Co-Founder @ V3 Ventures I Founder @ Dr. Vaidya's (acquired) I D2C Founder & Early Stage Investor I Forbes Asia 30U30 I Podcast Host I Business World 40U40 I
When you put 60 of India’s best D2C founders (and me 😂) in 1 place - magic happens :) Last week, a few of us had the good fortune of going to Shimla for Inc42 Media's D2C retreat. As I left for the trip I didn’t know how it would be - the biggest founders. Would anyone open up? I guess D2C brings everyone together. Even competitors became best friends and had the biggest laughs 😂 As someone said, relationships are built when you have non-work conversations. And so, rather than discussing CAC, hiring and scale we discussed family and breaking the World Cup jinx. I left with 5 special memories: 1. Aman Gupta has taught me many things over the years. A lot of people ask him what’s changed after Shark Tank. During his session he said, “be yourself, it may not please everybody. But, you have to be you.” Simple but so deep. 2. Shayamal Vallabhjee brings years of insights with elite sports teams (including the Indian cricket team in 2003) on leadership and performance. He said, “quiet leaders are like orchestra conductors. It’s not about the sound they make but, how they enable others to make the best sound”. 3. Dr Ritesh Malik is someone I’ve looked up to for some time. He gave us a session on wealth creation. After a long time I saw myself vociferously taking notes in a session. Of the many things - I was left with this, “you should not be money rich and time poor!” 4. Yes, Manish Chowdhary beat me at pickleball. Redemption soon 5. We won the World Cup. The power of 60 people praying together 🙏 Vaibhav Vardhan, Pooja Sareen, Utkarsh Agarwal and the rest of the Inc 42 team - thank you is all I can say. For bringing us together, for the attention to detail and for the hospitality. Left with a lifetime of memories and a promise to create 50 more 1000+ Cr brands in the next 5 years. Let’s make it happen. Until then, do you agree that relationships are built outside offices and conferences? #networking #india #startup #founder #investor
This is fantastic! The best kind of networking is where you can connect with people on a personal level.
So true! Non-work conversations often lead to the most meaningful relationships. Thanks for sharing these wonderful memories and insights.
Yes totally Arjun Vaidya.. a different level of relationship gets built when we talk about outside work things as that is when we really start to understand each other on a personal and deeper level
This is amazing. The connections & lessons one can take away after such a gathering is the most valuable thing for a Founder.
Amazing insights and camaraderie at the D2C retreat! Building connections beyond work truly unlocks magic Arjun Vaidya
Building meaningful relationships transcends beyond professional discussions and conferences. It's the shared moments of laughter, camaraderie, and personal anecdotes that truly forge lasting connections and camaraderie, Arjun Vaidya!
It's amazing how competitors became best friends and shared the biggest laughs. Relationships were built beyond work conversations, focusing on family and even breaking the World Cup jinx. Arjun Vaidya
🤜🏼🤛🏼
It was a welcome surprise meeting you yesterday randomly in the mall 😅
Managing Director at Bathwal Corporation | Angel Investor
2wGenuine connections and valuable insights comes from non-work settings. Here's to creating more meaningful relationships and achieving those ambitious goals!