India’s lending ecosystem is crowded with banks, NBFCs, and fintechs—but very few have managed to build institutions with scale, discipline, and long-term trust.In this episode, we sit down with Sandeep Menon, Founder & CEO of Vastu Housing Finance, one of India’s largest and most respected affordable housing finance companies. With a ₹11,000 Cr+ loan book and a customer base most banks wouldn’t touch, Sandeep has quietly built a lending giant by playing the long game—and doing things very differently from the typical startup playbook.We explore:•⁠ ⁠What most people misunderstand about the Indian housing finance landscape•⁠ ⁠How Sandeep bet on self-employed customers that banks refused to serve•⁠ ⁠The distribution engine Vastu built—without relying on ads or CAC•⁠ ⁠Why they’ve rebuilt their tech stack multiple times over the last decade•⁠ ⁠How they scaled without shortcuts, hype, or valuation games•⁠ ⁠Sandeep’s unconventional hiring and leadership philosophies•⁠ ⁠What governance really looks like when you treat your company like it’s already public•⁠ ⁠Deep reflections on trust, reinvention, institutional thinking, and building a financial machine that lastsWhether you’re building a lending company, scaling operations, or just curious about how to win in the most ignored markets—this is an unfiltered masterclass in how real institutions get built in India.⏱️ Timestamps0:00 – Introduction2:22 – What a housing finance company does8:32 – Broad role of Vastu12:28 – Sandeep’s customer journey16:49 – The overall process18:22 – How Sandeep builds trust20:38 – How on-ground touchpoints are defined23:24 – External factors impacting internal operations26:58 – Policy change or initiative that impacted business30:06 – What feels counterintuitive to Sandeep32:56 – Sandeep’s view on talent36:24 – His ownership mindset41:35 – How he built and executed it44:57 – What good governance means to him53:22 – Evolution of his leadership style55:40 – How friends describe Sandeep57:40 – How he stays tuned to people1:03:43 – Advice to his younger self1:06:30 – Outro Support the PodcastIf you enjoyed this episode, share it, subscribe, and drop a comment—your support helps us bring more underrepresented founder stories to light. Follow Jivraj on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jivrajsinghsachar/#IndianSiliconValley #VastuHousingFinance #SandeepMenon #FintechIndia #Lending #FounderStories #ISV #BuildForIndia