#84 From Mars Rover to Starups: Ex-aws exec khawaja shams on the art of product-market fit in b2b cloud

In this episode of Startup Project, we chat with Khawaja Shams, Co-founder and CEO of Momento, a serverless caching and messaging service built for interactive applications at scale. Host: Nataraj (Investor at Incisive VC, angel investor, and Senior Product Manager) Guest: Khawaja Shams (Co-founder and CEO of Momento) Website: ⁠Momento Website⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠Nataraj's LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Khawaja's LinkedIn⁠ [0:00 - 2:00] Khawaja shares his incredible journey—from working on image processing for Mars rovers and communications for interplanetary missions at NASA to building crucial infrastructure at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and ultimately starting Momento. [2:00 - 6:00] Khawaja provides an in-depth look at his early days at NASA, where he was inspired by the company’s mission and the potential of cloud computing. He discusses how he prototyped using public datasets on his personal credit card and the challenges of onboarding Amazon as a vendor in the early days of AWS. [6:00 - 10:00] We discuss Khawaja’s experience at Amazon, where he witnessed the company’s rapid growth and customer obsession firsthand. He details his roles in AWS product engineering and leading key teams, including DynamoDB and Elemental Technologies. [10:00 - 16:00] Khawaja talks about the inspiration behind Momento and how the need for a better caching solution for interactive applications became clear. He explains how Momento addresses the pain points of traditional caching solutions and simplifies development for users. [16:00 - 20:00] We dive deeper into Momento’s target customer base and the importance of focusing on verticals like media, gaming, and fintech. Khawaja shares valuable insights on identifying the right customers and building strong design partnerships. [20:00 - 25:00] Khawaja discusses product-market fit and how Momento validated its solution through numerous successful customers. He emphasizes the need for coherence in customer asks and how that provides confidence in the product’s direction. [25:00 - 30:00] We talk about B2B growth and marketing strategies, specifically how Momento leverages its existing customer base and focuses on finding similar companies. Khawaja stresses the importance of operational excellence and customer obsession in building trust and advocacy. [30:00 - 35:00] Khawaja shares his thoughts on Amazon's leadership principles and how Momento has cultivated its own unique culture focused on customer centricity and psychological safety. [35:00 - 40:00] We explore the challenges of attracting top talent in a startup environment. Khawaja emphasizes the importance of finding a team you enjoy working with and tackling a problem you believe in. [40:00 - 45:00] Khawaja shares his current consumption habits, including his favorite books and podcasts. He also highlights the importance of mentorship and staying connected with people you admire. [45:00 - 50:00] Khawaja discusses the importance of focus in a startup environment and how prioritizing a few key goals can lead to greater success. [50:00 - 55:00] We finish with a discussion about AI and how Momento plays a crucial role in enabling interactive applications powered by real-time data. #Startup #TechPodcast #Serverless #CloudComputing #AWS #InteractiveApps #B2BMarketing #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #AI #Fintech #MediaTech #GamingTech #ProductMarketFit #Caching #CustomerObsession #FoundersJourney