SUMMARY
Inc42, in partnership with Google Cloud, is hosting a new edition of founders’ meetups in Bengaluru and Delhi NCR
The meetups will bring together 60+ founders, CXOs and tech decision-makers to network and hold discussions around current market trends and challenges
Ananth Narayanan, founder of D2C rollup unicorn Mensa Brands and Prashant Pitti, cofounder of unicorn traveltech EaseMyTrip will be joining us in Bengaluru and Delhi respectively
For early-stage founders, the biggest challenge lies in navigating the unknown. The road to scalability is often fraught with challenges, but gaining valuable insights from seasoned entrepreneurs can offer a fresh perspective that can help fuel business growth.
Collaboration lies at the core of innovation, and Inc42 understands how important it is for players in the startup community to engage, interact and network with each other. Throughout the year, we hold several networking events such as Mixers by Inc42 and Pulse42 to offer a forum for discussions and an evening to unwind, filled with learnings, laughter and cheers.
Before the pandemic brought offline events to a complete halt, we held a series of founders’ meetups across major startup hubs such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru to get great conversations going.
With offline events returning, we’re glad to announce that Inc42 will be hosting a brand-new edition of founders’ meetups, presented in partnership with Google Cloud. The meetups, to be hosted in Bengaluru and Delhi NCR, will bring together 30+ founders, CXOs and tech decision-makers from each city to network and hold discussions around current market trends and challenges.
Google Cloud is a cloud computing service platform by global tech giant Google. It offers a slew of cloud computing solutions including hybrid & multi-cloud, data management, AI/ML and more to help companies meet new-age tech challenges.
60+ Attendees, 2 Startup Leaders & A Learning Bonanza
The founders’ meetups are scheduled for November 24 in Bengaluru and November 30 in Delhi NCR. The meetups will be invite-only events and bring together 60+ attendees across the two cities.
This time around, we are hosting two leading founders from the startup ecosystem who will engage with the attendees, host a fireside chat and reveal their mantras for scaling a startup to glory.
The speakers will cover their startup’s growth journey, delve into the challenges they faced and how they overcame them, and discuss the key components of building a successful business from the ground up.
The fireside chat will be followed by a question and answer session and an evening of networking.
Meet The Big Shots Of India’s Startup Ecosystem
We are happy to introduce the speakers for the founder’s meetup; Ananth Narayanan, founder of D2C ecommerce rollup startup Mensa Brands and Prashant Pitti, cofounder of travel aggregator EaseMyTrip.
Narayanan will be joining us in Bengaluru on November 24, while Pitti will host a fireside chat in Delhi-NCR on 30th November
Ananth Narayanan
Under Narayanan’s leadership, Mensa Brands joined the coveted unicorn club within six months of its launch in 2021.
Backed by marquee investors like Accel Partners, Tiger Global, Prosus and Alpha Waves, the Bengaluru-based unicorn has forayed into the health food category with its acquisition of MYFITNESS, smart wearable segment by acquiring Pebble and aromatherapy with the acquisition of Florona.
Narayanan also had several successful exits in the past. Prior to founding Mensa Brands, he was the cofounder and CEO of epharmacy platform Medlife, which was acquired by Pharmeasy in 2021. Between 2014 and 2019, he helmed online marketplace Myntra as its CEO.
Narayanan brings expertise in driving performance improvement and product development. Before beginning his entrepreneurial journey, he held managerial positions at McKinsey & Company for over 15 years.
Prashant Pitti
IIT alumnus Prashant Pitti founded EaseMyTrip (EMT) in 2008, along with Nishant Pitti and Rikant Pittie. Under his leadership, EMT grew at a CAGR of 47% between FY16 and FY20. The travel aggregation platform joined the coveted unicorn club in 2021.
EMT also went public in March 2021. Since its listing on the stock market, EMT has gone on to accumulate a market capital of INR 8,753.53 Cr.
The traveltech unicorn’s consolidated net profit rose 4% YoY to INR 28.2 Cr in the second quarter (Q2) of FY23, up from INR 27.1 Cr a year ago. Its revenue from operations reportedly grew more than 92% to INR 108.4 Cr in the quarter ended September 2022, as against INR 56.6 Cr during the corresponding period last year.
Pitti has previously founded a California-based messaging app called Profoundly. He also brings experience in business analysis from his stint at US-based Capital One.
Attendees at the founders’ meetups will have the golden opportunity to gain the speakers’ insights on product building, scaling, and navigating challenges faced by early-stage startup founders. Besides this, they will also have a chance to learn from each other and share experiences.
As usual, the meetup will also offer attendees a platform to share their ideas to a set of like-minded individuals, build connections and open the gateway for new collaborations.
Update | November 17, 12:15 PM
The article has been updated with the speaker details for Google Cloud founders’ meetup – the Delhi chapter.
