Normally, my podcasts are about 20 minutes long. This one is about 50 minutes long thanks to Shyam Menon.This is easily the most I have enjoyed recording a podcast. Shyam Menon is the co-founder of Infuse Ventures and the Bharat Innovation Fund. In this podcast, he shares his journey from the US to India; from technology to VC; and from defence to sustainability.A super candid conversation on how India’s first sustainability-focused fund got set up and what were the key learnings from that journey.Deeply insightful and full of nuance, just listen to it.Source of assets used - Intro Music This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

I had the opportunity to speak with Aidan Charron from Earth Day about plastics and their environmental effects. Plastics are everywhere around us and have a detrimental effect on our health and bodies. I dive into what plastics are and how they affect us in this podcast.The first Earth Day was organised on 22 April 1970. This year their theme is Planet Vs Plastics. They have published a report on the subject at this link.Source of assets used - Intro Music This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

I had the opportunity to speak with Rohan Choukkar, Vice President of Investment at Bharat Innovation Fund. During the conversation, we spoke about his involvement in the same, the evolution of climate investments in India, the state of the innovation eco-system in the country and the areas that would be interesting to watch out for in the coming years.It was an incredibly insightful conversation with much to learn from. Source of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

Shriti Pandey came back from New York University and watched the stubble burning envelop Delhi with smoke. She decided to do what she could about it and Strwcture was born. The company turns straw into compressed boards that can be used for building.In this conversation, I spoke to her about how she got started and where she sees the business going in the future.You can also read the entire article hereSource of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

I spoke with Rashmi Vittal, Chief Customer Officer for Eevie; a startup working on making it easier for corporations to engage their employees to make them think about climate change and action. What are some of the corporates doing? What kind of change is it resulting in? We delve into some of these questions with Rashmi on this podcast.Source of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

Blume Ventures is an extremely active and respected venture fund. In this podcast speak with Mudit Narain about his choice to study climate change and technology and policy's role in shaping the world.We also spoke about what thoughts guide how Blume Ventures looks at Climate Tech and how this problem of climate change can ultimately be solved.I enjoyed my conversations with Mudit. Please share your thoughts in the comments section.Source of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

I have been publishing this podcast off and on for the last 3 years. I had taken a year-long hiatus in the middle.Things are going to be changing. Just a short update. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

The cause and effect that economics predicts does not seem to be playing out in the real world. Something fundamental has changed in the nature of work and the structure of societies. Banks are not the main source of debt for the ultra-rich and the ultra-poor, hence tweaking bank interests makes no difference!Under these circumstances, the old theories of economics do not work. We need to go back and take another look at all of them.You can also read the entire article hereSource of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

I used to think dust was mud breaking down but it seems to be originating from sources that are even more human than I had earlier assumed. One of the biggest sources of dust is vehicles, not the exhaust but the tyres that they run on which disintegrate at increasing speed. The health repercussions are incredible!You can also read the entire article hereSource of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

Driverless taxis have been in the offing for a very long time and we have stopped taking them seriously. When you least expect something to become a force in the industry, it most likely does become one. Driverless cars seem to be at that tipping point.The problem no longer seems to be technology but people’s behaviour.You can also read the entire article hereSource of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

Our body has an insanely powerful immune system. Most of the time when it is fighting against possible invaders, you do not even come to know that it has fought off invaders. Our homes, environment and even our bodies are being sterilised more and more often as we have developed this fear of germs. This leaves our immune system with nothing to do but to turn on the body itself. You can also read the entire article hereSource of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

Insulin grew into a big business as the number of cases of diabetes ballooned across the globe. Diabetes was the first disease that was termed a lifestyle disease. Obesity is the reverse. It is often a problem amongst the poor who cannot afford high-quality foods and end up eating a lot of ultra-processed foods.A drug is offering hope and billing itself as a solution to the problem. Its popularity has soared and caused the company that manufactures it to be valued more than the country in which it resides. This is the story of Wegovy and Novo Nordisk.You can also read the entire article hereSource of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

In this episode, I summarise two books that I recently read on the causes of Obesity. The Obesity Code written by Dr Jason Fung and Ultraprocessed People written by Chris van Tulleken. The two books play into each other with the obesity theme being central to both of them. This made it all the more interesting for me. Obesity is not a result of a person’s inability to control oneself, it is a result of food being engineered in such a fashion that it promotes higher consumption. People who fall prey to this are the victims and not the villains. You can access my blog to see the images that I used as a part of the article here and here.Source of assets used - Intro MusicFillers - Here and HereYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

Media organisations across the globe want Google and Meta to compensate them each time a user clicks on links to these organisations. People across the Internet have named it the Link Tax. Lawmakers who have been lobbied are beginning to pursue this idea as well. Australia enacted the law in 2021 and Canada enacted on this year. Both companies played ball in 2021 but no longer seem to be willing to do that.You can access my blog to see the images that I used as a part of the article here.Source of assets used - Intro MusicYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

The pandemic delivered a body blow to commercial real estate in many large cities. The white-collar workers who used to work in many of these cities have transitioned to hybrid work and are probably never going to go back to working 5 days a week in the office. This is resulting in many of these cities dying a slow death as a vast amount of commercial real estate lies empty.You can access my blog to see the images that I used as a part of the article here.Source of assets used - Intro MusicFillers - Here and HereYou can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

There was a time when it was normal for a city to catch on fire. This would often be a result of human stupidity. Poor and unplanned construction and lack of proper safety features were responsible for many of the fires. These were identified and fixed in the 20th century. In the 21st century, we ushered in an era of wildfire. And now these are turning into urban fires as we all saw in Hawaii. Could many more cities be on the line? What will we do to protect ourselves?You can access my blog to see the data that I used as a part of the article here.Source of assets used - Intro MusicFillers - Here and Here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

The Incandescent bulb was 100 years in the making and it lit up the world. So much so that we cannot even see the stars these days thanks to the lights in the city. That bulb had a 100-year run which is now coming to an end thanks to greater energy efficiency.You can access my blog to see the images that I used as a part of the article here.Source of assets used - Intro MusicFillers - Here and Here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

There is a strike that is taking place in Hollywood. It is not a first and it is certainly not unprecedented. It is a clashing of an industry of artists against a paradigm shift that is taking place. At stake is their future earnings potential. Think of this like 2010 for Nokia, what they did would either make them or break them. Of course, Nokia did not understand the value of software and went broke. By comparison, the writers and the actors understand the value of their work and they also understand the shortcomings of AI. Hence the fight.You can read the post at this link.Source of assets used - Intro MusicFillers - Here and Here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

Exactly is a book by Simon Winchester about the world of precision manufacturing. He takes the reader on the journey of problems and inventions that resulted in the creation of the modern world as we know it.In this podcast, I briefly summarise the book and share some of my thoughts on it.You can read the blog at this link This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

The Indian monsoon is a peculiar phenomenon which is made possible by the unique geographical positioning of the country. It ensures great harvest and has played a key role in ensuring that India has a thriving agricultural economy. That monsoon is being disrupted. It was a never-before recorded event that set off a series of dominoes that culminated in Delhi being flooded. Climate is changing, and we are not prepared for it.You can access my blog to see the images that I used as a part of the article here.Intro MusicFillers - Here and Here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com