The Offline Network

In the news today:Anthropic hits $30B run-rate revenue — up from $9B in Dec 2025Claude MythosNew Yorker's Sam Altman articleKreditBee raises $280M, valuation doubles to $1.5BGanesh Gopalan, Co-Founder & CEO of Gnani.ai — India's first 5B-parameter voice-to-voice AI model (Inya VoiceOS), 30M+ daily voice interactions, 200+ enterprise clients, IndiaAI Mission, $10M Series B.Avik Ashar & Devarsh Saraf built Bombay Founders' Club from 6 people to 300+ curated founders in two years — announcing international expansion today. Avik was Principal at Artha Venture Fund & Riverwalk Holdings. Devarsh left New York law to build this.📲 Join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_t X (Twitter): https://x.com/OfflineOnAir Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetwork LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonair Website: https://www.theoffline.network

On today’s show:Gaurav Seth, CEO & Co-founder of PierSight Space, on building India's SAR+AIS satellite constellation for persistent ocean monitoring, what the IN-SPACe tech transfer unlocks, and the ₹1,200 Cr national EO constellation play.Rebhav Bharadwaj, CEO & Co-founder of Dodge AI, on building AI agents that automate SAP ERP maintenance for large enterprises — and what it took to get picked for the Accel + Google AI Futures Fund Atoms Cohort 2026.

For episode 76 of TON, we have:OpenAI raises $122B at $852B valuationTBPN acquired by OpenAIWHOOP raises $575M — Abbott, Mayo Clinic, Ronaldo on the cap tableFlowmeter by AngelList India Ed. 01 — Seed→Series A now 905 days; 5yr MOIC 3–7.8xPratik Sharda (CraftifAI) — agentic AI for embedded software. $3M seed. Automates firmware and edge AI for robotics, drones, and IoT.Pranit Arora (Univest) — AI stock advisory for Indian retail investors. 5M+ users, ₹130Cr FY26 target. Not just what to buy — but when to exit.

Rishaad Currimjee is the GP of Golden Sparrow — a fund backing India’s deeptech and AI founders at pre-seed, from space-tech and semiconductors to enterprise AI. Fund I returned 5.5× on EtherealX; Fund II just closed its first tranche at $20M. We talk about why he left a 140-year Mauritius family business to build a solo-GP fund in India, and where deeptech is actually going.Pratyush Rai and Siddhartha Saxena are the IIT Kanpur co-founders of Merlin AI (1M+ users) and Thine — an ambient iPhone AI that learns from your in-person conversations and surfaces what matters, privately. We talk about why they walked away from a product with a million users to build something completely different, and what personal intelligence actually means.Join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow The Offline NetworkX → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network

Vikram Chachra is the Founding Partner of 8i Ventures — the seed fund behind Slice, M2P Fintech, Blue Tokai, and Signzy; Fund II closed at $50M. We talk about what’s still underbuilt for Indian consumers and SMBs, and what the DPI stack has left on the table for founders.Parth Chadha is the Founder & CEO of STAN — India’s social gaming community with 30M+ downloads, backed by Sony Innovation Fund, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and Google’s AI Futures Fund. We talk about what keeps a gaming community alive beyond installs, how the Gems model monetises, and when India’s gaming economy starts looking like Korea or Japan.Join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow The Offline NetworkX → https://x.com/OfflineOnAir Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetwork LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonair Website → https://www.theoffline.network

Sora is shutting down ($15M/day costs). Bryan Johnson says 5-MeO-DMT beat every longevity protocol he’s tried. A non-biologist built an mRNA vaccine for his dog’s cancer using ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok — it’s working. And the rupee is almost at 95.We’re joined by Niyaz Laiq, Partner at Lumikai — India’s first gaming & interactive media VC. Founder, operator, investor. The $13.8B market, microdramas, live commerce, and where the real money in Indian interactive media actually lives.Join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_t

This week: IPL sees a $3.4B wave as tech capital enters sports, while Jensen Huang’s “AGI is here” comment sparks debate on what AI can actually do today.In this episode, Siddharth Shetty of Finternet Lab breaks down building digital public infrastructure at scale, what it takes for systems like Account Aggregator to work, and how Finternet could enable seamless movement of value globally.Join our WhatsApp community:https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow us:X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network

Elon Musk just announced a $25B chip fab — a bold bet on owning the AI supply chain.In this episode, Natasha Malpani of Boundless Ventures shares a contrarian view: the real value in AI may not sit in models or compute, but in applications and tooling.A conversation on where the next wave of AI companies will be built.Join our WhatsApp community:https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow The Offline NetworkX → https://x.com/OfflineOnAir Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetwork LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonair Website → https://www.theoffline.network 

Two bets: turning math into a game, and digitising procurement.Sudhanshu Bhatia (Matiks): 3.5 lakh+ users, building skill-based gaming around mental math.Gaurav Baheti (Procol): $20B+ procurement managed, now adding AI agents to automate decisions.Join our WhatsApp community:https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow The Offline NetworkX → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network

Today’s episode connects three big shifts — edtech consolidation, new VC power, sales in the world of AI and the future of physical logistics.News:Unacademy × upGrad merge in a share-swap deal, Peak XV alumni launch Ambition Capital, Travis Kalanick re-emerges with Atoms - betting on industrial robotics over humanoids.Guest — Rishabh Ladha, EPIC World / ex-SquadStackRishabh breaks down what actually drives great enterprise sales, where AI genuinely helps vs where it’s noise, and why India’s GTM motion is still broken for most startups.Guest — Ankit Kumar, Skye Air Mobility3.6M autonomous deliveries, 200K/month in one city — we unpack drone logistics at scale, unit economics, regulation (BVLOS), and why India could lead this category globally.Join our WhatsApp community:https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_t Follow The Offline NetworkX → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network#TheOfflineNetwork #Startups #AI #VentureCapital #Drones #IndiaTech

This episode looks at two different perspectives on building and scaling companies in India.1/ Ashish Kumar, co-founder of Fundamentum Partnership, explains how growth-stage investors evaluate companies at Series B/C, what differentiates breakout companies from the rest, and what a defensible AI company from India might look like.2/ Aneesh Sheth shares the journey of building Dr. Sheth’s Skincare — a science-first brand rooted in dermatology — and what changed after the company was acquired by Honasa Consumer.Two conversations about scale, exits, and the realities of building in India today.🎧 Watch, subscribe, and join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_t Follow The Offline NetworkX → https://x.com/OfflineOnAir Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetwork LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonair Website → https://www.theoffline.network #TheOfflineNetwork #IndiaStartups #VentureCapital #ConsumerBrands #Skincare

Today’s episode looks at where the real AI competition is happening.News:• a16z’s latest Gen AI rankings show ChatGPT capturing 87% of AI app usage, but the real battle is shifting from standalone apps to AI embedded inside workflows like documents, code, and communication tools.• Meta acquired Moltbook on March 10, with both founders joining Meta’s Superintelligence Labs as the company accelerates its frontier AI push.Guest — Harsh Dwivedi & Niket Raj Dwivedi, MedialMedial is a professional network for India’s tech & startup ecosystem with 250k users. The founders discuss building for depth over scale, adding anonymity to unlock honest conversations, their Shark Tank deal with Ritesh Agarwal and more.Follow The Offline NetworkX → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network

This episode brings together three very different startup stories:• Loud Echo — AI generating ad creative in real time, claiming 80% conversion on qualified sales calls.• Flent — premium house renting with 90–95% occupancy across 140 homes in Bangalore.• Basil — a D2C houseware brand already at ₹36 Cr ARR, aiming for ₹100 Cr next year.Three founders building across AI infrastructure, urban living, and consumer brands — and what they’re seeing on the ground right now.#IndiaStartups #AI #ConsumerBrands #PropTech #VentureCapital

Today’s healthcare special covers insurance, cancer care and a wildcard of the folks behind our merch.US stocks via GIFT city, capital losses & Leopold Aschenbrenner🎤 Guests• Abhishek Poddar — Co-founder & CEO, Plum — What the cancer claims data really tells us about India’s health insurance gap• Deepak Kumar — Co-founder, Oncare — Building cancer care infrastructure inside community hospitals across Delhi-NCR• Jinal & Vivek Ajmera — Co-founders, MYFANDOM — The artist merch layer India’s creator economy has been waiting for🔔 Join TON WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow us:X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network#TheOfflineNetwork #IndiaTech #HealthTech #Insurance #CancerCare #CreatorEconomy #Merch #StartupIndia

Today’s episode connects geopolitics, AI capital, semiconductors, climate, and search — all in one show.📰 News• US–Iran escalation hits UAE; falling debris strikes an AWS Abu Dhabi zone as oil spikes to ~$69/barrel• OpenAI closes a $110B round at ~$730–840B valuation — largest private fundraise ever; India now 100M+ weekly users.🎙 Guest 1: Amritha Sreekumar — Alt Carbon / Alter MagazineClimate-tech meets craft.We discuss how AI, biotech and blockchain intersect with India’s 4.3M-strong handloom sector — and whether technology can preserve tradition without destroying it.🎙 Guest 2: Tanay Goel — GarantieWarranty-tech for OEMs at scale.1.5 crore+ customers, 200,000+ claims processed, 40% cost reduction via automation.Why extended warranties are becoming a $9B India opportunity.🎙 Guest 3: Saravana Maruthamuthu — optoMLAnalog-in-memory AI chips using light instead of copper. 12nm tapeout with TSMC. 50× energy efficiency claims. Can India carve out leverage in semiconductors without owning fabs?🎙 Guest 4: Nayrhit B — GushworkSEO for the AI era. 300+ paying customers, $1.5M ARR in ~3 months, 95% US B2B. How do you rank inside ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini — and will AI search tolerate optimisation for long?🎧 Watch, subscribe, and join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow us:X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network#TheOfflineNetwork #IndiaTech #AI #ClimateTech #Semiconductors #StartupIndia #VentureCapital #Search

Three stories. One thread.AI is no longer a promise — it’s compressing jobs, moats, and partnerships in real time.• Jack Dorsey cuts 4,000 at Block, says AI-first teams can do more with less.• 18 major AI releases in 26 days — model half-life now measured in weeks.• Peak XV closes $1.3B fund amid carry drama and senior departures.The real question: are you building for 2021 structures — or 2026 reality?1/ Gouthami T S — AquaAirXClimate-tech solving industrial water recovery at scale — hardware + software, real revenue, and the economics behind water scarcity.2/ Madhav Garg — Jindal HealthcareScaling diagnostics and healthcare infra — quality, compliance, and what actually works beyond AI hype.3/ Pratap Narayan Singh — VervesemiIndia’s semiconductor opportunity — what’s realistic, what’s hype, and where chip design wins are emerging.4/ Shubham Kukreti & Sushant Pandey — Prava PaymentsAgentic payments for AI — enabling machines to transact autonomously across card networks.🎧 Watch, subscribe, and join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow us:X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network

Today’s episode is about two tectonic shifts: AI agents rewriting enterprise software — and Indian fintech quietly scaling to billions.We break down Anthropic’s enterprise agent push, Notion’s 24/7 autonomous agents, and what this “SaaSpocalypse” really means. Then we go deep with two builders operating at the edge of AI and global fintech infrastructure.🎙 Guest 1: Udayan Walvekar — Co-founder & CEO, GrowthXFrom Razorpay to building a 5,000+ member growth community, Udayan now hosting India’s first OpenClaw Buildathon.🎙 Guest 2: Ashwin Bhatnagar — Co-founder, XFlowFresh off a $16.6M Series A led by General Catalyst, backed by both Stripe and PayPal Ventures.$1B annualized cross-border payment volume. 10x growth in one year. 15,000+ businesses served.🎧 Watch, subscribe, and join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_t Follow us:X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network

Today’s episode is about long cycles and long bets.1/ Blume Ventures turns 15. Indian VC is finally seeing real DPI. India AI Week just happened. And the next decade may look nothing like the last.We go deep with Karthik Reddy on venture cycles, oligopolies, AI froth vs. atoms businesses, and what 15 years of backing founders has actually taught him.2/ Then Vineet Khanna breaks down how Supertails pivoted from marketplace to 24/7 vet clinics and why pet care might be India’s next scaled consumer category.🎧 Watch, subscribe, and join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow us:X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network

Today’s episode is our India AI Week Special — from automotive AI hardware built in Noida to $200B AI pledges at Bharat Mandapam.We go deep with Sumit Roy on building telematics and connected vehicle hardware in India — and then break down the biggest, most surprising, and most controversial moments from India AI Week 2026.• 250,000+ registrations, 20+ heads of state, and $200B+ AI infra pledges positioned India at the center of global AI diplomacy.• Government launched “New Delhi Frontier AI Commitments” and approved a ₹9,500 Cr ($1.1B) AI-focused VC fund.• Sarvam unveiled sovereign 30B & 105B models and teased AI smart glasses built on India-trained models.• Sam Altman said India is “well-positioned to lead AI” after 100M weekly ChatGPT users.• Vinod Khosla predicted India’s IT & BPO sector could disappear by 2030.From cracking consumer auto at FidoMotus to becoming a Tier-I supplier for Volvo Eicher and Sonalika in just 24 months — Sumit explains why he bet on telematics hardware, why he’s building a 1M+ unit Noida facility, and how AI diagnostics can save fleets ₹5K–10K per hour in downtime.25–30K devices deployed. ₹160 Cr+ order book. Multi-satellite stack (GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, NAVIC). V2V-ready.Is India finally ready for deep automotive AI hardware?• Emergent hits $100M ARR in 8 months — one of the fastest-growing AI-native startups globally.• Thrive Capital closes $10B fund — doubling every 2 years.• Jack Altman joins Benchmark; Alt Capital winds down.• Apple accelerates AI wearables — smart glasses and AI-native devices coming 2027.🎧 Watch, subscribe, and join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow us:X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network

Today’s episode looks at India’s AI inflection point — from global AI power plays to homegrown voice agents and hacker houses building the next wave.• OpenAI acqui-hires OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger, blurring the line between open source and Big AI consolidation.• India hits 100M weekly ChatGPT users as AI diplomacy and domestic production questions collide.• Blackstone backs Neysa with up to $1.2B, marking India’s largest AI infra bet yet.• Government clears $1.1B fund-of-funds as Peak XV backs C2i — compute, capital and silicon align.1/ Aman Goel — Co-founder & CEO, GreyLabs AIFrom Cogno’s acquisition to building AI voice agents for 50+ BFSI clients, Aman breaks down the real economics of replacing contact-centre work with AI and what “autonomous voice” actually means in regulated India.2/ Suhas Sumukh — Co-founder & COO, LocalHostA 19-year-old running a VC-hacker house hybrid, Suhas shares how LocalHost selects builders, why geography still limits Indian founders, and whether the “vibe coding” era rewrites the traditional startup path.🎧 Watch, subscribe, and join our WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BK69EsNWP8BJIaoy3k7EfX?mode=ac_tFollow us:X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAirInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/theofflinenetworkLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/offlineonairWebsite → https://www.theoffline.network📰 News (1-liners each)🎙 Guests