Banofi Leather is a sustainable fashion startup converting banana crop waste into plant-based leather. Based in the leather district of Kolkata, the company combines cutting-edge material science with the scrappiness you’d expect from an early-stage business. My guest, Jinali Mody, is the Founder and CEO of Banofi. She started building the company as a student at Yale University and won the Hult Prize in 2023 for her efforts thus far! In this episode, we cover:

• The value chain of sustainable fashion

• Jinali’s experience founding Banofi as a student at Yale

• Why Banofi is currently a B2B company

• The paradox between durability and sustainability

• The consumer’s responsibility in making fashion more sustainable

Resources

• Connect with Jinali on LinkedIn

• Connect with Shreyas on LinkedIn

• Jinali’s take on the need for consumers to be more forgiving: link

• McKinsey podcast about sustainability in the fashion industry: link

🎧 Listen now on Spotify!

Delhivery is a titan in the Indian logistics landscape. The company started out doing hyperlocal deliveries in Gurgaon in 2011. Pretty quickly, it moved into express parcel deliveries and served as the backbone for India’s eCommerce boom in the following years. Today, as a public company with ~$900mil in revenue, Delhivery’s story demonstrates how technology can transform logistics.

To help us with this exploration, I’m joined by Kshitij Chopra. Kshitij is the Head of Product at Delhivery. He was also the company’s first product hire back in 2015 and has worn many hats since then. Together, we explore Delhivery’s business lines, the role of the government in logistics, and Kshitij’s personal journey building technology at Delhivery.

Resources

• Delhivery’s Website

• Latest Financials (Q4 FY23)

• Connect with Kshitij on LinkedIn

• Connect with Shreyas on LinkedIn

🎧 Listen now on Spotify!

Pidge is a last-mile logistics service provider that supports small and medium enterprises with intra-city shipments.

• On the demand side, Pidge works disparate customers including D2C brands, restaurants, and medical companies. These companies either outsource their deliveries to Pidge or use Pidge’s software to manage an in-house delivery process.

• On the supply side, Pidge runs an asset-light model. Unlike quick commerce platforms such as Dunzo and Zepto, the company doesn’t maintain its own fleet of vehicles. Instead, it relies on a network of delivery partners to fulfill orders. By working with clients across an array of industries, Pidge provides a consistent level of business to its delivery partners. It also maximizes network utilization and fulfills nearly 100% of incoming requests.

Having enabled over 5 million deliveries since 2019, the company is leaving its mark as a leading LSP and logistics tech business. To help us with this exploration, I’m joined by Ratnesh Verma. Ratnesh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pidge. Together, we explore Pidge's core value propositions, how the company addresses fluctuating customer demand, and how it maintains positive unit economics.

Resources

• Pidge Website

• Connect with Ratnesh on LinkedIn

• Economic Times article on Pidge from Feb 17th 2023: Link

What to connect with Shreyas? Ping him on LinkedIn!

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

In today’s episode, we dive into Farmart. Farmart, founded in 2015, is a B2B food supply platform. The company offers software and services to simplify the lives of agri-retailers, farmers, and food production businesses alike. They've developed an innovative model to source produce from the retailers that traditionally sell seeds to farmers. It makes farm to fork possible at scale and is based on deep customer research. Farmart has raised ~$48mil to date from investors including General Catalyst and Matrix Partners India. To help us with this exploration, I’m joined by Alekh Sanghera. Alekh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Farmart. Together, we explore topics including the challenges in the agriculture sector, Farmart’s journey from being a free CRM tool to a marketplace for produce, and strategies to build products for SMEs.

Resources

• Farmart Website

• Alekh's LinkedIn and Twitter

• Shreyas’ LinkedIn

• Interview with Alekh and his Co-Founder Mehtab: Link

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

In today’s episode, we dive into the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). ONDC is a non-profit initiative by the Government of India to decentralize digital commerce. It isn’t the next Flipkart, but instead, it’s the network and protocol layer necessary to unbundle a company like Flipkart. ONDC is built on the back of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and has the potential to further transform how Indians transact. If you thought you were late to the party with understanding UPI, here’s your chance to get ahead on the “next big thing”! To help us with this exploration, I’m joined by Shireesh Joshi. Shireesh is the Chief Business Officer at ONDC. Together, we explore how ONDC is a protocol, not a platform, what it aims to accomplish, and what the e-commerce landscape will look like in a world of ONDC.

Additional Resources

• To participate in the ONDC network, email team@ondc.org

• Nandan Nilekani on ONDC from Startup India Innovation Week - Link

• The protocol powering ONDC and other such decentralized networks - Beckn Protocol

• Long form article about protocols vs platforms (albeit in a different context) - Link

🎧 Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

In today’s episode, we dive into the track and trace industry. Track and trace (aka shipment visibility) is all about locating cargo while it’s shipped around the world. While this problem is relatively straightforward for eCommerce parcels, it’s very challenging for global, multi-modal logistics. To help us with this exploration, I’m joined by Cy Sack. Cy is the Product Lead for Supply Chain Visibility at Flexport. Together, we explore why companies care about visibility, what makes it challenging to do, and where humans fit into the picture. I hope you enjoy this exploration of track and trace.

Reference

• Cy's LinkedIn Profile: Link

• Cy's Blog: Rough Terrain

🎧 Listen now Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

In today’s episode, we dive into Lynkit. Lynkit develops hardware and software solutions to simplify logistics in India. Their offerings include IoT devices to track cargo, process management software for ports and warehouses, and a first-mile transportation service. To help us explore this business, I’m joined by Uddhav Kumar. Uddhav is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lynkit. Together, we discuss Lynkit’s journey from service provider to product company and understand how it bootstrapped its way to over 3000 customers. I hope you enjoy this exploration of Lynkit.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Horn OK Please is where we explore supply chains, commerce, and mobility in India. In each episode, we build an appreciation for the global challenges in these industries and dive into organizations that are taking them on. I'm your host, Shreyas Kadaba, and I'm STOKED to have you here. If you have ideas, suggestions, or just want to chat, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn or via email. Until then, thanks for being here - enjoy the show.

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