Ashwin Pingali

"Product managers are the new prompt engineers." – Tim Simmons, Chief Product Officer, Walmart International In a standout conversation with our Head Resident CPO, Renee Niemi, Tim shared a perspective that every product leader should consider as they navigate the AI era. Prompt Engineering is Now Core PM Craft If your team learns just one new skill this year, make it prompt engineering. Tim sets the expectation that PMs and UXers must be the best prompt engineers in the enterprise. The ability to interact with AI systems fluently is now as essential as understanding user needs. This shift reframes the PM role from problem solver to AI orchestrator. Implication: CPOs must actively upskill their teams and hire with prompt fluency in mind. Build with AI, Not Just for AI From copilots to custom GPTs, Tim emphasizes the massive productivity unlock when AI is embedded in how product teams work, not just what they build. Walmart’s PMs are already using AI assistants to double speed and accuracy across the product lifecycle. Implication: You need two AI strategies: 1) Build AI into your product 2) Build with AI in your processes Both matter. The former drives differentiation. The latter drives efficiency. Bottom Line: The future of product leadership demands fluency in AI, not just as a feature but as a collaborator. The podcast conversation touches upon a few other topics such as 1) how product management has become the de facto enterprise strategy, 2) Effective product management requires platform thinking, and 3 ) Embedding curiosity into the everyday work is a key function for CPOs. Thank you Tim for an excellent conversation! https://lnkd.in/gYV3XSxq Jordan Carriere Renee Niemi SC Moatti Floyd Given Kristin Kobey - ACC Henu Kotia Gaurav Dutta Parul Jain

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Thinking of launching a cloud kitchen reliant solely on Swiggy or Zomato? Think again. The harsh reality is, you may be setting yourself up to lose more than you imagine. A recent candid chat with a friend planning to enter cloud kitchens forced a hard look at the numbers – and the reality is stark. Here's a rough math for reference: Running the unit economics for a 100% aggregator-dependent model in the Indian QSR space paints a challenging picture. On a gross revenue of ₹100, factor in an average 15% discount, ₹25 for food costs, ₹3 in wastage (a conservative estimate!), ₹12 for staff, ₹15 for rent & utilities in metro cities, and ₹15 for marketing just to stay visible on the platforms. Then comes the big one: roughly ₹25 in aggregator commissions. Do the math – you're likely losing money on every order. Even in the absolute best of cost scenarios, the profit margins are razor-thin, leaving virtually no room for corporate overheads and other essential costs. Speaking with founders and investors, a recurring theme emerges: over-reliance on aggregator platforms erodes profitability. This trend is evident in the annual revenue reports of many food tech startups, often showing deep red numbers. (For a deeper dive, check out my earlier post on this topic – link in comments). So, what's the takeaway? The Unit Economics Trap: Aggregator-exclusive cloud kitchens often operate at razor-thin or negative margins once all costs are truly accounted for. To counter this, target a 35% Direct Order Mix: Aim for a minimum of 35% direct orders (your own app, website, potential subscription models) to regain pricing flexibility and protect your bottom line. This means you need to Reclaim Control: Owning your customer data is invaluable. Reduce dependence on high aggregator commissions and optimize your marketing spend beyond platform visibility. While cloud kitchens can benefit from potentially lower rent and streamlined staffing, you must Leverage Your Strengths Wisely; these advantages are quickly negated by significant discount pressures and commission fees. Leaders in the Indian QSR and cloud kitchen space, what's your current direct vs. aggregator sales split? What strategies are you implementing to build direct channels and ensure sustainable profitability? Keen to hear your experiences and insights! #CloudKitchen #UnitEconomics #FoodTech #AggregatorEconomics #DirectToConsumer #FoodStartupIndia #InvestorInsights #Profitability #Startups #Swiggy #Zomato

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A remarkable milestone and an inspiring testament to what vision, resilience, and customer-first thinking can achieve! In episode 4 of Blume Ventures Podcasts, our Founder Deep Kalra and Co-Founder Rajesh Magow, talk about the extraordinary 25 years journey of MakeMyTrip, a company that scaled to ₹60,000 crore - driven by bold ideas, disciplined execution, and a relentless focus on solving real problems for real travelers. It reflects how clarity of purpose and a strong, values-led culture can transform a business into an industry-defining leader. Key takeaways highlighted in the episode: -The importance of solving real user problems over chasing trends. -How clarity of purpose + strong execution builds long-term value. -Why culture, agility, and trust are at the heart of sustainable growth. A compelling watch for anyone interested in leadership, product excellence, and business transformation. Congratulations to all the teams and leaders whose passion, innovation, and commitment continue to shape the future of MakeMyTrip. Follow the link to watch the entire episode- https://lnkd.in/eSwcEP-d #MakeMyTrip #Tech #MMT

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💡 Designing for India’s Gig Workforce Building for delivery partners means balancing simplicity, adoption, and motivation. In this podcast episode with Darshan Suthar, we spoke about what it takes to build for India’s gig workforce at scale. We explored: 🔹 Making products intuitive for non–tech-savvy users 🔹 Solving adoption challenges in real-world conditions 🔹 How gamification and incentives shape partner motivation At the heart of it all is empathy—understanding partner challenges on the ground and translating them into product choices that drive trust and impact. 🎧 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eFSFPsVB

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If someone is surprised by the feedback they receive, this is a management failure. After witnessing multiple instances of this failure at Amazon, we realized our feedback mechanism was deeply flawed. So, we fixed it. In order for the organization to perform at its highest, employees need to know not only what is expected of them, but also how those expectations will be measured. Too often, managers assume that capable people will simply “figure things out,” but this is difficult and destined to fail without explicit expectations and continuous feedback. I remember the experience of an employee we can call “Melinda.” She had been a strong performer for two years before she transitioned into a new role on another team. She attacked the new opportunity with enthusiasm, working long hours and believing she was on the right track. Then, her manager expressed concerns about her performance and the criticism came as a shock. The feedback was vague, and there had been no regular check-ins or early signs to help her course-correct. This caused her motivation to suffer and her performance declined significantly. Eventually, she left the company. Afterward, we conducted a full review and we discovered that Melinda’s manager had never clearly articulated the expectations of the new role. Worse, her previous achievements had been disregarded in her evaluation. The system had failed her. This incident was not isolated. It illustrated a pattern. It revealed broader gaps in how we managed performance transitions and feedback loops. So, in response, we developed and deployed new mechanisms to ensure clarity from day one. We began requiring managers to explicitly define role expectations and conduct structured check-ins during an employee’s first 90 days in a new position. We also reinforced the cultural norm that feedback must be timely, specific, and actionable. These changes were rooted in a core principle of leadership: you have to make others successful too. Good management does not involve catching people off guard or putting them in “sink or swim” situations. When employees fail because expectations were unclear, that failure belongs to the manager. The best thing to do when you see those failures is to treat them as systems to improve. That’s how you build a culture of high performance.

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I recently spoke with CNBC TV18 about Amazon Fresh's journey in India and our approach to building a service which customers would love. (https://lnkd.in/gwEtvTUD) At Amazon Fresh, we are particularly proud of our work with 11,000+ farmers across India, ensuring high-quality fresh produce reaches customers through our rigorous quality checks. As we expand to 170+ cities, we are seeing encouraging growth and particularly strong repeat purchase rates. At Amazon, we believe it's still Day 1, and we remain committed to building something truly valuable for both our customers and India's broader agricultural ecosystem. #AmazonFresh #AmazonIndia #OnlineGrocery #AgriTech #Farmers #ECommerce #CNBCTV18

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Thrilled to announce that BAT VC - led by Aditya M., Ravi Metta and Manish Maheshwari - has invested in Payall Payment Systems, Inc. and is now backing our mission. They’ve walked the U.S. - India corridor for years, so they get what it takes to build bank-grade tech that wins trust on both sides of the ocean. Why this matters:  50+ years of legacy rails left most banks sidelined  Payall’s first-of-its-kind orchestration engine flips the script: counterparty risk digitised, 100% see-through, go-live <90 days. This capital lets us switch on more rails, push #AI deeper into compliance and scale the team that gets banks live. Huge thanks to BAT VC and every investor pushing us forward: Ventura Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Motivate Venture Capital, Thomson Reuters, Presidio Ventures/ Sumitomo Corporation, RRE Ventures, PS27 Ventures. We’re just getting started! Press release → https://lnkd.in/eEEtHAYN #Payall #CrossBorderPayments #Fintech #BankTech #BATVC 

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Retail media has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, but there's a fundamental problem: major retailers earn billions while leaving small businesses - 99.9% of all U.S. businesses - completely locked out. Today, we're changing that with PayPal Ads Manager. For over a year, we’ve been building a truly commerce-focused, privacy first advertising network that leverages true consumer purchase intent for the purposes of meeting consumers with truly personalized opportunities. Now we’re bringing this incredible opportunity to small businesses, helping tens of millions of small businesses who use PayPal monetize their store traffic with the same high-margin advertising model powering major retailers. No upfront costs. No minimum commitments. Take Tameika Lewis who founded BklynBarSoap who I will speak with at Advertising Week New York later today. She integrates a simple SDK into her site in minutes, PayPal starts serving the ads, and immediately she starts earning revenue with profits flowing directly into her PayPal account that can be reinvested into the business. This isn't just creating ad inventory. It's democratizing an entire industry that's been exclusive to enterprises with massive resources. When small businesses can participate in retail media at scale, everyone wins: SMBs unlock new revenue streams, brands reach high-intent shoppers, and consumers discover relevant products where they're already shopping. This is how we turn the open web into open commerce—one small business at a time. Read more about the news here: https://lnkd.in/eaaPdmpW

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