From Beginners to Masters of Scale, A Journey

As I sit here today - waiting to board my air vessel to a city that has curated the most formidable startups, I can’t help but reminisce about that 2018 rainy day in Kanpur when my Leo (West Wing reference) called me up and told me of this podcast he stumbled upon as Google Podcast recommendation. This episode was nearly an hour long conversation (Uncut Version)?with Mr. Reid Hoffman and Mr. Brian Chesky . Brian talks about how, in the early days of Airbnb , people thought the idea was crazy.

You have to go to the place that seems impossible, and that’s where you’ll find magic.

The clarity with which he defines the multi-star system going all the way to a 11-star rating and what that magical experience means - embodies the obsession that an entrepreneur must have to deliver the best for their customer has been part of culture at Ekak. I must tell you that till date I have had several re-runs of that episode which does its Abracadabra and weaves a path forward in delivering interesting user experiences / end-beneficiary. Airbnb has to get into the business of selling cereals initially alongside their base business to keep the lights on. I can draw parallel to that at Ekak to continue to live to fight another day, may it be consulting on the side or setting up 3d printing services.

Great companies don’t just meet customer needs; they delight them in ways the customers didn’t even know they wanted.

While Brian’s magical journey provides insights in how to push through with a clarity of thought on what you aim to deliver. Guy Kawasaki ’s Masters of Scale episode - flips the equation to the importance of customer obsession. While Guy is responsible for helping create 苹果 ’s cult-like following. His philosophy has been central to how we approach product development. Our goal isn’t just to build functional AI agents — it’s to create solutions that solve real problems in a way that exceeds expectations. Whether it's offering AI-powered insights that boost productivity or creating traceability solutions that enhance safety, we always put the customer first. Kawasaki’s customer-centric approach has helped us build lasting relationships, where our clients now serve as advocates for what we do. Not sure, if In Hong Kong Jackie Chan gets asked this but based on your following In Bangalore I’m sure he’ll be mistaken for Mr. Kawasaki.?

Being obsessed with your customer and setting audacious goals does not necessarily mean success. An entrepreneur's journey is one filled with twists and turns - also known as pivots. Stewart Butterfield ’s story is all about such unexpected turns. In his Masters of Scale episode, Butterfield talks about how Slack emerged from a failed gaming company. His advice: sometimes, you need to let go of the initial idea and pivot when the right opportunity arises.?From building a game, that was going to be huge. But it failed, and out of that failure came Slack, the internal tool that was used to communicate.

At Ekak, this idea of embracing change and having the courage to pivot has been invaluable. In 2020 - as the pandemic brought the whole world to a stand-still, we were heavily focused on computer vision solutions for road safety. While the technology worked and it won us accolades at the national stage, we quickly realized that our tools could have broader applications in making Indian factories smarter and safer through object detection in tracking human-machine-material interactions. Much like Slack emerged from the ashes of a failed game, these pivots at Ekak opened new doors for us, allowing us to create scalable, impactful AI products. Butterfield’s lesson reminds me that flexibility and openness to change are key to uncovering new opportunities.

Despite a Pivot, we needed to upskill and get rid of our technical debt. This is where Eric Schmidt ’s episode talks about how 谷歌 scaled by hiring brilliant people and giving them the freedom to experiment.

The smartest people don’t need to be told what to do. You hire them, give them a vision, and then you get out of their way.

As the CEO of Ekak Innovations , I took this lesson to heart. Building a team that specializes in AI, computer vision, and product development was a top priority. But Schmidt’s wisdom taught me that hiring the right people is only the first step. True innovation happens when you create an environment where those brilliant minds can take ownership of their work. At Ekak, our teams are empowered to experiment and innovate without being micromanaged, and this has led to continued iterations on customer experience. Schmidt’s approach of trust and autonomy has allowed Ekak to grow as a center of innovation.?

It is easy to disrupt the status quo and bring something new to a line of work which seems antiquated. Like Uber disrupted the existing Taxis Union and way taxis were hailed all over the globe - skyrocketing them to unfathomable peaks. However to stay there - is a different challenge altogether. When Dara Khosrowshahi took over Uber, he faced the task of transforming a scrappy startup into a disciplined, mature organization. In this episode, Reid says, "Pirate ways just don’t scale. As a startup succeeds, it needs new organized systems – and new, organized people – to run a large operation.” This transition from chaos to order was key to Uber’s success.

As Ekak Innovations grows, I find myself facing a similar challenge but the other way, since we focus mainly on hiring graduates fresh out of University to keep costs low and highly cultural malleability, the downside is that they are not full blown pirates yet. We constantly try to empower the team to inculcate a philosophy to break from the traditional technical philosophy of doing things. However, Khosrowshahi’s insight taught me that while the startup mentality is great for early innovation, long-term growth requires discipline. So while building this gang of pirates, we’ve been building systems and processes to ensure we can scale sustainably, and this transition is shaping Ekak’s future as we move from an agile startup to a well-oiled machine.?

Being a company based out of Tier-2 city in India, the next hurdle was rallying the troops. It is the vision of Ekak to ensure accessibility to innovation for all - which sounds like a bunch of fancy words - how do we make it into something that people relate to. President Barack Obama had some valuable insights here where talked about the importance of building a movement with a compelling story. He shared how, during his campaigns, it wasn’t just about policies — it was about creating a vision that people could believe in.

People don’t just want facts. They want to feel they're part of something bigger than themselves.

This realisation struck a chord with me, especially as we scale Ekak. Our technology is cutting-edge, but it needs more than just technical brilliance to succeed. We needed to craft a narrative around why our innovations mattered — how they could change industries, improve productivity, and enhance safety. Taking President Obama’s advice, I’ve focused on sharing Ekak’s mission in a way that resonates emotionally with customers, investors, and partners. We’re not just an AI company—we’re a company that’s transforming industries and creating lasting impact. AI is just a tool for us to achieve that dream. This narrative has become central to how we present ourselves to the world, aligning everyone with our broader vision.

With the team aligned behind our vision, building a transparent culture became essential. Ray Dalio 's principle of a "meritocracy of ideas," where the best ideas win regardless of hierarchy, was key. His focus on radical transparency and learning from mistakes has profoundly shaped my leadership approach.

The biggest problem we have as human beings is not knowing how to deal with what we don’t know. So you have to build systems that help you navigate what you don’t know.

At Ekak Innovations, we’ve embraced this by fostering a culture where ideas are openly debated and improved. Dalio’s lesson of turning failures into learning opportunities resonates deeply with our iterative product development process. When our AI models underperformed early on, we saw it not as a setback but as a chance to refine and enhance the system. His philosophy of viewing failure as a path to progress has kept me grounded, knowing that each mistake brings us closer to success.

Last but not the least is Reid Hoffman ’s episode, he talks about how rejection was a constant companion in the early days of LinkedIn . But instead of seeing “no” as failure, he treated every rejection as feedback. This has been crucial in Ekak’s growth. As we’ve pitched our AI solutions to potential clients, we’ve encountered our fair share of rejections.

Every ‘no’ is a chance to learn. It’s an opportunity to refine your pitch, your product, or your approach.

The sheer perception of AI is ever evolving. Convincing our potential clients seemed out of our reach but rather than being discouraged, I’ve followed Hoffman’s advice and used each rejection as a learning moment. Understanding what were their problems and reasons for saying no helped to refine our pitch, sharpened our value propositions, and ultimately became stronger. Hoffman’s lesson taught me that success often comes after many rejections, and each “no” brings you one step closer to a “yes.”

As the final call for boarding is announced, I just saw that my shoelace is undone, and it made me smile since it's a summation of what one has to do constantly in life, get at the problem’s level and tie the loose ends. Doing this got me where I am today. From being one of the millions listening to Reid’s warm fuzzy voice in a podcast 6 years ago, to being en route to attend the prestigious Masters of Scale Summit (#MoSSummit) as an Early Stage Founder it's been quite a voyage and I just took a seat to fly in the skies.