Gaurav Bhattacharya - From Saving Lives to 5M ARR - AI Sales, Founder Psychology and the Dark Side of Speed with Gaurav Bhattacharya
AUG 29, 202526 MIN
Gaurav Bhattacharya - From Saving Lives to 5M ARR - AI Sales, Founder Psychology and the Dark Side of Speed with Gaurav Bhattacharya
AUG 29, 202526 MIN
Description
<p>Unlock the secrets of hypergrowth in SaaS with Gaurav Bhattacharya in this electrifying kickoff of our podcast series, hosted by Lauren Hawker Zafer. </p><p><br></p><p>đ§ Dive deep as we go beyond shortcuts to reveal what actually drives scale: from battling Silicon Valleyâs âoptimism vs. paranoia,â tackling burnout at $5M ARR in nine months, and founder pivots when product-market fit fails, to using AI for good and transforming social impact into B2B SaaS excellence. If youâre a founder, leader, or builder hungry for actionable psychology and raw founder stories, this episode is your new blueprint.</p><p><br></p><p>What youâll learn in this episode:</p><p> ⢠SaaS Growth Secrets, and why hacks arenât enough (00:00)</p><p> ⢠Silicon Valley Mindset: Harnessing optimism without falling into the âgolden cageâ (01:30â06:00)</p><p> ⢠The truth behind founder burnout and chasing ARR milestones (15:00â18:00)</p><p> ⢠Using AI for social impact: The fight against sex-selective abortions (09:00)</p><p> ⢠Founder pivots, rapid scaling, and what happens when productâmarket fit fails (15:00)</p><p> ⢠Sales psychology: How FOMO and urgency close B2B deals (21:00â24:00)</p><p> ⢠Final takeawaysâhow to channel action bias and optimism in high-growth journeys (25:30)</p><p>đď¸ Guest: Gaurav Bhattacharya</p><p>đ§ Host: Lauren Hawker Zafer</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 SaaS Growth Secrets: Beyond Growth Hacks</p><p>01:30 Silicon Valley Mindset: Optimism vs. Paranoia</p><p>04:30 The Golden Cage: False Optimism in Startup Culture</p><p>06:00 Impact Driven Innovation: Early Founder Story</p><p>09:00 AI for Good: Fighting Sex-Selective Abortions</p><p>12:00 From Social Impact to B2B SaaS</p><p>15:00 Founder Pivots: When Product-Market Fit Fails</p><p>18:00 Fast Growth: ARR Milestones and Burnout</p><p>21:00 Sales Psychology: FOMO in B2B Outreach</p><p>24:00 Action Bias: How Urgency Drives Decisions</p><p>25:30 Final Reflections: Action and Optimism</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Who is Gaurav?</strong></p><p>Gaurav Bhattacharya is a repeat B2B SaaS founder and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree whoâs built, scaled, and exited startups before most founders finish their MVP. </p><p>Currently the CEO of <strong>Jeeva.ai</strong>, heâs leading the charge in automating outbound AI-powered SDR agents â helping B2B teams 2x their pipeline in half the time (and cost).</p><p>Before Jeeva, he co-founded <strong>involve.ai</strong>, a customer intelligence platform that grew to 500+ companies and 1.1M users globally. He raised over $20M from top investors like Sapphire Ventures, Stanford University, and Gokul Rajaram â and hit $5M ARR in under 9 months with just 11 people.</p><p>Gauravâs story starts even earlier, at 17, he co-built a radiology tool that the <strong>Indian government adopted nationwide</strong> to fight sex-selective abortions.</p><p>Heâs been featured in <em>Forbes</em>, <em>Business Insider</em>, <em>LA Business Journal</em>, and top startup podcasts â and heâs not here to preach theory. Gaurav brings real-world operator lessons, raw founder stories, and tactical GTM frameworks that listeners can steal and ship the same day.</p><p>When heâs not building, heâs probably over-caffeinating, mentoring founders, or geeking out on outbound psychology.</p><p><br></p><p>#techpodcast #ai #redefiningai #laurenhawkerzafer</p><p>Subscribe to the channel and share what you enjoyed! Give us some stars and feedback in the review section!</p>
