Khyati Sundaram is the founder of Applied, an HR tech startup using AI to try to make hiring fairer.
In this week’s Founder in Five Q&A, Sundaram discusses nightmare pitches, the importance of storytelling in business and why first-time entrepreneurs need good co-founders.
What’s your worst pitching experience?
My worst pitching experience happened roughly around the fifth time I ever pitched a startup idea to VCs. This was before my Applied days. I got tongue-tied and lost my thread. I was met with blank stares and was awkwardly shown from the room for “wasting the partners’ time”.
Looking back, I recognise that it wasn’t the startup idea that failed; it was my ability to communicate it. This experience taught me the importance of storytelling and how crucial it is to make your message clear and engaging. I’ve pitched more than one hundred times since then and never forgotten this lesson.
What advice would you give to a first-time founder?
My advice to a first-time founder is to get a co-founder. There’s always the temptation to try and keep the boat afloat on your own. But if you want to increase the probability that your startup will succeed, find a co-founder who brings complementary skills, knowledge, and experience.
I know firsthand that this works wonders. In my first startup, I brought expertise in economics, data and tech, while my co-founder brought industry experience in supply chains. It was a glorious combination. There’s a study that shows co-founders outperform solo founders by over 150% in revenue.
What’s a common mistake that you see founders make?
A common mistake I see is founders believing they’ve nailed product-market fit too early. They get a few strong signals, a ramp up of sales, and an increase in positive feedback, and assume it’s time to roll out a bunch of new hires. But more often than not, that consumer traffic comes from early adopters who don’t necessarily represent the broader market. This creates an illusion, and scaling too early can do more harm than good. I’d recommend scrutinising this stage more.
How do you prevent burnout?
Since leading Applied, I’ve taken actionable steps to avoid burnout. I like to go nature walks as I wholeheartedly believe that the secret to preventing burnout is nature: it has this incredible ability to reset your mind. I do these barefoot if I can, as I think skin-to-skin contact with the earth can be very grounding, and it takes your mind off work. When I go on these walks, I make sure I am alone, with no distractions, just me and nature. I really find it recharges my batteries, and I’ve noticed I’m a lot more productive because of it.
Excluding your own, what’s a sector that’s ripe for disruption?
I think the healthcare sector is primed for disruption. Ten years ago, at business school, I was already proposing an all-in-one, AI-powered device that combined digital health diagnostics and prognosis. So you can only imagine what the advancements in the health tech sector will look like soon. It’s evolving so quickly. I believe that as AI continues to develop, we’ll see a greater shift toward personalised care that’s available to a broader population, all while reducing costs.
Founder in Five – a UKTN Q&A series with the entrepreneurs behind the UK’s innovative tech startups, scaleups and unicorns – is published every Friday.
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