Chandradeep Pokhariya, an AI researcher at Brown University, and ex-IIIT-H MS, talks about his journey from a sleepy small town in Uttarakhand, to finding his way into the Ivy Leagues while overcoming challenges such as lack of access to the internet, infrastructure, and even language barriers.

Join us, in this first of a two-part conversation, with hosts Abbhinav (123 of AI) and Debayan (Microsoft)!

CHAN REVEALS:

• What it was like growing up in a remote village near the Nepal border, in a close-knit community
• The cultural shock he experienced when he first went to Kota for exam preparation and witnessed urban life.
• How he had to climb a hill to download videos for his studying AI and deep learning.
• His journey during undergrad at GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, where he pursued a bachelor's degree in industrial and production engineering
• His experiences in working in startups, the work culture, and the long hours he put in to stand up to peers from IITs, Stanford and MIT
• The language barrier he experienced when he moved to Bangalore
• Key problem statements he has worked on in 3D - Warping, Key-point detection, 3D Hand Modeling, and Object Detection.
• Trade-offs between working at a big company versus a startup and the importance of mental health

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Abbhinav Venkat, is the founder of 123 of AI, an ed-tech company enabling working professionals upskill in AI/ML. He is an entrepreneur, AI researcher, and podcaster. Prior to starting 123 of AI, he spent several years at multiple Silicon Valley startups as a Computer Vision Scientist. His academic career involved AI research at IIIT-H and Stanford University with several top-tier publications in BMVC, ICCV, ACPR. For his research, he was awarded Qualcomm’s Innovation Fellowship, felicitated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), GOI, as well as invited for talks in 4 continents.

123 of AI’s official website: https://www.123ofai.com

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abbhinavvenkat

Sonakshi Nathani talks about pivots, premium pricing, rebranding, conflict management, the role of her co-founder, facing discrimination as a female founder, differences between Indian and US markets, and launching multiple products, in this fascinating second part of our 2-part conversation, with Abbhinav (founder, 123 of AI) and co-host Debayan (from Microsoft).

SONAKSHI REVEALS:

• The origin story of BIK and rebranding
• How they pivoted from an online store builder called Bikai to an AI-powered conversational commerce platform.
• How a sales-led model was not sustainable for them, leading to the decision to target larger enterprises with higher-value contracts.
• Challenges and learnings as a founder: Sonakshi shares her experiences as a founder, including the importance of adaptability, having a co-founder, managing a team, dealing with conflicts, and the challenges of being a woman in tech. She emphasizes the value of harmony, trust, and unity within the team.
• How she faced discrimination as a female founder
• The differences between the Indian and US markets in terms of technology adoption and value perception.
• The launch of ManifestAI

BEST MOMENTS:

• "Pivots are part of the journey. You have to evolve"
• "We went through a lot of ups and downs during that transition - people interpreted it very differently in media, so we went through those phases, but internally we were very strong. We were very happy we saw us moving in the right direction because there was this harmony, there was this unity." - On the value of harmony and unity within the team.
• “We'll only operate in quality, we'll only operate in premium so we started charging a Lac a month and mostly, also very upfront quality." - On the decision to position BIK.AI as a premium product and target high-value customers.
• “Definitely, I cannot control what you think, but I can control who my customers can be. And with what you're saying today, I choose to reject you as a customer." - On standing firm on her values and not compromising for customers who undermine her company.
• "You have to be a good communicator that is a little bit more fundamental as opposed to being an extrovert. Communication is what is key. Can you convey whatever you want in the most effective way?" - On the importance of effective communication as a founder, rather than just being an extrovert.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Abbhinav Venkat, is the founder of 123 of AI, an ed-tech company enabling working professionals upskill in AI/ML. He is an entrepreneur, AI researcher, and podcaster. Prior to starting 123 of AI, he spent several years at multiple Silicon Valley startups as a Computer Vision Scientist. His academic career involved AI research at IIIT-H and Stanford University with several top-tier publications in BMVC, ICCV, ACPR. For his research, he was awarded Qualcomm’s Innovation Fellowship, felicitated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), GOI, as well as invited for talks in 4 continents.

123 of AI’s official website: https://www.123ofai.com

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abbhinavvenkat

Let’s delve into Sonakshi's entrepreneurial journey from Microsoft to her own company, BIK, highlighting the importance of understanding the target audience, developing products based on customer feedback, maintaining an entrepreneurial mindset, and learning from successful founders, while also emphasising the need for a safety net when starting a business.

In this first of 2-part conversation, Abbhinav (123 of AI) and co-host Debayan (Microsoft) are in conversation with Sonakshi Nathani, founder of BIK, ex-Microsoft, ex-IIITH.

SONAKSHI REVEALS:

• Her family background in business - owning a shop and how her grandfather's entrepreneurial spirit inspired her from a young age
• Her journey of joining Microsoft after college - getting into the same race as her batchmates.
• Her decision to quit, and finding a problem of interest to build a company.
• The importance of having a safety net, whether financial or familial, when starting a business.
• Insights into how they identified their target audience, developed their product (Bikai), and determined pricing based on customer feedback.
• Her conversations with customers - the importance of understanding the customer's pain points and speaking their language.
• The role of mindset, passion, and perseverance in entrepreneurship, as well as the value of learning from successful founders' stories and constantly challenging oneself.

BEST MOMENTS:

"If a normal person like him can do it, then why can’t I” - Sonakshi on gaining confidence from hearing successful founders' stories.

“The only you know I think metric which can guide you if you are doing right or not is are you getting good sleep" - Sonakshi's unconventional metric for success in the early days.

"You have to fool your mind and this is not just one time job. You have to do that every day as an entrepreneur because every day is a challenge." - Sonakshi on the mindset required for entrepreneurship.

"You have to just speak with them, understand thought processes and execute." Sonakshi on the importance of understanding customers' thought processes and acting on their feedback.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Abbhinav Venkat, is the founder of 123 of AI, an ed-tech company enabling working professionals upskill in AI/ML. He is an entrepreneur, AI researcher, and podcaster. Prior to starting 123 of AI, he spent several years at multiple Silicon Valley startups as a Computer Vision Scientist. His academic career involved AI research at IIIT-H and Stanford University with several top-tier publications in BMVC, ICCV, ACPR. For his research, he was awarded Qualcomm’s Innovation Fellowship, felicitated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), GOI, as well as invited for talks in 4 continents.

123 of AI’s official website: https://www.123ofai.com

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abbhinavvenkat