Minus One

This is the story behind all the IPO headlines. In this episode of Minus One, Vidit Aatrey talks to Prateek Mehta about the high-conviction journey of building Meesho — from early uncertainty and brutal trade-offs to cracking scale in one of the hardest consumer markets in the world. We talk about why most startups fail to truly understand India, what Meesho got right (after getting a lot wrong), and the long game required to build something that actually lasts.This is the builder’s story — about patience, lifelong learning, and designing for realities…not fantasies.Connect with us here:1. Prateek Mehta: https://x.com/prateekmehta42.South Park Commons – https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons

If there’s one person to listen to truly grasp the scale and intent of technology and where we’re headed, it’s Kevin Scott.The Microsoft CTO joins Aditya Agarwal to discuss navigating his Minus One days, the partnership with OpenAI, why the most valuable problems to solve are often the ones others ignore, and why building great things has never been easier, cheaper, or faster. Tune in now.Apply to SPC membership:https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagIZspLSFX7QrXcn/formConnect with us: 1. Kevin Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkevinscott/ 2. Aditya Agarwal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/ 00:00 Trailer01:34 Navigating Career Transitions and Impact07:35 Challenges and Insights for Entrepreneurs14:43 The Evolution and Future of AI28:42 The Grind of Startup Life34:11 Open Source vs. Closed Source Models46:49 Empowering the Next Generation with AI

Having been a key part of building Google and Meta, and helping scale DoorDash and Block, Gokul Rajaram joins Aditya Agarwal to share his principles and patterns for deciding what’s truly worth building.Together, they draw on real stories from Silicon Valley and reflect on what it will take to unlock India’s deep tech potential. The investor gives crucial insight into the mindset, the team, and the personal qualities required to build meaningfully in the age of AI.Apply to SPC membership: https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagIZspLSFX7QrXcn/formConnect with us: 1. Gokul Rajaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gokulrajaram1/2. Aditya Agarwal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons - https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/00:00 Trailer01:00 Introduction03:42 The Importance of Passion in Startups08:27 The Role of Serendipity in Finding a Mission12:01 User Storytelling vs. User Research18:24 The Obsession of Great Founders28:44 The Evolution of AI and Its Impact on Startups38:23 The Future of AI in the Physical World

If you want to know what it’s like to be the architect of nations, not just platforms - you ask a man like Nandan Nilekani.In this episode of Minus One, Nandan breaks down the ideas, effort and intent behind building Aadhaar for 1.4 billion people, his next chapter in using AI to drive social impact across India, and what his vision of the future looks like. Connect with us here:​ Nandan Nilekani- https://x.com/NandanNilekani​ Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/​ South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/00:00 Trailer01:36 Introduction02:12 Curiosity and Conviction: Keys to Success15:11 AI and India's Future25:46 The Startup Boom in India27:03 Challenges and Opportunities in Ease of Business31:38 AI and Digital Public Infrastructure40:26 Future of Energy and Final Thoughts

SPC alum Tuhin Srivastava sits down with Aditya Agarwal to break down how a failed four-year startup, plus early chapters in finance and biotech, shaped the way he is scaling Baseten into one of the fastest-growing AI infrastructure companies today.His approach is simple: kill what doesn’t work, don’t scale before you’re ready, and stop pretending you can see past three months in AI. Apply to SPC membership -https://airtable.com/appxDXHfPCZvb75qk/pagIZspLSFX7QrXcn/formConnect with us here:1. Tuhin Srivastava- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuhin-srivastava/2. Aditya Agarwal- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityaagarwal3/3. South Park Commons- https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/00:00 Trailer00:56 Introduction01:28 Insights from Cricket to Startups03:30 Career Journey: From Finance to Tech08:16 Navigating the Startup Ecosystem22:48 Embracing Change and Customer Focus25:38 Unique Company Philosophies30:14 Compensation and Team Dynamics39:29 Cricket Predictions