POV inside a Bengaluru hacker house where Indian founders are building AI, hardware, and magic
00:00
Caleb
5,419 posts
Caleb
@caleb_friesen
- walking 2.4 km of Bengaluru footpaths showed me: - tunnel juice - barbed wire - desire paths - bushwhacking - pavement pudding - a stairwell into a drain - something I can't type here don't watch this if you have a weak stomach
00:00 - When Bert Mueller visited India in 2010 he never could have imagined that he’d spend the next decade of his life here. Today he runs a profitable 50+ location QSR chain called California Burrito - they bring in ₹110+ crore annually. Here's how it happened 🧵
- Another footpath RESTORED! "...but Caleb, fixing one tiny footpath doesn't even move the needle." Tell that to: - Parents who can now push a stroller. - Seniors who can now sit to rest their legs. - Locals who don't need to hold their noses anymore. Action > Cynicism
00:00 - this reminds me of my litter cleaning days under the Ejipura Stonehenge in 2023 never posted about this at the time, but I remember inviting a few people to come out with me and pick up trash after work/on weekends never got any takers
01:20A serbian guy on a mission to clean one Indian street each day. - What Indian footpaths are for in descending order of importance: 1. Power junction boxes 2. Electrical poles 3. Hoardings 4. Food stalls 5. Darshini overflow 6. Parked vehicles 7. Trees 8. Potted plants 9. Pedestrians 10. Parents with strollers/differently-abled in wheelchairs
00:00 - I took a walk in HSR Layout recently. Here's what I realised: 1. Footpaths are inaccessible due to encroachment 2. Inaccessible footpaths aren't maintained 3. Unmaintained footpaths become dumping spots 4. Dumping spots become toilets It all starts with encroachment.
00:00 - If you had visited the Robotics Lab at IIT Madras at night in 2013, there’s a good chance you would have tripped over Swapnil Jain or Tarun Mehta asleep on the floor. A decade later, both own beds and have defined India’s electric two wheeler industry. This is their story 🧵
- got the high score on Pothole Patrol: Sarjapur Road I lived on Sarjapur Road for multiple years. met multiple small accidents due to potholes + silt/sand between 2018 and 2023. always kept dettol and bandages in my backpack which stretch in Bengaluru should I patrol next?
00:00 - Full context: "India is clearly the fastest growing country in the G10. This is a country that is investing massively in physical infrastructure, legal, capital markets infrastructure. There is a rising middle class here, this is a place we particularly like."
00:00
Blackstone CEO on "Where To Invest" Top idea is India - Skill issue. This was design strategically with dual-purpose functionality offering a valid path while ALSO improving pedestrian health. Path 1: Designed to improve balance. Path 2: Designed to improve plyometrics via jumping. Path 3: Designed to encourage leanness/slim belly.
Thank you for giving me challenge in #Walking and a maze I solved during my #Commute It is the respect we give to the #Pedestrians The most majority in commute, The most vulnerable on the road, The most environment friendly commuter!! #Walkability is directly proportional to
