Investors Said "No." Customers Said "Yes." How CoreStack Built an $85M AI Company

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of From Startup to Exit, we sit down with Ezhilarasan (Ez) Natarajan, CEO and co-founder of CoreStack, to explore the company's remarkable journey from startup to global leader in multi-cloud and AI governance. Ez shares how his years building Microsoft Azure inspired him to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing enterprises: simplifying cloud adoption. He discusses how the team validated an idea that investors initially dismissed, built an enterprise platform from the ground up, secured early design partners, and scaled CoreStack into a company serving thousands of customers worldwide. The conversation then turns to the AI revolution, where Ez offers a compelling vision for the future of AI governance, enterprise adoption, and the transformative impact AI will have across every industry over the coming decade.In this episode, you'll hear about:- How Ez Natarajan founded CoreStack after recognizing the growing complexity of multi-cloud adoption and why the market initially failed to see the opportunity.- The startup journey—from self-funding and building the first product with design partners to securing product-market fit and raising venture capital.- The lessons learned in building an enterprise software company by listening to customers instead of following conventional investor wisdom.- How CoreStack evolved into a leading platform for cloud governance, helping enterprises reduce costs, improve operations, and strengthen security.- Why today's AI revolution is fundamentally different from previous technology waves and what it means for businesses over the next decade.- The emerging importance of AI governance—including managing AI costs, securing enterprise data, governing AI models, and controlling AI agents.- Leadership insights on building culture, attracting exceptional talent, integrating acquisitions, and scaling a mission-driven technology company.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast