Скачать или смотреть How Anish Built a Standout Developer Portfolio: From College to being a SOLO FOUNDER in SF

In this episode, I sit down with Anish Karthik - a builder, solo founder, and creative technologist whose portfolio feels like a playground of bold ideas, experimentation, and real-world execution.

We dive deep into Anish’s journey across AI, vibe coding, hackathons, and solo building, and unpack what it really looks like to create projects for fun versus building with startup intent. Anish shares how he stays motivated as a solo founder, how he structures his day, and how he balances learning (consumption) with hands-on creation especially in fast-moving tech environments.
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This conversation goes beyond résumés and buzzwords. We talk honestly about:

-Using AI as a creative and productivity multiplier
-The role of hackathons in learning and building confidence
-What makes a tech portfolio truly stand out
-“Vibe coding” and building without over-optimizing too early
-Structuring your day to stay focused and motivated
-The difference between building for curiosity vs. building a startup
-Navigating uncertainty, momentum and solo-founder energy

👇 Watch till the end for practical insights, mindset shifts and real talk you won’t find in textbooks.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro + Portfolio preview
01:50 Anish's tech journey overview
04:05 Choosing Major- Computer Science, Math & Statistics
05:12 Mindset during undergrad
06:50 Project Ideas - Startups and personal projects
09:28 Building Portfolio - challenges and mindset
11:46 Website that ranks github portfolios
12:51 Vibe Coding - Pros and cons, Vibe coding for starups
15:22 TAMUHack - Hackathon events at Texas A & M, Anish's responsibilities
16:34 Stepping away from Master's degree - How this pivot turned his life around
20:20 Advice, decision making process
23:06 His current work, collaboration
24:14 Balance between creation and consumption
26:02 Structure and Motivation
27:52 Starter kit for founders(startups) and college students
29:51 Networking and success rate with cold DMs
32:02 Closing thoughts
32:20 Outro
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Meet the Guest:
Anish Karthik
Portfolio : https://anish.fish/
LinkedIn:   / anishkarthik  


Meet the Host:
Chandana Bhatt
LinkedIn:   / chandana-bhatt-539027133  

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🎯 Who this episode is for
This episode is perfect for:

-Students and early-career engineers exploring tech paths
-Builders, hackers, and solo founders
-Anyone questioning traditional routes like grad school or rigid career ladders
-Creators learning how to balance experimentation with execution