Varun on why Bombay is an edge over Bangalore | Building a Unicorn | Karishma Mehta | Ep 22 | HOB

He had neither a clue, nor the so-called drive, to make his entrepreneurial impact on the world. All he had was the curiosity of a child and the attitude of the smart backbencher, who did well both in and outside the classroom. Growing up in Vashi, Bombay, today's guest is no stranger to chasing after dreams in the Bambaiyaa style hustle. In an era, where engineering and medical were the only gateways, he paved his own path. With a fresh, futuristic mind, not long after he started his career, he ended up setting up two companies.

He realised that to have a meaningful impact, you need to "change the plumbing". That's when he set up his 3rd, and most successful venture, ACKO! This new age insurance and tech firm has made a revolutionary dent in the traditional insurance market. Now living and operating from Bangalore, he still breathes, misses and loves the Bombay way of life. No matter how many milestones he achieves, deep down, he's still that kid whose heart beats for the city of dreams, his home. The kid, who as a grown up, has adopted making history as his newly ordained hobby. The Founder of Acko, The Bombay Boy - Varun Dua!

We talked about–

Growing up as a Bombay kid!
Why are motivation and vision, not the only virtues you need?
What is the advantage of being street smart?
How can you build a unicorn company just off a gut feeling?
What is the best business advice for young minds?
How is ACKO impacting the lives of its consumers?
Why embracing your brazen self is the biggest accomplishment you can have?
Why is Bombay still unbeatable when it comes to its charm and hustle?
What are the challenges faced as a Founder and how do they shape a mind?

Varun’s journey gives a new meaning to ‘The Bombay Dream’!

Timestamps:
00:00 - Dhandha Karna Hai?
00:25 - Be your own manufacturer
1:36 - Growing up as a Bombay Boy
2:40 - My father was strict
4:01 - 504 Wadala Agaar
5:37 - I was pretty aimless
6:20 - I wanted to be a Newsreader
7:32 - I had no plan till my 30s
8:16 - College days in MICA
10:31 - College grades did not motivate me
13:17 - BOMBAY QATTA
14:41 - Working in the corporate world
15:51 - My first boss and insurance journey
18:00 - I found the leak in system
19:31 - My mentors believed in me
20:28 - Purpose and Attachment
22:20 - ClearTrip and Ebay did not hire me
25:35 - Selling technology to insurance companies
26:21 - Cracking problems gives me kick
27:30 - Founding ACKO and securing 30M$
29:27 - I kept telling investors
30:10 - I got married…
31:35 - Bangalore happened
32:46 - My family got redemption
34:25 - PLAN A - PLAN B - PLAN C
35:53 - Who’s gonna buy?
37:00 - Collaborations with OLA and Amazon
38:45 - The only way to make money…
40:30 - The Unicorn Tag
42:30 - Insurance made easy
44:45 - The love from Insurance customers
46:30 - I have learnt that
47:29 - Bombay vs Bangalore
48:56 - I love Samuel L Jackson and Chris Gardner
49:54 - I love documentaries
51:20 - Varun goes into Nostalgia
52:43 - Life’s biggest lesson
54:08 - SNAPSHOT
55:19 - Parting Words
55:27 - Next Guest

Links:
Humans of Bombay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialhumansofbombay/
YT Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGvxyG0IG2yOxgfNe_0Waxw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/humans-of-bombay

Acko
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ackoindia/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AckoIndia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ackoindia/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn1gqDU9TqbR8u6_10S0RJA
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acko/

Varun Dua
Twitter: https://twitter.com/duavarun?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thevarundua/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=in

Karishma Mehta
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karimehta05/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karishma-mehta-b22151174/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2F

About Humans of Bombay –

Humans of Bombay is a movement that started 8 years ago. We believe that every person has a story to tell and we want to help them tell these stories. In these years we’ve published stories across genres – stories of love, hope, faith and courage. And through our storytelling, we’ve built an engaged community of over 4.5M!

Our idea is simple – to strike a chord with our community and catalog the beat of humanity, one story at a time.