AI+ Smartphone Founder On Building & Growing A Indian Smartphone Brand | Madhav Sheth x Nitin Bajaj

In this episode, Nitin Bajaj sat down with Madhav Sheth, Co-founder & CEO of AI Plus Smartphones, a leader who has spent years shaping India’s mobile industry. From scaling global brands to now building a homegrown challenger, Madhav is driven by one question: why does the world’s second-largest smartphone market still depend on foreign players? What unfolds is a deep, honest conversation on: The digital divide—450 million Indians still stuck on feature phones. Why Indian consumers are value-seekers, not bargain-hunters, and how global brands often miss this nuance. The “3 I’s” that decide whether any big idea survives in India: Intent, Investment & Infrastructure. How China’s decades-long playbook built Shenzhen into a $400B hub—and whether India can write its own. The future of smartphones: AI, privacy, and whether Indian brands can lead the next wave. This isn’t just about phones. It’s about how India consumes, aspires, and creates, and the tough choices we face if we want to move from being the world’s market to being the world’s maker. Watch the podcast till the end. Liked the video? Like, comment & subscribe for more! Follow us on other social media platforms: Instagram:   / nitinbajaj_mog   LinkedIn:   / madovergrowth   Twitter:   / madovergrowth   WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBZ... Follow Madhav Sheth: Instagram:   / madhav.sheth   LinkedIn:   / madhavsheth   Chapters: 0:00 – Introduction 0:55 – Why India Still Struggles to Build Smartphones 7:00 – The Digital Divide: Why No Brand Has Truly Bridged It 14:30 – The Transformative Impact of Jio 26:30 – India vs. China: The Ongoing Tech War 37:20 – Creating Real Value: Meeting Customer Needs 40:00 – Understanding Consumer Psychology in Smartphone Purchases 48:40 – The Rise of India’s Design Economy 52:20 – Why ‘Patient Capital’ Matters for Innovation 57:50 – Customer Privacy: India vs. The World 1:04:00 – How Brands Leverage Consumer Data 1:06:40 – Why India Lacks a Global-Scale Software Giant 1:12:00 – AI: More Than Just a Buzzword? 1:17:00 – The Future: Will Apps Be Replaced by Agents? About Mad Over Growth: Mad Over Growth is a podcast series that features insightful conversations with growth-minded individuals, their strategies, and success anecdotes. Hosted by Nitin Bajaj, founder of EasyLeadz - a bootstrapped & profitable SAAS startup that helps over 300K+ businesses generate leads for their business. This podcast is produced by EasyLeadz. ---- About EasyLeadz: EasyLeadz is the easiest way to find B2B contact numbers of professionals & decision-makers with just one click. Our hit rate and the accuracy of the numbers are probably the best in the industry. Actions speak louder than words, try it out for free, https://bit.ly/3GqgAnt LinkedIn:   / easyleadz   Instagram:   / easyleadz