How a Dropout Raised $9M for India’s Top AI Startup Ft. Akshat, Co-Founder Metaforms AI | Manav Garg скачать в хорошем качестве

How a Dropout Raised $9M for India’s Top AI Startup Ft. Akshat, Co-Founder Metaforms AI | Manav Garg

What were you doing at 24? For Akshat Tyagi, it wasn’t just about chasing a job, it was about building one of India’s fastest-growing startups. Akshat is the Co-Founder & CEO of Metaforms, a Bangalore-based AI company transforming global market research for Fortune 500 giants. From publishing his first book and selling his debut startup at 14, Akshat’s journey has been defined by curiosity, ambition, and the courage to keep exploring new frontiers. In this episode, Manav Garg, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Together Fund, sits down with Akshat for an honest conversation about innovation, resilience, and the making of a young founder shaping India’s AI future. They talk about: Growing up in Ghaziabad and discovering his passion for building things early on Writing his first book as a teenager and his first taste of entrepreneurship Moving to Bangalore, meeting his co-founder Arjun, and launching Metaforms Dropping out of college to build an AI company that now serves global enterprises Leading as an introvert, learning from setbacks, and what keeps him inspired If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to turn early ambition into lasting impact, this episode is for you. Key Chapters 0:00 – Introduction 1:07 – The conversation begins with Akshat Tyagi, Founder & CEO of Metaforms 2:15 – Who is Akshat Tyagi, and how did his entrepreneurial journey begin? 3:39 – Dropping out of college & how did the idea emerge? 5:24 – Life after dropping out & what really happened next? 7:20 – How Akshat used the Rajeev Circle Fellowship funding 9:45 – The shift to Bangalore, what changed after the move? 11:48 – What inspired Akshat to start building again after travelling for a while? 12:55 – The biggest mistake he made early in his entrepreneurial journey 13:50 – Pitching to Together Fund, what the experience was really like 15:15 – When is the right time to raise money for your startup? 17:22 – Do you really need Y Combinator or Entrepreneur First (EF) to succeed in 2025? 18:20 – What actually happens after you raise capital? 19:30 – The first idea that didn’t work and why Akshat decided to pivot 21:05 – How Akshat realised, “This is the idea I need to spend my time on” 23:12 – Building a tech startup as a non-tech founder, the challenges and learnings 25:00 – Akshat’s top book recommendations 25:15 – How to sell enterprise software and how Akshat cracked it 27:36 – How a non-tech founder built a company in such a narrow B2B space 30:29 – The growth story of Metaforms and what’s next for the next 5 years 31:19 – How Akshat is cracking the U.S. market and his GTM strategy 33:40 – Audience Q&A 👉 Watch the full conversation to hear Akshat’s insights on innovation, leadership, and staying curious in a world that’s always changing. 💬 Comment below with one life lesson from Akshat’s story that inspired you.