Episode 10 of The Offline Network — hosted by Utsav and Dhruv, breaks down India’s biggest startup & business stories of the week, from game-changing policy reforms to shifting investor dynamics. We also bring you unfiltered founder conversations — straight from the trenches of India’s next wave of entrepreneurship.
📰 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌’𝒔 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏
US H-1B Visa Fee Hike – From 2026, a one-time $100,000 fee applies to new approvals. India supplies ~71% of H-1B talent, so the ripple hits India first. Big IT firms may shift more projects home, while offshore delivery grows stronger.
GST 2.0 Reform Goes Live – India moves to a two-slab system: 5% for essentials, 18% for most products, and 40% for luxury/sin goods. Expected to boost consumption, streamline compliance, and shake up FMCG, auto, retail, and online platforms.
Shark Tank India Season 4 Fallout – Out of 34 “on-air deals,” only 11 actually closed. Valuation gaps, royalty terms, compliance issues, and founder rethinks reveal the show’s growing role as marketing over guaranteed funding.
🎙️ 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑-𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔
Operator → Investor – Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl (Sadev Ventures) on backing founders in India’s tier 2/3 cities, rebranding Eternal Capital to Sadev Ventures, and how operator-led conviction spots what traditional VCs often miss.
Lab-grown Luxury – Darayus Mehta (True Diamond) on disrupting India’s $100B jewellery market with ethical, design-driven lab-grown diamonds — reshaping cultural perceptions of value, sustainability, and aspiration.
This episode was made possible by Smartworks, India’s largest managed office platform.
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