SaaSy Talk S01.21: From Australia to Global: Insights from Cyara's CEO, Alok Kulkarni

About The Guest(s): Alok Kulkarni is the co-founder, CEO, and chairman of software company Cyara, whose CX Assurance platform is used by more than 300 global brands. Alok founded Cyara in 2006 in Melbourne with Luan Tran and Bonny Malik, with the vision that an easy-to-use CX Assurance platform could help enterprises be confident that they were delivering great customer experiences each and every time. Cyara has grown steadily since its founding, adding new products and teams around the world to help realise this vision. The company’s headquarters are now in Silicon Valley, with offices in Australia, Ireland, and India. Originally from Mumbai, Alok moved to Melbourne with his family as a teenager. Alok has an MBA in entrepreneurship and technology from Melbourne Business School, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer systems engineering from Monash.Alok is married with two sons and his passions include all things technology, travelling, spirituality, and lifelong learning. Summary: Alok, CEO and Co-founder of Cyara, shares his journey in the tech industry and the founding of Cyara. From his early years in India to his move to Australia, Alok's passion for technology and automation led him to start Cyara, a company focused on testing and monitoring contact center technology. Alok discusses the importance of hiring the right people, building a strong team, and the lessons he has learned along the way. He also shares his insights on scaling globally, mergers and acquisitions, and the future of customer experience. Key Takeaways: Alok's passion for technology and automation led him to start Cyara, a company focused on testing and monitoring contact center technology. Hiring the right people and building a strong team is crucial for scaling a company. Alok emphasizes the importance of trust, respect, and humility in building a positive company culture. Scaling globally requires a strategic focus on key markets, such as the US, and understanding the specific needs and preferences of customers in those markets. Alok believes that AI will have a significant impact on customer service and customer experience, transforming the industry and creating new opportunities. Quotes: "You've got to hire people who are smarter than you, people who've done things before that you haven't." - Alok "Scaling the company has been about hiring the right people and building the systems to evaluate and support them." - Alok "If you want to do something, you just have to go for it." - Alok "The more you can work out beforehand what you're going to do, the better it is for both companies." - Alok "Customer experience is going to be disrupted by AI, transforming what the existing agent population does." - Alok Chapters: 00:00:15 Alok's early interest in tech and passion for computers 00:07:00 Rewarding moments and challenges in scaling Cyara 00:13:00 Alok explains how he attracted early leadership team members through equity 00:18:22 Ricky asks Alok about his top priorities as a CEO 00:23:00 Focusing on the US market for growth 00:26:35 Changing one thing: raising capital earlier 00:32:04 AI's impact on customer service and experience 00:34:46 Quick Fire-Round Subscribe on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZVkJ12FIqD39oqgj7Kcjq  Subscribe on Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saasy-talk-unfiltered/id1709426070 Subscribe on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@SaaSyTalkUnfiltered Subscribe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://substack.com/@saasytalkunfiltered Visit our Website:  https://saasytalkunfiltered.transistor.fm/  Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickysevta/ Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/seandiljore/  #Leadership #SaaSyTalk #CEO #Founder #business #investing #vc #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup