating a shopping app for the Bharat consumer (10:35) Journey from growth-at-all-costs to profitability (12:21) Decision of right-sizing of the company (14:24) Meesho’s zero-commission revenue model (17:14) Characteristics for zero-commission model (18:46) Amazon, Flipkart & Meesho's right to exist (21:32) Quick Commerce for fashion, good idea? (24:31) Flipkart’s battle with Amazon (27:45) Differences in org culture and structure: Amazon, Flipkart & Meesho (30:33) Kirti’s transition from consulting to product manager in e-commerce (36:03) Advice to executives from large company joining startups (40:15) Product Management: consumer insight vs. instinct (43:40) Meesho’s learnings from the live-commerce experiment (45:46) Rapid Fire (52:03) Final thoughts Referenced: Meesho fastest growing e-comm player; GMV tops $5Bn: Report - https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/e-commerce/e-tailing/meesho-fastest-growing-e-comm-player-gmv-tops-5-bn-report/107153844 Flipkart Plus launches: Similar to Amazon Prime , but without subscription fees - https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/flipkart-plus-launched-similar-to-amazon-prime-but-without-subscription-fees-4979151.html Recommended Books: Zero to One: https://www.meesho.com/zero-to-one-by-peter-thill-with-blake-masters/p/2xnk1i?srsltid=AfmBOoopGQLn_CecGuMvXF2n-oboGq7ZrJD_tZjmiE3Uf7ZbJmbBzX4v Siddhartha by Herman Hesse: https://www.meesho.com/siddhartha-by-hermann-hesse/p/6bohlk?srsltid=AfmBOooaNop8yo79eA5kXG6h82EuNE-zWYj56rCJN_5FtBvjaSnf12Xy
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