For over two decades, Avnish Bajaj has been at the forefront of India's startup ecosystem—as an investor, mentor, and one of its most respected voices. Through his conversations with founders, he has chronicled not just the growth of companies, but the evolution of ideas that have shaped the technology landscape. It was a pleasure to see our CEO, Prashant Warier, join him for a candid and enriching conversation. From building AI before the world was ready, to challenging conventional startup wisdom, to creating a category where none existed, the discussion explores the realities of turning breakthrough technology into meaningful impact for millions of patients. It's an honest conversation about conviction, persistence, category creation, and why the future of AI won't be defined by the sophistication of the technology alone but by the lives it changes. We're proud to share it with our community.
Prashant Warier's wife's passport got stolen in the US. The visa system had no answer and they came back to India. Then in 2012, he read a Geoffrey Hinton paper and asked one question: what if this works on X-rays? He had no market research. TAM or even a GTM. He was just a scientist chasing a technology. That became Qure.ai - A company with 26 FDA cleared findings. TB patients in the Philippines: 4-week diagnosis → 30 seconds. Early-stage lung cancer survival: 95%. Late-stage: under 5%. That gap is what Qure.ai is closing. He did everything I tell founders not to do - built a solution first and found the problem second. It worked because when you're doing real innovation, the market doesn't exist yet. But the want always does. Full episode of Unstarted in the comments.