E112: Nitin Jain (Co-founder & CBO, OfBusiness)

The Desi VC with Akash Bhat

Nitin Jain is a well-known name in the Indian startup ecosystem as the co-founder and Chief Business Officer of OfBusiness, a tech-enabled platform that provides raw material procurement and credit solutions to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India. With a strong background in structured solutions trading, Nitin has played a key role in OfBusiness' success, helping the company raise over $875M from top investors like Tiger Global, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Matrix Partners, among others. Today, OfBusiness is valued at around $5B and has become a leading player in the Indian SME ecosystem. Nitin Jain is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and has had a successful career prior to his entrepreneurial journey.

Episode Notes:

1. Nitin Jain discusses his journey into entrepreneurship (2:10)
2. Discovering Co-Founders and Creating the OfBusiness Idea (3:55)
3. Nitin Jain shares his perspective on what's more critical: the team or the idea (6:30)
4. The Early Days of OfBusiness: A Look Back at the "Aha Moment" (9:15)
5. Coping with the Struggles and Insecurities of Being a Founder (12:30)
6. Understanding the Composition of Winning Founding Teams (16:30)
7. Nitin Jain's Unique Leadership Style and Approach (23:10)
8. Fostering a People-First Culture at OfBusiness (27:10)
9. Developing a Strong Company Culture as Companies Grow (29:18)
10. How to Maximize the Benefits of Your Investors (32:22)
11. Overcoming the Toughest Days as a Founder (39:20)
12. Nitin Jain's Biggest Lesson as an Entrepreneur (41:57)
13. Advice to His Younger Self: What Nitin Jain Would Have Done Differently (46:03)

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Social Links:

OfBusiness on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ofbusiness_com

Abhishek Goyal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/njain351

Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedesi_vc

Akash Bhat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhatvakash

Podcast on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedesivc

Akash Bhat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bhatvakash