Minus One

Tarun Mehta, co-founder and CEO of Ather Energy, joins Prateek Mehta, to unpack how Ather lived the “minus one” philosophy. By taking risks, locking in on what they truly wanted to build for the next 10 years, and then proceeding to just doing it - with India’s first smart electric scooter.Connect with us here:1. Tarun Mehta- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarunsmehta/2. Prateek Mehta- https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-mehta-a571972/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/

Facebook’s early culture was chaotic, fun, and fueled by a belief that "you can just do things."Andrew Bosworth, Meta CTO, joins Aditya Agarwal to revisit that foundational energy. He covers the creation of News Feed, the grit behind the pivot to mobile, and how Meta is tackling long-term hardware innovation for the AR/VR future.Apply to SPC membership -https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagIZspLSFX7QrXcn/formConnect with us here:1. Andrew Bosworth - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bosworth-8247a01/2. Aditya Agarwal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons - https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/

After building companies that made their mark, Joe Lonsdale launched 8VC to tackle institutional decay, backing ambitious startups and encouraging the next generation to build what’s missing.Now overseeing $6B+ in assets, he joins Aditya Agarwal to break down where the Valley lost its way, and what real builders must remember.Connect with us here:1. Joe Lonsdale- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtlonsdale/2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/00:00 Trailer00:52 Introduction01:24 Warrior mindset07:36 Paving the way13:38 Early stage eligibility19:57 Rocket ships are rare22:52 8VC26:49 Great founders and discipline29:43 Cicero Institute33:04 Hairy messy real-world problems38:18 Outro

What does it take to build great companies? Mukesh Bansal, founder of giants like Myntra and Cure.fit, and now building at the frontier of deep tech with Meraki Labs and Nurix, joins Prateek Mehta in a chat at SPC Bangalore. He shares lessons from his early Silicon Valley “startup MBA”, the pivots that defined his journey, and how culture, trust and health have shaped his approach to building generational companies driven by resilient teams. Connect with us here:1. Prateek Mehta - https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-mehta-a571972/2. South Park Commons - https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/

Baiju Bhatt helped millions learn to invest through Robinhood. He’s since taken the leap to aerospace with his new company Aetherflux. Baiju joins Aditya Agarwal to cover what building from first principles looks like the second time around, the true meaning of the American Dream, and how he aims to make space a functional layer of the global energy system.Connect with us here:1. Baiju Bhatt- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bprafulkumar/2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/(00:00) Trailer(01:10) Introduction(02:30) Early history(07:12) Huge courage(11:54) Extraordinarily driven(17:31) Making the system work(24:09) Enamored by space(29:36) Energy company in space(35:41) Power scaling(39:54) Keeping the momentum up(43:14) Outro

How do brands like PepsiCo and Chanel convert consumer attention into real business growth?Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia and multiple New York Times Bestselling Author, joins Dylan Itzikowitz to share how his agency helps these brands turn culture, AI, and data into measurable impact.Apply for the SPC Founder Fellowship by August 3rd: https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagdT5QLZFC3weCJq/formConnect with us here:1. Gary Vaynerchuk- https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyvaynerchuk/2. Dylan Itzikowitz- https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanitzikowitz/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/(00:00) Trailer(00:50) SPC's Founder Fellowship(01:35) Introduction(03:36) Kindness and business(07:12) AI tech and the human spirit(11:11) “Google search is dead”(13:58) Obsessed with today(14:59) Posting in today’s world(22:15) AI influencers(24:01) Nice guys finish first(26:34) Q&A: Directionally correct(30:27) Q&A: Preserving humanity(34:29) Q&A: Consumer mind(39:17) Q&A: Businesses distribution(43:19) Q&A: Creator-owned brands(47:15) Q&A: Crypto(52:02) Outro

“If there's one lesson I wish I could give my younger self, it's to focus less on the technology and more on the customer need.”Bret Taylor has helped shape how billions interact with the internet, and now with Sierra, he’s rethinking customer interactions through AI that feels more human.Apply for the SPC Founder Fellowship by August 3rd: https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagdT5QLZFC3weCJq/formConnect with us here:1. Bret Taylor- https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettaylor/2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/

What does it take to build a global ad-tech company from India? In this episode, Naveen Tewari, Founder & CEO of InMobi and Glance, gets candid about his early failures and the grit it took to bet on mobile before India was ready. He’s now reimagining commerce on lock screens through AI-powered platform Glance.Connect with us here:​Prateek Mehta- https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-mehta-a571972/​South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/

Rana Adhikari, winner of the 2019 New Horizons in Physics Breakthrough Prize, joins Aditya Agarwal to discuss his 'minus one' journey as an experimental physicist, the current state of LLMs, and the vision that led to the creation of India’s own LIGO facility.Connect with us here:1. Rana Adhikari- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rana-adhikari-26bb73165/2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/00:00 Trailer01:03 Introduction01:58 Figuring things out07:30 Toughest lesson12:27 Bad mentor15:33 LIGO and Quantum Science19:34 Intuition26:01 LLMs30:47 Learning the outcome = winning35:07 Learnings from LIGO43:43 Black hole myths47:12 Outro

In this episode of Minus One, Facebook’s second designer, Soleio shares how he helped build the emotional layer of the internet and is now backing tools like Figma and Framer to push it further.Connect with us here:SoleioAditya AgarwalSouth Park Commons00:00 Trailer01:00 Introduction01:41 Early days07:37 Paradigm shift and the moments13:45 Undirected expression and exploration21:45 Greatness has a high bar25:46 Expressing emotions32:17 Back to -144:10 More founders47:54 Outro

Balaji Srinivasan, angel investor and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Network State, joins Aditya Agarwal on Minus One to challenge prevailing assumptions about global tech and opportunity.Connect with us here:1. Balaji Srinivasan- https://x.com/balajis2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/00:00 Trailer00:59 Introduction02:07 Building Counsyl03:40 The science and math08:45 Founder energy12:38 Funding opportunities16:47 Geographical connectivity23:47 Recentralize tech26:21 Millionaire migration33:07 Outside success39:08 Outro

In this episode of Minus One, host Dylan Itzikowitz sits down with Roblox’s chief blocksmith to trace a minus one to zero prototype that evolved into a full blown digital economy, now serving more than 100M DAUs.Connect with us here:1. David Baszucki- https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbaszucki/2. Dylan Itzikowitz- https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanitzikowitz/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/00:00 Trailer01:06 $275M Fund III01:56 Two-year "minus one"05:32 Platform of creation06:59 More than lifestyle08:03 Motivation = obsession?09:09 Investing in growth10:45 Virality hack14:44 Building an ecosystem20:32 Roblox in education21:30 Building for all ages22:48 Dress to Impress24:58 Augmented and virtual reality27:09 Non-boring AI30:26 Safety and mental health33:21 Vibrant economy34:32 Founders should build37:05 Q&A57:32 Outro

What unfolds when those who imagine the future sit across from those building it?In this special SPC panel, worlds converge. Sci-fi legends Neal Stephenson and Ken Liu join visionary investor Cyan Banister and researcher Joscha Bach to explore how narratives shape reality, how fiction becomes a roadmap, and how builders and dreamers influence each other across time.Connect with us here: 1. Neal Stephenson- https://x.com/nealstephenson2. Ken Liu- https://x.com/kyliu993. Cyan Banister- https://x.com/cyantist4. Joscha Bach- https://x.com/Plinz5. Cristian Cibils Bernardes- https://x.com/life_of_ccb6. Jonathan Brebner- https://x.com/JPBrebner7. South Park Commons- https://x.com/southpkcommons00:00 Trailer01:03 Introduction04:25 AI and nuclear tech parallel10:26 Progress. Disappointing? Significant?13:31 The present and the future17:04 Wrong specifics, right methodology25:13 Satire and reality33:14 World building40:19 Parallels and perpendiculars44:19 Artificial general intelligence54:02 Searching for something not forward-looking57:20 Understanding consciousness1:04:08 Lightning round1:14:13 Outro

In conversation with Aditya Agarwal, Adam D’Angelo reflects on his early days at Facebook, the founding of Quora, his early conviction in OpenAI, and why he believes the recursive nature of AI is grounded in a first-principles approach.Connect with us here:1. Adam D’Angelo- https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangelo/2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons – https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/

During his three-decade career in academia, Niall Ferguson has explored the critical inflection points that have shaped the course of history — and the future it continues to inform.In this conversation, hosted by Aditya Agarwal and Jonathan Brebner, he delves into why we may be living through a civilizational minus one, how history leaves subtle traces of what’s to come, the rise of AI, and much more.Connect with us here: 1. Niall Ferguson- https://x.com/nfergus2. Aditya Agarwal- https://x.com/adityaag3. Jonathan Brebner- https://x.com/JPBrebner4. South Park Commons- https://x.com/southpkcommons00:00 Trailer00:59 Introduction02:02 Civilizational -105:33 Warfare08:45 Media and history13:05 Tech doesn't want the past17:26 Our awesomeness knows no bounds19:34 Narrativizing your personal history26:55 Big moves framework33:22 Institutions37:15 Artificial general intelligence39:52 Vision for the future45:30 Outro

In this episode of Minus One, Vinod Khosla joins Aditya Agarwal to reflect on his four-decade journey shaping Silicon Valley.They discuss making high-conviction bets, why the team you build becomes the company you build, Khosla’s first investment in OpenAI, and why he is convinced that AGI sits among us now.Connect with us here:Vinod Khosla- https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinod-khosla-65387416/Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/South Park Commons – https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/00:00 Trailer00:58 Introduction01:53 Aligned values07:59 The early conviction11:29 Did Silicon Valley lost its edge?14:46 10x better16:21 Top down or bottoms up19:45 What does a great investor look like23:17 What's not going well25:41 AI and a belief system38:23 AGI and the future generation40:46 Reasoning model46:55 Consequences of success49:24 Questions and answers55:57 Outro

In this episode of Minus One, Aditya Agarwal and Jonathan Brebner sit down with Blake Scholl, who went from Groupon product leader to founder & CEO of Boom Supersonic, to discuss his pursuit of reviving supersonic travel. With a vision to make high-speed air travel accessible to millions, Scholl is working to bring back a capability many believed was lost after the Concorde era.They explore the key factors in building a legacy company (hint: it’s not funding or technology), Boom’s pivotal challenges—and how he continues to push forward, and the “slacker index”. Connect with us here: 1. Blake Scholl- https://x.com/bscholl2. Aditya Agarwal- https://x.com/adityaag3. Jonathan Brebner- https://x.com/JPBrebner4. South Park Commons – https://x.com/southpkcommons00:00 Trailer01:56 Introduction05:46 From Amazon to supersonic flight09:39 Overcoming challenges and fear of failure16:44 The importance of shorter gratification cycles23:35 Storytelling in hard tech25:09 Building a dream team27:42 Lessons learned in progress29:52 Building our own jet engines38:53 Challenging conventional wisdom44:01 Inspiration and legacy45:55 Future plans

While he hardly needs an introduction, few leaders have shaped the future of technology quite like Satya Nadella.He stepped into Microsoft’s top job at a catalytic moment—making bold bets on the cloud, embedding AI into the fabric of computing, all while staying true to Microsoft’s vision of becoming a “software factory.”In this conversation with Aditya Agarwal and Ruchi Sanghvi, Satya discusses:• his approach to building early at Microsoft and why we all need to continue “refounding” • the future of AI and why critical thinking will remain at a premium• Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI, his vision for quantum, and moreConnect with us here:1. Satya Nadella – https://x.com/satyanadella2. Ruchi Sanghvi – https://x.com/rsanghvi3. Aditya Agarwal – https://x.com/adityaag4. South Park Commons – https://x.com/southpkcommons00:00 Trailer00:57 Introduction02:03 Joining Microsoft06:39 Culture and relevance11:21 Winning and not winning17:37 Making that turnaround happen22:30 Contrarian leadership belief23:35 Investments in startups27:33 Foundation models31:07 Artificial intelligence36:32 The future40:39 Quantum computing44:53 Multiverse45:33 The next generation 50:10 Being competitive52:34 OutroThis episode was produced and distributed by our friends at Atomik Growth: https://atomikgrowth.com/

Kirsten Green, founder of Forerunner Ventures and 8-time Midas List investor, sees the next wave of breakout brands emerging at the intersection of shifting consumer behavior, novel business models, and technological inflection points.In this conversation with Ruchi Sanghvi, she unpacks the investment frameworks behind early bets on companies like Warby Parker and Glossier—breaking down structural shifts that fueled their scale. They explore:• AI’s role in reshaping consumer distribution and brand-building• the enduring mechanics of advertising and its evolution across platforms• the biggest misconceptions about early-stage consumer investing• what defines the next generation of category-defining brandsConnect with us here:1. Kirsten Green – https://x.com/kirstenagreen2. Ruchi Sanghvi – https://x.com/rsanghvi3. South Park Commons – https://x.com/southpkcommonsThis episode was produced and distributed by our friends at Atomik Growth: https://atomikgrowth.com/00:00 Trailer00:56 Introduction02:25 Humble beginnings05:12 Vague misconceptions07:44 Consumer AI direction11:43 How to win in consumer AI18:32 Where is distribution now22:49 "What caught your attention?"24:45 The problems and the solution27:35 Consumer traction and engagement30:50 Giving venture the finger?34:06 Counterintuitive Traits of Founders37:03 Effective channels and connections39:53 Business of saying no41:49 Agents43:04 Search experience44:09 Education and healthcare economy46:36 Physical personalization48:31 Healthcare and social51:55 Key roles54:51 Outro

From launching Ola as a ride-hailing startup to expanding into EVs, AI, and now a third shot at food delivery, Bhavish Aggarwal has remained in relentless “founder mode.” He dives into the mental models that shaped his journey, how he processes failure, and his vision for India’s deep-tech future. Connect with us here: 1. Bhavish Aggarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavishaggarwal/ 2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/ 3. Prateek Mehta- https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-mehta-a571972/ 4. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/ The production and distribution of this episode were managed by our friends at Atomik Growth. (00:00) Trailer (00:55) Introduction (01:55) The chaos of building Ola (06:36) Rebels start companies (10:21) Leadership and Indian tech (16:48) Rationale instinct (21:30) Intelligence, consciousness, philosophies (25:40) How Krutrim fits in (33:13) Founders struggles (36:33) Indian ethos is still growing (43:13) Impact in business and personal life (47:46) Authentic execution, zero BS (55:33) Outro