Shashi Kumar

Watching someone struggle with something you've built is both humbling and enlightening. When Prashant and I introduced the initial version of prd2proto.ai, we thought we were onto something. Upload a PRD and boom—your prototype is ready! Made sense, right? After all, it's in the name. But as we sat down with our early access users, we noticed a sharp edge: many didn't have a PRD ready or found it a hassle to create one in another tool just to use our app. They dropped off, and we felt that sting. Garry Tan captures this perfectly: "When you make software, you have to watch at least 10 people use it. Sit next to them and say absolutely nothing... WATCH USERS AND CRINGE AND THEN FIX IT. SAND DOWN THE EDGES." We listened, we cringed, and we learned. Today, we're excited to share that we've updated prd2proto.ai with a chat interface! Now, you can talk through your ideas—think of it as a product assistant right inside the app. No barriers, no prerequisites - just a seamless way to bring your vision to life. Check out the video below to see what's changed. We've been holding off on opening prd2proto.ai to more people until we got this right. Now that we have, more invites are heading out this week! A huge thank you to everyone who's been patiently waiting on our waitlist. And if you want to be part of this journey and help shape how the product evolves, sign up here for early access: https://prd2proto.ai/ #ProductDesign #BuildInPublic #StartupJourney

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Job Title: Full Stack Developer (Equity + Salary After 4 Months) Location: Remote About Haeldi: Haeldi is a pre-seed stage healthcare startup with a bold mission to revolutionize healthcare in India by providing 'Convenient Care Anywhere.' We are building an integrated platform powered by ABDM (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) technologies, combining telehealth, a healthcare directory, and a healthcare marketplace. Our MVP includes foundational WhatsApp integration, aiming to make healthcare accessible, affordable, and efficient. Our website is 75% complete and currently undergoing ABDM integration. We are seeking a Full Stack Developer who can join us to spearhead and expedite the development process. The Opportunity: This role is perfect for someone who believes in our mission, understands the massive Total Addressable Market (TAM) of healthcare in India, and is excited about the magnitude of our business vision. While we cannot offer an immediate salary, we are offering equity ownership and a competitive salary after 4 months of joining. Your Role: As a Full Stack Developer, you will work closely with our CTO to: Lead the development of the Haeldi webapp, including features like telehealth, a healthcare directory, and a marketplace powered by ABDM integration. Expedite the integration process of ABDM technologies such as UHI, ABHA, and NHCX. Build and implement foundational WhatsApp integration as part of the MVP. Collaborate strategically on technology decisions, tools, and architecture. Ensure scalability, security, and performance of the web application.. Take ownership of technical challenges in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. What We’re Looking For: Proven experience as a Full Stack Developer, with expertise in both front-end and back-end development. Proficiency in modern frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js, and backend technologies such as Node.js, Django, or Ruby on Rails. Strong knowledge of database systems (SQL and NoSQL). Experience in API development (REST/GraphQL) and integration. Familiarity with ABDM technologies or willingness to learn and implement them. Experience with WhatsApp API integration is a plus. Strong problem-solving skills and a passion for innovation in healthcare. An optimistic and entrepreneurial mindset aligned with Haeldi’s mission and vision. What We Offer: Equity Ownership: Be a key stakeholder in Haeldi’s success. Salary Post-Joining: A competitive salary starting 4 months after joining. Growth Opportunity: Join a mission-driven startup at the ground level and grow with us. Flexibility: Remote work with flexible hours. How to Apply: If you’re excited to be part of a startup that’s shaping the future of healthcare in India, we’d love to hear from you! Please send your resume and a brief note about why you’re a great fit for this role to : [email protected] Let’s build the future of healthcare together!

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If you doubted the rise of India as a powerhouse, Pine Labs, a significant fintech player, is now relocating its headquarters from Singapore to India following approval from a Singapore court. This strategic shift mirrors other successful Indian startups like PhonePe, Razorpay, and Groww, embracing the trend of ‘reverse flipping’. The move signifies growing confidence in the Indian market and its potential. Key factors enabling this move include: - Favorable economic policies - Growing domestic market - Increasing investor confidence - Greater certainty of an exit at a higher valuation - Ease of accessing capital - Regulatory changes - Maturing capital markets - Cost-effective listing process All great signs for India! #India #Fintech #PineLabs #Startups #BusinessGrowth

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Had a very good e-meet with startup CTOs, IT heads, and product heads. Apart from IT , We discussed various topics, including company culture and what makes a bad startup. Company culture and streamlined processes play a critical role in building a resilient company. What makes a bad startup: 1. Always hiring – high employee attrition rate. 2. No program for employee mental well-being. 3. Constant urgency with last-minute tasks. 4. Too many meetings. 5. No defined processes or KRAs 6. Always in the market for fundraising. 7. Managing IT teams like salespeople. 8. Company vision limited to the founders only. Building a strong, sustainable company starts with addressing these challenges. Focus on culture, clarity, and the well-being of your team for long-term success. #startup

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17 years of friendship, 3 years building products together, and now we're on a mission to satisfy your cravings for healthy, hassle-free meals… Meet Avinash Joshi, the co-founder and CTO of Cravd. Our story begins in college, where we were just two guys with big dreams and a shared love for technology. Life took us on different paths, but our common mentor Vipin P. brought us back together. The connection was instant. Within 6 months, we knew we had to build something together. Fast forward to 2023... We're knee-deep in our previous YC-backed startup, both new dads, and struggling to eat healthy home-cooked food due to our crazy schedules. That's when we discovered an unorganized market on Facebook for home chefs. The lightbulb moment hit us: Why isn't there an app to connect people with home chefs, handling everything from cooking to dishes to grocery pick-up? Cravd was born. It is our solution to a problem we both faced. Avinash is an exceptional coder and has built multiple products, including the one for my previous startup, entirely on his own. Together, we believe in building a product-first company and are committed to giving back to our college and community. We’re excited to tackle this challenge, It’s what we’ve always wanted to do!

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AppsForBharat Secures $18 Mn to Scale Sri Mandir Spiritual App, Plans for Offline Expansion Series B Funding: AppsForBharat raised $18 Mn led by Fundamentum, with participation from key investors like Elevation Capital and Mirae Asset Global Investments. Expansion Plans: Funds will be used to scale the Sri Mandir app, onboard more temples, and enhance the devotional tech stack. Growth and Revenue: The Sri Mandir app reached 30 Mn installs, with revenue jumping 92X to INR 3.5 Cr in FY23. Future Goals: Plans include a tenfold user increase, more regional languages, expanded temple listings, and spiritual tourism services. Offline Expansion: The company is piloting offline channels to enhance user experience, set to launch in the next six months. Read More: https://lnkd.in/dX5kat9c

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🚨 Zepto to launch a separate app for Zepto Cafe as popularity boosts Zepto Café is going solo! 🚀 Quick commerce unicorn Zepto plans to launch a standalone app for its café services, offering 148+ items like chai, coffee, and snacks. Currently integrated into the main app, the new app’s features remain unclear. With 100+ monthly launches and 30K daily orders, Zepto Café is expanding to major cities and targeting a ₹1,000 crore revenue run-rate by 2026. Competitors like @Swiggy Bolt and Zomato are also eyeing the quick food delivery market, making Zepto’s move a game-changer. Read more👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/g6ANnpxu By Akshita Toshniwal #ZeptoCafé #QuickCommerce #FoodTech

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𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 $𝟰𝟱𝟴 𝗠𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 API Holdings, the parent company of online drug marketplace PharmEasy, has seen its valuation cut to $458 million. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝟵𝟮% 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗼𝗳 $𝟱.𝟲 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭. PharmEasy’s investor and global asset management company Janus Henderson slashes the company’s valuation by marking down its investment value by 91.8%, the filing accessed from SEC shows. This comes as a surprise as PharmEasy in April said it had launched a rights issue to raise about $417 million. The rights issue, which allows existing investors to buy new shares in the firm at a much lower valuation, was oversubscribed, PharmEasy co-founder Dharmil Sheth said in a LinkedIn post. See the full story at tech crunch below. #startups #startup #startupfounders #startupfunding #angelinvestors #startuppitch #pitchdeck #pitchdecks #vcs #vcfunding #pharmeasy https://lnkd.in/dxC9pgth

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Appcharge, the leading direct-to-consumer platform, is excited to share a $26 million Series A funding round, led by Creandum, with participation from Supercell, BITKRAFT Ventures, Moneta Ventures and Corundum, alongside existing investors Play Ventures, Glilot Capital Partners, and angel investors. This new funding marks Appcharge's next step in driving the DTC movement forward. Web stores have become ubiquitous—our recent industry report confirms this trend—but the DTC space still has so much room to grow. Maor Sason Roei Barassi Or Ben Shimon Gil Tov-Ly To share your startup story write us on - [email protected] #funding #startup #SeriesA #Appcharge

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India’s Oyo, once valued at $10 billion, is finalizing new funding at a $2.5 billion valuation. This marks a steep decline from its $10 billion valuation in 2019. The startup, which has raised over $3 billion from backers like SoftBank, Peak XV Ventures, Lightspeed, Airbnb, and Microsoft, has struggled to attract institutional investors. In recent months, it has aggressively pitched to high-net-worth individuals after withdrawing its IPO application twice in the past four years. Once a red-hot Indian startup active in markets including the U.S. and Europe, Oyo has now scaled back its international presence. #venture #downround https://lnkd.in/gE2GjYnM

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Week 41 of #TechNewsWithARA - Weekly news dump on Sundays, and contemplating when I should just officially make it a Monday newsletter. The idea is to keep the top news relating to #ProductManagement and general #Technology. 1. Blinkit 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 Bistro - 𝗮 𝟭𝟬-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲. The CEO of BlinkIt has mentioned that this is a service totally independent of the parent Zomato and will not be just a private labelling of Zomato's own cloud kitchens. Zomato itself launched a 15-minute quick delivery option on their food delivery platform, which feels more like Bolt by Swiggy. Zomato has a history of experimenting with 10-minute delivery earlier in Gurgaon which failed 2-3 years back. Well, right time right place for everything. Will be interesting to see where do smaller players like Swish go in all of this. 2. Swiggy 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘀. Firstly, Swiggy Instamart is now a separate app, which still does not come in the first page when looking for "Instamart" on Google Play Store. Secondly, they launched #Snacc, which is a 10-minute food delivery app which doesn't feature separate restaurants like Bolt. Thirdly and most uniquely, they launched #Pyng which is like an Urban Company for white-collar jobs, mixed with a bit of topmate.io. 3. Meta 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁-𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀. Mark Zuckerberg has been accepting his mistake of making the company biased in a particular political leaning and hence taking steps to fix that, with some critics thinking that these steps might be a little too much. Personally I feel Meta as a company had become very aligned to a single political leaning and it is about time the correction came, particularly with them moving Trust teams out of California, which is a supremely left-leaning state (based on the voting numbers). 4. Lastly, in news that is not directly related to tech but can have big implications, 𝗟𝗼𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲. Being the hub for a lot of tech companies and the whole ecosystem, this single event can cause trembles in our tech world. While we pray for this to subside quickly, we do see people coming up with tech related help in these times. Elon Musk has stationed additional #Starlink supply with his Tesla #CyberTrucks to provide for a mode of communication/attempt at help.

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AI-powered blue-collar recruitment platform Vahan.ai has raised $10 Mn (INR 83.7 Cr) in a Series B funding round led by existing backer Khosla Ventures.  The round also saw participation from Y Combinator, Gaingels and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma among others 👇 The latest round takes the startup’s cumulative funding to $18 Mn till date, including $8 Mn and an undisclosed amount raised in 2021 and 2019, respectively. Vahan seeks to use the fresh money to develop its AI recruitment technology, which will support eight major Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Bangla and Gujarati. Currently, Vahan’s AI recruiter conducts interviews in English and Hindi. However, within the next year, the platform will expand into other languages To read the in-depth article, click here: https://lnkd.in/gSrziXGT #news #AI #startup #funding

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Highperformr.ai, a marketing SaaS startup floated by former Freshworks executives Ramesh Ravishankar and Srivatsan Venkatesan, has raised $3.5 Mn (INR 29.2 Cr) in a seed funding round 👇 The startup’s first product, Highperformr for Teams, leverages generative AI and LLMs to help B2B businesses maximise their return on investment (ROI) on social media campaigns. The fresh capital will be deployed to further the startup's research and development activity, build the platform's native AI capabilities, and expand its distribution network. To read more in detail, click here: https://lnkd.in/gV8tqWyU #startups #fundraising #growth #saas

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𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗔𝗜,𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰,𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘁𝗰..) - Save upto 85% in prompt generation (using model-router) , suggesting the cheapest and best model. Launching soon - TrainKore

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🚨Swiggy IPO gets oversubscribed led by QIB bids Swiggy’s IPO was oversubscribed 1.07 times by the third day, driven largely by QIBs, who oversubscribed their portion 1.52 times. Retail investors subscribed to 97% of their portion, while Non-Institutional Investors (NIIs) made bids for 22% of their allocation. Swiggy's employee quota also saw strong demand, with a subscription rate of 1.38 times. Swiggy raised around Rs 5,085 crore (approx. $605 million) from anchor investors like HDFC, ICICI, SBI, and global players including Fidelity and BlackRock. by Akshita Toshniwal | #SwiggyIPO #IPO #QIB #RetailInvestors #Foodtech Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/ggm_piMt

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