Tapan Mittal

@BadCapitalVC Not just D2C, I'm struggling to get this done as a consumer tech startup. And we have enough ugc video content that gets generated on our platform, but I miss exactly what you said - a director level indian voice+video+distribution tool

India is the largest youtube market in the world by user count and has the highest mobile data consumption per smartphone user globally. Most of that consumption is video, short-form especially. But the production layer for indian brands has barely moved. A typical D2C brand still pays ₹2-5L / ad film to an agency or production house. Mid-market brands shoot maybe 4-6 ad films a year. Most AI "creative" discourse right now is very US-centric, but the demand-supply mismatch is way sharper here - and why I think we might be the best market for director-level creative AI to land. Most AI video tools today are just editor-level - they help you cut, color, subtitle, resize. They're useful, but that's work freelance editors already do cheaply & quickly. Director-level AI should be able to take a brief and produce a finished output - including script, voice, visuals, pacing, all of it. What an indian D2C brand actually needs is an AI that can produce a 30 sec ad with regional voiceover, a face that feels real, and a tone that's brand-safe enough to run on instagram or youtube (runway and sora can't produce this yet). That's a very specific problem, and India might be the only market where it's both urgent and large enough to build a standalone company around.

@neeran @vishalmisra Bowlers😢

@vishalmisra Interesting. The 'set' batter theory comes from long-form cricket; T20 has different dynamics. That said, what if T20 allows "retired not out", letting the coach retire a 'set' bat after 20-25 balls, and they come back later, not as a 'fresh' bat but already 'set' :)

Every IPL batter who has faced 30 balls is ~85% more likely to get out on his next ball than on his first. Not less. More. We tested it on 281,256 IPL deliveries. Then we ran Kohli as a special case. He stands out, but in a surprising way. Read more: @vishalmisra/the-set-batter-paradox-2b01aa55a728" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">medium.com/@vishalmisra/t…

@banglani Switch hit, back past the bowler who had no time to react, over the ropes

Watching cricket with my son, and he changed to something else during the timeout. Me: hey, don't change the channel! Son: what's a channel?

@willahmed I'm gonna print this

You have no experience. You’ve never started a company. You’ve never had a full time job. Nike is going to kill you. You’re a kid. You don’t have technical skills. You shouldn’t build hardware. Apple is going to kill you. You can’t build hardware. You can’t measure heart rate non-invasively. Athletes don’t care about recovery. Under Armour is going to kill you. It won’t be accurate. You don’t listen. You’re an ineffective leader. You can’t recruit great talent. You’re going to have to pay every athlete. You can’t measure sleep non-invasively. It’s too expensive to research. Athletes are a small market. The product costs too much to make. The product costs too much to sell. Your valuation is too high. Consumers aren’t going to want it. Hardware is too hard. You should measure steps. Fitbit is going to kill you. You can’t build a marketing engine. You can’t raise enough money. You need a real CEO. Google is going to kill you. You can’t be a subscription. You can’t build a brand. You can’t do consumer in Boston. Your valuation is too high. You shouldn’t make accessories. You shouldn’t make apparel. Lululemon is going to kill you. You can’t predict Covid. Stay in your niche. You are going to run out of money. You can’t build a health platform. Amazon is going to kill you. You can’t measure blood pressure. You can’t get medical approvals. The market is too small. You don’t understand AI. The market is too competitive. It won’t work internationally. The supply chain is too complicated. You can’t build an AI. You can’t raise enough money. It’s too competitive. Healthcare isn’t going to want it. … Just keep going ✌️

@tankots Exactly the same with our customers (cricket players). They're paying 299/- for a one time benefit and 1199/- for a bundle. It's insane! My biggest fear was that as Indians we're shy of paying for software. But there seems to be value threshold, and then the floodgates open.

my indian cousins are all very hesitant about spending money. to outsiders, it seems like indians are cheap. but something way more interesting is happening. we dropped wispr flow's price from $12 to ₹300 ($3.30) in india. our users started converting at rates we'd never seen in the us. most companies look at purchasing power parity, apply a discount, and think they're done. then they wonder why nobody buys. the math isn't the problem. the mindset is. ₹300 isn't just "cheaper than $12." it's the cost of a month of mobile data, netflix india, or a meal for two. at $12, we're asking someone to choose us over their phone bill. at ₹300, we fit into their life. but it's not just the price. indians aren't "price-sensitive." they're spending-conscious. price-sensitive = wants something cheap. spending-conscious = every rupee must be worth it. so beyond lowering the price: 1/ over-invested in reliability. one crash and you lose trust for months. 2/ responded to every support ticket within hours. 3/ explained every decision transparently. why this price? why this feature? we don't hide anything. the result: 75% of indian users buy annual plans upfront vs 50% in the us. they're not testing it out. they're committing from day one. because we committed to them first.

@Yuchenj_UW "the hands..it's always the hands" - 2024

This is so hilarious. Nothing can make Sam and Dario hold hands, not even the Prime Minister of India!

@banglani It's scary as hell. I'm checking in with my dad on this topic every two weeks. A friend is building for detection, prevention, recovery - the stories he shares are insane - even full stock trading platforms that show you profits, let you withdraw some, and suddenly vanish

Our senior citizens have no defences against AI video scams. Today my dad wanted to invest in a "central government scheme" on the basis of an AI video of the finance minister. When i told him it was fake he sent me videos of everyone from Sundar Pichai to Uday Kotak endorsing it. Now i have put a blanket ban on any investments outside bank FDs without first checking with me.

@prakdadlani Been on both sides. What you did sets expectations nicely. Would add a 20k or 50k price as well, make them dream. From a buyer perspective, one is figuring out a lot. Going beyond the numbers and understanding motivations of buyer helped me crack the best deals

If you’ve ever sold B2B, you’ve seen this. “Quote me for 10,000 pcs.” You send the price. They negotiate. Then order 1,000 pcs and still want the 10,000-pc rate. Classic move. We stopped it with one change: The moment someone asks for 10k, we send three prices: • 1,000 pcs • 5,000 pcs • 10,000 pcs Now the game is clear from minute one. Negotiation stays. Margin stays too. Rule: Never let buyers set the pricing frame. Set it first. You seeing this too?

Waiting for @rorysutherland to unpack this

@it_unprofession Sorry to break your bubble, but if you didn't immediately enforce a company wide 1hr mandatory training to be completed within next 3 business days...you're an imposter of the imposter you're trying to impost

One of the VPs just forwarded me a phishing email and asked if it's legitimate. The email said, "Your Microsoft account has been compromised. Click here to verify your identity." The link went to "micros0ft-secure-login(dot)net" (notice the zero instead of the O). I replied: "This is a sophisticated spear-phishing attempt using domain spoofing. I've escalated this to our Security Operations team for threat analysis. Please delete the email and do not click any links." There is no Security Operations team. It's just me. But I forwarded the email to Microsoft's phishing report address, marked it as handled in our ticketing system, and sent a company-wide reminder about "elevated phishing activity in Q1." The VP replied thanking me for my "vigilance" and "quick response." The whole thing took me 3 minutes. But by using phrases like "sophisticated" and "threat analysis," I turned a basic phishing email into a near-crisis that I heroically intercepted. Security isn't about preventing problems. It's about making sure everyone knows you prevented them.

@Vikrchan Beautiful!! Your writing reminded me of Letters from a Concerned Reader

The Subtle Art of Overeating Politely A hotel’s complimentary buffet breakfast is the closest thing to a polite catastrophe . At 6:30 a.m., grown adults who normally need three alarms to wake up are already hovering outside the restaurant door like it’s a flash sale. The moment it opens, civilisation leaves the room . People surge forward with the desperation of a species that fears the poori might run away. The continental section sits there, lonely, untouched. Croissants looking depressed, bread slices drying in the AC because the true desi minimalists walk past them like past bad memories. Bread and eggs? Why again? They station themselves at the dosa counter with the same intensity that they used for land disputes. Meanwhile the Full-Hog Overachievers begin their day’s construction work: plate upon plate stacked with paratha touching pasta touching pineapple touching ideological confusion. They aren’t here to eat; they are here to economically punish the hotel for daring to include breakfast in the tariff. A subset of them say “ nothing is good” before they go for a second helping. Another guest drinks nine cups of masala chai and wonders aloud why his BP is rising. The rest of us know. Then come the Protein Bros, those majestic creatures whose arms enter the buffet three seconds before the rest of their body. They demand fourteen egg whites and bargain like they’re at Chickpet. One bro even pours whey powder into sambar, declaring it a fusion dish. The chef’s soul quietly exits his body. Nearby, a diabetic guest requests a strict egg-white omelette while simultaneously dual-wielding mango and pineapple juice like nutritional nunchucks. Their glucose meter files for voluntary retirement. And just when the buffet thinks it has seen enough, the rich sleepers float in at 11:20 a.m.Breakfast long gone, even the toaster unplugged. But time, to them, is a rumour. They demand pancakes from the void, and hotel staff obey with the resignation of civil servants during budget season. The order a la carte.. The business traveller meanwhile is on Day four and has a serving of toast–fried egg–coffee déjà vu. He pockets bananas like he’s smuggling state secrets, sips coffee with dead eyes, and silently wonders when he last felt joy. Children, on the other hand, are pure chaos wrapped in sugar.They are charging at waffles, drowning them in chocolate syrup, and rejecting anything that looks remotely like nutrition. The hotel staff steps aside as they sprint past, muffins in both hands like victorious gladiators. Their moms are trying to feed them something they detest. The dads overlook this event… Uncles are the true apex predators: poori, dosa soaked in ghee, pongal the size of a meteor, five cups of chai, and then the inevitable announcement “I eat very light these days.” Fitness Moms interrogate the buffet like they’re cracking a terror cell: “Which oil? Which farm? What breed of almond?” And after all this detective work, they consume three papaya cubes and radiate smug wellness. Foreign tourists wander around in innocent confusion, eating idli with jam, mixing chutney with muesli, sipping sambar like broth until suddenly their tongue goes numb and they realise India has entered their bloodstream. The lonely cereal guy sits surrounded by 800 calories of joy and chooses cornflakes anyway, crunching like he’s punishing himself for existing. Somewhere, an influencer couple rearranges that poori for 40 minutes, taking photos from all angles. By the time they finish, the poori has the emotional stability of a punctured balloon. Nearby, professional buffet looters stuff muffins into handbags, slip bread rolls into jacket pockets, and walk out rustling like walking vegetable markets. And through all of this, someone always makes an impossible request from masala cornflakes, gluten-free poha to a sugar-free gulab jamun while the staff stares into the horizon questioning every life choice. A complimentary buffet breakfast is not nourishment. It is revenge, it is childhood trauma, it is class struggle, it is comedy, it is tragedy, it is a deeply personal confrontation with carbs. It is the Olympics of Paisa Vasool. And after the dust settles, after the plates are cleared, after the last banana is smuggled away, everyone makes the same bold declaration: “Tomorrow, I’ll eat light.” And of course, as we leave, all of us are already telling the same lie to ourselves, the oldest lie in the history of complimentary breakfasts: Tomorrow, we’ll behave better. Tomorrow arrives. We won’t. But it’s sweet that we believe it.

@JPBrebner @southpkcommons Yes at the gym, but not at the ground/arena where they spend 80% of the time training/playing the sport. We bring video and AI that helps them measure the day's work against their goals for the day. The insight they get from watching themselves has made the process 10x better

@Wapeye @southpkcommons But doesn't the athlete have a mirror...at the gym?

First thing we have new founders do at @southpkcommons is write a 2-liner for their company. No more than 2 sentences to sum up problem and solution. No run-on sentences. What's your 2-liner?

@vivekk_31 @ParthJindal11 Creating champion athletes, through video analysis tailored to their unique body and mind

@Wapeye @ParthJindal11 Can you explain your startup mate ?

Just returned from a week long trip to the US. My take aways. The advent of AI has resulted in most investors diverting their attention away from emerging markets to AI. With AI related stocks at all time high many investors are looking at emerging markets again. India remains a bright spot in the world economy but concerns remain on the lack of R&D spending by Indian companies. (1/many)

@RandomCricketP1 SA under pressure and Lance Klusner coming on - made the 90s even more special

The team is tottering at 121/6 chasing 206 and still the crowd gets up on its feet as this guy enters the ground. And, as if on cue, he delivers against the World Champion Aussie side. Also, do listen to Tony Greig's commentary as Klusener arrives. Miss this man's commentary!

@himganj153 @mayukh_panja @_anishgupta_ @playvisionai @ycombinator @marczog Cricket is catching up. We've been helping academies and clubs with this. hmu, it's a fascinating world on ground and tech-wise, would love to share and get your perspective of working with the elites

@mayukh_panja @_anishgupta_ @playvisionai @ycombinator @marczog This is a great idea. Don't know if cricket is there yet. Don't know of anyone doing this.

Excited to announce our company @playvisionai is backed by @ycombinator ! If you’re a college basketball coach looking to take your team to the next level, look no further! Our AI/Computer Vision models automatically analyze film and provide advanced stats. Stoked to be working with @koomen & the rest of the YC community!

@_sankyy And some VCs are playing along, even encouraging. We're truly in the greed part of the cycle

We have never in our lives counted discounts, free credits, refunds as our ARR and we never will! I have no clue who is giving this stupid idea to founders. On the positive side - We also know how good we are with these things. Mostly it’s just our culture and I am happy to know that cannot be said for a lot of our peers. Also, cashflow matters a lot more, blame that on my genes 😂

Tech twitter is in such an overdrive. Self-congratulations all around, on money raised for solutions that the world will (trust me bro) need, continue needing and everyone will need.

@Kulfei Is he a sports (not gaming) fanatic?

this friend is the most genius coder i know and is looking for research jobs in ML/AI or SDE roles. he is that guy the entire batch copied code from. that kid who actually does the entire final year project. Genius nerd. also the guy i owe my engineering degree to because he stayed up on discord calls before exams to teach me code, fibre optics, antenna and what not. hire him.