👉🏼 About the Guest:

Pritika Mehta is the founder of Butternut AI, an AI-based website builder. After having earned her first dollar on the internet when she was 14, Butternut is her third startup, having built Mindbatteries (acquired), and SockSoho (YC S20), which went from 0 to millions in ARR in 18 months. She is also a TEDx speaker, having spoken at Wilmington Women about focus, failure, and the future of work. In addition, she is an advisor to Innovation Mission Punjab ($30M Startup Seed fund), has built  Kiddycoders to bring young kids into STEM, and is running a merit scholarship program for underprivileged girls in India. Her other projects include a 10,000+ member community of pet parents over WhatsApp. 

👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for being the first sponsor of The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Pritika discuss the AI wave, going from D2C to software, being an immigrant founder, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

• 00:00 : Episode Highlight
• 00:16 : Shoutout to Acquire.com
• 02:42 : Introduction to Pritika Mehta - founder at Butternut AI, TEDX speaker, scholarship creator, and more!
• 07:22 : The common traits of founders
• 08:45 : Going from software to D2C to software
• 13:45 : Destroying self-doubt in a new industry
• 15:45 : How to validate your product idea
• 17:45 : Getting into Y Combinator with a sock company
• 19:15 : The impact of Y Combinator
• 21:10 : The story of Butternut AI
• 25:07 : Pritika's favorite website built on Butternut AI
• 25:40 : Behind the scenes at Butternut AI
• 28:00 : The future of Butternut AI
• 30:26 : The ultimate vision for Butternut AI
• 32:31 : Which domains will remain untouched by AI?
• 33:30 : Pritika's backups if she wasn't working on Butternut AI
• 38:02 : Where is the Indian startup ecosystem heading?
• 41:34 : What Pritika looks for in founders she's investing in
• 43:37 : Lessons learned from SockSoho
• 45:55 : Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

• Magic: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/magic-2
• PartnerHQ: https://www.partnerhq.com/
• Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Pritika:

• Website: https://pritikamehta.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/pritika_mehta
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pritikam/
• Butternut AI: https://butternut.ai/
• SockSoho: https://socksoho.com/
• Kiddycoders: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/india-coding-children-opportunity/
• TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APPRZcGkFIU
• BBC: https://wspartners.bbc.com/clip/p07sr603
• TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/31/fashion-brand-socksoho-is-using-data-science-in-a-bid-to-become-the-uniqlo-of-india/
• The Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/are-children-being-introduced-to-coding-too-early-in-life/article62106966.ece
• WEF Economic Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91KzyE6V5So

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
• Website: https://5harath.com/
• Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/