We’re excited to have D Venkatesh (DV), co-founder & CEO of Lentra, with our host Rahul Boggaram, Co-founder of Yellow Metal (a WaterBridge Ventures portfolio company), on Season 4 Episode 4 of That One Idea!
Founded in 2019, Lentra digitizes end-to-end lending processes for banks and NBFCs. The company has empowered 50+ financial institutions in India, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Tata Mutual Fund, through API-driven modular architecture that creates unique customer experiences, prompts increased access to new client bases, reduces NPAs and improves operational efficiencies.
Lentra's 24/7 platform uptime, ISO 270001 compliance and Zero Trust Security (ZTS) protocols offer guaranteed reliability and minimal turnaround times.
With Lentra's zero-risk, instant-lending solutions, India's topmost financial institutions have already stepped to leapfrog into the future!
DV brings more than three decades of work experience as a successful business leader in the technology domain. He has helped establish Lentra as a trusted technology solution provider to leading banks and financial institutions. Prior to this, DV was a co-founder and board member of Softcell.
As a part of the Encore Entrepreneurs Series, we're delighted to bring DV's experience to our viewers!
Yellow Metal offers gold loan disbursal at your doorstep, primarily operating in Tier II+ towns in South India. Rahul is the Co-founder of Yellow Metal.
Key Moments in the episode:
(00:00): Highlights
(02:10): From Softcell to the accidental birth of Lentra
(06:18): DV's childhood in Hubli
(09:32): Left to fend for himself, DV joins a TV company
(15:45): Starting Softcell in 1991
(22:10): Scaling Softcell to ₹7Cr of PAT by early 2000s
(26:22): Even B2B sales needs brand building
(28:33): If you sustain for long enough, you'll make money
(30:10): Golden playbook to crack banking partnerships
(36:20): Focus on your first customer, and excel at it
(41:41): That One Idea - Building Lentra
(46:00): Investors not backing DV - a 20-year-old on the inside
(50:20): If you're scared to rewrite your code, don't start a SaaS company
(54:15): Unhelpful advantage - people who run banks are all DV's friends
Relevant Links:
WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/
Lentra: https://lentra.ai/
Yellow Metal: https://www.yellowmetal.co/
LinkedIn Profiles:
D Venkatesh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvenkatesh/
Lentra: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lentra/
Rahul Boggaram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulboggaram/
Yellow Metal: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yellowmetal/
WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures
You can also listen to this podcast on
YouTube: https://youtu.be/rG7xGlx2hVM