First Principles
The KenFirst Principles is a weekly interview podcast comprising authentic, candid, and insightful conversations between some of India’s most accomplished founders and business leaders, and Rohin Dharmakumar, The Ken’s CEO & co-founder. From personal philosophies, mental models and decision making frameworks, to reading habits, parenting styles or personal interests, each episode will delve into what mak... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 125 | Founded | 4 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | ManagementBusinessEntrepreneurship | |||
Listen to this Podcast
Latest Episodes
1 · Summary
Part 2 of 2. Part 1 laid out the bet: a fund built only for Indian consumer brands, back when the idea sounded absurd, and the anti-power-law machine Kanwal Singh built to make it work. This half is the person. The near-decade at Hindust... more
1 · Summary
Part 1 of 2. Kanwal Singh is the first venture capitalist to appear on First Principles, and the reason is the bet he made with the fund itself. In 2017, at the peak of the tech boom, he walked away from tech investing to raise a fund on... more
Part 2 of 2. In Part 1 we walked the road from 2011 — three companies, an investor ultimatum, and the capital it took to build. Part 2 is the mind. Saahil Goel starts with what, given hindsight, he'd do differently, then the first principles he runs ... more
Part 1 of 2. Most people date Shiprocket to 2017; in truth it was born in 2011, and the road there runs through two companies called KartRocket and Craftly. Saahil Goel walks Rohin through the build: Rs 15 lakh of their own money, nearly not being hi... more
Key Facts
Similar Podcasts
People also subscribe to these shows.
Recent Guests
Host
Reviews
- LEART FROM KEN & BUILT A START-UP !!!
"I'm incredibly grateful to the Ken Team, especially Rohan. With over 35 years of experience in healthcare and life sciences management consulting, I've struggled to find podcasts or masterclasses that truly delve into first principles. Rohan is exceptional; his intriguing questions consistently yield unique insights, setting him apart from other podcasters.
I've listened to his podcasts, particularly those with Manav Garg of Eka and Ananth Narayan of Mensa, over 20 times. The insights gained w... more
Apple Podcasts5Deepak H Gowda
Indiaa year ago - It’s magical
Really love the concept and the way shows drives…..running out of words to describe express ……great job team
It will be great if we have one prod cost about THE KEN journey
Apple Podcasts5Charan thejaIndia2 years ago - A class act !
Have been listening to the podcast since its inception. Have loved each of the episodes - the curiosity that Rohin brings forth and the tonality of the conversations are just amazing. Each episode is packed with learnings and are entertaining at the same time. Congrats and thanks Rohin and team for curating such a lovely series ! Made my last 2 years a tad more meaningful and my runs (when I listened mostly) so much engaging.
Look forward to the next act !
Apple Podcasts5Sri Sundaram
Germany2 years ago - The Best Ever Podcast!
Rohin is simply the Hero of First principles! The way he host the show , the questions, the analogies, just awesome! His presence of mind & Clarity of thoughts are just unmatched . He brings one of the talented people of India which the makes the show even more interesting, insightful and inspiring!
Apple Podcasts5Meet82India2 years ago - Need timestamps!!
Timestamps make it easy to jump to interesting parts of the podcast
Apple Podcasts2iShark47India2 years ago
Listeners Say
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #118 | India/Top Podcasts |
Apple Podcasts | #5 | India/Business/Entrepreneurship |
Apple Podcasts | #21 | India/Business |
Apple Podcasts | #105 |  Spain/Business/Entrepreneurship |
Apple Podcasts | #223 |  South Korea/Business/Entrepreneurship |
Apple Podcasts | #235 |  Singapore/Business/Entrepreneurship |
Talking Points
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
Frequently Asked Questions About First Principles
What is First Principles about and what kind of topics does it cover?
A weekly interview series featuring candid conversations with India's top founders and business leaders, led by Rohin Dharmakumar. Episodes explore personal philosophies, mental models, decision-making, and leadership lessons, with deep dives into fundraising, product strategy, growth, and resilience. Notable patterns include founder journeys, hands-on operating realities, and principled thinking that underpins building scalable businesses. The show often surfaces practical frameworks, real-world tradeoffs, and creators' lived experiences, making it a strong fit for listeners seeking actionable entrepreneurship insights and leadership lessons from diverse Indian industries.
Where can I find podcast stats for First Principles?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for First Principles. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to First Principles and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does First Principles get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for First Principles, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for First Principles?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for First Principles, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does First Principles have?
To see how many followers or subscribers First Principles has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to First Principles?
These podcasts share a similar audience with First Principles:
1. Daybreak
2. Finshots Daily
3. The Daily Brief
4. The Morning Brief
5. Top of the Morning
How many episodes of First Principles are there?
First Principles launched 4 years ago and published 125 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact First Principles?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for First Principles?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for First Principles from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for First Principles?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of First Principles. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on First Principles?
Recent guests on First Principles include:
1. Kanwal Singh
2. Saahil Goel
3. Riyaaz Amlani
4. Lal Chand Bisu
5. Ankit Nagori
6. Uttham Gowda
7. Kalpana Morparia
8. Rohit Chennamaneni
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.