Welcome to Episode 29 of First Principles.

Our guest for this episode is Karthik Jayaraman, the co-founder and MD of WayCool Foods.

Karthik's leadership style and philosophies differ from many of the earlier leaders and founders featured in the last 28 episodes of First Principles.

Perhaps it's because he started WayCool, an agri-tech startup, after turning 40. Karthik jokes that some people buy a Ferrari as a response to their midlife crisis. Instead, he decided to start up.

WayCool was last valued at over $700 million. It's headquartered in Chennai and focused on South India. It's a distributor and processor of fresh produce greens, staples and milk, and though it operates from farm to fork, it is a supply chain company at its heart, says Karthik.

One that tries to predict the demand from retailers and consumers and then works backwards to source the supply. I know this might sound complex, but Karthik explains it really well. And when he does, you'll notice he has a very keen understanding of supply chains.

That's because before starting an agri-tech company, Karthik had been in the automotive industry for nearly 20 years. He's also spent time as a consultant with McKinsey.

Perhaps this offbeat combination makes him somewhat different from many founders, which, in turn, leads to a set of contrary but humbly held perspectives on business and startups.

For instance, Karthik talks about how he's built WayCool, not to be disruptive but to complement the geographies it is in. It's a business that sways with the landscape and tries to tread lightly.

Karthik is also a founder who doesn't hesitate to admit where he's made mistakes before or where there are still opportunities to learn.

In this conversation, Karthik talks about:

Two questions he asks to find out if an idea is truly novel
How do you build a brand when it comes to staple products where every commodity is similar?
How does he observe, learn, document and implement knowledge?
And what is the job of a CEO?

This is Episode 29 of First Principles—The Ken's fortnightly leadership podcast.

The Ken is India's first subscriber-only business journalism platform. Check out our deeply reported long-form stories, insightful newsletters, original podcasts and much more here.

Karthik Jayaraman of WayCool Foods on why disruption isn't always necessary for innovation

First Principles