Opening
“Hey everyone, welcome back to Season 3 ofArt ofHustle.
his is where we talk to people who’ve built their own paths not just the wins, but everything
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that goes into it.
I’m your host, Jasmitha, and today’s guest is someone who’s been building in deeptech —
especially Extended Reality — long before it became something people casually talk about.
he’s built a startup in this space, worked with global clients, secured investment from Boeing,
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contributed to policy, and mentors founders and students.
Joining us today is Ms. Vaishali Neotia — really excited to have you here.
Welcome to the podcast, ma’am.”
BEGINNING
Q1
“ So let’s start from the beginning… was entrepreneurship always something you saw yourself
doing, or did it come later because of a person or experience?”
Follow-ups:
“ Was there a specific moment where that clicked?”
●
● “Or was it more gradual?”
Transition
“That’s interesting… and I think a lot of that starts really early.”
Q2
“ I’ve heard you mention your father had a big influence on you… what’s something you picked
up from him that you still carry with you today?”
Follow-ups:
“ Do you see that showing up in your work even now?”
●
● “Was there a moment where that really helped you?”
TURNING POINT
Transition
“So coming to college…”
Q3
“ You were on the usual path — placements, a stable job… but you didn’t go that way — what
was going through your head at that time? Did it feel like a clear decision, or more like ‘I’ll just
try this and see what happens’?”
Follow-ups:
“ Did you face pushback from people around you?”
●
● “What gave you the confidence to take that call?”
EARLY STARTUP
Transition
“And once you took that decision…”
Q4
“When you were starting out… what did you get wrong in those early days?”
Follow-ups:
“ Like one mistake you still remember?”
●
● “What did that teach you?”
Q5 (Must Ask)
“ And something a lot of students struggle with — how did you find your first few customers when
you didn’t really have a brand or network?”
Follow-ups:
“ Were people rejecting you initially?”
●
● “What actually worked?”
● “What would you do differently today?”
XR JOURNEY
Transition
“And somewhere along the way, you chose XR…”
Q6
“ You chose Extended Reality at a time when most people didn’t even know what it was… what
made you go in that direction?”
Follow-ups:
“ Did people understand it back then?”
●
● “Did that make things harder?”
Q7
“ And for someone listening… how would you explain XR in the simplest way possible, and
where does it actually create value?”
Follow-ups:
“ What’s a real-world example?”
●
● “Where do you see it going next?”
BUILDING & BREAKTHROUGH
Transition
“And then you spent over a decade building in this space…”
Q8
“ You spent over a decade building your startup… was there a phase where things felt like they
might not work out, and how did you handle that?”
Follow-ups:
“ What kept you going?”
●
● “Did you ever consider stopping?”
BACKUP QUESTION 1 (USE IF NEEDED HERE)
“If you had to start again from scratch… what would you do differently?”
Q9 (Must Ask)
“ You secured investment from Boeing — which is huge… when you were pitching at that level,
what were they really looking for?”
Follow-ups:
“ Was it more about idea, execution, or team?”
●
● “How long did that process take?”
Q10
“ And when that happened… would you say that was a turning point, or did things actually get
more challenging after that?”
Follow-ups:
“ What changed after that?”
●
● “Did expectations increase?”
THINKING & STRATEGY
Transition
“That’s really interesting… and I want to understand how you think about building in general.”
Q11 (Must Ask)
“ You’ve said founders should focus on solving real problems… how do you know if an idea is
actually solving something real?”
Follow-ups:
“ What mistakes do people make here?”
●
● “How early should validation happen?”
BACKUP QUESTION 2 (USE IF NEEDED HERE)
“What’s something you believed early on… that you later realized was completely wrong?”
Q12
“ Many young founders struggle to find their niche… how did you identify yours, and how can
they do the same?”
Follow-ups:
“ How do you know when to stick vs pivot?”
●
● “What’s a wrong way to approach this?”
Q13
“ You’ve worked across deeptech, enterprises, and mentoring… what are some core principles
that have stayed constant for you?”
Follow-ups:
“ Which one matters the most?”
●
● “Did these come from experience or mentors?”
Q14
“ You’ve mentioned people like Steve Jobs and your mentor Sateesh Andra… what’s something
you’ve taken from them that shows up in how you work?”
Follow-ups:
“ Was there a specific piece of advice?”
●
● “Did it influence a major decision?”
BIGGER PICTURE
Transition
“And beyond building your own company…”
Q15
“ You’ve also worked on AR/VR policy with the government… what’s it like going from building
something to thinking about how an entire industry evolves?”
Follow-ups:
“ Where do systems struggle to keep up?”
●
● “What needs to change?”
Q16
“ You’ve worked with a lot of early-stage founders… what sets apart the ones who actually build
from the ones who just talk?”
Follow-ups:
“ What’s a red flag?”
●
● “What’s something promising founders do differently?”
ENDING
Q17
“ You’ve said founders need the 3 Ms — money, mentors… and a bit of masochism… what did
you mean by that?”
Follow-ups:
“ Which one is underestimated?”
●
● “Was there a phase where this really hit you?”
efore we wrap up, let’s do a quick rapid-fire round — just short answers, whatever comes to
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your mind.
. “One decision you’re really glad you took early in your journey?”
1
2. “One thing about entrepreneurship that people overestimate?”
3. “And one thing they underestimate?”
4. “XR in one word?”
5. “A technology (other than XR) that excites you right now?”
6. “One habit that has helped you stay consistent over the years?”
7. “Something you’ve changed your mind about as a founder?”
8. “One thing students focus too much on — and shouldn’t?”
9. “Mentor or experience — what taught you more?”
10.“Complete this: building a startup is basically… ______”
11.“Life, according to you, in one short phrase?”
Q18 (Final)
“ And finally — if someone listening is serious about starting something… what should they do in
the next 30 days?”
Follow-ups:
“ What should they avoid?”
●
● “What’s the biggest early mistake?”
“Thank you so much — this was a really insightful conversation.”
“And to everyone listening, thanks for tuning in toArt of Hustle.”
“I’ll see you in the next episode.”