Founding Fuel

Founding Fuel aims to create the new playbook of entrepreneurship. Think of us as a hub for entrepreneurs- the go-to place for ideas, insights, practices and wisdom essential to build the enterprise of tomorrow. It is co-founded by veteran journalists Indrajit Gupta and Charles Assisi, along with CS Swaminathan, the former president of Pearson's online learning venture.

My Work

Mar 16, 2026

Editor’s Note | Sharpening the Signal

Founding Fuel

Mar 6, 2026·FF Life

Beyond the Headlines: The Human Complexity of the Middle East

Books, films and cultural works that help us see the Middle East beyond the noise of geopolitics

Founding Fuel

Feb 13, 2026·Artificial Intelligence

India’s AI Gambit: The Choices That Will Define Power

Speed is not strategy. The real battle is over sovereignty, science and state capacity

Founding Fuel

Jan 8, 2026·Economy, Policy & Society

The Ecology of Engagement: What Madhav Gadgil Taught Us to See

From sacred groves to the Western Ghats, Gadgil’s work rebuilt the bridge between science and lived experience.

Founding Fuel

Dec 19, 2025·FF Life

The Best of FF Life 2025

11 stories that asked us to slow down, look closer, and feel more deeply

Founding Fuel

Dec 18, 2025·Business & Strategy

The Best Stories of 2025

Ten of our best work through the year—on business, leadership, and geopolitical trends

Founding Fuel

Sep 26, 2025·Work, Careers & Personal Mastery

‘Everybody Has a Sacred Story’

An extract from Barack Obama’s speechwriter Terry Szuplat’s new book, ‘Say It Well’

Founding Fuel

Sep 17, 2025·Business & Strategy

Book Extract: From customer journeys to integrated experiences

A brand’s attempt at relevance and how AI worked for it. An extract from Sangeet Paul Choudary’s new book, “Reshuffle”

Founding Fuel

Sep 14, 2025·FF Life

Curtain Raiser: The Durga Puja Experience in Kolkata

Experiencing the world’s largest street art festival

Founding Fuel

Sep 5, 2025·FF Life

How to make cultural festivals independent, inclusive, and sustainable

Cultural festivals succeed when they put community before commerce and independence before sponsorship—while continuously experimenting to stay relevant and inclusive. Insights from the builders of the Bangalore Lit Fest and Mumbai’s MAMI film festival

Founding Fuel

Aug 13, 2025·Economy, Policy & Society

12 Places That Helped Shape Post-Independence India

They tell the story of modern India’s evolution

Founding Fuel

Mar 28, 2025·FF Life

We’ve been experimenting with intermittent fasting. Here’s what we’re learning

Charles Assisi and NS Ramnath share their journeys—and lessons—on the road to better health. And Dr Aasim Maldar, an endocrinologist, weighs in on how and why to make it something one can sustain

Founding Fuel

Feb 14, 2025·FF Life

FF Life: Getting Hands-On with AI

Five curated stories on how and why to begin experimenting with AI

Founding Fuel

Dec 20, 2024·FF Life

The best of FF Life in 2024

Nine stories that took us close to Frida Kahlo’s art; inside the best Durga Puja pandals; the most memorable moments from the Lok Sabha elections; into the world of graphic novels; a trek to Sandakphu near Darjeeling; and Ramzaan in South Mumbai’s Bhendi Bazaar

Founding Fuel

Dec 19, 2024·Entrepreneurship, Startups & Innovation

The best stories of 2024

Scintillating, insightful conversations and incisive articles on business, entrepreneurship and geopolitical trends

Founding Fuel

Nov 4, 2024·Leadership & Organisation

Practice making mistakes

An extract from ‘The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out’ by Dana Maor, Hans-Werner Kaas, Kurt Strovink and Ramesh Srinivasan

Founding Fuel

Jun 20, 2024·Leadership & Organisation

The red flags in your team

An excerpt from Dr Dana Sinclair’s new book, ‘Dialed In: Do Your Best When It Matters Most’

Founding Fuel

Jun 18, 2024·Economy, Policy & Society

Not the government’s cheerleader

An extract from former RBI governor Dr D Subbarao’s book, ‘Just a Mercenary?’

Founding Fuel

Jun 18, 2024·Business & Strategy

Reliability wins customers

An extract from Harit Nagpal’s new book ‘Adapt: To Thrive, Not Just Survive’ on how the new CEO of an AC company that ranked fourth in a market of six big players, found a sustainable differentiator: making the company “easy to deal with”

Founding Fuel

Jun 7, 2024·Economy, Policy & Society

13 Most Memorable Moments: Lok Sabha Elections 2024

The key turning points that defined a truly tumultuous general election

Founding Fuel

Mar 11, 2024·Economy, Policy & Society

NPAs: A problem that refuses to go away

An extract from Rajrishi Singhal’s book, 'Slip, Stitch and Stumble: The Untold Story of India's Financial Sector Reforms'

Founding Fuel

Dec 22, 2023·FF Life

The best stories of 2023

On travelling to the far reaches of Earth, good health, an eye on China, climate change, personal growth and more

Founding Fuel

Dec 9, 2023·FF Life

FF Life: Movies to binge-watch

A guide to movies and documentaries across genres

Founding Fuel

Oct 6, 2023·FF Life

FF Life: The golden seed

S Sivakumar, group head of ITC’s agri and IT businesses, and Chef Sanjeev Kapoor offer us insights on how to get started with millets and a starter kit of easy recipes

Founding Fuel

Aug 4, 2023·FF Life

FF Life: 7 favourite books

In our daily newsletter FF Insights, we cull a book extract that we believe will add value to our subscribers’ day. Here are our favourite books from that long list

Founding Fuel

Jul 21, 2023·FF Life

FF Life: Oppenheimer & the scientific phenomena of the Nuclear Age

The biopic Oppenheimer, on ‘the father of the atomic bomb’, just released in India. Here’s a curated list of books and movies that explore the people behind the Nuclear Age and the conflicts that shaped it

Founding Fuel