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Pay It FWD

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Pay it FWD: Karthik Reddy’s blueprint for building ecosystems

Every single founder I grabbed coffee with would drop the same name: Karthik Reddy of Blume Ventures. Every amazing SaaS or consumer startup seemed to orbit around Blume’s star. I knew at the time, I needed to meet Karthik.

Avinash Raghava
Blog Community

Pay it FWD: Suren misses nothing

“You know what, you should speak to Suren?” she said. I hadn’t yet met Surendran Balchandran (or Suren, as everyone knows him). But when Prukalpa vouches for someone, you don’t question it. Almost the same day, I pinged her asking for an introduction. What followed was one of the most surprising experiences of my life. He was quiet in early meetings—attending, taking notes, nodding along. But then came event day, and it was like watching a submarine surface. Suren was on top of everything, executing flawlessly, spotting failure points, and quietly putting processes in place to avoid them.

Avinash Raghava
Blog Community

Pay it FWD: The unassuming generosity of Shashank Kumar

“I am in,” said Shashank Kumar, co-founder of Razorpay, leaning back on his chair. I hadn’t completed my pitch, but Shashank’s mind was made up. There wasn’t much to say, so I pocketed my iPhone, stood up, thanked him, and left. He had just agreed to sign a not-insignificant cheque for our efforts. 

Avinash Raghava
Blog Community

Pay it FWD: The legend of Ashwini Asokan

Her Twitter persona was fierce, fearless, and formidable. She pulled no punches. I had found a line to connect with her. But I wasn’t convinced. I wanted to know more. So, I reached further into the ecosystem.

Avinash Raghava
Blog Community

Pay it FWD: Vivek Khandelwal, the quiet community builder

I’ve been bumping into Vivek since 2016 at conferences and social gatherings. Our conversations were trivial and superficial. Until it all changed in 2018, Vivek, ever the gentleman, would smile politely most of the time, but he seemed visibly upset. 

Avinash Raghava
Blog Community

Pay it FWD: Mayank Nagpal, the quiet giver

Before I move on, I want to introduce you to Mayank, founder of EPYC and one of the brightest minds I’ve met. Deeply rooted in the open-source and no-code world, Mayank brings a rare mix of hustle, heart, and humility.

Avinash Raghava
Blog Community

Pay it FWD: Kalyan Varma’s art of quiet excellence

It’s not often that I stumble across someone who is a natural giver. During these sessions, he would never hold back — that honesty and transparency hooked founders, who would speak about moments from the session for days. At that moment, I saw a genius in Kalyan… He reminds me of the famous Hindi proverb, ‘A tree laden with fruit bends low.’ Despite being a successful founder, Kalyan’s humility and empathy are visible

Avinash Raghava
Blog Leadership

Rajan Anandan is always bullish on India

One summer morning in 2011, I was called into my senior’s office. “Rajan wants to meet you,” he said. An industry stalwart had explicitly asked for me, so I had to see him. At that meeting, my relationship with Rajan truly began.

Avinash Raghava
Blog Community

Pay it FWD: The relentless optimism of Raj Sheth

“There is nothing he believes in more than India and her founders.” Raj Sheth’s journey has been one of relentless optimism, quiet generosity, and unwavering belief in India’s startup community, always giving, always returning, always paying it forward.

Avinash Raghava
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