What Founders Aren't Told Before a DESPAC with Roshan Pujari CEO Stardust Power

What no one tells founders before a DESPAC: the deal itself is the easy part. Roshan Pujari took Stardust Power from a 2023 startup to a shovel-ready national lithium project in roughly three years — and he is refreshingly candid about the volatility, the hidden costs, and the discipline it took to survive year one as a newly public company.EPISODE SUMMARY Roshan Pujari, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Stardust Power Inc. (NASDAQ: SDST) and Founder of VIKASA Capital, joins host Chaz Churchwell for a practitioner-level breakdown of what really happens after the bell rings. Roshan walks through sponsor alignment, deferred fees and transaction costs, the S-1 "danger zone," Rule 144 and shelf eligibility, redemption risk, and the balancing act between retail and institutional shareholders. A clear-eyed conversation for any private company weighing a DESPAC, plus the macro case for U.S. lithium refining and onshoring critical-mineral processing for the EV and energy-storage economy. Essential listening for founders, CFOs, and capital-markets counsel.What We CoverWhy preparing for public-company life matters more than the transaction itselfSponsor alignment and who really controls the DESPAC processManaging deferred fees, dual legal bills, and the D&O tail policyThe S-1 "danger zone" and warrant-redemption exposureWhy capitalization, not share price, should drive your first yearNavigating Rule 144, S-3 eligibility, and ELOC structuresManaging redemption risk and tapping trust-account capitalBalancing retail, day-trader, and institutional shareholdersLeveraging volatility and price spikes to raise capitalThe U.S. lithium bottleneck and Stardust Power's Oklahoma refineryConnect with Roshan Pujari Website stardust-power.com LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/stardust-power YouTube youtube.com/@Stardust-PowerProtect Your Transaction Churchwell Insurance Agency specializes in D&O, E&O, representations and warranties, and public company liability for SPAC sponsors, DESPAC targets, and post-merger companies. churchwellagency.comConnect with Chaz ChurchwellLinkedIn linkedin.com/in/chazchurchwellFollow The DESPAC Podcast Website thedespacpodcast.com LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/thedespacpodcast YouTube youtube.com/@thedespacpodcastThe DESPAC Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this content constitutes legal, investment, tax, or financial advice, nor a recommendation to pursue or avoid any transaction. Consult qualified legal, financial, and tax professionals before acting on any information discussed. News Theme 1 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/THE DESPAC PODCAST  DISCLAIMERThe DESPAC Podcast is for informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the views of One Iron Network LLC, its affiliates, or any sponsoring organization.Nothing in this podcast should be interpreted as legal advice, investment advice, tax advice, or a recommendation to pursue or avoid any transaction. Discussions may reference SPACs, DESPAC transactions, securities regulations, or public-company readiness frameworks. These conversations are educational in nature and should not be relied upon when making financial or strategic decisions.Listeners should consult qualified legal, financial, and tax professionals before acting on any information discussed in this podcast. Any examples or scenarios mentioned are illustrative and may not reflect current market conditions or regulatory requirements.Participation by a guest does not constitute an endorsement of any company, strategy, product, or service. References to specific firms or individuals are for context only.One Iron Network LLC and the DESPAC Podcast disclaim all liability arising from the use of or reliance on the information presented.