AI Hype and Reality

Kolkata Roots and Science

Early Startup Failures

Reuniting with Prashanth Prakash

From Mu Sigma to Flipkart

 Backing Flipkart and Myntra

Pivoting From Consumer To SaaS

Depth Vs Breadth In Venture

What Makes A Great Founder

Why Accel Keeps Funds Small

Fundraising Cycles And Slowdowns

uccession And Generational Partners

Closing Thanks And Signoff

What does one of India’s original venture capitalists see coming next? Accel’s Subrata Mitra speaks to Anirban Chowdhury about a funding market moving from exuberance to discipline—and an AI boom whose economics remain deeply uncertain. He explains why India cannot fight a trillion-dollar foundational-model battle with a fraction of that capital, and where its more credible opportunities lie. The conversation explores Accel’s interest in AI-enabled services, deeptech, spacetech and advanced manufacturing, the logic behind keeping funds relatively small, and the long process of developing investors. Mitra also shares lessons from failure, reinvention and the unpredictable journeys of successful founders.

Listen In

You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X andLinkedin

Check out other interesting episodes like 
-Sarvam AI on NVIDIA's Investment, Voice AI Economics, and India's AI Strategy, Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more.


Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.

What does one of India&rsquo;s original venture capitalists see coming next? Accel&rsquo;s Subrata Mitra speaks to Anirban Chowdhury about a funding market moving from exuberance to discipline&mdash;and an AI boom whose economics remain deeply uncertain. He explains why India cannot fight a trillion-dollar foundational-model battle with a fraction of that capital, and where its more credible opportunities lie. The conversation explores Accel&rsquo;s interest in AI-enabled services, deeptech, spacetech and advanced manufacturing, the logic behind keeping funds relatively small, and the long process of developing investors. Mitra also shares lessons from failure, reinvention and the unpredictable journeys of successful founders. Listen In
You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media:<a href="https://twitter.com/AnirbanET"> X</a> and<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirban-chowdhury-b5067219/"> Linkedin </a>Check out other interesting episodes like -<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/sarvam-ai-on-nvidias-investment-voice-ai-economics/id1568661777?i=1000783044094">Sarvam AI on NVIDIA's Investment, Voice AI Economics, and India's AI Strategy</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/cognizants-surya-gummadi-on-how-ai-can-deliver-returns/id1827451035?i=1000779596143">Cognizant&rsquo;s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-future-of-insurance-in-india-sarbvir-singh-of-pb-fintech/id1827451035?i=1000777479937">The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growws-%E2%82%B96-600-cr-leap-fintechs-big-market-test-begins/id1568661777?i=1000735482598">Groww&rsquo;s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech&rsquo;s Big Market Test Begins</a> , <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oml-ceo-on-the-creator-economys-next-wave/id1568661777?i=1000734328149">OML CEO on the Creator Economy&rsquo;s Next Wave</a> &amp; much more. Catch the latest episode of &lsquo;The Morning Brief&rsquo; on <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/podcast?from=mdr">The Economic Times Online</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6PL5kfPbwURBEu6fHCVTOL?si=26ec0fbfa7134fea"> Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.jiosaavn.com/shows/the-morning-brief/1/GNPiFQD2xpY_">JioSaavn</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/f378141f-9afb-495d-83da-9b08ec5047ac/the-morning-brief">Amazon Music</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theetpodcasts">Youtube</a>.

Corner Office Conversation is The Economic Times’ flagship interview podcast featuring unfiltered, one-on-one conversations with some of India and the world’s most powerful business leaders.

Hosted by ET’s top journalists and editors, this fortnightly show goes beyond headlines and press releases to explore how CEOs and founders think, decide, and lead in an era of disruption.

From Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber), and Roland Busch (Siemens) to Adar Poonawalla (Serum Institute), Suresh Narayanan (Nestlé India), and Ravi Kumar S (Cognizant), these conversations uncover personal leadership playbooks, global strategy pivots, lessons from failures, and bold visions for the future — across industries like tech, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and consumer goods.

New episodes drop every alternate Monday.

Corner Office Conversation is The Economic Times&rsquo; flagship interview podcast featuring unfiltered, one-on-one conversations with some of India and the world&rsquo;s most powerful business leaders.
Hosted by ET&rsquo;s top journalists and editors, this fortnightly show goes beyond headlines and press releases to explore how CEOs and founders think, decide, and lead in an era of disruption.
From Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber), and Roland Busch (Siemens) to Adar Poonawalla (Serum Institute), Suresh Narayanan (Nestl&eacute; India), and Ravi Kumar S (Cognizant), these conversations uncover personal leadership playbooks, global strategy pivots, lessons from failures, and bold visions for the future &mdash; across industries like tech, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and consumer goods.
New episodes drop every alternate Monday.