Alpha Women by Lumikai

How do you build a profitable fintech and take it to an IPO that was 120x oversubscribed?In Episode 5 of Alpha Women, Salone Sehgal, Founder & Managing Partner, Lumikai, sits down with Upasana Taku, Co-Founder and CFO of MobiKwik, to unpack what it takes to build a company through uncertainty, setbacks and constant pressure to deliver.From bootstrapping MobiKwik and building a profitable business to navigating financial setbacks, a falling stock price and the journey to an oversubscribed IPO, Upasana shares the decisions and mindset that shaped her journey.She also opens up about building as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry, the importance of resilience and self-belief, and why creating your own seat at the table matters.A candid conversation about fintech, entrepreneurship, leadership, ambition and building against the odds.Watch the full conversation with Salone Sehgal and Upasana Taku now, only on @LumikaiFund.In partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business.#alphawomen #UpasanaTaku #mobikwik #fintech #ipo #entrepreneurship #womeninbusiness #womeninleadership #mobikwikipo #AlphaWomenByLumikai

In 2021, it was worth almost a billion dollars. Then, everything that could go wrong, went wrong. In December 2024, she was able take it public the NSE & BSE and the IPO closed nearly 120x oversubscribed.On this episode of Alpha Women, Salone Sehgal, Founder & Managing Partner, Lumikai, is joined by Upasana Taku, Co-Founder and CFO of MobiKwik and the first Indian woman to take a digital payments company public. She pulls back the curtain on founding MobiKwik and taking it all the way to IPO, the discipline required to turn losses back into profits, the friction women still face, and always having her eyes on the prize. Episode 5 of Alpha Women, out at 3 PM on 28/08, watch it only on @LumikaiFundIn partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business.#alphawomen #mobikwik #UpasanaTaku #digitalpayments #fintech #ipo #womenleadership #nationalstockexchange #bombaystockexchange #SaloneSehgal

Before audiences watched Dhurandhar, Stree 2, or Laapataa Ladies...Someone had to say yes.That power player is Jyoti Deshpande.As President of Jio Studios, Reliance Industries' media and content business, she has helped shape some of India's biggest films and one of the country's most ambitious entertainment businesses.In this episode of Alpha Women, hosted by Salone Sehgal, Jyoti reveals how she thinks about allocating capital across a slate of films and taking risks. She describes high-stakes decision-making and how to balance instinct with commercial judgement. Jyoti shares the secrets behind a career which has delivered top-grossing films three years in a row. 00:00 - Precap & Introduction02:41 - Meet Jyoti Deshpande03:55 - Growing Up & Early Resilience07:52 - Carving Her Path Between Creativity & Commerce12:25 - Finding Allies & Breaking Barriers as a Woman Producer16:54 - Leading Jio Studios19:22 - The Method Behind Backing People & Ideas24:03 - Why Stree Was Worth the Bet25:54 - Trust, Instinct & Decision-Making28:30 - Building a Slate: Strategy, Risk & Box Office32:43 - Lessons from Laapataa Ladies and Baby John34:25 - Failure & Tough Decisions36:22 - Dhurandhar: Defying the Odds43:12 - Inside the Making of Dhurandhar48:04 - Crafting the Sound of Dhurandhar50:39 - Marketing a Film for the Right Audience52:14 - Building Great Partnerships53:38 - A Global Vision for Indian Cinema57:11 - What 'Alpha' Means to JyotiIn partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business.#alphawomen #jyotideshpande #jiostudios #IndianCinema #bollywood #womeninbusiness #WomeninMedia #womenleadership #dhurandhar #LaapataaLadies #stree2 #mediaandentertainment #filmmaking

Who decides which stories millions of people watch?For decades, Jyoti Deshpande has been one of the people making those decisions.As President of Jio Studios (Media & Content Business - Reliance Industries Ltd), and the only woman to have led Eros, Viacom18, she has helped shape some of India's biggest films like Dhurandhar 1 & 2, Stree 2, and Laapataa Ladies.In Episode 4 of Alpha Women, hosted by Salone Sehgal, Jyoti reflects on capturing the upside, thriving under pressure, and the responsibility that comes with making high-stakes creative decisions.Episode 4 of Alpha Women, out 31/7, watch it only on @LumikaiFundIn partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business.#alphawomen #jyotideshpande #jiostudios #indiancinema #bollywood #womeninbusiness #WomeninMedia #womenleadership #dhurandhar #dhurandhar2 #dhurandharmovie #LaapataaLadies #stree2 #mediaandentertainment #filmmaking

The first hire at both WhatsApp and OpenAI in India and a founder straight out of college, meet Pragya Misra.She hasn't just had a front-row seat to the rise of our generation's most consequential companies. She's helped lay the blueprint for them in India.Pragya brings a calm, insightful presence to the conversation, shaped by years of meditation and competitive golf, as we get into what it takes to be the first with no playbook to follow, AI sovereignty and access, and the personal philosophy that anchors her. She also reflects on the opportunities and realities for women building careers in AI and technology, and why greater representation will be critical to shaping the industry's future.00:00 - Precap01:07 - Episode Introduction01:52 - From WhatsApp's First Hire to OpenAI's First Hire06:03 - Women in AI & Big Tech Representation08:07 - Is AI Egalitarian? Addressing Inequality in India10:29 - Relationship between India, OpenAI & Data Sovereignty13:05 - Golf, Grit & Growing Up16:50 - Career Choices, Corporate Life & Finding Your Path19:39 - The Entrepreneurial Journey: Lessons & Challenges21:24 - Looking Inward: Meditation & Self-Reflection23:35 - The Reality of Being a Woman Athlete25:36 - India's Place in the Global AI Landscape28:59 - What “Alpha” Means to Pragya Misra30:47 - ConclusionIn partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business#PragyaMisra #OpenAI #AlphaWomen #WomenInTech #WomenInAI #Alpha

What does it take to be the first person Sam Altman hires in one of the world's most consequential market?The answer: Pragya Misra.Before heading Strategy & Global Affairs for OpenAI India, Pragya founded her own company straight out of college and later became WhatsApp's first hire in India. In this episode, we unpack what makes her who she is, and what these companies saw when they came calling. Hosted by Salone Sehgal, Founder and Managing Partner, Lumikai, this is your front-row seat to the women rewriting the rules in India.Episode 3, live this week, only on @LumikaiFundIn partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business#PragyaMisra #SamAltman #OpenAI #AlphaWomen #WomenInTech #WomenInAI #WhatsApp #Alpha

Most people know Karuna Nundy from the outcomes. This conversation is about the thinking behind them.In Episode 2 of Alpha Women, Karuna Nundy speaks with Salone Sehgal about why litigation feels like “living or dying,” why hard work creates brilliance, and how power, incentives and political economy shape justice itself.The conversation moves from courtrooms to institutions, from feminism to AI, and from public perception to the emotional discipline required to operate in systems where the stakes are consistently high.Karuna reflects on excellence, endurance, structural inequality, and why becoming “undeniable” is often the price women pay to be heard.A sharp conversation on law, ambition, technology and what it takes to sustain conviction over decades.00:00 - Precap01:20 - Introducing Karuna Nundy02:57 - Episode Introduction03:36 - Karuna Nundy on Her Career & Love for Litigation06:38 - Lessons from Losses & the Fight for Justice11:56 - Excellence, High Standards & Uncertain Outcomes14:39 - Patriarchy, Gender Bias & Women in Law27:02 - Navigating a Male-Dominated Profession31:34 - Gender Constructs, Biology & Workplace Balance42:16 - Family, Money & Generational Shifts48:24 - Balancing Corporate Law with Human Rights Work51:32 - Winning the Paytm Telecom Case53:05 - Criminal Law & Exploring Different Specialisations55:32 - AI, Technology & the Future of Legal Work1:01:58 - From Girlhood to Womanhood: The Idea of Alpha Women1:06:08 - What “Alpha” Means to Karuna Nundy1:07:05 - OutroSubscribe to Alpha Women for conversations with women shaping business, law, capital and culture in India.In partnership with Spotify | Media Partner: Outlook Business#KarunaNundy #AlphaWomen #IndianLaw #LeadershipPodcast #WomenInLaw #AI

Karuna Nundy’s public persona has long been shaped by her legal accolades.Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India. Human rights lawyer. Commercial litigator. One of TIME’s 100 most influential people in the world.But Episode 2 of Alpha Women is not a retelling of accolades.It is a closer look at the person behind them. The ambition, conviction and discipline required to build authority inside some of the country’s most powerful institutions.What it cost to sustain excellence over two decades when outcomes were rarely hers to determine. What it has meant to be undeniable in rooms not designed for her. And whether anything has actually changed for women, or have we just gotten better at talking about it?Hosted by Salone Sehgal, Founder and Managing Partner of Lumikai.Episode 2 premieres May 22.▶️ Subscribe on YouTube →    • Alpha Women by Lumikai  In partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business

Most people know what Vani Kola built. This episode is about how she thinks.0:00 – Precap 1:43 – Episode Introduction 2:37 – Meet Vani Kola: The Force Behind Kalaari Capital 3:35 – What Success Really Means 4:48 – The Alpha Mindset Explained 6:40 – Growing Up and Building Conviction 14:40 – Money, Risk and Financial Thinking 17:40 – Building Kalaari Capital from Scratch 20:20 – Why New India Is a Massive Opportunity Shift 23:04 – Breaking Through as a Woman in VC 30:12 – Backing Women Entrepreneurs 36:33 – Setbacks, Mindset and Resilience 39:16 – Identity, Labels and External Validation 41:09 – What’s Next for Vani KolaAs Founder and Managing Director of Kalaari Capital, Vani Kola has spent nearly two decades backing some of India’s most important startups. Kalaari manages $850M+ in assets and has invested in 100+ companies across the Indian startup ecosystem.In Episode 1 of Alpha Women, Salone Sehgal sits down with Vani Kola for a candid interview on leadership, risk, ambition, bias, and the founder mindset that led her to build Kalaari with $100K in savings and no salary.This is a deeper look at one of India’s most influential investors, beyond the biography and into the framework. A must-watch conversation for anyone interested in venture capital in India, startups, entrepreneurship, and women leaders.Subscribe to Alpha Women for more conversations with the women shaping business, capital and culture in India.In partnership with SpotifyMedia Partner: Outlook Business

The Vani Kola story is easy to summarize. The person behind it is not. Vani Kola, Founder and Managing Director of Kalaari Capital, has built one of India’s most influential early-stage venture capital firms, with $850M AUM and over 100 portfolio companies.But the milestones only tell part of the story.In Episode 1 of Alpha Women, Salone Sehgal, Founder & Managing Partner - Lumikai, sits down with Vani for a more personal conversation about the journey behind the outcomes, the trade-offs along the way, the choices that shaped her path, and what she thinks about the likeability trap women often fall pray to.A closer look at the person behind the track record.Episode 1 drops May 23. Subscribe for more conversations. In partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business

What does it actually take to lead at the highest levels as a woman in India?The world has enough content that asks women about work-life balance and their morning routines. This isn't that.Alpha Women is a podcast series that cuts through the noise. Raw conversations with the women at the top of their fields. Asking the harder questions: How do you think about risk? What did you have to sacrifice, and was it worth it? How do you lead when the room wasn't built for you?In partnership with Spotify | Media partner: Outlook Business#AlphaWomen #Lumikai #WomenLeaders #Leadership #India #Innovation #WomenEmpowerment #Podcast