Episode 15 of The Offline Network — hosted by Utsav and Dhruv — breaks down India’s biggest startup and business stories of the week, and brings you unfiltered founder conversations from the trenches.

📰 This Week’s News Rundown

• Ather Energy beats Ola Electric – For the first time, Ather surpassed Ola in monthly EV sales. TVS and Bajaj still lead the charts, while Ola struggles with a 50% YoY decline.

• a16z on Startup AI Spend – New data from 200k+ accounts reveals where startups are actually spending on AI. Two Indian companies, Merlin and Emergent, make the global top-50 list.

• Dhan enters Unicorn Club – Stock-trading platform Dhan hits a $1.2B valuation after raising $120M, posting strong profits and gaining share amid SEBI’s F&O curbs.

• FM Sitharaman on Stablecoins – India’s Finance Minister calls on nations to prepare for stablecoins reshaping money and capital flows, as Polygon hints at an INR stablecoin.

• EA’s $55B Take-Private Deal – Electronic Arts agrees to a record all-cash buyout by Saudi PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners — the largest sponsor-led deal ever.

🎙️ Deep-Dive Conversations • Anant V Goel (Handpickd) — On reinventing India’s fruit & vegetable supply chain, lessons from Milkbasket, and whether a zero-inventory model can beat perishability, seasonality, and quick commerce. • Dheeraj Jain (Redcliffe Labs) — On scaling India’s #3 diagnostics brand across 220+ cities, why trust is healthcare’s biggest moat, and how he’s now building for child health and neurodivergence.

This episode was made possible by Smartworks – India’s largest managed office platform.

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