₹240 Cr VC Bets, GST 2.0 Reforms & H-1B Visa Shock | Episode 10

Episode 10 of The Offline Network — hosted by Utsav and Dhruv, breaks down India’s biggest startup & business stories of the week, from game-changing policy reforms to shifting investor dynamics. We also bring you unfiltered founder conversations — straight from the trenches of India’s next wave of entrepreneurship. 📰 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌’𝒔 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 US H-1B Visa Fee Hike – From 2026, a one-time $100,000 fee applies to new approvals. India supplies ~71% of H-1B talent, so the ripple hits India first. Big IT firms may shift more projects home, while offshore delivery grows stronger. GST 2.0 Reform Goes Live – India moves to a two-slab system: 5% for essentials, 18% for most products, and 40% for luxury/sin goods. Expected to boost consumption, streamline compliance, and shake up FMCG, auto, retail, and online platforms. Shark Tank India Season 4 Fallout – Out of 34 “on-air deals,” only 11 actually closed. Valuation gaps, royalty terms, compliance issues, and founder rethinks reveal the show’s growing role as marketing over guaranteed funding. 🎙️ 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑-𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 Operator → Investor – Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl (Sadev Ventures) on backing founders in India’s tier 2/3 cities, rebranding Eternal Capital to Sadev Ventures, and how operator-led conviction spots what traditional VCs often miss. Lab-grown Luxury – Darayus Mehta (True Diamond) on disrupting India’s $100B jewellery market with ethical, design-driven lab-grown diamonds — reshaping cultural perceptions of value, sustainability, and aspiration. This episode was made possible by Smartworks , India’s largest managed office platform. Follow us for more unfiltered takes Twitter/X → https://x.com/OfflineOnAir Instagram → /theofflinenetwork LinkedIn → /offlineonair Website → https://www.theoffline.network