We're delighted to host Lal Chand Bisu, Co-founder & CEO of Kuku FM, in conversation with Anjali Sosale, Partner at WaterBridge Ventures, on Season 4 Episode 10 of That One Idea.
Born in a tiny village in the district of Sikar in Rajasthan, Bisu spoke only Shekhawati (a Rajasthani dialect) till Class X. He learnt Hindi during his +2, and English after he joined IIT Jodhpur. Learning a new language accompanied every
His was the first student intake batch, in 2008. The institute entrusted him to set up the labs, fests, competitions and culture. Initiative and institution was ingrained in him from a very early age.
Entrepreneurship for him was a natural choice. Today, Kuku is the largest audio platform in India, streaming 1.4B minutes of content every month, created by 50K+ creators in 10+ languages.
Key moments in the episode: :
(00:00): Highlights
(01:50): Growing up amidst storytelling in Sikar, Rajasthan
(06:26): Setting eyes on being the first entrepreneur from IIT Jodhpur
(10:10): Latching on to audio content before it became a global rage
(15:30): India does not listen to podcasts
(18:57): How to build an enduring audio platform
(22:02): Subscription vs micro-transactions - who wins?
(26:50): Kuku's first customer was a shopkeeper, listening to Bhagavad Gita
(32:30): Power users compound - hold 'em close
(34:50): GenAI first, since 2022
(38:25): People are loyal to specific form factors
(41:24): Scaling what matters - high-quality, original, exclusive content
(44:53): Managing without a marketing team
(50:12): For young founders who are raising their first VC dollars
(52:27): Never give advice unless asked
Relevant Links:
WaterBridge Ventures: https://www.waterbridge.vc/
Kuku FM: https://kukufm.com/
LinkedIn Profiles:
Anjali Sosale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkamma/
WaterBridge Ventures: www.linkedin.com/company/waterbridgeventures
You can also listen to this podcast on:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/2GkffkDkUhc