Show notes
DPDzero started as a software company. Banks wouldn't pay for it. So Ananth Shroff and his co-founder Ranjith tore up the plan, and built something banks actually wanted: someone to own the outcome, not just hand them a tool.Their first customer on the new model paid ₹14 lakhs without being asked twice.In this founder story, Ananth takes us through the journey that got him there: quitting a stable HP job at 21 to join a scrappy startup in a 2BHK, launching a fintech business in Indonesia at 22, building BBPS at Setu with Rs 3.5 million in the bank and zero playbook, and the moment he and his co-founder realized their first version of DPDzero was solving the wrong problem entirely.He also gets candid about what it actually takes to survive the pivot: staying adamant about winning while staying completely open on approach, why he needed 24 to 36 months of runway before taking the leap, and why he'd rather waste zero of his 3 lakh remaining hours being unhappy at work.⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 – Introduction2:00 – From HP to a 2BHK startup: the decision that started it all4:52 – Launching XL's business in Indonesia at 225:53 – Joining Setu: zero to one with Rs 3.5 million and no playbook9:50 – Meeting his co-founder Ranjit, and getting acquired by Pine Labs10:12 – Starting DPDzero: the first Rs 40 lakh check13:28 – The wrong hypothesis: why banks wouldn't pay for software15:34 – The pivot: from software to outcome-based collections16:04 – The first customer, and the aha moment17:59 – Advice for founders stuck in the pivot phase20:08 – Managing the personal front: risk, runway, and family alignment23:30 – Three things budding entrepreneurs shouldn't do26:21 – One more: why ambition matters more than anything🎙️ Chasing Impact covers six sectors shaping the next decade of India: Fintech, AI, Climate, Mobility, HealthTech, and Defence.🔔 Subscribe for a new episode every week.🌐 chasingimpact.in
