From CS to CEO: Varun Sharma on Risk, Resilience, and Real-Time Feedback
Uncharted Podcast
Deep Dive
Why did Varun Sharma decide to start Enterpret with his brother?
Varun saw a gap in product teams understanding the 'why' behind their data, as insights were buried in unstructured feedback. His brother, an NLP researcher, convinced him of the technology's potential, and Varun saw the application in customer feedback analytics.
What was the key insight Varun Sharma gained from his time at Amplitude?
The success of Amplitude came from being customer-centric, maintaining a strong culture, and continuously improving based on customer feedback, which compounded over time.
How did Varun Sharma describe the competitive spirit in India?
He attributed it to a generation striving for success, standing out in a competitive environment, and an aspirational society with a large middle class and access to technology.
Why did Varun Sharma prioritize customer success (CS) as the first go-to-market hire at Enterpret?
He believed that over-investing in customer success early on ensures customers have an incredible experience and provides valuable feedback to improve the product, which is crucial for a maturing product.
What convinced Varun Sharma that Enterpret was a great idea?
He felt confident about the idea in the last year, as advancements in large language models replaced their homegrown AI models, making their vision more achievable and timely.
Why did Varun Sharma choose New York over San Francisco for expanding Enterpret's team?
New York was chosen because it is three hours closer to India in terms of time zone, allowing better collaboration with the engineering team. Additionally, Varun was energized by the vibrant atmosphere of New York.
What advice would Varun Sharma give his younger self?
He would advise his younger self to be more adventurous in decision-making, take bold bets, and believe in his own capabilities.
- Varun Sharma, CEO of Enterpret
- Originally from India
- Grad school in New York (2010)
- Worked at LinkedIn and Amplitude
- Founded Enterpret with his brother
- Competitive spirit of India's younger generation
Shownotes Transcript