ChaiNet: The Agentic Commerce Podcast
ChaiNet is a podcast where we talk about the future of AI and ecommerce with the founders, builders, experts and brands to understand how do agentic commerce services improve the shopping experience of tomorrow. chainet.substack.com
What a Million Meals of Pet Food Taught Me About E-commerce
On this episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Ravi Rathi, founder of BLEP Pet Food.
After a decade in banking, defense tech, and political consulting, Ravi’s world shifted when his German Shepherd, Max, got sick from premium kibble. That personal crisis led him to question what actually belongs in a pet’s bowl. He left his career to find answers.
Today, BLEP has delivered over a million meals to thousands of pet parents with just seven people on the team.
In this conversation, Ravi opens up about:
* The moment his...
From Being a Showrunner to Pitching to Sharks
On this episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Jigar Mehta, founder of Honey Twigs, India’s first squeezable honey brand.
For 2.5 years, Jigar was a showcaller at Kingdom of Dreams, controlling every second of 250 performances and working with the biggest names in entertainment at the IIFA Awards. He had the kind of career most people in live entertainment dream about. Then he walked away.
Years later, he stood on Shark Tank India pitching something completely different: honey in plastic sticks.
In this conversation, Jigar breaks down:
* Why he chose B2B...
Why 90% of Gyms Are Designed to Fail Their Members
Most fitness brands make money when you quit. You sign up, stop showing up, and they keep charging. Anish Menon thinks that’s broken.
He spent four years inside The OutFit Gym learning the business, watching what worked, what didn’t, and why most people never see results. Then he built LIFTR Strength and Conditioning on a simple bet: align the gym’s incentives with the members’ goals.
Eight locations later across India, Sri Lanka, and Dubai, he’s proving it works. All without taking a rupee from investors.
In this episode, we get into:<...
From Zero Fashion Knowledge to Shark Tank: Building Guugly Wuugly
On this episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Ravi Gupta, founder of Guugly Wuugly, a father who turned a frustrating shopping trip for his daughter into a D2C kidswear brand.
With no fashion background, he couldn’t even tell cotton grades apart. Ravi left his IT job at Wipro to build something meaningful. He traveled thousands of kilometers across India, visiting manufacturers and learning textiles from scratch. Then came the hardest decision, mortgaging his family home to fund the dream.
In this conversation, Ravi breaks down:
* Why does he spend nine mo...
How Brands can Build a Hiring System Using AI - Bella, Jump Consulting
On this episode of ChaiNet, we welcome Bella Vasta, a 20-year veteran of scaling service businesses, a former National Pet Sitting Business of the Year winner, and now an AI optimization strategist.
Bella knows the struggle firsthand: the systems every growing business needs (hiring, onboarding, operations) rarely get built because creating them feels like work that pulls you away from the business. Her mission? To change that.
We dive into:
* Why operational systems are the missing piece in most service-based businesses.
* How to build a hiring system using AI, not by...
She Built a Gourmet Brand When India Wasn’t Ready for It
On this episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Apeksha Jain, Founder & CEO of The Gourmet Jar.
In 2012, long before clean labels and D2C food were mainstream, Apeksha launched a gourmet condiments brand in India with zero preservatives, small batches, and premium pricing. Growth was painfully slow for years, but she stayed committed to quality when shortcuts could have accelerated everything.
Today, The Gourmet Jar has sold 2.5 million jars and helped redefine Indian gourmet proving that conviction and patience can build something lasting.
We explore:
* Why did she start when...
The shark tank founder building a community first pet brand
On this episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Darshankaur Khalsa, co-founder of Pets of Paradise.
After pitching dog ice cream brand Waggy Zone on Shark Tank India and receiving five “nos,” Darshankaur didn’t quit. Instead, she transformed her vision, merged into Pets of Paradise, and shifted focus to serving India’s massive first-time pet parent market.
We dive into:
* What she learned from scaling Waggy Zone to 200+ stores before Shark Tank
* How hearing “no” on national television fueled a bigger, more resilient business model
* Why an authentic, human-driven...
Shark Tank Woman Founder on Building India's Only Men's Rental Platform
On this episode of ChaiNet, meet Shweta Poddar, founder of CandidMen India’s only men’s-only rental fashion platform. A woman founder in the world of men’s formalwear, she built a profitable, bootstrapped brand by ignoring conventional startup wisdom.
Shweta’s journey began when her own data revealed a clear mismatch her inventory was women’s, but her customers were men. Instead of following the crowded women’s fashion market, she doubled down on men’s formalwear, renting premium sherwanis and tuxedos at a fraction of retail price.
We explore:
* Building a men’s-only bra...
Our Shark Tank Episode Went Viral & then we got 16.4K orders in a week.
On this episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Aasis Katyal, founding member of GOAT Life, just seven days after their game-changing Shark Tank India appearance.
While the spotlight showed five Sharks fighting to invest, the real story unfolded off-camera over 16,000 orders flooding in within a week, backend systems pushed to the limit, and a 15-person team operating under unprecedented pressure.
In this raw, real-time conversation, Aasis pulls back the curtain on what viral growth truly looks like from the inside:✅ The first chaotic hour after the episode aired and the first order.✅ How “backend chaos”...
He Used NASA Tech to Sell 3M Indian Meals, Completely Bootstrapped
On this episode of ChaiNet, we speak with Denil Dedhia, founder and CEO of Bowlful Foods, a bootstrapped D2C brand bringing authentic, convenient Indian meals to the world through freeze-drying technology.
Tired of bland ready-to-eat options while studying abroad, Denil returned to India and bet on an overlooked food-tech method to preserve taste, nutrients, and authenticity. Without outside funding, he has since scaled Bowlful into a global brand, offering a wide range of dishes that rehydrate in minutes.
We dive into:âś… Why he chose freeze-drying over conventional ready-to-eat methods.âś… How he built and scaled a ca...
What Your Genes Reveal That Made Him Start Over at 40
On this episode of ChaiNet, we speak with Masroor Lodi, founder of Unlock Fit, a pioneering wellness platform that builds AI-powered health programs based on your DNA.
After a successful career at Unilever, Sanofi, and founding The Entrepreneurship School, Masroor walked away at age 40 when genetic data revealed a truth he couldn’t ignore: most wellness plans are generic, but our bodies are not.
We explore:âś… The genetic discovery that made him reset his entire career.âś… What your DNA reveals about diet, fitness, and health that wearables and trackers cannot.âś… Why he transitioned from teaching entrepre...
From Mechanical Engineering to a $65K MRR D2C Company. Rishabh, Wellbi.
On this episode of ChaiNet, a mechanical engineer turned operator shares how a semiconductor supply chain career became the launchpad for a D2C fashion brand in India serving 1 lakh+ customers and doing around $65,000 in monthly revenue.
We discussed:
* Moving from engineering and supply chain into fashion without formal fashion training, and scaling 5x by focusing on business fundamentals and complementary co-founder skills.
* Finding an edge with bamboo-cotton essentials, prioritising comfort, fabric innovation, and repeat customers over chasing trends.
* Using engineering rigor and AI tools for material research, quality control, demand...
How a Father Built India's Most Fashion-Forward Period Brand
On this episode of ChaiNet, Mahipal Singh, founder of Revaa, reveals how a father’s lockdown experience sparked a bold period care brand that rejects stigma and disposables.
We discussed:
* His pivot from 23 years in hospitality to building Revaa during the pandemic
* The “wrong founder” problem: a man destigmatizing menstruation
* Why the category’s soft, apologetic positioning fails—and Revaa’s unapologetic alternative
* Reusables over disposables: the harder path for sustainability
* AI’s role in brand-building, from design to customer touchpoints
* Hospitality principles for operations and loyalty in...
AI Is Making Fast Fashion Faster. He's Betting on Shirts That Last For Years.
On this episode of ChaiNet, Karthik Koppula, founder of Islands of Loom, shares his journey from optimizing speed at Amazon and Zomato to creating anti-fast fashion with organic fabrics, natural dyes, and small-batch handwoven production.
We discussed:
* Why did he leave high-speed logistics for deliberately slower craftsmanship
* Business model of products designed to last years, not months
* How identical mall racks create opportunity for differentiated brands
* Physical retail is the new battleground when products look the same
* AI’s role in his low-tech artisanal approach vs fast fa...
What Building a 2.5 Crore Brand Teaches You Ecom
On this episode of ChaiNet, we speak with Tanay Gaur, co-founder of boutique Shopify agency Windborne Solutions and founder of GlidingGear, a premium D2C leather accessories brand.
What’s rare? He lives in two worlds at once, advising e-commerce brands while risking his own capital to run his business. This dual lens gives him a unique filter for what drives real revenue vs. what’s just marketing hype.
We dive deep into the raw truths of today’s AI-driven commerce landscape:
✅ Why popular agency growth tactics often fail when you’re the one spendi...
Learning to Scale D2C Brands With Someone Who's Done it 50 Times
On this episode of ChaiNet, Kapil Khanna, co-founder of On-Chair Marketing and Wizon Media, reveals why most D2C brands fail by scaling ads too early and ignoring what actually matters.
We discussed:
* Why he pivoted from selling glucometers on Amazon to building marketing agencies
* The ROAS trap: why this popular metric actually hurts growth
* Funnel leaks that make brands lose money before checkout
* Seven deadly mistakes, like weak unit economics and no repeat customer strategy
* When organic posting wastes time vs when to focus on paid...
Reprogramming Fashion's DNA to Sustainability with Technology
On this episode of ChaiNet, Rachna Sarup, founder of B77 Lifestyle, shares her journey from 25 years as a garment exporter to revolutionizing sustainable fashion. She reveals how the industry produces massive carbon emissions and sends most garments straight to landfills.
We discussed:
* The exact moment she realized business as usual was destroying the planet
* Making fabric from Himalayan wild grass and organic roses
* 3D body mapping tech that dramatically cuts returns
* Gen Z paradox: claiming they’ll pay more for sustainability, yet fast fashion thrives
* AI’s role...
Building a $4M Empire When Everyone Said AI Would Replace Recruiters
On this episode of ChaiNet, Priyanshu Soni, founder of Agylex Global and Director of Sprinx, shares how he built a multi-million dollar international staffing business in an era where AI was supposed to kill HR.
He breaks down why he bet on recruitment when others were running scared, what human recruiters can do that AI cannot, and how to use AI as a tool while still prioritizing cultural fit and human potential.If you are in talent, leadership, or navigating AI disruption in any industry, this episode is a masterclass in adapting, future-proofing your career, and betting...
The Engineer Who Realized Ecom Is Optimizing the Wrong Thing
In this episode of ChaiNet, we sat down with Noel Mathew, founder of Skie Labs and creator of Shopscan. After years of witnessing performance issues destroy stores at scale at Fynd, Noel built an AI tool to identify hidden conversion killers that cause stores to quietly bleed revenue due to slow loads and broken experiences.
We discussed the reality check of how many potential sales are lost to poor infrastructure, and why store owners often focus on the wrong things.
Key topics covered included: ✅ The paradox of spending heavily on ads while the store’s foun...
What Managing 166+ Stores Tells Us About Shopify AI
In this episode of ChaiNet, we speak with Hitesh Matlani, who oversees the performance of over 166 Shopify stores. We explore the urgent question for every merchant and agency: what happens when AI tools become standard inside every e-commerce platform, and does this make human expertise obsolete?
Hitesh explains that the value of an agency is shifting from technical implementation to strategic curation and emotional intelligence. He breaks down which AI features actually drive sales, which often fail in practice, and why a merchant’s strategy now matters more than their access to tools.
Listen to th...
How a real estate broker built a $60K MRR AI company without writing a single line of code
On our latest ChaiNet episode, Chris Baxter, co-founder of Aeva AI, shares how he built an AI receptionist for health clinics to significant monthly revenue without a technical background.
Chris spent years in real estate, making thousands of calls and seeing firsthand how missed calls lose business. He later discovered clinics faced the same problem. So, with no coding experience, he and his co-founder created Aeva, an AI phone assistant that books appointments and supports receptionists, not replaces them.
We discuss:
* Moving from real estate to SaaS without writing code
* Nailing...
How will we sell online when AI does the shopping?
🎙️ On our latest ChaiNet episode, Dhruv Kantak, Business Head of SEO at Hovers, explores what happens when AI becomes the world’s biggest shopping engine.
Dhruv has driven millions in organic traffic for e-commerce and D2C brands. But now, as AI rewrites search and consumers ask chatbots for buying advice, traditional product pages and SEO tactics face obsolescence.
We discuss:
âś… The urgent shift from SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
âś… How D2C brands survive when AI curates products directly
âś… Why metrics like keyword rankings are losing meaning
âś… What a...
Why India's Next Retail Revolution is Being Built from Lucknow & Not Bangalore
Our latest guest on ChaiNet is Nikhil Sewak, the founder and CEO of Yett. He’s building an AI-driven discovery platform for offline retail, drawing lessons from 16 years of building distribution networks across UP, Bihar, and other tier-two cities.
We explore: ✅ His journey from mechanical engineering and manufacturing to recognizing the gap in offline retail discovery. ✅ How Yet helps shoppers find malls, hubs, and stores with a chatbot that answers local retail questions. ✅ The challenges and triumphs of onboarding 2,500+ retailers who aren’t tech-savvy. ✅ Why tier-two cities like Lucknow, Indore, and Agra are where physical retail’s future is bein...
This YC Founder Left Meta To Build an AI For Presentations
Our next guest on ChaiNet is Anmol Sood, co-founder of Alai (YC W24). Anmol made a significant leap from a prestigious career at Meta to build an AI-native presentation tool that transforms how ideas are communicated.
We’ll talk about his bold decision to leave one of tech’s most coveted roles for the high-stakes world of AI entrepreneurship. We’ll also dive into what truly sets Alai apart in the crowded presentation software landscape.
Things like:
âś… The profound motivation behind leaving Meta as a Staff Engineer to build an AI presentation startup.
âś… H...
Why Not Leaving McKinsey Was Scarier Than Starting an AI Startup
Our next guest on ChaiNet is Yuliya Fomina, co-founder of Tailo. Yuliya made a significant leap from a prestigious consulting career to build an AI agent platform that transforms website visitors into customers through dynamic demos and conversations.
We’ll talk about her bold decision to leave corporate stability for the high-stakes world of AI entrepreneurship. We’ll also dive into what truly sets Tailo apart in the crowded sales automation market.
Things like: ✅ The profound motivation behind leaving a top consulting firm to build an AI startup.✅ How Tailo’s AI agent delivers personalized demos and...
Are AI Agents on the blockchain the next internet?
Welcome back to ChaiNet, where we learn from builders shaping our future with Gautam Dhameja, founder of BlockDeep Labs and a Web3 veteran. We dive into the revolutionary concept of autonomous AI agents living on the blockchain, discussing how software will soon make its own decisions, hold money, and transact independently, enabled by blockchain’s power to provide identity and trust.
In this fascinating episode, we explore:
âś… How AI agents differ from current AI tools and why they need blockchain
âś… The crucial roles of identity, ownership, and trust that blockchain provides for agents
âś…...
Deepfake Costs $30 on the Darkweb, This 20-Year-Old is Fighting Back
Our recent LinkedIn Live on ChaiNet featured a critical discussion with Tarini Padmanabhuni, the 20-year-old Founder and CEO of Axory AI. The session focused on the escalating threat of deepfakes and the urgent need for an “trust layer.”
Here are the key takeaways from the conversation:
âś…Alarming Costs: Tarini highlighted a $25 million corporate fraud executed via deepfake video and revealed that a personal deepfake can cost as little as $30.
âś…Detection Failure: We addressed the Detection Paradox, why security tools that look accurate in a lab setting fail dramatically in the real world.
âś…India...
He Built Hardware for 15 Years, Now He's Changing It With AI
🎙️ Our latest ChaiNet episode features Serge Kadjo, founder of ProductFlo, who reveals why brilliant hardware designs often fail to reach production, and how AI can bridge this physical gap.
We explore:
âś… Automating engineering documentation and compliance
âś… Manufacturing realities from Shenzhen to Morocco
âś… Why paperwork consumes 40% of development time
âś… Building hardware that actually ships
âś… AI trained on 680,000 engineering files
For engineers and builders tired of seeing prototypes stall, this conversation offers practical solutions from someone who’s shipped products across four continents.
Tune in to learn how AI i...
The hidden challenge of industrial AI is not the AI
Our next guest on ChaiNet is Archit Naraniwal, the co-founder of Faclon Labs, an IIT Bombay civil engineer who has spent nine years building an Industrial IoT and AI platform. He’s tackling the unspoken challenges of bringing AI to factories filled with decades-old machinery.
We’ll talk about the dirty secret of industrial AI that nobody wants to admit. We’ll also dive into the practical realities of implementing AI where it truly matters.
Things like: ✅ The vast difference between data plumbing and actual AI in industrial settings. ✅ What “data integration” entails when connecting diverse, legac...
From Perfecting Piano to Perfecting AI Agents
Our latest guest on ChaiNet is Vivian Cai, the 22-year-old Founder and CEO of Streaml. She’s building AI agents to eliminate sales busywork, drawing lessons from an unconventional journey spanning classical piano and high finance.
We explore: ✅ Her unique pivot from intense piano and investment banking to AI entrepreneurship. ✅ How Streaml’s AI agents transform sales by cutting busywork. ✅ The challenges and triumphs of building a tech company at 22.✅ Vivian’s vision for AI’s impact on future sales roles and human teams.
This conversation provides a focused look at innovation, resilience, and the practical applic...
When AI Agents Become Your Sales Team
This podcast episode features Parminder, the founder of Redscope AI and former “Mobile Guy” at Flipkart, as he shares his journey of leveraging AI to achieve unprecedented efficiency. The discussion moves beyond typical startup stories to examine how a 3-person team competes with funded companies by deploying AI agents that close deals autonomously.
Listeners will gain a deep understanding of practical, high-impact AI applications. Parminder shares the exact playbook he used to successfully break into the US market from India and reveals his transformation from having no AI background to building two successful AI ventures, including his firs...
Building AI That Fixes AI
🎙️ Our latest guest on ChaiNet is JosĂ© Manuel RamĂrez R., co-founder of Handit.AI, who’s tackling one of AI’s most persistent challenges - why sophisticated agents work perfectly in demos but fail dramatically in real-world production environments.
We explore:
✅ The reality of AI’s production-to-demo gap✅ How self-correcting AI systems operate✅ Building competitive AI technology from Colombia✅ Navigating resource constraints in the AI space✅ The future trajectory of self-improving AI✅ Essential focus areas for developers in today’s job market
For anyone working with AI systems or building tech products, this conversation cuts thro...
How to build an AI SaaS Application in 2025 ?
Ever wondered what it really takes to transform an AI concept into a working product? Vincent Josse, founder of BlogSEO and former engineering lead at Joko, reveals the behind-the-scenes reality of building AI services that actually scale.
Get ready to learn:
* How to choose the right AI infrastructure without overspending
* The truth about scaling from zero to millions of users
* Smart ways to validate your AI idea before building
* Common pitfalls that sink AI startups
* Practical strategies for both solo founders and teams
Stop dreaming...
Beyond the Hype: What works in AI Right Now (And What's Complete BS)
This podcast episode features Shawn David, an Offline AI Engineer and founder of Automate To Win, as he moves beyond the AI hype to examine what truly works in business automation. The discussion focuses on practical applications that deliver real results, separating genuine value from common industry exaggerations. Listeners will learn to distinguish between productive AI tools and empty promises, understand the key differences between local and cloud-based systems, and discover why human-first strategies consistently outperform AI-first approaches. The conversation also covers common implementation mistakes and provides actionable steps for organizations of any size to start achieving tangible value...
SEO Tactics That Will Survive the AI Revolution
In this episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Benjamin Thornton, who is tracking how search visibility is changing across AI platforms. We tackle the pressing questions for anyone who depends on being found online, exploring why a #1 Google ranking no longer guarantees visibility on ChatGPT and whether traditional keyword research is becoming obsolete.
Benjamin explains that the game is changing from chasing keywords to building “entity authority” and ensuring consistent business listings across the web. He breaks down which SEO tactics are still essential and shares his perspective on the future role of websites as AI plat...
Your AI Is Spying on You and You're Paying for It
Mikul Saravanan is the 20-year-old founder & CEO of Wagoo.ai and an Egleston Scholar at Columbia University. He’s building a completely offline, privacy-first AI assistant, challenging the core business models of the industry’s biggest players.
In this urgent episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Mikul to expose the hidden cost of “free” AI tools. We dive into the surveillance economy, how your data is used the moment you hit enter, and explore the practical world of AI that doesn’t require an internet connection.
🔍 What You’ll Learn:
* The hidden data pipeline...
From Inefficiency to Accuracy, an Insider's AI Revolution
What if the most complex financial processes, long considered impossible to automate, are now achieving near-perfect accuracy?
In our latest ChaiNet Live episode, we speak with Ankur Patel, a Princeton graduate and former J.P. Morgan strategist who now leads Multimodal.
We explore how his background in traditional finance revealed deep operational inefficiencies, inspiring the creation of AI systems that deliver exceptional results. The discussion covers the strategic choice to specialize in finance-specific AI, the technical challenges of working with outdated infrastructure, and the broader implications for the future of work in the sector.
<...How to build a business that runs without you
What if you could stop trading time for money and start building systems that scale without you?
In our latest ChaiNet Live episode, Erik Fiala explains how he went from a six-figure fractional design leader to the founder of Contentbase, an AI-driven content automation platform.
We delve into his own development from bringing visual ideas to life to guiding product direction, the art of subtle trust with automated solutions, and reframing pricing in terms of delivered impact, not effort. He also shares his approach to validating market demand prior to development and what human strengths...
How Google Engineers Use Gemini Al to 10x Productivity | Revealed
🚀 Ever wondered how Google engineers actually work with AI every day? We're going behind the scenes with Priyank Bhadja to uncover:
* âś… Specific AI tools Google engineers use daily
* âś… Real workflows from morning standup calls to production software
* âś… Quality processes for AI-assisted code
* âś… Team collaboration in AI-first engineering
As always, we'll stick to our ChaiNet philosophy of
* đź™… No theory.
* 🤷‍♂️ No hype.
* 🗣️ Just real talk.
From Microsoft to Google, Priyank has seen the complete transformation of engineering workflows.
Now he's sharing the playbook.
🎧 This...
What happens when AI Agents can log in as humans?
🎙️ New ChaiNet Episode: "What Happens When AI Agents Can Log In Like Humans?" with Subhakar Tikkireddy Founder & CEO of TheMoonDevs and the Founder of Microfox.
While OpenAI releases it's Agents and breaks the internet yet again, we'll talk to Subhakar to explore how authentication & identity will work with agents in the near future.
Subhakar has spent a decade helping 30+ startups navigate these exact challenges, from building AI-powered Gmail integrations to crypto wallet auth systems.
We'll explore how this revolution works, why 74% of developers will be affected, the security implications that keep CTOs on their...
