ELI - 536 | The Future of EV Infrastructure & Energy Trading | Akshay Shekhar | ELI Podcast

Welcome back to the ELI Podcast! In this episode, Priya sits down with Akshay Shekhar, the Co-Founder and CEO of Kazam, India's leading agnostic E-mobility and charging platform.Akshay shares his entrepreneurial journey from his corporate days at PepsiCo and Godrej to building his second startup. We dive deep into how Kazam is solving the massive challenge of EV charging infrastructure in India, specifically for the booming two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and commercial fleet markets. We also discuss the future of peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading, the realities of building V1 products, and the core traits every successful entrepreneur needs: curiosity, perseverance, and humility.Whether you're an aspiring founder or interested in the rapidly growing climate tech and EV space, this episode is packed with actionable insights!🎧 Check out more episodes at: https://eli-podcast.com⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Akshay Shekhar & Kazam0:39 - Akshay’s Background: From Corporate Life to Second-Time Founder4:19 - Starting Kazam: The YouTube Channel & Early EV Hypothesis7:35 - Solving Charging for Q-Commerce Fleets (e.g., BigBasket)10:21 - The Reality of Building V1 Products & OEM Integrations13:07 - How Kazam's Software Reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)17:15 - The Future of EV Payments & Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Energy Trading20:47 - The Realities of Entrepreneurship: "You Are a Salesman for Life"24:32 - Managing Culture and Scaling from 5 to 350+ Employees26:20 - Top 3 Traits of Successful Founders: Curiosity, Perseverance, and Humility28:53 - Why Now is the Best Time to be an Entrepreneur in India🔗 About the Guest:Akshay Shekhar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kazam, an IoT-based EV charging platform building the future of electric mobility and energy management across India. Learn more about their work at kazam.energy.Tags:#ELIPodcast #Kazam #AkshayShekhar #EVCharging #ElectricVehicles #Entrepreneurship #StartupIndia #ClimateTech #EnergyTrading #SaaS