Darshan Shah
Sets the editorial direction for Crafting Bharat and leads NewsReach. Named Entrepreneur of the Year, Media & Entertainment at the ET Entrepreneur Summit & Awards.
LinkedInAbout
The Story Behind Crafting Bharat
It started with founders who had a story and nowhere to tell it, and it hasn't stopped since.
How it started
Crafting Bharat didn't start as a plan. It started as a realisation.
We kept meeting founders with incredible stories and nowhere to tell them. Crafting Bharat began as one podcast to fix that, and it's grown because the need never stopped.
Darshan ShahCo-Founder & CEOWho runs it
The founders
Soniya Kundnani
Runs everything that turns a conversation into a published series and a stage into a live event — production, operations and the Crafting Bharat Awards.
LinkedInThe timeline
How it grew
- 2018
NewsReach founded by Darshan Shah & Soniya Kundnani
- 2024 → Ongoing
Crafting Bharat launches as a podcast still growing season after season
- Feb 2025
Awards Edition 1, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai
- Sept 2025
Edition 2, Taj Mahal Palace, New Delhi + Global Initiative launches
- June 2026
Edition 3, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai + Season 3 presented by AWS Startups
Why Crafting Bharat exists
Building something and explaining it well are two different skills, and most founders only have time for the first.
So we do the second part. One long conversation, in your words, on the record. Sector by sector, 100+ times over. Once a year we put everyone in the same room; the rest of the year the community keeps talking.
A story that outlasts a news cycle. That's the whole idea.
Recognition
Said by someone else
BW Merit Awards
Gold (Best Integrated Marketing Campaign), Silver (Enterprise Tech B2B), Bronze (Best B2B Marketing Campaign)
Adgully ScreenXX Awards 2025
Best Storytelling/Narrative Podcast (Brand Ki Baat)
The Economic Times MarTech Awards
Best Use of MarTech in an Integrated Campaign
ET Kaleido Awards 2026
Startup Category (AWS Startups × NewsReach collaboration)
Press mentionsThe WeekZee Business
FAQs
Questions, answered
Next chapter
Enough about us. The next chapter is yours!
Whether you're building something worth hearing about, or a brand that wants to stand next to it.