SeedToScale | Curated by Accel

Accel launched SeedToScale in August 2020 to remove information asymmetry in the startup ecosystem and make a founder's path to success as frictionless as possible. We aim to achieve this by providing the best source of knowledge and actionable insights for company building.In the three years since, we have created over 300 knowledge pieces covering all stages of building a company. We collaborated with 80+ industry experts, successful founders, and mentors to create thematic series, reports, blogs, guest articles, podcasts, and other forms of content. Overall, we have reached 500K knowledge seekers.

SeedToScale | Curated by Accel is a business podcast hosted by Anand Daniel, with 122 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Anand Daniel hosts SeedToScale | Curated by Accel, a business show with 122 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #13

  Microsoft on AI Startups: Why Speed, Taste, and Trust Will Define Winners | Decoding AI

  Apr 15, 202655 minS0

  We’re in the early innings of AI, and the playbook for building companies is already changing. In this episode of SeedToScale, Shekhar Kirani, Partner at Accel, sits down with Jason Graefe, CVP of Microsoft’s AI Partner Catalyst Team, to unpack what’s actually changing in the AI era. From building products to winning enterprise customers, the playbook is being rewritten in real time. Jason brings a unique vantage point, working closely with some of the fastest-scaling AI companies globally, while also operating inside Microsoft at the forefront of AI transformation. The insights are practical, grounded, and directly relevant to fou...

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  Episode #13

  Microsoft on AI Startups: Why Speed, Taste, and Trust Will Define Winners | Decoding AI

  Apr 15, 202655 min

  We’re in the early innings of AI, and the playbook for building companies is already changing. In this episode of SeedToScale, Shekhar Kirani, Partner at Accel, sits down with Jason Graefe, CVP of Microsoft’s AI Partner Catalyst Team, to unpack what’s actually changing in the AI era. From building products to winning enterprise customers, the playbook is being rewritten in real time. Jason brings a unique vantage point, working closely with some of the fastest-scaling AI companies globally, while also operating inside Microsoft at the forefront of AI transformation. The insights are practical, grounded, and directly relevant to founders building today. Here’s what we explore in this episode: • Why we’re still in the “early innings” of AI, and what that means for founders • The shift from horizontal AI tools to durable, workflow-driven products • Why the first enterprise sale is always a trust sale • How design partners can accelerate product-market fit • Speed as a moat: why faster iteration is defining winners • The role of “taste” in building products users actually stick with • Why go-to-market needs to be built from day one, not as an afterthought • The “golden age of margin”: reducing costs while creating entirely new products • India’s structural advantage in building and scaling AI startups If you’re a founder, builder, or operator trying to understand how to win in the AI cycle, this conversation is a clear, grounded playbook. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 0:58 - India’s startup energy and why this market stands out 2:07 - What’s changed since pre-COVID 3:18 - Global AI ecosystems and where India fits 4:42 - The rise of second-generation founders in India 6:05 - Why startups are scaling faster than ever 7:26 - From Flipkart to AI-native companies: the infra shift 9:12 - Is the AI market already crowded? 10:36 - Why we’re still in the early innings of AI 11:48 - AI in traditional industries: where we actually are 12:31 - The “golden age of margin” explained 13:52 - Startups hitting profitability faster with AI 15:04 - Moving atoms vs moving bits: what AI can’t disrupt easily 17:18 - Where the real opportunities still exist 18:42 - Horizontal vs vertical AI: speed vs durability 20:11 - Building AI products that adapt to enterprises 22:07 - Why personalization creates sticky products 23:34 - Software that feels like it’s built for you 25:02 - Enterprise AI adoption: two buyer behaviors 26:41 - Why the first sale is always a trust sale 28:06 - How to win your first design partners 29:52 - Enterprises are more open than ever to co-building 31:08 - Surviving rapid LLM evolution 32:14 - Taste: the ultimate differentiator in AI products 33:27 - Real-time feedback loops → faster product iteration 34:52 - Speed as the new moat 36:09 - Domain experts vs first-principles builders 37:42 - First-mover advantage in AI 39:03 - How product + GTM cycles are compressing 40:18 - Why GTM must be built from day one 42:06 - Experimentation in go-to-market 43:38 - India as a proving ground for global products 45:11 - Why early customers matter more than big logos 47:02 - Product-led vs forward-deployed models 48:36 - Selling outcomes, not software 50:07 - India’s structural advantage in AI talent 51:19 - The culture of learning driving adoption 52:27 - Outro Follow SeedToScale on LinkedIn: / seedtoscale Follow Shekhar Kirani on LinkedIn: / kirani Follow Jason Graefe on LinkedIn: / jason-graefe #SeedToScale #Microsoft #Accel #AI #AIFounders #Startups #ArtificialIntelligence #Product #GoToMarket #IndiaTech #AIStartups

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  Episode #5

  Inside Ixigo’s Series B Deck: The Making of a Listed Company | PitchCraft Season 2

  Feb 23, 202647 minS0

  In this episode of PitchCraft, Ixigo MD and Group CEO Aloke Bajpai joins early investor Shailesh Lakhani to revisit the company’s 2016 Series B deck, a moment that captured Ixigo at an inflection point in India’s evolving travel market. The conversation traces how Ixigo moved beyond being a travel meta-search engine by focusing relentlessly on solving customer pain points across flights, trains, and buses, while betting early on mobile growth and product-led innovation. Shailesh reflects on what built conviction after years of tracking the founders: disciplined execution, resilience through multiple crises, and the willingness to pivot from aggregation to owni...

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  Episode #5

  Inside Ixigo’s Series B Deck: The Making of a Listed Company | PitchCraft Season 2

  Feb 23, 202647 min

  In this episode of PitchCraft, Ixigo MD and Group CEO Aloke Bajpai joins early investor Shailesh Lakhani to revisit the company’s 2016 Series B deck, a moment that captured Ixigo at an inflection point in India’s evolving travel market. The conversation traces how Ixigo moved beyond being a travel meta-search engine by focusing relentlessly on solving customer pain points across flights, trains, and buses, while betting early on mobile growth and product-led innovation. Shailesh reflects on what built conviction after years of tracking the founders: disciplined execution, resilience through multiple crises, and the willingness to pivot from aggregation to owning transactions when customer experience demanded it. They unpack the strategic shifts, and long-term decisions that shaped Ixigo’s journey from startup to publicly listed travel technology leader.

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  Episode #4

  Lessons for founders from an early backer of Figma, CRED, Curefit, Airtable, and Postman | SeedToScale Specials

  Feb 10, 202650 minS0

  Founders today are building in an environment shaped by constant technological shifts and evolving team dynamics. In this episode, Gokul Rajaram, Partner at Marathon Management Partners and early backer of companies like CRED, Figma, Curefit, and Postman, shares how he thinks about building startups that endure. Drawing on his experience as a product leader, investor, and board member, Gokul reflects on the patterns he’s seen across hundreds of companies. The conversation explores how founders navigate inflection points, scale teams responsibly, make irreversible decisions, and earn trust over time—with customers, teams, and investors. Gokul also speaks candidly about what tend...

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