Think Fast with Varun and Suchita

Varun & Suchita start by discuss the new Finance Bill, Starbucks getting an Indian Origin CEO, Amazon looking to acquire MX Player from the Times Group, Khan Academy introducing AI into the classroom, Ashneer Grover's CricPe, Byjus X Aakash X Unacademy news and more. They deep dive into the interesting strategies and pivots of some Indian Startups, analyse BluSmart cabs' business model and how it fares compared to Uber & Ola, & take a look at Twitter's blue ticks shenanigans.  Suchita Recommends two shows: Succession S4 (HBO) & Ted Lasso (Apple) Varun Recommends going away from the city and exploring the smaller towns.  Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Varun & Suchita begin with talking about Google introducing AI across all it's apps, Lenskart raising funds from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, PornHub's parent company MindGeek getting acquired by Ethical Capital Partners, LinkedIn building a Podcast academy, Samsung and Xiaomi's smartphone market competition, SVB filing bankruptcy papers, PhonePe attracting Walmart's investment, and the upcoming documentary about Honey Singh.  They talk about how FMCG giants have been expanding their online presence and benefitting retailers and well as consumers, Ryan Reynolds selling off his share along with the company-Mint Mobile to T Mobile, and Mark Zuckerberg's letter to employees titled Meta's year of Efficiency and the upcoming vision of the company.  Suchita recommends a newsletter edition: What Taylor Swift can Teach us about BusinessVarun recommends a Podcast episode: The Last of Us Podcast Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a Naatu Naatu episode! On Think Fast, Varun & Suchita obviously talk about the Oscars and how it was the year of South Asians. Further, they talk about Grammarly employing AI and an update to it's services, Meta's Twitter counterpart, Apple looking at India as a lucrative market, Vinyls selling more as compared to CDs, Slack integrating ChatGPT and how the latter is now a feature. In deep dives, they talk about Disney's strategy of wiping out HBO & IPL from Hotstar, the Tiktokification of Spotify, and finally an in depth analysis into Silicon Valley Bank's downfall with our BlackSwan reporter Vidur Singhal.  Suchita recommends her post on Medium about turning 33.  Varun recommends Pebble Building Blocks (link is just for reference) Find Vidur on LinkedIn | Muncher Media Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Varun & Suchita start by talking about the ongoing Women's IPL, F1 streaming which was on Hotstar but this season, it will be on the independent app; What is an overpaid CEO, Razorpay's profits, Ashneer Grover's CricPe, Blinkit's new venture, and more. They deep dive into the Indus Valley Report by Blume Ventures, YouTube's agenda for 2023, and Curated Marketplaces.  The articles referred were as follows: Blume Ventures' Indus Valley reportYouTube's 2023 Agenda  Suchita Recommends an Article written by her on Medium. Varun Recommends a food item: Delight Food's Gongura Pickle Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Varun & Suchita begin with the menstrual leave law that was recently passed in Spain, WazirX shutting its NFT Marketplace, IPL to be streamed for free on Jio, Bill Gates' minority stake in Heineken, Byju's denying rumors of shutting White Hat Jr, Spotify changing its design to appeal to GenZ, US nominating former Mastercard CEO for World Bank, Zomato's new service, Akshay Kumar returning Home, YouTube testing Podcast management options, Airtel looking to acquire a stake in PayTM, and Cred rolling a BNPL service. The stories in the spotlight included the Google VS Gonzalez case which took Algorithms to court, InfoEdge considering moving on from Rahul Yadav- the former co-founder of Housing.com, Match group looking to invest in Shaadi.com, and the rise of tastefluencers and curated content.  Shephali Bhatt & Vamgmayi Parakala's article from Mint about 'Tastefluencers'.  Varun recommends a show: Farzi (Amazon Prime Video) Suchita recommends a book: The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Varun & Suchita are back after a weekend in Maldives & at a wedding respectively; they discuss how there exists a 'Raita' playlist on music platforms, the Women's IPL auction, Air India's latest historic purchase of Boeing planes, the closure of Travis Kalanick's CloudKitchens in India, all the Elon Musk shenanigans, YouTube's new leadership, B2B investments in India and how they've raised record-breaking capital last year, Unilever exiting atta & salt business, Pathaan's 1000Cr earnings worldwide, and how Swifties lowered egg prices because she said so. They deep dove into the Indian Beauty Market highlighting Reliance's Tira Beauty & Nykaa, AirBnB's FY23 Q4 being profitable and a look at how that happened, and Meta & Twitter's Blue Tick Subscriptions.  Varun Recommends the Netflix India show Cla$$Suchita Recommends a book: Textiles: The Art Of Mankind Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This was a Monday morning recording and Varun & Suchita started by telling us about their weekends in Mumbai & Delhi respectively, all the ongoing exhibitions and outdoor stuff before the winter departs. They further chat about Cow Hug Day being revoked, Coke Studio Tamil + Bharat, SRK & Deepika's adorable skincare video for 82East, and the Tu VS Aap debate on Twitter. In Business news, they talk about how Adidas stocks are suffering due to unsold Yeezys, Alibaba exiting PayTM, Hermès X Birkins NFT case, the launch of Twitter Blue, Alibaba's Chat GPT version, and Zoom Layoffs. In the spotlight are firstly LinkedIn India crossing 100Mn Members- a prediction Suchita had made in 2022, Disney losing subscribers and conducting layoffs, Zomato & Cred's not-so-great financials, and Google's Bard taking on Microsoft's Chat GPT.  Varun Recommends a Book: Creative Art by Rick Rubin  Suchita Recommends a Presentation by Ben Evans called 'The New Gatekeepers'.  Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Varun & Suchita battle it out between Alka Yagnik who surpassed all artists to be the most streamed artist on YouTube versus Queen Taylor Swift. They discuss how JioCinema might combine with Voot ahead of IPL, Adani buying the Ahmedabad Women's IPL Team Franchise, Instagram Founders' new app, RIL and Sephora's deal being called off, and the latest on Netflix's password sharing policy. This is a special episode with Anupam Gupta, Author of 'The Wisest Owl', and host of the 'Paisa Vaisa' podcast. He takes us through the notable highlights of the 2023 Budget and makes the jargon chewable for us. The trio also cover the Hindenburg report on Adani in detail.  Anupam Recommends: Unfiltered (The Ceo & The Coach) | Stutz (Netflix) | Fauda S4 Varun Recommends: Shrinking (Apple TV)  Suchita Recommends: Pamela, a love story  Find Anupam Gupta on Twitter | Instagram | Paisa Vaisa Podcast | Book Check out Club Paisa Visa- the premium podcast with exclusive access.  Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Think Fast, Varun and Suchita begin their conversation with Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's grand engagement held in Mumbai, ITC planning to acquire food brand Yoga Bar, the next generation of HomePod, Elliot Management Corp move to invest in a cloud-based software firm, layoffs in Swiggy and more.  Further, they dive into Netflix co-founder, Reed Hastings relinquishing his role as co-CEO but will continue as executive chairman for the streaming giant, Coffee brand, Blue Tokai raising $30 million funding in a round led by A91 Partners, GoMechanic firing 70% of their workforce and Google being at loggerhead with ChatGPT.Varun Recommends a show: 'The Last of Us'(https://www.hotstar.com/in/tv/the-last-of-us/1260128726?utm_source=gwa)Suchita recommends a visit to Jaipur Literature Festival & a book named, Hit Makers: How to succeed in an age of distraction(https://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/)(https://www.amazon.in/Hit-Makers-Science-Popularity-Distraction/dp/110198032X)You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Varun begins by celebrating RRR's Golden Globe win while Suchita criticizes it but at the same time compliments Ram Charan Teja- one of the leads. Further, they talk about how Catalog music is more popular than new music, The Whole Truth Food's funding, TikTok eating up Meta/Google Ad space, Apple's latest headset, Prince Harry's book 'Spare' and the discord around it, Ashneer's boomer advice, Kanye's low key marriage, Women's IPL, more layoffs, and the report on unequal wealth distribution.  They go international with their deep dives- a take on Lex Fridman and Mr Beast's podcast episode, LVMH's succession story, and a look into the All-In Podcast.  Varun Recommends a show: 'The Last of Us' Suchita Recommends a podcast episode: 'Smartless with Steven Spielberg' The Lex Fridman X Mr Beast Episode(https://pca.st/78cappkg) The All In Podcast (https://www.allinpodcast.co/) Episode: Karthik Srinivasan on Personal Branding. Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Think Fast, as promised, Varun gives us his reviews of the first week of Shark Tank India Season 2. And where there is Shark Tank, there is Ashneer Grover- so they then discuss Suhail Sameer quitting PhonePe and Ashneer dedicating a cryptic poem for him. Further, they also talk about why the MamaEarth IPO valuation is being criticized and Varun & Ghazal Alagh's explanations for the same, Stage getting funded by Blume and their Shark Tank pitch, Dunzo's recent fundings, Chat GPT being banned by NewYork schools, Apple's AI Audiobooks, and how does the rise of AI affect Google. They delve into the Salesforce layoffs and lessons from the way it was handled, how authentic is the clean beauty market, founders and personal branding, and an update on all the new stuff in Quick Commerce.  Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. Episode: Karthik Srinivasan on Personal Branding. Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy New Year Fam!This episode begins with Varun & Suchita discussing whose NYE was better and swiftly moving to talk about Elon Musk (how can we not), Shark Tank India's much-awaited second season- missing Ashneer Grover and looking forward to Amit Jain's presence on the show, Swiggy's new experiment called 'Handpicked', sunny weather in Flipkart's senior employees being rewarded generously and the separation of PhonePe, Hair Extensions company HairOriginals securing funding, Netflix buying a former US Army base to make a production studio, another top-level Zomato exec quits, and Ankur Warikoo's impressive year-end stats.  In the deep dives, they take on MamaEarth's IPO- some analysis and predictions, and how sports streaming is going to get big with the mega players really paying attention to it and making sure to strengthen their product and acquire the best deals.  Suchita Recommends: Fleishman is in Trouble (Disney Hotstar)Varun Recommends: Trevor Noah's comedy special: I wish You Would (Netflix) Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last episode of this year with Tequila & Wine!In this episode, Varun & Suchita talk about Varun's recent holiday, RRR getting Oscar Nominations, Mensa's recent acquisitions, Adults driving growth in the toys industry, Netflix branching out into fitness content, Covid staging a comeback, and Beco raising capital.  Suchita recommends:1. Advertising will see more prominence in products across EComm, OTT, FinTech & more.2. Too much of the monopoly sits with FB + Google currently; the digital pie will grow but through Marketing & Advertising.3. How 'lending is a feature'; advertising and marketing as revenue streams could become features across the board.4. Rise of Blogs/Substacks + Podcasts giving credibility to Creators.5. In terms of consumer brands/consumer tech, there will be premiumization of basics.6. Beauty & Personal Care: Hair & Scalp-care will see more popularity.  Varun Recommends: 1. AI will chip away at more creative jobs but also add a whole new set of careers like prompt engineers, etc.2. Web3, Crypto & Blockchain will make a return in a better light than in 2022 but their growth will come from less hype and more boring spaces.3. Long form > Short form video content. The short-form hype cycle will slow down but it’ll be the most effective tool for long-form content & community growth.  Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since Varun is away, Suchita was joined by Vidur Singhal (Entrepreneur) for this episode.  They talk about the Qatar FIFA world cup and Mbappe, RBI asking Razorypay to stop onboarding new merchants, Netflix's Documentary on Tennis, ChatGPT helping people talk smartly on Tinder, Deepika Padukone's 82E securing funding, and Sula + DroneAcharya IPOs.  They deep dive into the business impacts of Elon Musk's recent shenanigans on Twitter and Tesla, the takeaways from the Google For India event 2022, what went down at FTX ft. SBF, and how Fintech is witnessing consolidations.  Vidur Recommends: Mr Beast talking to Joe Rogan about translating his videosAvatar: The Way of Water Suchita Recommends:Harry & Meghan on NetflixOn with Kara Swisher ft. Piers Morgan Find Vidur on LinkedIn | Muncher Media Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles. You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's our 50th Episode! This episode begins with Varun fanboying over Deepika Padukone in Pathaan's new song while Suchita kinda criticizes it. Further, they talk about Good Glamm Group acquiring Tweak, Wakefit raising money, Amazon's experiments on its platform, Deepika Padukone's stint with Pottery Barn, and Vim Black's satire gone wrong. The delve into HUL's acquisition of Oziva & WellBeing, the Indian Beauty Market featuring Renee Cosmetics, Lightbox Investor Sentiment Report, and take a look back at the predictions made in the beginning of the year and assess what the actual situation is.  Varun & Suchita also answer a few listener questions on the show. Do share yours on the below-mentioned handles.  You can follow Varun Duggirala on Twitter & Instagram You can follow Suchita Salwan on Twitter & Instagram  Check out video episodes on the Think Fast YouTube Channel. Find the show across audio streaming apps:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | Gaana | Amazon Music Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @ivmpodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android or iOS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.