Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar
The Clueless Founder: Are You A Founder?
Welcome to the second episode of The Clueless Founder. The show made for folks who are just starting out on the wild, wild journey of being a founder. Think of it as a no-BS, real life guide to the nitty gritty of the startup life! We’re here to break it down one episode at a time.
In the previous episode, Lakshmi Chaudhry (splainer Founder) and Chitra Raghavan (Partner, Rajaram Legal) discussed the startup equivalent of the shaadi prenup: the Founder’s Agreement. In this instalment, Lakshmi’s talking to Neha Bagaria. She founded her first startup as a senior at Wharton—and is now on her third venture HerKey—which recently raised $4 million for an exciting, innovative platform for working women. Neha helps us cut through all the startup hype to unpack the biggest question each of us has to face: Should I even be a founder?
A ceasefire in Gaza: What does this mean?
Israel and Hamas have finally signed an agreement—after more than 460 days of a devastating invasion. Unsurprisingly, the Americans are busy arguing about who deserves all the credit—Biden or Trump.
About that agreement: It is a three-phase deal. In the first six-week period, 33 hostages will be released—and aid will be rushed to Gaza on 600 trucks a day. The hostages will mostly be women, children and civilians over the age of 50. Israel will also release a larger number of Palestinian prisoners—including 1000 who were detained after October 7. Also: “Israel will withdraw its forces from Gaza’s population centres to areas no more than 700 metres inside Gaza’s border with Israel.”
As for the rest: The second and third phases have been left fuzzy. The details will be negotiated during the first phase—with Donald Trump having taken over in the White House. The ceasefire is supposed to hold—even if negotiations take more than six weeks. But Tel Aviv isn’t making promises. OTOH, if all goes well, Israel will completely withdraw in the second phase—and all remaining hostages will go home. The last phase will involve a three-year reconstruction plan.
Point to note: The deal has to be ratified by a far right Israeli cabinet—that is in no mood to compromise. But the residents of Gaza are already celebrating.
The big picture: A new Lancet study estimates the number dead is far higher than the official number: 64,260, with 59% being women, children and people over 65. Many, many more would have died of starvation if this deal didn’t go through.
But, but, but: The fate of Gaza—as always—depends on the broader geopolitical calculations in the Middle East.
A quick flashback: Hamas attacked Israel—to avoid its looming irrelevance (see: this Big Story). The US (under Trump) had brokered the historic Abraham Accords—sealing an alliance between Israel and Arab states such as UAE. The 800-pound gorilla—Saudi Arabia—was expected to join the party in exchange for US aid to set up a nuclear program.
All of which would have ensured the total isolation of everyone’s least fave Middle Eastern state: Iran—also, Hamas’ great benefactor. But the horrific October 7 attacks—and Israel’s brutal retaliation—changed everything.
Where we are now: Iran and its allies have indeed been severely weakened—Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza—and most recently, Bashar Assad in Syria. But the Saudis have since made peace with Tehran. And they are no longer willing to cuddle up to Tel Aviv—without a clear pathway toward an independent Palestine.
Most importantly: The Saudis are moving forward with their nuclear program. Earlier this week, Riyadh announced plans to enrich and sell uranium—without waiting for US approval. This is notable because Washington has been insisting on an agreement that “requires the Saudis forgo enrichment and reprocessing capabilities—two pathways to building a bomb.” It will be interesting to see how or whether the Trump White House reacts.
Complicating matters: Riyadh has long cited Iran’s nuclear program as justification for its nuclear program. But it has now made peace with Tehran—which in turn is holding “constructive talks” with Europeans jumpy about Trump’s return. Reminder: Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the nuclear deal with Iran during his first term—triggering severe sanctions. It isn’t clear what he will do now that the Saudis (his BFFs) are no longer brawling with Iran.
Reading list: Al Jazeera and Associated Press have the best coverage of the ceasefire deal. Al Jazeera also has the best reporting on the Saudi nuclear move. A highly recommended read: The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists on how Riyadh’s nuclear ambitions could reshape Middle East politics—creating a tipping point for the US.
New categories for diagnosing obesity
A panel of Indian doctors have proposed rethinking obesity—by tweaking the definition of dangerous levels of Body Mass Index (BMI).
Issue with BMI: Obesity has been tied to BMI for decades—with 18-22.9 as normal, 23-24.9 as overweight, and anything above 25 as obese. But it has also been severely criticised as a misleading indicator of health. The reason: It doesn’t measure abdominal fat—common in South Asians—which wraps around organs and triggers inflammation, diabetes, and heart disease even at low BMI levels. Plus, “people with high muscle mass — football players or other athletes — may have a high BMI despite normal fat mass.”
The new guidelines: advocate splitting an obesity diagnosis into two categories: Obesity without consequences and Obesity with consequences. The first is treated as a “yellow light”—as long as the BMI number stays below 23. The advice is to be mindful to avoid slipping over the line. The second ‘red light’ classification is reserved for either people with BMI above 23—or those who have specific health issues. Examples: excess abdominal fat, high blood sugar (diabetes), joint pain caused by weight (like knee arthritis) etc.
Point to note: The Indian recommendations come on the heels of a global report that redefines obesity—beyond BMI. The new definition could reclassify up to 20% of those currently deemed obese. The Telegraph has the India angle, Hindustan Times has more on the global report.
The nayaa Indian news guru: The YouTube influencer
A new study shows that YouTube influencers are replacing mainstream and digital media—as the source of news. This is especially notable in the area of interviews with A-list netas—who now find far greater engagement on Vivek Bindra, Beer Biceps, or Curly Tales—than India Today TV or Aaj Tak. These interviews offer a form of “slow propaganda” for politicians—who are featured all year long—rather than just before elections.
What’s notable: Unlike TV channels that favour the ruling party, YouTube influencers show that audiences are just as interested in Opposition leaders. The main reason though isn’t quite as encouraging: “[The] trend is towards personality-driven content rather than policy or position discussions.”
The quote to note: Influencers are becoming the source of news around the world—which is terrible news for journalists—as the authors of the report predict:
Overall, investing in influencer interviews is VERY profitable. Politicians receive upwards of 10 x more views when interviewed by influencers or independent journalists compared to traditional media outlets. Eventually influencing will eat up professional political journalism.
We highly recommend this X thread—highlighting the important data points. (Scroll)
what caught our eye
business & tech
- OpenAI board has brought on billionaire investor Adebayo Ogunlesi—known as one of Wall Street’s sharpest dealmakers—as it gears up to go for-profit.
sports & entertainment
- India’s women team claimed their biggest-ever ODI win, crushing Ireland by 304 runs in Rajkot. Stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana set a new record for the fastest ODI century by an Indian batter.
- Justin Baldoni’s legal battle with Blake Lively has escalated into newfound territory—dragging in Disney and Marvel.
- Drake has sued his record label for putting his life and reputation at risk by releasing and promoting Kendrick Lamar’s diss track—‘Not Like Us’.
health & environment
- University of Birmingham’s software shows childhood abuse, neglect, or domestic violence raises the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis later in life.
- The US government has banned red dye No. 3 in food and beverages—found in products made by PepsiCo and Hershey’s. The reason: it is linked to cancer.
- The Supreme Court ruled that easy access to clean public toilets for all—including men, women, persons with disabilities, and transgender persons—is a basic right.
as for the rest
- South Korea’s President has finally been arrested—in dramatic fashion via the climbing of barricades and barbed wire—after weeks of chaos.
- The News Minute offers a deep dive into the case of the Dailt teen who was sexually abused by over 60 men over a five-year period. Content warning: The report contains graphic details of sexual violence which may be hard to read.
- The Indian government has finally admitted that an Indian national was involved in the attempted assassination of Gurpatwant Pannun—but insist he was a lone wolf.
- A global poll shows folks in non-western nations like China, Russia, India, and Brazil are all gung-ho for Trump’s second term—while the Europeans are worried.
- Space X debris is delaying airline flights by as much as six hours.
- A team of physicists has revealed cornstarch to be the secret to cracking the perfect recipe of cacio e pepe—a popular pasta dish.
Three things to see
One: A 53-year-old French woman was extorted out of $850,000 by a scammer who claimed to be Brad Pitt. He used AI generated photos of himself—to convince her to split with her millionaire husband—and pay for his fake cancer treatment! The Independent has a detailed version of this bizarre story. 
Two: Fans of true crime, rejoice! The trailer for the much anticipated mini-series ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ has dropped—starring Kaitlyn Dever (of the ‘Unbelievable’ and ‘Dopesick’ fame) as Belle Gibson—an Australian influencer who faked having cancer to sell her wellness products. The show will be released on February 6 on Netflix. Watch the trailer here. (Variety)
Three: What’s better than Robert De Niro playing a mobster? How about him playing two? Trailer for ‘The Alto Knights’ is out—with De Niro playing both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese—in a movie that reunites him with director Barry Levinson. The film hits theaters on March 21. Catch the trailer here. (Mashable)
