Guiding Stars: How The Three Angel Investors are Shaping the Success of EventHQ

In the startup world, it's not possible to exaggerate how crucial angel investors are for new businesses. Many of these kind people have been startup founders themselves, and they offer help, advice, and important industry connections that can make or break a new company, which is often more crucial than financial help.

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At EventHQ, we have always wanted to have individuals onboard from whom, we were certain, we would gain knowledge and will be a 'guiding angel'. And while it is true that you can have any number of angels [there have even been scenarios where an entire pre-seed or seed round constituted just angel investors], we decided to have just three people onboard: Vijay Shankar, Karthik Ramamoorthy, and Arjun Pillai. Read more know more about how they have played a key role in the journey of EventHQ:

Vijay Shankar:

Many know him as one of the co-founders of Freshworks, the first Indian SaaS company to get listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Having been part of Freshworks previously, we know him as the go-to person at the company when something has to be solved. Not able to figure out a solution? Check with Vijay - this was always the standard response if you are on the lookout to solve a problem you just can't seem to find the solution to. From setting up multiple international offices to taking Freshchat to $15 million, he has donned multiple hats. Since we have known him, he has always been a guiding figure for us.

To me personally, having Vijay as a part of our journey meant having a mentor onboard rather than a guide.

It was my time at Freshworks when I was looking for a second-hand laptop for personal use. When I had put it out on the internal network that I was looking for one, Vijay responded, but the MacBook Pro he had was way out of my budget, but he kindly offered to reduce the price [and by reduce, it would have been better for him if he just retained the laptop and never sold at that cost]. Little did I know that this laptop would become the catalyst for my journey into entrepreneurship.

Karthik Ramamoorthy:

There are self-proclaimed product leaders in the industry who, in many cases, have not properly shipped out even one single product, and then there is Karthik Ramamoorthy who is a product leader at Zuora - an absolute zenith in the subscription management space. Understanding revenue like the back of his hand, Karthik created Leeyo which in 2017 was acquired by Zuora as Zuora Revpro. 

When it was up to us to decide if we wanted to start up in the eventops or productivity space, it was Karthik who nudged us towards eventops, citing our experience in hosting events to be used to our advantage. This nudge has turned out to be pivotal in our understanding of customer pain points.

Arjun Pillai:

Arjun's vast experience as an entrepreneur and his success in building and selling a previous venture provided valuable insights into the startup journey. His previous venture, Insent, was acquired by Zoominfo and he went on to become C-level at the company. His unique perspective challenged us to think outside the box and consider alternative approaches to problem-solving. Through our limited interactions with him, we were able to grow both personally and professionally, gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of innovation and adaptability in the business world. 

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More often, the trust you build with people is what helps in the long term. Our interactions with Vijay, Karthik and Arjun has happened at different points under different circumstances, but these are people who know where we lack. The trust built over time has translated to honest and direct feedback. Their expertise and experience have been instrumental in shaping our strategies and decision-making processes, and as a result, we have been able to make significant progress in overcoming challenges and achieving our goals.