balaganesh_yv

VenkataBalaGanesh Yellai

Hello! Thanks for reading my bio.

I started my career as a software developer for a while at Goldman Sachs, where I did semi-cool stuff for traders across the globe. I quickly realized I was intrigued by other parts of the business than engineering. So I made the switch and went to business school at the Indian School of Business (ISB). This is where I learned about internet business and what makes them tick. More importantly, I have understood what separates great ideas and businesses from the rest - customer focus.

I then joined InMobi (India's first unicorn startup) with multiple portfolio companies in the software and consumer technology space. While my core role has been Strategy and Corporate Development, (coincidentally, I was also part of the core team that acquired Roposo - the Tiktok alternative making the waves). I have dabbled in preparing go-to-market strategies and customer relations. I have understood what it takes to build for Next Billion Users and worked closely with consumer high growth teams.

I then took a break to pursue my entrepreneurial ambitions with Priva - a B2C app that allows for user communication while ensuring privacy. Our core insight was that mobile number has become a very private identifier of an individual ( like Aadhaar no) and that consumers would prefer to have certain communications over the phone without sharing their mobile number. I helped define the MVP and designed the app end-to-end. The app is now live on the play store. While we did not see the traction that we wanted to, I have a lot of takeaways with the biggest being customers might not always be able to express what they want - so don't look at what they are saying but at what they are doing to identify what they want.

I love plotting graphs and knowing what the users were trying to achieve, but I also love talking to real users and understanding them. So while I can be rigid about data, I am also BIG on communication. I think this is exactly why I am extremely cross-functional, collaborative & voice of the customer! I am constantly looking to learn, so I always try & read a little tweet my learnings sporadically.

Projects

Buck

Money is simple. Buck makes it easy.Java, Flutter, Kubernetes, Apache Kafka

Skills

Wireframing