Blusmart: Risk hai par Ishq nahi hai
In this edition: A 'Blu' scam, Whatsapp Communities and we spot Tigers
Sorry about the cheesy headline: it’s based on the now famous dialogue from Scam 92. But we’ll come to that later.
Good morning and welcome to Mixology 57! Let’s get started
🌏 Product & Design News
Blusmart breaks many hearts 💔
Barely a couple of weeks after a minister panned Indian startups for not doing something substantial (check Mixology 55 for details), a blue eyed boy amongst startups, Blusmart cabs, left all of us deeply disappointed.
What shocked people is the brazenness of its promoters (the Jaggi brothers), in using investor money for personal gains (yes that includes purchasing a Rs 100cr flat in DLF Camellias, Gurugram)
Besides the repercussions, the event leaves an indelible mark on Indian founders and startups in general. We wondered if there is a way to spot such scamsters before the scam comes to light. As it turns out, with GenAI, this has become easier.
Vijay Kedia, known as an ace investor, said there are atleast a 100 such companies and outlined 10 indicators to spot them. We put these to Perplexity and voila, Gensol flashed red on several of them.
Not just that, few others like Ola, Paytm too didn’t do too well.
So caveat emptor my friends, else there is always Risk hai toh Ishq hai.
🗞More news
OpenAI pursued Cursor maker before entering into talks to buy Windsurf for $3B
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🖥️ From Founders’ Desk:
Nishith’s tips on spotting a tiger in the wild
I've always been fascinated by wildlife, and I think it started during my childhood in Khatima, right next to the forest. Seeing this old photo really takes me back!
That early connection to nature probably explains my love for jungle safaris today.
I went to Sariska Tiger Reserve over the long weekend – missed a tiger by a whisker (about 5 minutes!). But it made me think about a previous Ranthambore trip where we had better luck and got some fantastic tips from our guide:
Visit in Peak Summer: March-May is ideal. The dry conditions mean easier spotting, and tigers stick close to waterholes.
Smart Booking Strategy: Here’s a trick: get there a day early. Ask local agents (hotels usually know who to talk to) about morning tiger sightings.
Target the Evening: Book the evening safari in the same zone where the tiger was seen earlier. They often rest nearby during the heat and start moving again later. Worth paying a premium if seats are available!
We compiled a video from that Ranthambore trip – kept it pretty raw so you get the real vibe. Watch it here:
And that’s it for this week. We’ll see you next week. Byee!
