Rishi Bhatia - From CTO to CEO

Today we talk to Rishi Bhatia. As CEO of Purple Carrot, a Massachusetts-based 100% plant-based meal kit company, Rishi leads the rethinking of plant-based food—making it mainstream for everyone. With over two decades of experience as a CTO and in product strategy, leadership, marketing, and innovation roles, Rishi has spearheaded customer-focused transformational strategies for both Fortune 500 companies and startups.Rishi discusses his journey from India to the US, how he transitioned from technology and product to CEO, and how to manage relationships with private equity and venture investors. KEY TAKEAWAYS  [00:59] - Dino introduces today's guest, Rishi Bhatia, CEO of Purple Carrot, a plant-based meal company. Dino talks about Rishi's unique path and how learning has impacted his career.[03:20] - Rishi shares his appreciation for Dino's holistic approach to life and talks about his journey from India to the US and his work at a startup in the healthcare space.[05:16] - The challenges of transitioning from an execution-based skillset to a leadership role.[05:53] - Rishi shares his love for learning and how cascading skills to a higher value proposition has helped him unlock his potential and that of those around him.[07:38] - Rishi shares a story of a decisive decision he made to offboard a team member who wasn't pulling their weight, ultimately earning his team's trust.[08:54] - Transitioning to high-growth, high-risk startups.[10:07] - Rishi talks about how working in mid-size or growth-stage startups intensifies the pace of learning, innovation, (and failure).[10:37] - Rishi discusses the key traits of the leader he aspires to be and his ongoing learning and focus on creating purpose-led massive impact. [10:53] - Rishi talks about his aspirations to scale Purple Carrot and describes the key traits of an effective leader who thinks BIG to capture potential.[11:19] - Rishi discusses the importance of cultural attributes in leadership and letting the best ideas in the organization win.[11:50] - Making decisions as a leader: the importance of combining intuition, data points, and business model metrics. [12:53] - The journey to becoming a CEO and mastering the human element.[13:25] - Rishi shares the path of learning he took to acquire the human element of leadership[14:39] - The importance of storytelling and emotional connection in marketing.[17:25] - Rishi discusses how his definition of success has evolved to focus on impact and legacy.[19:03] -Rishi explains how his personal values of plant-based eating led him to Purple Carrot because he appreciated their business model as it aligns with his mission of creating a more significant impact through a clear and defined mission.[19:36] - Meal options for flexitarians and the importance of having a clearly defined mission as a North Star for an organization to have a bigger impact or purpose beyond just their business model. [20:12] - Balancing impact and profitability when running a business. [21:02] - The importance of paying attention to business model refinement: breaking down investor communication into three segments: when things are going really well, when things are going okay, and when things are not going well.[23:20] - Rishi shares an example of a high-growth startup's decline in profitability and his experience with unaligned heavyweight investors.[26:00] -The importance of paying attention to red flags in relationships with investors (just like you would in a personal relationship).[27:15] - It is crucial to consider not only shareholder value but also other factors (employees, customers) when making decisions."[28:14] - Rishi shares the Purple Carrot story—from its infancy, big name involvement (Tom Brady), and acquisition by Japan’s largest organic food delivery service, massive growth during COVID, and using what they’ve learned to help them scale to the next level. [29:57] - Rishi talks about transitioning from an independent company to being part of a larger organization and how Ord is helping to refine the value proposition at Purple Carrot.[31:01] - The symbiotic relationship between Purple Carrot and Ord as both sides immerse themselves in learning cultural aspects and how to go to market faster.[31:25] - Intygral an integral part of Rishi's growth; he explains how his experience in a customer-first role as a Customer Success Manager at Intygral was crucial in his current position at Purple Carrot. [34:08] – Listeners can catch up with Rishi on LinkedIn to keep track of his work.[34:30] - Rishi talks about his hobbies and interests outside of work[35:07] - Rishi shares the PowerPoint aspect that he thinks is “BS and not rooted in reality.”[35:32] - Rishi shares an example of a recipe from Purple Carrot that’s his favorite due to the unique combination of flavors, including malai kofta, spinach, and tomato chutney.[36:22] - Rishi discusses the tie between food and our emotions and thoughts. [36:22] - The book Autobiography of a YOGI by Paramahansa Yogananda is a personal favorite of Rishi. Contact dino at: [email protected]:al4ep.com or authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.compurplecarrot.comOther Rishi Bhatia links:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rishibhatiaAuthentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino CattaneoDino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneoPodcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edpMusicBlackbirds | Susan Cattaneo All is Quiet | Susan Cattaneo BooksAutobiography of a YOGI