In this episode, I sit down with Saurabh Nigam—HR leader, angel investor, and author of People-Powered Startups: Building a Culture of Collaboration, Innovation, and High Performance.

With over two decades of experience, Saurabh shares actionable insights on building a thriving startup culture, avoiding common HR mistakes, and hiring the right people at the right time.

We dive into: Why startups struggle with HR—and how to fix it. The role of AI in recruitment. How to retain top talent and manage toxic high performers. Managing mental wellness in a high-growth startup environment. The three non-negotiables in any startup culture. Red flags that indicate a new hire isn’t working out. The best time to hire your first HR professional and much more.

In this conversation we talk about:

• How Saurabh became a LinkedIn Top Voice and his strategy for success
• Top HR Skills: Why empathy and resilience are key traits for success
• Remote Work: Myths and best practices for building a distributed team
• Giving Tough Feedback: How to deliver criticism without demotivating employees
• Angel Investing in HR Tech: What Saurabh looks for in a startup

Links

https://www.amazon.in/dp/0143473743

Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel

https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends.

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https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Showcasing emerging artists—today, my guest is Leia Tyebje, co-founder of Pylot Studios, an interdisciplinary creative platform dedicated to artistic design, curation, and community engagement. In this episode, we discuss the challenges of creating spaces for artists, breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry, and how Pylot Studios is redefining art curation. Leia also shares her thoughts on AI in art, mistakes emerging artists make, the importance of community, and why she still chooses to work with film photography in the digital age. And finally, we talk bananas, interesting first impressions of New York, travel photography tips, and much more!

In this episode we talk about:

• The Birth of Pylot Studios – From a coffee-fueled idea in 2019 to a thriving creative platform
• The Problem They’re Solving – Helping artists find space and opportunities to showcase their work
• The Hardest Part of Curation – Reaching out, building trust, and bringing themes to life
• Leia’s Background – From Mumbai to New York, studying photography, and her artistic influences
• Why She Still Shoots on Film – The tactile, immersive experience of analog photography
• Photography Trips & Creative Rituals – Habits that fuel her artistic process
• Mistakes Emerging Artists Make – And how to navigate the art world more effectively
• Art & Technology – Thoughts on AI’s impact on creativity
• Breaking Barriers – Navigating a male-dominated industry and standing up for yourself
• The $6.2M Banana?! – The wild side of the contemporary art world
• Building Community – How to start from scratch, make connections, and find your creative tribe

and much more

Links

Pylot Studios Website

Pylot Studios Instagram - @pylotstudios

Leia Tyebjee Instagram - @leiatyebjee

Yitzhak Franco Instagram - @__ytzk__

Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel

https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV

Indie Hacker Special! I speak to Piyush Patel, the founder of AmplifyX Labs and a prominent voice in the micro-SaaS and indie hacking space. From bootstrapping projects to building in public and exploring AI-powered tools, Piyush shares invaluable insights into his personal journey, product development strategies, getting your first customers and the future of micro-SaaS. This episode is packed with actionable advice for aspiring indie hackers, developers, and entrepreneurs who want to build and scale meaningful projects without funding. He also shares how numerology and astrology influence both his personal and business decisions, and reveals the surprising story of how he used Bumble to gain new customers!

in this conversation we talk:

• Why most people don’t know what indie hacking is, and how the small but vibrant community in India is shaping the space.
• Piyush's step-by-step ideation process for identifying and validating product ideas.
• Building Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and finding your first customers without breaking the bank.
• Common mistakes to avoid when developing and scaling a micro-SaaS product.
• The key strategies Piyush uses to scale his projects while staying bootstrapped.
• Why he prioritizes “selling before building” and “distribution before product” as the foundation for success.
• Navigating tough calls, feature prioritization, and knowing when to pivot or shut down a project.
• His thoughts on the rise of "AI for X" products and how indie developers can leverage AI to innovate.
• Opportunities and threats AI presents for the indie hacking community.
• Learning from failure and building emotional resilience as a bootstrapped founder.
• Tips for indie developers to build their personal brand on YouTube and social media.
• How to prioritize marketing efforts across channels like SEO, Meta, TikTok, and email marketing.
• Why networking is crucial for indie developers and Piyush’s advice for making meaningful connections.
• How public speaking has helped him grow personally and professionally, with tips for beginners.
• Where Piyush sees the micro-SaaS industry heading in the next 5–10 years.
• Advice for aspiring indie hackers: Qualities you need, mistakes to avoid, and how to stay motivated.
• What he would do differently if he had to start over from scratch.

and much more!

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/whatsuppiyush/

https://bento.me/whatsuppiyush

https://x.com/WhatsUpPiyush

Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel

https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends.

Listen and Subscribe to More Episodes

https://www.indianstartupshow.com/

Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV