Actor and entrepreneur Kunal Kapoor on what makes a good story

Actor-turned-entrepreneur Kunal Kapoor has long lived within the world of stories. 

In front of the camera, he has witnessed how cinema moves people in powerful and collective ways.

“Because as actors, directors and filmmakers, you can affect people in a cinema. People can cry,  laugh, and they can get angry because you want them to, and that's powerful,” Kapoor says. 

But the magic of storytelling took on a deeper dimension when Kapoor stepped into the real world of human struggle and second chances. 

With Ketto, the crowdfunding platform he co-founded in 2012, Kapoor found stories that weren’t scripted, but were powerful. 

“There’s a brilliant child, but she doesn't have enough money to finish her education. There's somebody in a hospital who can get okay, but doesn't have enough money. Some talented athletes don't have the resources. So how do you shine a light on these stories?”

Ketto became that spotlight, and Kapoor realised a fundamental shift in the kind of power a story can hold.

Speaking on day two of YourStory’s TechSparks 2025, in a fireside chat with Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO of YourStory, Kapoor discussed how authentic narratives build trust, attract capital, and create loyal communities.

The actor said, “Cinema has taught me how to affect people, but Ketto’s storytelling has taught me how to get people to act.”

He added that seeing the numbers of a campaign getting fulfilled brings him more joy than box office numbers. 

Kapoor has distilled his learnings from thousands of Ketto campaigns into a simple formula—personal, urgency, and specificity. 

Vagueness, on the other hand, distances audiences. “Don't say I'm building a school for underprivileged kids. Say I come from a village where I'm going to build something, because I've seen it personally. And I think this is urgent, because if it doesn't happen now, these girls are not going to get an education," he says.

In fundraising, too, authenticity becomes the key. 

Being an early-stage investor, Kapoor is often approached by startup founders who want to know how to get attention from media, investors, and the world. To them, his advice is simple: “Don't chase PR when you are doing a story, chase purpose…I think an authentic story will eventually find its way.”

Kapoor adds that founders can no longer rely on hype; they must rely on conviction, and “authentic stories will eventually find their audience”.