In this episode of the WiredIN Podcast, I sit down with Akshay Kingar, an innovative startup founder who shares how he built 100+ products and scaled his team from 3 to 45 employees—all without an office! We explore the ups and downs of building a startup, the power of transparency in leadership, and how coffee shops became the launchpad for his success.

You’ll learn how he navigated the challenges of scaling a business, the impact of a strong team culture, and why agile development was a game-changer in building products quickly. If you’re a startup founder or entrepreneur looking for actionable insights, this episode is packed with tips on growing a business and overcoming startup hurdles.

Follow Akshay Kingar on:

Instagram:
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LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshaykingar/

X:
https://x.com/talktokingar

You can watch the other episodes of WiredIn with Saanand Warrier on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

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Chapters:

00:00 - 00:58 - Introduction

00:58 - 02:00 - Costa Coffee and Bangalore start-up culture

02:00 - 05:49 - The story of "Foofys"

05:49 - 07:17 - Transparency in Entrepreneurship & Team Building

07:17 - 09:24 - Pivoting Foofys from a product based company to a service based company and picking the right clients

09:24 - 11:30 - Maturing as an entrepreneur, structuring the organization and policy making

11:30 - 13:42 - Factors that drove Bangalore's startup culture to it's peak

13:42 - 17:33 - Success stories at "Foofys"

17:33 - 19:16 - early days at the consulting firm

19:16 - 23:00 - Early stage learnings that will make you a good founder

23:00 - 25:02 - What helps make better decisions

25:02 - 26:33 - Character persona and targeting in advertising

26:33 - 29:55 - Products should have the ability to serve an audience and be flexible: The story of "Tabify"

29:55 - 31:26 - Life is a compounding game

31:26 - 33:24 - Entrepreneurship is a function of compounded good decisions

33:24 - 49:23 - Sports culture and entrepreneurship

49:23 - 54:30 - Sub-standard construction is a barrier to utilizing rooftops for doubling up initiatives.

54:30 - 56:22 - The design of everyday things

56:22 - 58:56 - Hierarchy of hospitality chain is flawed.

58:56 - 1:01:31 - Trusting employees without thinking twice creates better experiences for everyone

1:01:31 - 1:06:48 - Pessimism and lack of trust as an entrepreneur is an outcome of broken trust

1:06:48 - 1:08:28 -

1:08:28 - 1:16:05 - Appslack: Solving the problem of contextual commerce.

1:16:05 - 1:18:49 - Transitioning from a Founder to an Employee

1:18:49 - 1:23:14 - Founder mode, Brian Chesky, Steve Jobs

1:23:14 - 1:28:23 - Tech culture and what can make it better

1:28:23 - 1:31:25 - The value of an impression and tracking impact of a marketing campaign

1:31:25 - 1:42:00 - Branding marketing, brand positioning & brand philosophy

1:42:00 - 1:44:33 - Working with Johnny Lever, launching OnePlus mobiles & working with Cred

1:44:33 - 1:47:02 - How to apply for a job

1:47:02 - 1:50:28 - AI and it's impact on employment

1:50:28 - 1:54:22 - Predicting the future of AI

1:54:22 - 1:58:35 - AI regulations and the future of careers

1:58:35 - 1:59:04 - Outro

#podcast #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #startup #employment #culture #bangalore