The “Crafting Bharat – Season 2” powered by AWS Startups, an initiative by NewsReach, in association with VCCircle, and production partner – HT Smartcast, explores how startups are harnessing the power of the cloud to accelerate growth, optimise operations, and building solutions that will define the India of Tomorrow. This series is hosted by Gautam Srinivasan, famed for hosting a diverse range of TV and digital programs, currently consulting editor at CNBC (India), CNN-News18, Forbes India, and The Economic Times.
In this episode, we spotlight Dheeraj Pandey, Co-Founder & CEO of DevRev, who is on a mission to transform how businesses connect with their customers. He shares his insights on scaling a global AI powerhouse, stretching every dollar to build resilient companies, and what it truly takes for India to emerge as a leader in SaaS 2.0 and AI-driven innovation. Discover the inspiring stories of startups shifting gears and driving innovation across various sectors, contributing to the mission of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047 through this series.
Video Link - https://youtu.be/Qi75GW-UnTM
Edited Excerpts:
Segment 1: Ignite
With DevRev you initially built a Jira alternative but pivoted to focus on customer support and customer centricity which presented better and more immediate growth opportunities. So, did the script flip?
We didn’t originally set out to be a Jira alternative—that’s a misconception. For us, work is simply work, whether it’s support tasks or development efforts. Traditionally, companies have operated in silos, but the reality is that 90% of the engineering behind these systems is fundamentally the same. Whether it’s Salesforce opportunities, Salesforce tickets, Zendesk tickets, Freshdesk tickets, or Jira issues, they all follow similar workflows with stages, states, and approvals. The real magic lies in recognizing that if you were to build software today—whether for opportunities, tickets, issues, or incidents—90% of the foundational requirements remain the same.
In terms of making the funding runway last longer than usual basis the lessons that leading your previous startup had provided?
Stretching the dollar is a term I use often. Firstly, I would say is the talent. If you make the company top-heavy, it will initially create problems among the specialists. You need to have a lot of synchronization before evolving and passing on the baton to avoid burning out the funding. Secondly, investing in young talents as they have the hunger to achieve and learn. By arbitraging this hunger with that other hunger which is demand and supply coming together is at the core of building great companies that stretched the dollar.
Segment 2: Launch
What’s DevRev doing to democratize data at scale and break organizational silos that exist even in digitally native businesses to make AI actionable?
My perspective, and our collective approach, revolve around the concept of team intelligence—understanding what AI is truly unlocking. In this vision, both the customer and the AI agent are integral members of the team. This shift redefines collaboration, ensuring that AI agents enhance rather than replace jobs, while also bridging the gap between businesses and customers, making them part of the same ecosystem rather than separate entities.
Sub-segment: Boost
How do you see the bond between DevRev and AWS transform the enterprise especially as AI shifts the focus from code to customer-centric solutions?
I am a big fan of not just Amazon Web Services (AWS) but Amazon as well. The reason Amazon became popular is because of their 3 pillars – Convenience, Choice and Pricing. At DevRev we believe in the same three pillars. AWS has the best sales engineers and solution architects who talk to our developers in a very low latency and highly precise way. They have been humbling to us from Day 1 and it continues. I feel that level of hustle is just unparalleled.
Segment 3: Orbit
How can India overcome the hurdles, advance to SaaS 2.0, and emerge as a global AI powerhouse in line with Mission 2047?
The initial step is moving beyond prompt engineering. AI starts with prompt-based approaches using foundation models, but that’s just the beginning. As many companies offer GPT wrappers, the next critical leap is semantic search and advanced reasoning. Talented engineers and designers can harness these capabilities, effectively unleashing AI’s full potential.
India's startup ecosystem is thriving, powered by a new generation of visionary young talent who are developing solutions to pressing challenges. Their innovative approaches not only address key problems but also drive the nation's economy forward, paving the way for India's transformation into a fully developed and modern country.
Stay tuned to Crafting Bharat – Season 2 as we bring you these inspirational entrepreneurs for insightful and candid discussions with Gautam Srinivasan.
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