E192 - The Untold Secrets of Building a Billion-Dollar Marketplace: Umang Dua, Keychain (Previously built Handy, acquired by $ANGI)

Indian Silicon Valley with Jivraj Singh Sachar

In this episode, we sit down with Umang Dua, the co-founder of Handy, one of the world’s largest home services marketplaces, which was acquired by Angi, a billion-dollar public company. Now building his second startup, Keychain, Umang shares the untold secrets behind scaling a marketplace business and the lessons learned from his entrepreneurial journey. We dive deep into Umang’s insights on building a billion-dollar company, from navigating the early days of Handy, scaling through intense competition, and the emotional rollercoaster of startup life. Umang sheds light on how to build successful marketplaces, his approach to overcoming near-death moments, and the foundational lessons that shaped his approach as a founder. Umang also reflects on his experience on both sides of the founder's table, offering advice to new entrepreneurs, and discussing the differences between building startups in India and the US. He shares key insights into raising capital, dealing with investors, and the mindset required to build a high-growth company. This episode is a must-watch for aspiring founders, marketplace entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in learning from a founder who has scaled businesses to billions. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:52 - How the last 10-12 years shaped Umang as a founder 4:15 - Early memories of starting a company 6:35 - Foundational lessons Umang learned 12:45 - Advice for new founders in marketplaces 20:05 - Differences in the entrepreneurial journey between the US and India 26:15 - Umang’s thoughts on the other side of the founder’s table 30:55 - Things not shown or glorified in entrepreneurship 35:19 - Umang’s near-death or biggest doubts moment 40:40 - Key insights from the 0-1 journey of Handy 47:30 - How Umang built empathy to solve for supply 51:15 - The acquisition phase and how it happened 59:35 - The importance of energy around Umang 1:05:12 - Standout lessons from Umang’s journey 1:09:06 - Umang’s angel investing journey 1:12:19 - How Umang’s friends would describe him 1:15:25 - Umang’s superpower and fear 1:18:10 - Defining a life of success 1:21:45 - What Umang would tell his younger self 1:25:29 - Outro Instagram of Jivraj: instagram.com/jivrajsinghsachar #indiansiliconvalley​ #isv​ #indiansiliconvalleypodcast​ #isvpodcast​ #umangdua​ #entrepreneurship​ #startups​ #marketplaces​ #founderjourney