One summer morning in 2011, I was called into my senior’s office. “Rajan wants to meet you,” he said. An industry stalwart had explicitly asked for me, so I had to see him. At that meeting, my relationship with Rajan truly began.

Penned by Z47 & SaaSBoomi. Most founders chase capital. Vijay Rayapati built credibility first, and let capital follow. This isn’t the usual fundraising story. It’s a playbook built on building credibility, strategic dinners, monthly updates that actually move the needle, and backing from 40+ Fortune 1000 CIOs. Vijay didn’t just win over top-tier U.S. VCs; […]

Part of the Advantage India series: How Indian founders are building global AI solutions for underserved markets While Silicon Valley debates the metaphysics of AGI (artificial general intelligence), a Bangalore-founded startup has built something more practical: AI that actually makes money for small businesses worldwide.  Zoca just raised $6 million to deploy AI agents across […]

“There is nothing he believes in more than India and her founders.” Raj Sheth’s journey has been one of relentless optimism, quiet generosity, and unwavering belief in India’s startup community, always giving, always returning, always paying it forward.

Just two months into my role at SaaSBoomi, I found myself not only saying yes to my first team offsite, but genuinely excited for it. From heartfelt letters to jungle safaris, what unfolded in Kabini was more than bonding; it was belonging. In a team where kindness is culture and remote never feels distant, I knew I had found my place.

A few days ago, we had one of those rare pauses – an internal team session with Shekhar Kirani (Partner at Accel) that had us looking at our work through a new lens. And personally, it felt like someone had gently nudged me out of my comfort zone and asked: How am I really showing up in this role?

I heard him before I saw him. That’s the best way I can describe the first time I met Prasanna Krishnamoorthy. This story starts about a dozen years ago, when Prasanna was associated with Microsoft Accelerator. At the time, he was known to the startup community as a founder who had pivoted to nurturing startups […]

Penned by Z47 x SaaSBoomi. In January 2020, just as the world stood on the brink of a global pandemic, Vignesh Girishankar made a rare and difficult call. He turned down term sheets from top-tier VCs for his new idea. “We’ll come back when we’ve thought this through.” Vignesh, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Rocketlane, told investors. It wasn’t his first high-stakes call. 

Avoiding the Infrastructure Trap: The Wrong Race, and the Smarter Road Ahead for AI in India.