Tradition often starts with something familiar. For Sweet Karam Coffee, that starting point was South Indian snacks.

In this edition of Before It Was Obvious, Khatija, Head of Marketing at Fireside Ventures, speaks with Anand Bharadwaj and Nalini Parthiban, founders of Sweet Karam Coffee. They talk about building a modern food brand around traditional South Indian snacks, understanding changing consumer preferences, and finding new ways to bring familiar flavours and formats to more people.

A conversation on tradition, consumer insight, and what it takes to build a contemporary brand around food with deep roots.

In startups, the obvious path is often to chase the fastest growing opportunity. But enduring companies are built by knowing where to go deep.

In this edition of Before It Was Obvious, Khatija, Head of Marketing at Fireside Ventures, speaks with Vineet Khanna, co-founder of Supertails. They talk about building around veterinary care before transactions, adapting to rising expectations from Indian pet parents, investing in physical clinics, and choosing depth in one market over expanding too quickly.

A conversation on category creation, conviction, and what it takes to build for the long term.

In startups, we often celebrate the visible moments — funding rounds, growth charts, headlines. But enduring companies are shaped elsewhere.

In this edition of Before It Was Obvious, Khatija, Head of Marketing at Fireside Ventures, speaks with Altaf Saiyed and Saloni Anand, founders of Traya. They talk about building in consumer health — expanding without dilution, raising capital with foresight, and leading through uncertainty.

A conversation on judgment, depth, and what it really takes to build an enduring company.