Anil Gupta

A few domains will get lost with the rise of AI - frontend developers, content writers, QA team… But a lot more doors are opening. Let me give you an idea - Things like - 🧠 OS for AI 🔐 AI security 🌐 AI browsers 💳 AI payments 🔎 AI-native search engines Instead of shutting down and saying “AI is going to replace me,” this is actually the time engineers should upskill for the new era. The same thing happened when the internet came. Many desk jobs and manual processes went away - but people who adopted early did really well. The pace of AI is crazy - and it is only accelerating. In short - stop being scared and start working on your skills. I have shared a lot of free tutorials on my YouTube. Check them out and if you like my teaching style, checkout my comment in comment sectiom. Would love to know your thought process in these times - how are you navigating this shift?

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Coworking space provider DevX (Dev Accelerator Ltd) has raised INR 63.2 Cr from anchor investors ahead of its initial public offering (IPO). The company allotted over 1 Cr equity shares at INR 61 apiece to eleven anchor investors. Finavanue was the largest investor in DevX’s anchor round, investing over INR 10 Cr for 16.4 Lakh shares. Sunrise Investment was the second biggest investor, buying 11.7 Lakh shares for INR 7.2 Cr. Other investors partaking in the anchor round include SB Opportunities Fund II, Meru Investment Fund PCC, Abans Finance, and Chattisgarh Investments. The coworking space provider has set a price band of INR 56 to INR 61 for its initial public offering, which is scheduled to open today (September 10). The public offering will value DevX at INR 550.1 Cr at the upper end of the price band.

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“I have this idea. How do I execute?” This is one of the most common DMs I get. Execution doesn’t need clarity. It needs courage. You don’t need funding. You don’t need a co-founder. You don’t need to watch 17 more YouTube videos. So, Let me break it down for you. Most people stay in the “I have an idea” phase for years. Because they don’t know what comes after. Here’s how to move from idea to first 100 customers, broken into realistic, doable steps. Step 1 - Clarify the Problem, Not the Product - Ask this - Is your idea solving an actual problem? Or just your imagination? Who feels the pain? How often? - If the problem is rare or inconvenient, it’s not a business, it’s a side project. - Validation starts with problem-market fit, not product-market fit. If you can’t find 10 strangers who admit to facing this pain, your idea isn’t ready. Step 2 - Validate Without Building Before writing a single line of code or spending a single rupee, - Talk to 15-20 people who match your target audience. - Share your idea without pitching. Just understand how they currently solve the problem. - Ask “If I built this, will you pay XXX to use it?” If at least 5-7 say yes without hesitation (and maybe some ask “when can I try it?”), you’re onto something. Step 3 - Build the Ugliest MVP You Can Not a website. Not an app. Not branding. A Google Form. A Notion page. A WhatsApp broadcast. A PDF. Your goal is NOT to impress. Your goal is to see if people will use it - and more importantly, pay for it. Don’t romanticize features. Romanticize speed of launch. Step 4 - Get Your First Paying Customer - DM everyone who said “yes” in your validation phase. - Tell them, “It’s ready. Want to try it?” - Charge something. Even 99. The moment money exchanges hands, You’re no longer a dreamer. You’re a founder. Step 5 - Reach 10 Customers - Ask your first customer to refer one more person. Offer something in return. - Post your journey online. Share learnings, struggles, milestones. Personal Branding people call. - Go into every WhatsApp/Telegram/Reddit group that matches your niche. Be helpful. Then mention your product subtly. The first 10 customers won’t come from ads. They’ll come from hustle. Step 6 - Reach 100 Customers Now the system needs to scale slightly. - Build a simple landing page. - Collect testimonials. - Try a 199-499 price point. - Run a 2,000-5,000 pilot ad campaign. See what converts. - Set up an Instagram + LinkedIn presence. - Start email/WhatsApp follow-ups. You now have, - Proof of payment. - Proof of use. - Proof of repeat behavior. That’s validation. And this is where real businesses are born. But here’s the truth most people skip, Not all ideas deserve this journey. Some ideas are too small. Some are lifestyle solutions. Some are personal pain points no one else cares about. Some need more thinking, not building. And that’s okay. Don’t build because you’re impatient. Build because the market is ready. Hope this helps 🙌🏻

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This Ahmedabad-based AI startup is making it as easy to hire AI agents as it is to hire freelancers, making AI truly accessible for all. The platform cuts through the chaos of AI tools and delivers real business value. With a goal of reaching one million users in two years, it is reshaping how businesses adopt AI solutions. Through this, smarter, faster, and more reliable AI support is made accessible to everyone’s reach. Read more: https://lnkd.in/geizw2Nz #AIStartups #FutureofWork #ActionAgents #AIforBusiness

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Vibe Coders vs. Real Coders 💻 With regards to developers, we lean toward various tools depending on our requirements. A few of us appreciate more the convenience and comfort offered by platforms like Firebase, Bolt, and Replit as they ease the burden of coding. Others prefer CURSOR, Vercel, and Auth0; these powerful tools offer more customization options and control that aid scaling up. Everyone in the tech world has their unique preferences but what is more interesting is which tools have had the most meaningful impact in your developmental work. Let’s discuss. #Tech #SoftwareDevelopment #Coding #DevTools #VibeCoders #RealCoders

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💭 Are south-asian software developers really “5x less productive”? Let’s talk about it. In a recent meeting, someone made a bold claim: “Why hire a Sri Lankan or Indian software developer even at significantly lesser costs, when a Tel Aviv, Israel based one is 5x more prodcutive?” As someone deeply involved in helping european businesses scale with offshore teams in Sri Lanka, I’ve heard this before. Productivity gaps do exist — but often not for the reasons people think. ✅ Onshore devs may have better context, faster feedback loops, and tighter integration with the product team. ✅ Offshore teams sometimes suffer from poor onboarding, unclear documentation, or being treated like ticket-takers rather than collaborators. But here’s the thing 👇 When offshore teams are well-integrated, empowered, and given ownership, they match and often outperform onshore teams — at a fraction of the cost. 📍 At Your team in Asia, we’ve seen enterprise software platforms built in Colombo, Sri Lanka that rival anything coming out of London, Berlin or Tel Aviv. Instead of generalising productivity by geography, shouldn’t we ask: ➡️ Are we hiring the same competency level? ➡️ How is the team set up? ➡️ Are communication channels clear? ➡️ Are we investing in long-term capability or just quick output? I’d love to hear from both sides: 🇮🇱 Israeli/european founders/devs — is your local talent always worth the premium? 🇱🇰 Sri Lankan devs — what’s stopping you from being 5x more productive? Let’s challenge assumptions — respectfully. #offshoring #productivity #remoteteams #techhiring #startups #softwaredevelopment #SriLanka #Israel #YTA #remotework #globaltalent

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Noida-based startup DesignX has raised $2 million in a Pre-Series A funding round. Rockstud Capital led the round. Additional investors included We Founder Circle, Piper Serica, and some of DesignX’s existing clients who also participated in the round. The funds will be used to help DesignX grow its presence across India and enter international markets. Rajat Srivastava | Nishant Srivastav 🔗 Read full article link in comment #designX #rockstudcapital #funding #startupnews #businessupdate

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Pune-based health-tech startup FlexifyMe has raised Rs. 20 crore ($2.4 million) in a pre-Series A funding round led by IvyCap Ventures, with participation from Signal Ventures and existing investors. This marks the company’s latest milestone following its $1 million seed round led by Flipkart Ventures. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gnXdA_z4 Manjeet Singh, co-founder, FlexifyMe. #D2C #business #news #market #update #FlexifyMe #funding #growth #expansion Anuj Singh Gangwal| Sagar Bhatia| Omkar Patil| Amit Gayakwad Raje| Alee .| KASHMIRA MANIYAR| Manjeet Singh| Amit Bhayani| Anmol Dauneria| kuldeep singh| Dr. Pramod Choudhary| Kritika Chaturvedi| Chandreyee Bhaumik| Lavanya Tekumudi| Vikram Gupta

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Jewelbox is an Indian startup that specializes in lab-grown diamond jewelry. It was founded in 2022 by the sibling duo, Nipun Kochar and Vidita Kochar. Here's a breakdown of their startup story: The Genesis: The idea for Jewelbox stemmed from Vidita Kochar Jain's personal experience when she discovered her engagement ring featured a lab-grown diamond. This sparked an interest in the potential of these ethical and sustainable alternatives to mined diamonds. Recognizing a gap in the market for accessible and affordable diamond jewelry, the siblings, both chartered accountants with prior entrepreneurial experience, decided to venture into this space. Addressing Market Challenges: One of the biggest hurdles they faced initially was the lack of awareness about lab-grown diamonds in India. Consumers were traditionally inclined towards natural diamonds. However, the founders were strategic, spotting an overlooked market for "everyday diamonds" and focusing on accessibility, customization, and strategic product positioning. Business Model and Offerings: Jewelbox offers a wide range of lab-grown diamond jewelry for both everyday wear and special occasions, including rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and bridal jewelry. They emphasize "conscious luxury" by providing conflict-free and environmentally friendly diamonds. Key aspects of their business model include: Lab-grown diamonds: They use diamonds created in a laboratory setting, which are physically, chemically, and optically identical to natural diamonds but are more affordable and sustainable. Certification and Hallmarking: All their diamonds are certified by renowned third-party organizations like the International Gemological Institute (IGI) and Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and their gold jewelry is hallmarked. Extensive Design Catalogue: Jewelbox launches a significant number of new designs (around 300) every month to cater to diverse preferences across India. Omnichannel Presence: They operate through e-commerce platforms and a growing network of offline retail stores across major Indian cities. Buyback Policy: They offer an 80% buyback on their lab-grown diamonds, similar to natural diamonds, to instill customer confidence. Shark Tank India Appearance and Growth: Jewelbox gained significant attention after their appearance on Shark Tank India Season 3. They secured a deal of INR 2 Crores for 6% equity at a valuation of INR 33.33 crores from all five sharks: Aman Gupta, Radhika Gupta, Peyush Bansal, Vineeta Singh, and Ritesh Agarwal. This made them the first all-sharks deal of that season. Post-Shark Tank, Jewelbox has seen a significant boost in revenue and brand recognition, with a reported five-fold jump in revenue. They are actively expanding their retail footprint, aiming to reach 30 stores by the end of 2025.

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Tough time ahead for India due to AI In the software development sector, Due to AI, I am observing significant productivity increases, ranging from 5x to 10x. The gains in graphic design appear even more substantial, reaching at least 10x. With better models coming out, this is expected to increase. This trend is particularly relevant given that India is a labor-intensive country, with companies like TCS, Infosys, HCL, and Cognizant employing very large workforces. I suspect that this reliance on large-scale employment may diminish significantly in the near future. Since the IT and BPO sectors contribute approximately 8% to India's GDP, such a shift could signal challenging times ahead for both these companies and the Indian economy. In my opinion, innovation is the only way ahead.

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