Want to build your own SaaS startup?
Join Aalamaram’s free BUILD Program Overview Session this Sunday, August 10th to learn how they help founders turn ideas into real businesses.
📅 Date: Sunday, August 10th
🔗 Register here: https://lu.ma/zsgfiko9
In this exclusive episode, we bring together founders, investors, sales professionals, and product experts to unpack what really happens behind the scenes of building a startup.
No sugar-coating. No fluff. Just raw, honest conversations on startup culture, the obsession with the US market, the intersection of emotional intelligence and AI, and the untold realities of the entrepreneurial grind.
Whether you’re a founder, a dreamer, or just curious about the startup world, this episode offers real-world insight, clarity, and context on what it truly takes to build and scale.
In this rare roundtable, they discuss:
• What really defines a startup in today’s world
• The untapped potential in AI and how to ride the wave
• US vs Indian clients — where’s the real opportunity now
• Why timing, team, and clarity matter more than hype
• Lessons from building, scaling, failing, and bouncing back
This isn’t fluff. It’s raw, insightful, and extremely actionable.
🔥 Watch till the end, take notes, and subscribe for more bold, insight-driven episodes only on Explore with Epaphra
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Share your guest suggestions here
Mail – [email protected]
Link – https://forms.gle/ViDhP71x28uqBseW6
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🎙️ Host
Epaphra
TheThirdLane Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/4q3YzOx6wq0qc8WtfqgGyp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorewithepaphra/ | https://www.instagram.com/thethirdlanepodcast/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/explorewithepaphra/
🎙️ Guests
Praveen Krishna (Chief Evangelist at Aalamaram Startup Incubator)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krpraveenkrishna
Ambi Moorthy (Bootstrapped Co-Founder & CEO – GoZen)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambimoorthy
Aishwarya Ashok (AI Product Builder, Creator of thefoundersfoyer)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwarya-ashok
Lokesh Kannan (GTM, ElevenLabs)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lokesh-kannan-a92751102
Vignesh Ramanujam (Co-Founder & CEO – The Happy Company)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vramanujam
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🎥 My Gear for Shooting this Video
Sony ZVE1 Camera: https://amzn.to/3CyrSaS
Sigma 24-70mm Lens: https://amzn.to/40HhxRU
HollyLand M2 Microphone: https://amzn.to/4gktClJ
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Godox SoftBox 32 inch: https://amzn.to/40SNLel
Tripod: https://amzn.to/40Z0zyP
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🙋♂️ Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before, I’m Epaphra — a storyteller, entrepreneur, and content creator passionate about helping people discover real opportunities. Through videos, podcasts, and writing, I share transformative insights, practical strategies, and powerful stories to help you grow, take action, and create a life filled with purpose.
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⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 — Trailer
03:25 — What is not a startup?
11:30 — Will the startup mindset help?
15:06 — Be aware of this kind of startup mindset
18:49 — Don’t follow the glamorous entrepreneur lifestyle
26:23 — The reality of startup life
31:03 — How to turn your idea into money
35:18 — Can an MSME company have a vision?
40:33 — When do you know you’re ready to start your own company?
50:33 — What is your purpose?
1:31:30 — What does India really need right now?
1:42:33 — Why do people focus on US & UK clients?
2:02:33 — How to gain US cultural insights
2:13:03 — How to sell your product to US clients
2:42:48 — Why India doesn’t have ARPU
2:47:36 — Has AI surpassed human emotion?
2:52:33 — How do you navigate being a clueless startup founder?
Idk why you ppl are so bothered about ppl starting up. I live abroad, ppl do anything and everything. Any hackathon I go the age range is from 7-60. There is no experience asked. If the founders dont know sth, the ecosystem helps them know. Chennai is one toxic place where I see ppl saying you can't so loud that even the ones who are capable start questioning themselves. You do your little incubation which I'm aware of. But you need 100x times that for a country of our size. And ppl wanting to be founders, let them be. What bothers you in that desire? He is atleast passionate about founding sth. Let him try and fail. If he fails give him the cushion to fail again. That should be the work of the ecosystem. Not put down his dream completely.
The podcast is really good, but please stick to one language — either English or Tamil. Mixing both makes it really hard to follow. Otherwise, great job!.
thank you Epaphra from Sri Lanka