Drive into the New Year: from Nithin Kamath to Gajendra Jangid, the story so far

Earlier last month, YS Weekender launched its newest series, Drive into the New Year, featuring business leaders and seasoned entrepreneurs as they rev into 2021. The series focuses on how changemakers from the Indian startup ecosystem plan to navigate the road ahead, both in their professional and personal lives. 

YS Weekender got into candid conversations with business leaders to watch them talk beyond entrepreneurship. Drive into the New Year saw these business leaders discuss their hopes and plans for 2021, after a year full of uncertainties. 

As we step into the New Year and continue with our rendezvous with startup entrepreneurs, we take a look back at past conversations. 

Nithin Kamath, Zerodha

2020 was a milestone year for India’s largest stock-broker company Zerodha. The startup not only completed a decade of being in business but also bootstrapped its way to unicorn status. 

The 41-year old entrepreneur does not believe in New Year resolutions. “Nothing changes because it’s a new year,” he told YS Weekender. However, in life, as in business, Nithin was crystal clear about his priorities for the New Year: health, family, and climate change. 

After what was an exceptionally busy year for Zerodha, Nithin wants to shift his focus to family and health in 2021. He also talked about Zerodha’s commitment to fighting climate change and the recent launch of Rainmatter Climate, a fund focusing on startups and grassroots organisations working on climate change. 

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Harshil Mathur, Razorpay 

The year 2020 was another demonetisation moment for Indian fintech. Bengaluru-based Razorpay entered the unicorn club amidst the pandemic, and Co-founder Harshil Mathur said in 2021 “our priority is to maintain the growth that we saw this year”. 

Safety, productivity, and resilience made it to Harshil’s priority list of 2021. 

After spending a lot of time in front of the screen, Harshil plans to “grow a lot more this year”. He plans to focus on personal growth and spend a lot of time reading, giving tennis a shot, and practicing mindfulness with yoga. 

Keeping in mind the changes brought about by the pandemic, Harshil said, “A lot has changed during the pandemic, and we should carry forward these changes and not completely reverse to the pre-COVID-19 era.”

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Raghav Joshi, Rebel Foods 

Rebel Foods (formerly known as Faasos) has transformed the cloud-kitchen business in India like no other player. With more than 350 kitchens under its umbrella, Rebel Foods manages brands including Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, The Good Bowl, Oven Story, Sweet Truth, and Slay Coffee, among others. 

YS Weekender caught up with Rebel Foods CEO - Indian Business Unit, Raghav Joshi, to navigate his personal and professional road ahead. “2021 should be about giving opportunities to everyone, especially those who were impacted by the pandemic,” he said. 

Raghav’s priorities for 2021 are travelling to Israel, focusing on fitness, and calendaring his way into maintaining a schedule. 

As a vegan, the CEO plans to research more to find dairy alternatives and try learning to cook great-tasting vegan food. Raghav said, “Resolutions don’t always have to start with a new year. If we believe in something, we can make a resolution right now.” 

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Gajendra Jangid, CARS24

Talk about 2020 unicorns, and you cannot miss CARS24. The online marketplace for used cars gained unicorn status after people turned to private vehicles for safer travel experiences.

Gajendra Jangid, Co-founder and CMO of CARS24, said as people considered cars a safer option (than public transportation), it led to a 4X increase in the intent of pre-owned cars. 

Gajendra’s priority list for 2021 comprises “having strong opinions that are loosely held”, playing tennis, and developing a habit of reading regularly. 

The CMO wishes he took the entrepreneurial plunge earlier in his life, and going ahead, plans to focus on the habit of saying ‘yes’ to everything. 

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