Game Room Podcast 🎙
An Indian business podcast where a recruitment firm co-founder interviews tech entrepreneurs and operators on building companies in the AI and HR space.
A practitioner's take on the Indian startup scene, hosted by a recruiter who is in the trenches of the tech talent market. The show dissects the operational realities of building a business, with a recurring focus on how AI is changing industries like HR, recruitment, and market research. Conversations are grounded in the host's direct experience, allowing for specific, scenario-based questions rather than generic founder talk.
“The host's day job as a recruiter for tech startups gives him a unique, practical lens. He often pressure-tests guests' products and philosophies with detailed, real-world hiring scenarios, moving beyond theoretical discussions.”
Who hosts this show
Naveen Tiwari is the co-founder of the Bengaluru-based recruitment firms Scrabble and Jigsaw. Along with his wife and business partner Swati Saboo, he hosts the Game Room Podcast, where he leverages his professional expertise in hiring to interview founders and leaders, primarily in the Indian tech industry. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he worked at the recruitment company Native, where he met Saboo. He was born in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.
Credentials & credits
- Co-Founder, Scrabble (Executive Search Firm)
- Co-Founder, Jigsaw (Recruitment Firm)
- Former employee at Native (Recruitment Company)
Other ventures
- Jigsaw (recruitment firm)
- Scrabble (recruitment firm)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- India
- Region
- india
When new episodes drop
- 01How can college shape your career beyond academics? #shortsJun 29, 2026 · 1 min
- 02How AI Is Replacing Traditional Market Research | PodcastJun 27, 2026 · 1h 07m
- 03Should students choose the better branch or the better college? #shortsJun 24, 2026 · 53s
- 04How AI Is Replacing Traditional Market Research | TeaserJun 22, 2026 · 1 min
- 05Not everything needs AI. #shortsJun 20, 2026 · 54s
- 06What AI Recruitment Can’t Do (And Why It Matters) | PodcastJun 15, 2026 · 1h 19m
- 07Most recruiters focus on attraction. #shortsJun 14, 2026 · 1 min
- 08AI Interviews, Automation and the Future of HR | Jayanth Neelakanta | PodcastMar 23, 2026 · 56 min
Notable episodes
- 01What AI Recruitment Can’t Do (And Why It Matters) | Podcast
A core episode that captures the show's central theme, with the host moderating a debate between two tech founders on the limits of AI in his own field of recruitment.
- 02AI Interviews, Automation and the Future of HR | Jayanth Neelakanta | Podcast
A deep dive into the founder journey, including a candid discussion about the realities of the Y Combinator experience and the strategy of differentiating in a crowded HR tech market.
- 03How AI Is Replacing Traditional Market Research | Podcast
This episode showcases the host's interview style, connecting the guest's remote upbringing and family background to his entrepreneurial path and hiring philosophies.
What you'll be asked on this show
Naveen Tiwari opens by establishing a guest's credibility or framing the episode's central debate. He uses his own experience as a recruiter to build rapport and ask highly specific questions. A signature move is to present a detailed, complex scenario to probe the real-world capabilities of a guest's product or strategy. He often connects a founder's personal backstory and formative experiences to their current business philosophy, asking how their upbringing or early career choices shaped them as an entrepreneur. He challenges guests' decisions to elicit deeper reasoning, asking them to analyze trade-offs they've made.
The show is a straightforward interview format, usually with host Naveen Tiwari and a single guest, though co-host Swati Saboo also hosts episodes. Naveen often frames the conversation around a central industry debate (e.g., 'Can AI replace recruiters?') and uses his own domain knowledge to ask pointed, follow-up questions and challenge guest assumptions.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
12 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
4- Q.01
“Could you quickly take us through what your company does?”
This is a standard opening to establish context for the audience.
- Q.02
“Before we discuss the business, where are you from and what was your childhood like?”
The host often asks this early on to connect a founder's personal history to their entrepreneurial drive.
- Q.03
“What was your journey like, and how did you come to start this company?”
A common question used to bridge the gap between a guest's background and their current venture.
- Q.04
“How did your upbringing or background shape the entrepreneur you are today?”
A recurring theme to explore the foundational motivations and values of the guest.
future
1- Q.01
“How true is the belief that [a specific function] can never be fully automated by AI?”
He often frames the discussion as a debate around a key industry assumption, particularly regarding AI's limits.
craft
3- Q.01
“In a crowded market, how do you differentiate and stay relevant?”
This question probes the guest's competitive strategy and unique value proposition.
- Q.02
“How deeply can your platform assess a candidate on both objective and subjective criteria?”
Leveraging his recruitment expertise, he tests the practical limits of a guest's HR tech product.
- Q.03
“What differentiates a good [specific role, e.g., software engineer] from an ordinary one?”
This question seeks to extract expert heuristics for identifying top talent.
process
2- Q.01
“Is having a [specific trait, e.g., 'tough life'] something you look for when hiring?”
He directly probes the guest's hiring philosophy and biases.
- Q.02
“What was the Y Combinator journey like, from application to getting on board?”
When applicable, he digs into the specifics of a major milestone like a top-tier accelerator experience.
mindset
1- Q.01
“In the YC application, which question made you think the most?”
A specific follow-up designed to get past generic answers about a common founder experience.
advice
1- Q.01
“If you had to choose between a better college brand and a preferred course, what's the right call?”
He often presents a trade-off to force guests to reveal their decision-making framework.
Signature segments
- · Welcome back to Game Room
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically founders, CEOs, and CTOs of Indian technology startups. There is a strong emphasis on companies in the HR tech, AI, and B2B sectors, including those who have gone through accelerators like Y Combinator.
- Himanshu Upretion How AI Is Replacing Traditional Market Research | Podcast
- Nitin Nahataon What AI Recruitment Can’t Do (And Why It Matters) | Podcast
- Chetan Dalalon What AI Recruitment Can’t Do (And Why It Matters) | Podcast
- Jayanth Neelkantaon AI Interviews, Automation and the Future of HR | Jayanth Neelakanta | Podcast
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast does not appear to have external sponsors; it functions as a content and branding platform for the hosts' recruitment businesses, Scrabble and Jigsaw.
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
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People also ask
- Who is the host of the Game Room Podcast?
- The primary host is Naveen Tiwari, co-founder of recruitment firms Scrabble and Jigsaw. His business partner, Swati Saboo, also co-hosts many episodes.
- What is the podcast's format?
- It is an interview-based podcast where the hosts talk with founders and leaders from the Indian tech and business community.
- What topics does the podcast cover?
- The show focuses on entrepreneurship, startups, AI, and HR technology, with a strong emphasis on the practical aspects of hiring, company culture, and business strategy.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, based on the recent episode dates from June 2026, the podcast is actively releasing new content on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
- Where can I listen to the Game Room Podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube.
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]How Naveen Tiwari's Vision Built Staffing Firms Scrabble and Jigsaw into a Rs 15 Crore Turnover Businesstheweekendleader.com
- [02]Game Room Podcast - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [03]Show 58 | Sanjay Krishnan Get Candid on EVs, Family, and Life with Lithium | Game Roomyoutube.com
- [04]Executive Hiring Shows Muscle in FY25 Equity-Led Salaries, Strong Demand in Finance & Tech- Scrabble Reportpeoplematters.in
- [05]Anxious, Exhausted, Sinking: Why Young Indians Are Struggling at Workoutlookbusiness.com
- [06]Pre-packaged or left behind? Entry-level jobs now demand moreyourstory.com
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