🎙 Sastra Spotlight - conversations with the founders building bold ideas and the VCs backing them early. From product inspiration to hiring and scaling, we explore what it really takes to turn ideas into impact.
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Building Companies in the Age of AI with Warren Weiss
In this episode of Sastra Spotlight, Tanya Sethi sits down with Warren Weiss, Founder and Partner at Westwave Capital, to talk about AI, venture capital, and what it takes to build a lasting company.
They discuss:
How AI is changing the way companies work
What Warren looks for in founders and teams
The lessons he’s learned from decades in tech and venture capital
A thoughtful conversation on building companies, backing founders, and staying adaptable as technology changes.
5 Aug 2026
The Startup Lessons Every Founder Needs to Hear with Priya Ramachandran
The latest episode features Priya Ramachandran, Founder and General Partner at Foster Ventures.
Hosted by Tanya Sethi, this conversation dives into what founders need to build companies that last—from finding the right investors and building strong founding teams to creating a culture that can weather the ups and downs of startup life.
With over 20 years of experience as an operator and investor, Priya shares practical advice from both sides of the table on what separates great startups from the rest.
In this episode, we discuss:
▶️ What VCs really look for in founders and founding teams
▶️ Building culture and making the right early hires
▶️ Why fundraising is a two-way partnership
15 Jul 2026
Mastering Founder Culture and Technical Risk with Ashmeet Sidana
This episode features Ashmeet Sidana, Founder and Chief Engineer at Engineering Capital.
Hosted by Tanya Sethi, this conversation explores what it really takes to build successful deep tech startups, from backing technical founders at the earliest stages to creating high-performing engineering teams.
Ashmeet shares his perspective as an "accidental VC," bringing an engineer's approach to investing and company building. In this episode, we unpack:
▶️ Underwriting technical risk
▶️ The reality of AI and capital efficiency
▶️ Engineering a high-performance culture
24 Jun 2026
How to Scale Up Your Team Without Burning Your Runway with Arun Penmetsa of Storm Ventures
In the Season 2 premiere of Sastra Spotlight, we pull back the curtain to bring you real conversations with the VCs funding the future. Tanya Sethi, co-founder and director of Sastra Group, sits down with Arun Penmetsa, partner at Storm Ventures, for an unvarnished look at the early-stage B2B enterprise software landscape. Moving far beyond the glamour of term sheets and funding announcements, Arun shares the gritty, unromanticized realities of venture development and building the high-growth teams that power it.
Key Topics Covered:
What true VC partnership looks like
Navigating the high-stakes realities of scaling
Strategic early hiring
29 Apr 2026
Reimagining Customer Experience in the Age of AI
In this episode, Tanya Sethi sits down with Shyam Rao, CEO & Founder of Tote AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the future of retail, especially in fuel and convenience stores. From seamless customer journeys to empowering in-store teams, this conversation dives into the tech reshaping everyday shopping.
Key Topics Covered:
How AI is creating frictionless, “walk-in-and-go” retail experiences for modern consumers
The challenge of legacy systems and how Tote is modernising retail without costly hardware upgrades
Lessons from building and scaling startups, including culture, hiring, and staying efficient in high-growth environments
5 Mar 2026
The Future of Sales Training with AI Coaching
In this episode of Sastra Spotlight, we speak with Ioanna, founder of Dextego, about how AI is transforming professional development through personalised coaching for sales teams and leaders.
We cover:
How AI coaching platforms help professionals improve sales, communication, and leadership skills.
The role of simulation and real-time feedback in modern training.
How organisations can use AI to scale learning and develop stronger teams.
🎙️ A great conversation for anyone interested in AI, leadership development, and the future of workplace training.
3 Mar 2026
AI Agents for Services Teams: Inside Rocketlane
In this episode of Sastra Spotlight, Tanya Sethi sits down with Srikrishnan Ganesan, Co-Founder and CEO of Rocketlane, to explore how modern services teams can scale delivery, collaboration, and customer outcomes.
We cover:
How Rocketlane helps professional services teams plan, manage, and deliver projects in one unified platform
The rise of AI agents and how they’re transforming service delivery, documentation, and execution
Lessons from building and scaling a category-defining SaaS company in the age of AI
🎙️ A must-watch conversation for founders, operators, and anyone building or scaling services-driven businesses.
25 Feb 2026
The Future of Fact-Checking with AI
In this episode of Sastra Spotlight, Brodie Reid-Owen sits down with Dennis Yap, Co-Founder and CEO of AI Seer, to explore how AI can help bring accuracy and accountability back to the internet.
We cover:
How AI-powered fact-checking works and why misinformation spreads so easily online
The role of AI in detecting false or misleading content at scale
The future of truth, free speech, and trust in the age of algorithms
11 Feb 2026
The Future of Finance, Powered by AI
In this episode of Sastra Spotlight, we sit down with Sandeep Madduri, Co-Founder & CEO of Precanto, to explore how AI is transforming modern finance teams.
Sandeep shares how Precanto’s AI-powered analyst helps enterprises forecast, plan, and answer budget questions in real time-freeing finance teams from manual reporting and enabling them to focus on strategy. We also dive into real customer results, the future of FP&A as a service, and lessons from building an AI startup as a first-time founder.
Key topics:
AI-driven forecasting and FP&A
30–40% productivity gains for finance teams
Self-serve financial insights for business leaders
Founder lessons on scaling and resilience
28 Jan 2026
The Future of AI Security with David Sangyoon
Brodie sit down with David Sangyoon, Co-Founder & CEO of AIM Intelligence, to explore one of the most critical frontiers in tech today: AI security. They dive into how AIM Intelligence uses automated AI red teaming and customizable guardrails to uncover vulnerabilities, ensure regulatory compliance, and help enterprises safely adopt AI at scale.
David breaks down real-world use cases across finance, telecom, and emerging sectors, discusses the growing risks around AI misuse, deepfakes, and unsafe deployments, and offers a forward-looking perspective on where AI security is heading as agents and physical AI become more common. Key topics covered in this episode:
AI security, red teaming, and building guardrails for enterprise AI systems
The future of AI agents, physical AI, and emerging security risks
Real-world use cases in regulated industries like finance and telecom
Founder insights on fundraising, scaling teams, and building in a new category
If you’re building with AI, investing in AI, or simply curious about how the future of AI will be kept safe, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
14 Jan 2026
From Learning to Leverage: Embedding AI into Everyday Workflows
In this episode of Sastra Spotlight, Tanya Sethi sits down with Quentin Amaudry, CEO and co-founder of Mendo, a digital adoption platform helping large organizations turn generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot into everyday productivity superpowers.
Quentin shares his journey from investment banking to entrepreneurship and explains how Mendo is solving one of the biggest challenges in AI today: driving real adoption inside companies. In this episode, they discuss:
Building Mendo before the AI boom and evolving with the market
Helping employees adopt AI through in-flow learning and gamification
Scaling strong company culture with near-zero turnover
Fundraising, growth, and expanding into the US
Advice for founders: talk to users early and often
A must-listen for founders, operators, and anyone navigating the future of work with AI.
17 Dec 2025
The Enterprise Deepfake Problem and How Plurall AI Is Responding
In this episode, host Brodie Reid-Owen sits down with Sandra Chai, Founder of Plurall AI, an AI-Powered B2B cybersecurity solution with anti-fraud and anti-deepfake features.
A few things we covered:
Sandra's journey to founding Plurall AI
Why companies are pivoting to these research methods.
How the future of Deep-Fakes / Cybersecurity looks with AI being introduced.
How Sandra has been on both sides of the Deep-Fake world.
3 Dec 2025
Nuts About Consumer Insights: Deep dive with Cashew
In this episode, host Brodie sits down with Addy Graves, Co-Founder and CEO of Cashew Research, the tech-driven market-research platform that’s redefining how businesses understand consumers.
A few things we covered:
Addy's journey into founding Cashew.
Why companies are pivoting to these research methods.
How the future of consumer insights looks with AI being introduced.
26 Nov 2025
Inside Polygraph AI: Building the Security Layer for the AI Era
In this episode of Sastra Spotlight, Tanya Sethi sits down with Yagub Rahimov, CEO and founder of Polygraf AI, the company building the world’s most advanced AI security layer for critical operations. Fresh off a milestone funding round, Yagub breaks down why traditional LLMs aren’t enough for regulated environments, and why SLMs are the future of secure AI.
We dive into:
• The rise of deepfakes and AI-powered fraud
• How SLMs deliver privacy, speed, and reliability where LLMs fail
• Why chip shortages shouldn’t prevent national security
• Building mission-driven teams in high-stakes environments
• Yagub's personal journey as a repeat founder obsessed with trust, safety, and impact
Whether you're an AI builder, founder, or simply curious about the future of security, this episode delivers clarity within chaos, straight from one of the sharpest minds in the field.
19 Nov 2025
Building CyDeploy: Tina Williams-Koroma on Pre-Emptive Cybersecurity
Brodie sat down with Tina Williams-Koroma, CEO & Founder of CyDeploy. Having been in security for over 20 years Tina spotted a gap in the Pre-emptive Cybersecurity sector. Some of the topics we cover are:
Why pre-emptive cybersecurity is the future.
Majority of breaches are a known factor to that company.
Tina's journey into founding CyDeploy
How the Pre-emptive market will excel with AI being introduced.
5 Nov 2025
Sastra Spotlight Trailer
At Sastra Group (https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#), we live and breathe startups! Helping founders hire and scale teams behind tomorrow’s leading companies. And now, we’re turning the spotlight on the people shaping that journey.
Welcome to Sastra Spotlight (https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#) - a podcast exploring the real stories behind building and backing great startups.
Tanya Sethi (https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#) and Brodie Reid-Owen (https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#) are sitting down with the founders bringing bold ideas to life and the VCs who bet on them early.
If you’re a founder, startup operator, early-stage investor, or just someone who loves hearing how ideas become impact - this podcast is for you!
Follow Sastra Spotlight (https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#) and join us as we explore the intersection of people, capital, and possibility.
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