H1-B visa impact on India, spotting great founders, Zilingo lessons with Riverwalk's Avik Ashar

The Upside Podcast is hosted by Kristie Neo and Tage Kene-Okafor. We speak with the most ambitious, driven entrepreneurs, builders and investors in global emerging markets.

⁠⁠⁠⁠In this episode of The Upside Podcast, I sit down with Avik Ashar, Principal at Riverwalk Holdings. We dive into Riverwalk’s journey from family office to VC, how they think about backing founders, and what makes India’s startup scene so competitive. Avik also reflects on his Zilingo days—what overfunding taught him, and how those lessons shape his view on exits, IPOs vs. M&A, and the future of entrepreneurship across India and Southeast Asia.

Timestamp:
(00:00) Introduction to Riverwalk Holdings and Avik Ashar
(02:54) Investment Philosophy and Strategy at Riverwalk
(06:01) Market Focus: India and Emerging Trends
(08:47) Competition in the Indian Investment Landscape
(11:49) Investment Stages and Evolution of Riverwalk
(15:00) Value Addition and Differentiation in Series B Investments
(17:59) Founder Dynamics and Investment Considerations
(20:59) Exit Strategies: IPO vs M&A in India
(23:45) Career Journey and Insights from Avik Ashar
(43:38) The Founding Journey of Zilingo
(46:49) The Impact of Overfunding on Startups
(49:47) Lessons Learned from Zilingo's Growth
(54:07) Transitioning to New Ventures
(57:40) Comparing Startup Ecosystems: India vs Southeast Asia
(01:00:31) The Future of Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia
(01:15:13) The H1B Visa Impact on Indian Talent

Видео H1-B visa impact on India, spotting great founders, Zilingo lessons with Riverwalk's Avik Ashar канала The Upside Podcast