Kanwal Rekhi first came to the US in the 1960s. He took his company public on Nasdaq in 1987.

As a young Indian in the US, he was laid off from his first three jobs. That experience pushed him towards entrepreneurship. At the time, Indians were known and hired for technical and mathematical skills, not as founders building companies on US soil.

But Kanwal and his co-founders decided to bet on themselves. They faced rejection from nearly 50 investors before one VC agreed to invest $2 million for 50% of the company. In just five years, the company went public.

From being appointed CEO overnight to being removed by the board two months before the IPO for a more “wall street-acceptable” CEO, this is a story of many firsts.

After Excelan, Kanwal co-founded TiE in 1992 and has mentored tens of thousands of entrepreneurs. Beyond a personal story, Kanwal Rekhi is a turning point in how Indian founders came to be seen in Silicon Valley.

0:00 – Trailer
01:11 – How TiE was formed
07:11 – DoT Hatao, Desh Bachao
11:31 – Career opportunities in the 70s
13:41 – When Indians weren’t trusted to build companies
15:44 – Pioneers in computer networking
16:51 – Finding an Investor after 50 rejections
20:31 – Becoming CEO overnight
23:29 – Spare the story, show the numbers
24:17 – The “Wall Street acceptable” CEO for IPO
27:30 – Founders have to be financial thinkers
28:14 – How Excelan could go public in just 5 years
29:27 – Cost is unrelated to pricing in software
31:12 – Do Indian companies need Americans to lead?
34:05 – Benefits of registering in the US
36:53 – $1 trillion to solve India’s problems
40:49 – Policies for India’s startup ecosystem
42:01 – Enabling entrepreneurs in villages
44:41 – India in the 80s v/s today
50:36 – US vs India vs China
01:04:52 – How did IITs start allowing donations?
01:07:25 – AI investments of Silicon Valley Quad
01:18:29 – What Kanwal Rekhi looks for in founders?

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India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.

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Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

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Where did the journey of iD Fresh start?

It began when a 19-year-old Abdul Nazer decided to run away from home to Bangalore with ₹100 in his pocket. He did any job that came his way: cook, cleaner, conductor and sold anything he could, from clothes and vegetables to spices and peanuts. Along the way, he brought his three brothers to Bangalore.

Even with huge losses in business, they never stopped looking for new opportunities. Their first real glimpse of success came from a tea stall run out of a rented room that cost ₹80 a month. Despite strong demand, the tea business was still running at a loss. The turning point came when they started opening the stall at 2 in the morning: a disruptive business model, says PC. Those ₹2 cups of tea taught them lessons they would carry forward.

Abdul Nazer and PC Mustafa together share these stories for the first time. Their journey reminds us that no success is overnight, especially not for these brothers. It was at their kirana store in Indiranagar that the idea of iD Fresh was born. Five brothers with no background in food technology spent six months experimenting with recipes before finding their hero product.

This is the story of five founders who pushed past their circumstances. Today, iD Fresh is at a scale the founders never dreamed of growing up in Wayanad.

00:00 – Trailer
00:55 – Dropping out of studies
02:32 – 19 Year Old that Runaway to Bangalore
04:35 – First job as a cook
11:25 – When Nazer decided to become an entrepreneur
14:01 – Huge loss in Vegetable business
16:15 – Starting the kirana store that led to iD
18:00 – On the verge of shutting down
20:10 – How Lambu Tea Stall became profitable
24:16 – When PC decided to do business with Nazer
25:14 – All the (failed) businesses that led to iD
27:04 – Why PC decided to come back to India
28:23 – The origin story of the idli batter idea
31:40 – The first $50k investment
32:57 – Cracking the batter without any food tech expertise
34:38 – The first recipe that became iD’s hero product
35:35 – Why iD failed to sell 100 packets in 6 Months
41:15 – The first customer approval
43:06 – Building awareness was the biggest challenge
44:35 – Lack of cold storage in supermarkets
45:22 – The inventory model of iD
46:25 – How the initial team was built
48:35 – Story of team spirit
50:15 – When iD Fresh Chennai & Mumbai Failed
52:27 – How the chemistry worked between the five brothers
56:52 – The buyout offer of ₹20+ crores
57:35 – How founders build the mindset to hire experts
1:00:50 – Did the runaway child achieve his dream?
1:03:09 – How Nazer’s choices directly led to iD
1:04:45 – Building within value systems
1:07:26 – Summary: what really worked for iD Fresh

-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.

What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.

-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
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This video is for informational purposes only. The

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Best of 3500 Minutes in 45 Minutes

2025 was a great year for The Neon Show. 60 episodes, 72 guests, and thousands of minutes of insightful conversations on everything around building a business.

You’ll hear perspectives from Founders scaling companies across the world, sharing the real challenges behind building high-growth startups; Investors on how they spot opportunities and make bold bets; and Ecosystem leaders who have navigated multiple cycles and understand what truly lasts.

This episode is a carefully curated highlight reel. The sharpest ideas, boldest bets, and timeless lessons that defined this year. Watch it for clear takeaways to carry into 2026 on building companies that last for decades.

0:00 – Trailer
01:26 – Paras Chopra
03:37 – Avanish Bajaj
06:53 – Vijay Rayapati
08:33 – Ashu Garg
11:39 – Kiran Darisi
16:40 – Asha Jadeja
20:33 – Sanjeev Bikhchandani
23:22 – Alok Goyal
26:41 – Shiv Shivumar
29:34 – Saurya Prakash
31:59 – Raviteja
37:21 – Ashish Toshniwal
43:54 – Bhaskar Gosh
47:32 – Somesh Dash
-------------
India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it.
This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.
What is Neon Fund?
We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before.
Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon.
-------------
Check us out on:
Website: https://neon.fund/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww

Connect with Siddhartha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/
Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7
-------------
This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

Send us a text