But there\u2019s a more philosophical reason why this is a formidable task. Our primary ambition of hosting these events is to encourage camaraderie. We imagine a world where Indian founders can rely on each other for support, help, inspiration, and guidance. We want these events to not just be a place where they glean tactical knowledge about running their business, this is important, but it is about helping people make connections. In the quest to build a $1 trillion product nation, as a collective, we\u2019ll have to help each other build. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea was to set up a retreat for around 12 to 14 founders, each with an ARR of $3 million or more in the US market, all looking to scale their SaaS businesses in the country. It would be a closed-door event, encouraging peer-to-peer learning and building real connections. Sounds straightforward, right? But for me, it was uncharted territory\u2014new geography, a totally different time zone, and all the challenges that come with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can\u2019t lie though, I\u2019ve enjoyed every step of the journey. A key driving force for me has always been the pursuit of continuous learning in everything I do. With Vinod Muthukrishnan<\/a>, Mohit Garg<\/a>, Shubham Goel<\/a>, and, of course, Avinash Raghava<\/a> being part of the Growth Retreat Team, I was extremely sure I would not be disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve been part of SaaSBoomi for six months now, and every day I\u2019m still amazed by the sheer dedication and commitment of each volunteer. For the past three months, we\u2019ve had weekly calls with Vinod, Mohit, and Shubham, no matter where they are in the world, whether they\u2019re traveling for work, on vacation, or even sneaking away from a dinner party for a quick half-hour chat.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our plan of action was simple: divide and conquer. I needed to find the perfect venue close to SFO but still a little further away from the city so that it feels like a retreat and plan the logistics for the same. Avinash was in charge of reaching out to the right participants and Vinod, Shubham, and Mohit had to ensure that we had an ambitious list of speakers and ensure that they were part of the retreat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t as easy as it sounded, I learned very quickly that organizing things in the US is not the same as organizing things in India. You need to wait at least 24 to 48 hours for responses, people are not open to sharing phone numbers, so you need to wait for them to respond to the emails (which can take several days at times), and there is a protocol and contract in place for every big or small transaction. At times I felt extracting teeth may be easier, but this is just part of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With less than a month to go, I am extremely proud to say that the team has been able to put together an incredible lineup of speakers and founders for this two-day event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We have 14 founders from 12 unique companies<\/strong> participating in the retreat along with our 5 volunteers:<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev.matsio.com\/matsio\/saasboomi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Amarpreet-Kalkat.jpeg\")
\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmarpreet Kalkat\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t