Best Place To Build
An IIT Madras alumnus interviews the institution's most impactful founders, professors, and researchers to uncover why it's a hub for innovation.
This is a university-centric podcast that methodically documents the innovation flywheel of a single institution: IIT Madras. Through long-form interviews with its own alumni, faculty, and students, the show reverse-engineers successful tech companies and research breakthroughs, consistently tying them back to the campus culture, resources, and network. It functions as part institutional history, part recruiting tool, and part inspiration for aspiring technologists in India.
“Its hyper-specific focus on the IIT Madras ecosystem is its defining feature. Unlike general tech podcasts, every story is rigorously grounded in a specific place, exploring how a single academic environment repeatedly produces high-impact founders and researchers.”
Who hosts this show
Amrutash Misra, an alumnus of IIT Madras, hosts this deep-dive interview series. He is also the founder of CoreVoice, a deep-tech marketing firm. The podcast is a collaboration with the AskIITM team and is produced by the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Madras, serving as a showcase for the university's robust ecosystem of 'builders'.
Credentials & credits
- Founder, CoreVoice
- Alumnus, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Other ventures
- MultiStory Learning Pvt Ltd
- iloveread.in
- blps.in
What kind of podcast
- Country
- India
- Region
- india
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02The Key to Work-Life Balance | Sharan Srinivas J, Mindgrove TechnologiesApr 27, 2026 · 2 min
- 03Motors & Rare-Earth Magnets | Mahalingam Koushik B, Chara TechnologiesMar 6, 2026 · 55 min
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01Motors & Rare-Earth Magnets | Mahalingam Koushik B, Chara Technologies
A clear breakdown of the geopolitics, environmental impact, and science behind the global dependency on rare-earth elements and the push for alternatives.
- 02Enterprise AI, LLMs, Query Languages and EDM Music | Tanmai Gopal, Co-founder and CEO of Hasura.
A candid look at why most enterprise AI pilots fail and the crucial difference between building for 100% accuracy versus 100% 'trustability'.
- 03Venture Capital, Private Equity and Investing | Kaushik Anand, Partner at A91 Partners
An excellent primer on the venture capital industry, explaining where VCs get their money and how their investments shape the consumer world.
What you'll be asked on this show
Amrutash Misra opens interviews by establishing a broad context for the audience, often asking for simple definitions of complex industries or technologies like venture capital or rare-earth magnets. He frequently and politely interrupts to clarify technical jargon (e.g., "Can you break down a motor for us?") or business acronyms, ensuring the conversation remains accessible. As an alumnus, he uses his shared history to ask specific questions about campus life and career decisions post-graduation. He often paraphrases a guest's complex points to confirm his own understanding and to provide a clear summary for listeners before moving to the next topic. This technique allows him to guide the narrative smoothly from foundational ideas to the guest's specific innovations.
Host Amrutash Misra, himself an alumnus, leverages a shared background to build instant rapport with guests. The interviews are structured to first establish foundational concepts for a non-expert audience before diving into technical or business specifics. The show is explicitly backed by IIT Madras's innovation office and often filmed on campus.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
11 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
origin
1- Q.01
“Can you give me a basic understanding of what your business or field does?”
This is his standard opening move to establish the foundational concepts for a non-expert audience.
process
3- Q.01
“Can you define [jargon/acronym] for us?”
He frequently pauses the conversation to define technical or industry-specific terms like 'RAG', 'enterprise AI', or 'VC'.
- Q.02
“Can you break down [a complex system] for us?”
He asks guests to simplify complex objects or systems, like an electric motor, for the audience.
- Q.03
“Can you give us an idea of what your current role entails?”
He asks this to get a practical, day-in-the-life overview of the guest's responsibilities.
personal
1- Q.01
“How was your time at IIT, and what choices were you making back then?”
He uses his shared alumni status to probe the guest's origin story on campus.
industry
1- Q.01
“Why is [your technology/field] suddenly so important or in the news?”
This question connects the guest's niche expertise to current events or geopolitical trends.
mindset
1- Q.01
“Why do students who worked so hard to get in choose to do even more work on campus?”
This question explores the intrinsic motivation of high-achievers within the IITM ecosystem.
craft
2- Q.01
“What is the difference between [Concept A] and [Concept B]?”
He uses this format to clarify nuances, such as the distinction between enterprise and consumer AI.
- Q.02
“What is your solution to the problem we've just discussed?”
After establishing the problem space, he asks this to pivot the conversation to the guest's specific innovation.
advice
1- Q.01
“How do normal people feel the impact of what you do?”
This question translates the impact of a niche industry, like venture capital, into everyday terms.
technique
1- Q.01
“Why is [a specific application] so demanding for your technology?”
This question probes the specific technical requirements that drive innovation in a field, like motor efficiency in EVs.
Signature segments
- · The central question: 'What makes IIT Madras the best place to build?'
- · Filming on location at the IIT Madras campus
- · Host introduction as an IITM alumnus
- · Focus on guests from the IITM ecosystem (alumni, faculty, students)
- · Tagline: 'Ideas. Insights. Impact.'
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are exclusively successful alumni, prominent professors, or current students from the IIT Madras ecosystem. They are typically founders of venture-backed startups (often in deep tech or enterprise software), venture capitalists, or heads of major research labs within the university.
- Mahalingam Koushik Bon Motors & Rare-Earth Magnets | Mahalingam Koushik B, Chara Technologies
- Tanmay Gopalon Enterprise AI, LLMs, Query Languages and EDM Music | Tanmai Gopal, Co-founder and CEO of Hasura.
- Kaushik Anandon Venture Capital, Private Equity and Investing | Kaushik Anand, Partner at A91 Partners
- S. Anil Kumaron Valentine's Day Special: Building Human Connections, one pair at a time; S. Anil Kumar, Jodi365
- Manu Iyeron Funding Frontier Tech and Identifying Builders | Manu Iyer, General Partner at Bluehill.VC
- Rajiv Srivatsaon From Urban Ladder to Antler India: Insights from a Founder turned VC | Rajiv Srivatsa | BP2B S2E20
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The primary sponsor is the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at IIT Madras. The podcast is a high-quality content marketing initiative designed to attract talent, inspire current students, and broadcast the university's reputation as a leading center for technology and entrepreneurship in India.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch this show
No public contact email on file yet — try the social channels below, or claim this page if you’re the host.
+•• ••• ••• ••••Free: limited reveals · Pro: unlimited reveals + CSV export
You’re only charged when we return a verified hit.
People also ask
- Who is the host of Best Place To Build?
- The host is Amrutash Misra, an alumnus of IIT Madras and the founder of the deep-tech marketing firm CoreVoice.
- What is the podcast about?
- It features interviews with successful founders, professors, and researchers from the IIT Madras ecosystem to understand how the institution fosters innovation and entrepreneurship.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is a long-form interview podcast, typically with a single guest per episode, filmed on location at IIT Madras.
- Is the podcast still being produced?
- Yes, new episodes are released regularly on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
- Who can be a guest on the show?
- The podcast exclusively features guests who are alumni, faculty, or students connected to IIT Madras.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The full video episodes are available on the Best Place To Build YouTube channel.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Official Website | Best Place to Build - IIT Madrasbuild.iitm.ac.in
- [02]Amrutash Misra - About.meabout.me
- [03]CoreVoice Team Pagecorevoice.in
- [04]New Podcast Alert: What makes IIT Madras the Best Place to Build? - YouTubeyoutube.com
- [05]Antifragility, and the Transformation of CV -> CV2 - CoreVoice Blogcorevoice.in
- [06]Podcast Episode List - IIT Madrasbuild.iitm.ac.in
Podcasts like Best Place To Build
Saad Rashid - YouTube Automation
Saad Rashid
A Pakistani host interviews creators of 'faceless' YouTube channels, breaking down their niche strategies, AI workflows, and revenue generation.
Silicon Valley Girl
Silicon Valley Girl
An entrepreneur interviews the founders and scientists building the next wave of AI to uncover practical strategies for career and business growth.
The Arena
The Arena
A daily sports debate show where 3-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and a panel of former pros give unfiltered takes on basketball news.
Backstage with Millionaires
Pankaj Chauhan
A weekly news show and documentary-style channel breaking down the biggest stories and trends in the Indian startup and venture capital ecosystem.
Thomas Brush
Thomas Brush
A podcast for aspiring indie game developers, hosted by a solo dev who interviews peers about the practical and emotional journey of making games.
The Founder's Dream | Abhishek vyas
The Founder
A Hindi-language business podcast featuring long-form interviews with Indian startup founders about their real-world journeys and industries.
Rusty Quill Podcasts
Rusty Quill Podcasts
A network feed from a London-based production house specializing in full-cast speculative fiction and horror audio dramas.
HAHA Podcast
Three Korean-American sisters and YouTubers bring their chaotic, unfiltered group chat to a weekly video podcast.