Interactions with Founders – Aanan Khurma, Ripunjay Chachan and Aditya Seth, Wellversed

Six years ago, I met Aanan Khurma at The Quorum Club, Gurgaon. He was introduced to me by Sanil Sachar to explore an investment in his company. In that short meeting, I listened to his story of struggle and resilience. His clarity of thought, sense of purpose, and strong values were so powerful that I committed to backing him on the spot. I felt fortunate to be among his earliest believers.

Soon after, I met his co-founders, Ripunjay Chachan and Aditya Seth, along with Aanan at Starbucks. They were shy, humble, and quietly confident, with deeply complementary skills. A visit to their small manufacturing facility only reaffirmed my belief that this was a team with the courage to dream big.

Over the years, I have met Aanan many times, but last week, when Ishani Chanana Talwar and I met the three of them again, I was left speechless. We spent 90 minutes together, and what a transformation it was. From hesitant early founders to mature, resilient leaders who think, act, and grow as one, they have become true reflections of each other, shaped by the lessons of building and living their dream.

Here are the lessons I took back from our masterclass-like conversation:

• Culture as a Cornerstone: A documented playbook of values and attributes that every new joiner internalises over three days before presenting back. Culture is not spoken, it is lived.
• Unlearning and Adaptability: Multiple pivots—in products, GTM, and business model—always met with agility and openness.
• Simplicity, Focus, and Discipline: Just 19 SKUs across four products, with leadership in one core category and a market share of over 40%.
• Customer Obsession: Aditya still listens directly to the “voice of the customer.” Some products have over a million views.
• Empowered Teams: Exceptionally low attrition. As Aanan puts it, “People should only leave if they want to become entrepreneurs themselves.”
• Profitable Innovation: Design thinking applied to ensure growth with profitability.
• Capital Efficiency: Targeting ₹360 crore ARR while remaining profitable with minimal equity infusion—achieved through disciplined leadership, a strong culture, and empowered teams.

It is my belief that they will continue this remarkable growth momentum over the next few years.

This is what a dream company looks like—built on values, resilience, passion, discipline, purpose, motivation, agility, and frugality. A company that creates value and pride for all its stakeholders.

Ishani and I walked away inspired and grateful to have been part of this journey since the early days. We wish Aanan, Ripunjay, and Aditya the very best as they continue to build Wellversed into a story of impact and excellence.

I shared my book Dil Se Dost with Aanan, and he, in turn, shared their book on culture.

We will continue to inspire and support the team as they grow from strength to strength.