Saurabh Nigam is a seasoned HR leader, entrepreneur, and author of People Powered Startups. Over the last two decades, he has helped build and scale people functions across some of India's most prominent startups and high-growth organizations, including Snapdeal and Beroe. Today, through his advisory work, he partners with founders and leadership teams to build organizations where people and business can grow together.

In this episode, Saurabh joins Subbu to explore what it really takes to build people-powered organizations, why culture is far more than perks and policies, and how HR can become a genuine strategic partner in scaling businesses.

We explore:

• Saurabh's journey from software engineer to HR leader, and the mentors who shaped his thinking
• What working alongside founders at high-growth startups taught him about ambition, experimentation, and building at speed
• Why startups don't need more HR processes—they need better organizational design
• The strategic role of HR in helping businesses scale sustainably rather than simply adding more people
• Why culture is best understood as "the way we work together" rather than office perks or employee benefits
• How leaders can intentionally shape culture by defining what's okay—and what's not okay—as organizations grow
• Why purpose is the foundation of every successful team, and how founders can rally people around a shared mission
• How HR leaders can demonstrate business impact by connecting people initiatives to customer outcomes, innovation, and business performance
• Lessons from People Powered Startups on building organizations where great ideas are matched by great people practices
• Why India's founders are among the country's greatest enablers—and what it takes to build companies that last