I don’t believe in completeness. Not too long ago, at one of SaaSBoomi’s events, I bumped into a founder. We made small talk and then he said something interesting. “The perfect journey is never finished. The goal is always just across the next river, around the shoulder of the next mountain. There is always one more track to follow, one more mirage to explore.”
This quote took over me and sparked an idea that had been forming in our collective for a while — curating a community of leaders. I wondered, is the lack of this community holding us back from achieving our dream of a Product Nation?
Allow me to explain. The Freshworks IPO was a watershed moment for Indian SaaS. It told the world you could build in India and achieve large outcomes. But a larger movement in progress underneath the Freshworks celebration escaped most people. Freshworks has produced over 50 SaaS founders. In other words, 50 people learned, built, and executed by understanding and absorbing the DNA of Freshworks. There is a similar encouraging number from Zoho as well. And if we zoom out past SaaS, in the Indian ecosystem, there are several other large founder networks including the alums of Flipkart and OYO.
This means that among companies in India, large and small, there exist budding founders trying to ideate and create. It also means that several thousands of founders don’t take the leap and create another Freshworks, Zoho, Flipkart, or OYO because they don’t get help to nudge them in the right direction.
At SaaSBoomi, we have a blindspot, we encourage founders to learn from each other and grow but what about their pre-founder journey? This not only benefits those operators with entrepreneurial dreams but also helps the organization at which they currently work where they can build and hone their skills.
After Avinash and I discussed curating a community for operators in April, I ran the possibility past many founders at a subsequent SGx event. The response was a resounding ‘Yes’.
So, finally, we are ready to take the first steps which will be a giant leap for the product nation vision. Here’s presenting the Leaders Platform.
What is SaaSBoomi Leaders Platform?
We envision this sub-community to be more than just a platform. It is a dynamic space where passionate SaaS leaders with a shared vision will band together. And where SaaSBoomi’s programming will empower you to accelerate growth, share knowledge, and shape the future of the SaaS industry.
The long-term vision for SaaSBoomi Leaders Platform:
- Accelerated learning: Dive deep into the latest SaaS trends and best practices through special events, roundtables, expert insights, and curated content.
- Collaborative knowledge sharing: Learn from the collective wisdom of your peers. Share experiences, solve challenges together, and stay ahead of the curve.
- Powerful networking: Build lasting relationships with like-minded professionals through virtual meetups, local events, and our annual conferences.
- Mentorship and support: Find guidance, offer mentorship, and be part of a supportive community that enables growth and development.
- Inclusive environment: Embrace a culture of openness, inclusivity, and mutual support.
The Way Forward
SaaSBoomi Leaders Platform will be steered by volunteers who deeply understand the operator’s landscape. Leading the charge with me is Anubhav Arora (Lead of Product Partner Strategy at Salesforce). We also have power volunteers, which include Gowthami Kanumuru (Marketing head at Darwinbox), Navaneet Madhoor (Chief of Staff at SaaSLabs), Kingston David (PR head at Freshworks), and Maansi Sanghi (CMO at iMocha). Along with Avinash who has promised to be a silent, but strong presence.
If you are a SaaS Leader who currently leads the technology, product, operations, HR, and GTM charter at your organisation (with an ARR exceeding $2 million), you can apply to be a part of the SaaSBoomi Leaders Platform. First, we will curate focused groups and then run exclusive sessions for each of the groups. This calendar of activities will evolve and be tweaked through regular feedback and based on your needs.
We hope to build on the momentum we have at SaaSBoomi and expand it to our new collective with the hope that we can take another meaningful step towards a product nation. But our journey has just begun.
Let’s kick off the event on October 26 in Chennai, the SaaS capital of India. Surendran Balachandran, the Director of Growth at Atlan, will facilitate the session where you can explore how to lay the GTM foundation for your startup’s $10 Mn journey.
