Conviction Over Chaos: Aashish Somaiyaa’s Playbook for Building Long-Term Wealth | The India Opportunity
Avoiding FOMO driven investing, emotional regulation and long-term wealth creation in the public markets
Hello everyone, welcome to The India Opportunity Show where you get a front-row seat to people building India’s future. We talk about unlocking the potential of the country with founders, investors, creators, and successful leaders from different fields to bring you real-life stories and behind-the-scenes of what it takes to be at the forefront of building the India Story.
Episode 8, Season 2 of The India Opportunity Show is out now! You can watch it on YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
My guest today is one of India’s most respected voices in fund management — someone who’s built a legacy of performance, integrity, and conviction in an industry often driven by noise. Aashish Somaiyaa has led two of India’s most admired investment institutions — ICICI Prudential and Motilal Oswal AMC — and today, he’s building WhiteOak Capital into one of the most strategically differentiated firms in the country.
This conversation is a masterclass in long-term thinking: from identifying overlooked sectors before they boom, to navigating fraud risks in pre-IPO markets, to resisting the temptation of launching fads like small-cap funds — Aashish shares the frameworks, filters, and philosophies that separate true investors from opportunists.
We talk about the emotional discipline it takes to manage money at scale, the impact of AI and macro shifts on Indian capital markets, and why building trust is harder — and more important — than chasing returns.
If you want to understand how India’s best allocators think — this is the episode.
Chapters
01:55 — Moving from ICICI Prudential to Motilal Oswal
05:24 — Defining professional entrepreneurship
07:12 — Finding the balance between risk-taking and stability
08:51 — Lessons from working with founders
11:45 — Evolution of White Oak Capital
14:45 — Strategic differentiation in a crowded industry
18:57 — Standing apart by not launching a small-cap fund
20:09 — Building trust through disciplined decisions
23:51 — The impact of AI and tech on investing
27:27 — Passive vs active investing in India
33:31 — Fraud and risk in the pre-IPO space
36:42 — Building a personal investment portfolio in your 20s & 30s
39:05 — Key metrics for evaluating businesses
45:58 — Finding overlooked sectors before they boom
49:51 — Lessons from investing in real estate
56:30 — Gold as a strategic asset class
59:06 — The evolving macro landscape and geopolitical risks
1:03:20 — Should you hold cash in your portfolio?
1:06:48 — India investors who want to Invest in China
1:11:56 — How one should go through Market Correction
1:17:15 — Surprising Insights about the Market
1:21:24 — How one should manage and regulate their emotions
—
If you’re new here, I would love to have you subscribe to the newsletter and our YT channel for more updates. To those who have been with us for a while, I’m grateful for your support and excited to share more stories with you through this medium.
As always, will really appreciate your feedback and support as we build this out for the world!
Please help us spread the word by sharing this episode with your network!
Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.