He dropped out of PhD to build Google, Facebook, Square, DoorDash - Gokul Rajaram

In the latest episode of our podcast, we sit down with Gokul Rajaram - a Product Leader, Operator and Board member who has helped build seven of the largest tech companies globally - Google, Facebook, Square, DoorDash, Coinbase, Pinterest and Trade Desk.?

He is fondly known as the 'Godfather of Google Adsense', here he grew it from zero to over $1 billion in revenue. Later, he founded an NLP company which was acquired by Facebook, where he then led the Ads Product team as Product Director, helping grow revenues from $0.75 billion to $6.5 billion, and helped Facebook transition its advertising business to become mobile-first.?

He helped Square, DoorDash and Coinbase go public (IPO) as management team and board member, additionally he is a prolific Angel Investor for 300+ startups including Airtable, Airtable, CRED, Curefit, Figma, Learneo, Pigment, Postman, Whatfix and more.?

In this episode, Gokul shares invaluable insights on how to grow from startup to scale-up quoting stories from his rich experience. He stresses the importance of product-market fit (PMF), exploring its critical link to monetization and sound unit economics.

He also addresses the formidable challenges startups face in the fiercely competitive AI sector and how can young entrepreneurs build in this exciting sector.?In this podcast, below are the topics covered:

In this podcast, below are the topics covered:

0:00 - Journey from India to Silicon Valley

8:10 - Three Stages of a Company: Start-up, Early-Growth, Scale-up

13:41 - Discovering Product Market Fit and Monetization

23:23 - Challenges for Startups in AI

28:20 - Vertical SaaS and Indian Tech Innovation

Gokul sheds light on the massive investments required for developing advanced AI models, pointing out that tech giants like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple are spending billions to stay ahead. He discusses the strategic opportunities in vertical applications and the middleware layer, offering insights into how startups can carve out their niche in this rapidly evolving landscape.

In the final segment, the episode explores the potential of vertical SaaS and Indian tech innovation. The concept of "Service as a Software" is examined, showcasing how Indian companies are well-positioned to capitalize on these opportunities.

Links to the full episode are below:

Youtube: https://youtu.be/OrGO-pdF4t0

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/00kP27abYt7pfgM0lwaM0V?si=iqopZ0dxT4ShqBssHLFBmA

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/he-dropped-out-of-phd-to-build-google-facebook/id1488581910?i=1000673473976

Gokul offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial excellence - his experiences and strategies provide a roadmap for navigating the complex and ever-evolving tech landscape, making this episode a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals alike.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts and subscribe wherever you are listening to this.

Follow Prime Venture Partners:

LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/primevp/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Primevp_in

This podcast is for you. Do let us know what you like about the podcast, what you don't like, the guests you'd like to have on the podcast and the topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.

Please share your feedback here: https://primevp.in/podcastfeedback