Welcome to yet another episode of Shortcast over Coffee. Today my guest is Prof Aswath Damodaran. He is a Professor of Finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University teaching corporate finance and valuation. He is dubbed the "dean of valuation" but calls himself more a dabbler who teaches because he loves it. Check out more about Dr Damodaran hereBookshttps://amzn.to/40CQ8jWhttps://amzn.to/4aJ2Gv1https://amzn.to/3WQX0cvhttps://amzn.to/3CCqvrEWebsitehttps://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/https://www.linkedin.com/in/aswathdamodaran/https://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com/00:00 Introduction and Inefficiencies in Education, Publishing, and Financial Services08:07 Valuation, Intellectual Property, and Market Predictions19:06 Country Risk, Climate Risk, and Corporate Lifecycles31:19 Private Equity in Real Estate and the Role of Technology44:05 Reasoning, Cognitive Skills, and the Role of AI48:41 Nvidia Valuation and the Impact of DeepSeek on AI
Today we have with us Manu Pillai. Manu is the author of the recently released book Gods, Guns, and Missionaries, which explores how European missionaries and colonialism shaped modern Hinduism. In addition to this latest work, he has authored five other remarkable books. He is, without a doubt, one of my favorite voices to listen to these days—a historian who has truly made talking about history exciting and, dare I say, cool. About Manu https://www.instagram.com/waatcoconut/ https://x.com/UnamPillai
Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Karthik Reddy, the Co-founder and Managing Director of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture capital funds based in Mumbai. Since its inception in late 2010, Blume Ventures has established itself as a prominent player in India’s startup ecosystem, investing in over 50 startups alongside notable angel investors and peer funds. Before founding Blume, Karthik was an active angel investor through Mumbai Angels, where he continues to contribute as a board member for select companies. His professional journey spans diverse sectors, including financial services—working with esteemed organizations like American Express Bank, ABN Amro, and Instinet—and media, with a stint at The Times Group in India. Karthik holds an MBA from the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee. His wealth of experience and strategic vision have made him a pivotal figure in shaping India’s entrepreneurial landscape.
Today, my guest is Khyati Pathak. Khyati is a Singapore-based IT consultant turned cartoonist. She has co-authored the recent release titled "We the Citizens" co-authored along with Pranay Kotasthane and Anupam Manur. The book aims to make basic principles of public policy and economics easy to understand for everyone. Khyati is also involved in multiple open-source projects, most notably Snakeadoo available at snakeadoo.wordpress.com, which aims to educate rural Indian schools about snakes and snake bites. She is someone who has dabbled in multiple roles throughout her life, and we will talk about all that in this episode and what inspired her to write the book "We the Citizens." Khyati's book and recommendations https://www.amazon.com/We-Citizens-Pranay-Kotasthane/dp/0143463551 https://artofcharliechan.com/ Persepolis I & II by Marjane Satrapi
Welcome to yet another episode of Shortcast Over Coffee. Today, my guest is Prakash Wakankar. Prakash has been a familiar voice on radio across the world for over 30 years, covering cricket for All India Radio, BBC's iconic Test Match Special, ABC, among others. In his corporate avatar, Prakash has held leadership roles across industries and geographies, working with renowned companies like Pfizer, Perfetti, Coca-Cola, and the Mahindra Group. In this episode Prakash reflects back on his 30 year cricket commentary career , his relationships with contemporaries and the next generation of cricket journalists and his excitement for the T20 World Cup to be held in the US and the West Indies.
Today, I'm excited to have Saurabh Chandra join me. Saurabh co hosts the famous podcast puliyabaazi with Pranay Kotasthane. This episode, however, is all going to be about Saurabh and his exciting startup Ati Motors. Ati Motors is a Bengaluru-based startup founded in 2017 with the vision of developing autonomous vehicles. I will talk to Saurabh about how the idea behind Ati Motors germinated and what he thinks of autonomous vehicles in a controlled environment like an industrial setting. So without further ado, let's dive right in.
Today, I'm thrilled to have Indraneel Chitale join me. Indraneel is the managing partner of Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale, a company with an annual turnover exceeding 200 crores, based out of Pune, India. The Chitale story began over 60 years ago when Late Shri Bhaskar Ganesh Chitale started a small milk business in Sangli district. Indraneel represents the fourth generation of the Chitale family, which has propelled this business to remarkable heights. Thanks to their unwavering focus on quality and exceptional service, the Chitale brand enjoys immense popularity across India and is exported globally to countries such as the US, Europe, and Australia. With his innovative ideas, Indraneel is steering the family legacy toward new horizons. In this episode, I delve into how Chitale became the household name it is today, the challenges encountered while building a multi-crore brand, and Indraneel's perspectives on international expansion and quality control.
Today, my guest is Rukmini S. Rukmini is an independent data journalist based in Chennai. She and her team have built DataForIndia.com, which aims to expand everyone’s understanding of India through data. The project takes public data, makes it usable, and helps consumers derive descriptions and insights about the country. Rukmini has also authored the book “Whole Numbers and Half Truths: What Data Can and Cannot Tell Us About Modern India”. In this episode, I will talk to Rukmini about the monumental effort behind Data for India and why it is important now, her experience working as a data journalist in newsrooms, and the challenges faced along the way during building the project. Please do like, share, and subscribe to this podcast, Shortcast Over Coffee, on top podcast platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.
Today, my guest is Angad Daryani. Angad is the founder of Praan.io, a deep tech startup bringing clean air to corporate spaces and homes. Praan’s products Hive and Mach 2, have delighted its customers. Praan is the epitome of the Make in India mission, sourcing close to 95% of its parts in India, completely manufactured and assembled in India. Angad is an entrepreneur to watch out for. In this episode, I sit down with Angad to talk about his long-term mission for a cleaner world with Praan, his struggles building such an innovative hardware company ground up, and his philosophy around hiring and retaining top talent. Please like, share, and subscribe to this podcast Shortcast Over Coffee on top podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple, etc https://praan.io/
oday, I'm delighted to have Guy Kawasaki as my guest. Guy is the Chief Evangelist of Canva and the host of the Remarkable People Podcast. With a remarkable career journey, he has served as the Chief Evangelist of Apple, a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation, and the Brand Ambassador of Mercedes Benz. He holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles. In this episode, Guy shares insights from his early days at Apple, his experiences working alongside Steve Jobs, his perspectives on what makes people remarkable, and his passion for surfing. Don't forget to check out the link in the description for the free course Guy and Canva have collaborated on. Make sure to like, share, and subscribe to Shortcast Over Coffee on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more https://www.canva.com/learn/guy-kawasaki/#lessons
Today my guest is Tea Scientist Ajit Bhaskar. Ajit has been researching on tea for over a decade. Ajit is also a marathon runner, a podcast host and a foodie. In this episode I talk to him about his journey towards the current role and everything about tea! I still cannot believe we spent an hour just talking about tea. Ajit has wealth of knowledge about the industry and the best part is that he loves sharing it too. So what are you waiting for? Ek cup chai banao aur video start karo!
Today, my guest is Raffi Krikorian. Raffi has had a distinguished career in tech, a career most would dream of. He graduated from MIT and went on to work in senior leadership positions at Twitter and Uber. He was the Senior Director of Engineering at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center and the first-ever Chief Technology Officer of the Democratic National Committee. Raffi is currently serving as the Chief Technology Officer of Emerson Collective, where he works on developing opportunities and solutions in education, environment, immigration, and many more pressing problems in the world today. Check out Raffi’s work at www.emersoncollective.com and do check out this podcast on technology and governance, Technically Optimistic, wherever you get your podcasts. In this episode, I talk to him about his days at Twitter and Uber, his days with the Democratic National Committee, and his thoughts on ethics and policymaking around artificial intelligence. Please do like, share, and subscribe to this podcast, Shortcast Over Coffee, on top podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple, etc.
My guest today is Utkarsha Agwan. Utkarsha is a core team member of Climate Change AI, a global nonprofit that catalyzes impactful work at the intersection of climate change and machine learning. CCAI has led the creation of a global movement in climate change and machine learning, encompassing researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, companies, and NGOs. She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from UC Berkeley, where her research focused on distributed energy resources, specifically batteries, electric vehicles, and flexible loads, and how they can participate in the larger power grid. In this episode, I talk to Utkarsha about AI ethics in climate tech, the top problems in climate change being tackled using machine learning, and solving nuclear fusion. In the last part of this episode, both Utkarsha and I mistakenly say "nuclear fission" instead of "nuclear fusion"... and I hope you guys excuse us for the slip of the tongue. https://www.climatechange.ai/
Today my guests are the co founders of the startup Voltpost Jeff Prosserman and Luke Maira. Voltpost is a hardware-as-a-service company that transforms lampposts into smart electric vehicle charging stations. In today's episode, I talk to Jeff and Luke about how they started Voltpost, how different the North American EV charging infra structure is compared to Europe and how they look forward to working with cities and policy makers to enable fast, convenient and reliable charging to the urban environment. Please do like share and subscribe this channel shortcast over coffee on top podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple etc. Checkout more https://www.voltpost.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/24/ev-charging-voltpost-3-6m-seed-round/
Today, my guests are Chinmay Malaviya and Charlie Depman, the co-founders of the exciting startup Ridepanda. Ridepanda is a digital platform offering e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-mopeds as a way to promote eco-friendly transportation. In this episode, I talk to Chinmay and Charlie about their inspiration behind starting Ridepanda, their shift from micromobility to leasing bikes at an enterprise scale, and their observations and learning about the state of urban transportation in the U.S. Please do like, share, and subscribe to this channel, Shotcast Over Coffee, on YouTube and all podcast platforms.
Today my guest is Akash Banerjee. Akash is political and social satirist. He established and hosts #TheDeshbhakt, recognized as India's most influential and widely viewed political satire platform. The Deshbhakt distinguishes itself by blending factual analysis with a mix of sarcasm and dark humor, addressing the myriad challenges facing modern India. Prior to venturing into the digital realm, Akash had an extensive career spanning over 15 years in traditional media. His diverse roles included working as a Radio Jockey, News Reporter, Anchor, and Author. Akash's educational background is equally impressive, having attended La Martiniere College in Lucknow for his schooling, followed by a Graduation and Masters in History from the prestigious Hindu and St. Stephens Colleges.
Today my guest is Gaurav Mittal. Gaurav Mittal is a Researcher in Mobility Governance. His research interests lie at the intersections of urban transformations, political economy, and transport governance. He works on investigating the policies that shape material urban mobilities in small and medium size cities in the Global South. In today's episode, Gaurav on his current research and his PhD work on urban transportation in Indian cities. https://www.tsu.ox.ac.uk/person/dr-gaurav-mittal
Today my guest is Andrew Revkin. Andrew is best known for his groundbreaking work at The New York Times, where he covered climate change and environmental issues, bringing complex scientific topics to the public. Throughout his career, Andrew has traveled from the Amazon rainforests to the Arctic, witnessing the world's environmental triumphs and crises, and has sat down with world leaders and activists alike. In today's episode, Andrew tells us why carbon capture, though important may not be the only thing climate scientists and venture capitalists should be after. He also shares with us his early journalism career and reporting from Brazil on the environmental effects caused on the amazon rainforest. Please do like share and subscribe this channel shortcast over coffee on top podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple etc. More on Andrew's work: https://revkin.substack.com/p/with-billions-of-dollars-to-invest-22-09-23https://revkin.substack.com/p/after-reporting-on-global-warming-22-01-14?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fscariest%2520science&utm_medium=reader2https://archive.nytimes.com/dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/bill-gates-the-impatient-optimist-lays-out-his-clean-energy-innovation-agenda/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/opinion/bill-gatess-clean-energy-moon-shot.htmlulio Friedmann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCn5vl6zouA
Today's guest is David Roberts, an influential writer and communicator on clean energy and climate change policy. David Roberts has spent over 15 years covering energy and climate change, most prominently at Vox. His insightful analysis and commentary have made him one of the leading voices on the urgency of decarbonizing our economy. David has a knack for breaking down complex policy problems and clearly explaining clean energy solutions to a mass audience. From the intricacies of the Green New Deal and carbon pricing, to the politics holding solutions back, his writing brings much-needed clarity to debates that will shape our future. More on David @drvolts on X https://www.volts.wtf/ Checkout the Volts podcast on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcast!
Today my guest is Karthik Kumar. Karthik is an actor, director, writer, standup comedian, and an entrepreneur. He is the well known founder of Evam. He has acted in popular movies like Alaipayuthe, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Poi Solla Porom and recently Rocketry. Karthik will be touring in the last leg of his tour with his 4th comedy special "Mansplaining" which will cover multiple cities across the US, culminating in London between February and March. Check out the show notes for more. In this episode I will talk to Karthik about his life as an actor and entrepreneur and everything about his venture Evam. About Karthik and Evam https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/karthik-kumars-latest-show-aansplaining-is-therapy-disguised-as-stand-up-comedy/article65602619.ece https://www.karthikkumar.live/ https://www.instagram.com/evamkarthik/?hl=en