Chain Reactions

In this episode of Chain Reactions, we welcome Paroma Chatterjee, CEO of Revolut India. With a career spanning marquee names like Flipkart, Airtel, Kotak, and ICICI, Paroma is now leading Revolut’s ambitious entry into one of the most complex and promising fintech markets in the world: India Our conversation spans: • The real moat in Indian fintech (it’s not user growth) • The pitfalls of global fintechs entering India without localization • How India’s next fintech opportunity goes far beyond UPI • What Revolut’s dream team hiring philosophy looks like (and why most don’t make the cut) • Why Paroma hates being called a “woman CEO”—and what needs to change in boardrooms • Advice for India’s next-gen founders Paroma also shares her vision for personalized payment solutions, UPI innovation, and Revolut's ambitious plans involving IoT, AI, and a potential banking license. She also reflects on her leadership philosophy, the art of building exceptional teams.This episode was proudly sponsored by Atomik Growth: https://atomikgrowth.com/ Connect with Paroma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paroma-chatterjee-503193/Connect with Subah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/subah-wadhwani/Connect with Vihaan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vihaan-khanna/

What’s it like running a $1.3B venture fund in India? After 8 unicorns, 4 IPOs, 140+ investments, and nearly $1B returned to LPs, Sudhir Sethi sat down with Vihaan Khanna to break down his journey building Chiratae Ventures and the bets that defined it.They discuss:why the next wave of generational companies will be built in Indiahow VCs can operate with founder DNAhis early investments in Flipkart, Myntra, Lenskart, and moreConnect with Sudhir: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudhir-sethi-a5303510b/Connect with Vihaan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vihaan-khanna/Email: [email protected] your podcast: https://atomikgrowth.com00:00 Trailer01:01 Exits05:48 Shot clock on IRR07:05 Memorable first phone meeting11:40 Common denominator12:46 Actual investment process14:55 Exceptional founders16:23 Everything new, the youngsters17:25 The Chiratae ideology19:38 Change is the only constant20:10 The founder mindset21:56 Misaligned incentives23:57 Red flags25:45 Toughest discussion27:26 Global and domestic funds35:18 Indian entrepreneurs are world class37:09 Risk and ecosystem pivot38:59 Shark Tank39:49 Leadership framework43:10 The markets are changing45:04 Deploy, dry poweder, delta48:12 Reputation and performance51:15 Firms run their way52:23 Incubators54:08 What's next for Chiratae?55:51 Legacy57:34 Who's next?

Srivatsan Sridhar, co-founder of Skydo, is building a cross-border operating system that's transforming how Indian businesses receive international payments.In this conversation, we dive into how Skydo enables 0% FX fees for freelancers and businesses, making them the cheapest option in the market.Srivatsan shares how traditional payment methods like PayPal and wire transfers cost Indian exporters up to 8% in hidden fees – a problem Skydo directly solves with local collection accounts and transparent pricing.The discussion covers Srivatsan's journey from running his family business to co-founding a fintech startup, the importance of finding the right co-founder with complementary skills, and how persistence helped secure crucial banking partnerships.We also explore Skydo's approach to building an MVP, their fundraising strategy, and how they've processed over $300 million in annual payments.Connect with Srivatsan:https://www.linkedin.com/in/srivats80/Connect with Subah:https://www.linkedin.com/in/subah-wadhwani/Email: [email protected] your podcast: https://atomikgrowth.com00:00 Trailer01:07 What is Skydo and how it works03:08 Cost comparison: PayPal vs wire transfers vs Skydo06:10 The cognitive overload problem for international clients07:26 Building a cross-border operating system09:37 Growing up in an entrepreneurial family13:02 Finding self-motivation and academic excellence14:45 Why he returned from the US to India19:30 Getting a scholarship and the decision to study abroad20:10 Starting with entrepreneurship first, then finding the idea22:40 Meeting his co-founder at Ola25:14 Complementary skillsets in co-founding partnerships26:51 Why venture capital vs bootstrapping30:08 The credibility factor of VC backing31:42 Hiring philosophy: mindset over pedigree34:47 Building an MVP with spreadsheets36:42 Getting first customers through Twitter38:10 Multiple layers of product-market fit41:06 The process of getting PACB entity approval43:54 Building international banking partnerships47:11 How money moves through Skydo's infrastructure51:10 Regulations as enabler, not blocker55:09 Customer onboarding and KYC process57:54 Revenue model and transparency in pricing01:01:41 Fraud detection and AI implementation01:05:30 Competition with Revolut's India launch01:08:08 Could you build this without college?01:09:43 Fintech opportunities in crypto and IoT01:11:48 Advice to younger self: be bolder

Bert Mueller landed in Bengaluru at 22 and turned a single burrito joint into California Burrito’s 100-plus-store Mexican fast-casual empire across India.Expect candid takes on staffing, frugality-over-VC cash, mall vs. airport launches, and why a 2030 IPO dream keeps him obsessing over beans, bowls, and burrito-worthy value.Chapters0:00 – Trailer & Chain Reactions2:50 – Indian Consumer Fit4:00 – Operations & Freshness6:30 – Organization & Leadership8:30 – Tech, Delivery & App Strategy10:30 – Long-Term Vision12:00 – Early Fundraising Journey14:30 – Focus Over Distraction16:30 – Personal Ties to Mexico18:30 – Delivery & Platform Commissions20:30 – ONDC & Market Disruption22:30 – Indian Consumers & Value Expectations24:30 – Growth Strategy: Pune, Not Mumbai27:00 – Going Global? Not Yet28:30 – Lessons From Doing Business in India30:00 – Straight Talk & Core Values32:00 – Co-Founders & Early Struggles34:30 – Staying Scrappy, Not VC-Backed36:00 – Choosing Cities & Formats38:30 – International Expansion & Franchising40:30 – Adapting to Indian Business Culture43:00 – First Betrayal & Lessons on Trust44:30 – Resilience & Delusional Optimism46:00 – Marketing Learnings Post-COVID47:30 – Indian Holidays & Food Occasions49:00 – Racism, Etiquette & Cultural Fit51:00 – Corruption, Compliance & “Let India Be India”53:00 – Advice to His 22-Year-Old SelfConnectBert MuellerVihaan KhannaSubah WadhwaniEmail: [email protected] your podcast: https://atomikgrowth.com

Start a podcast: https://atomikgrowth.comVihaan Khanna:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vihaan-khanna/Subah Wadhwani:https://youtube.com/@UCD8B5kw3kZymsvHHStXJNfw https://instagram.com/subaaaahChain Reactions explores the moments that triggered remarkable outcomes.An ad-hoc podcast.Proudly sponsored by Atomik Growth.