Building great software products to solve business problems

Welcome to the Tekpon SaaS Podcast, where we dive into the stories behind building successful software solutions that tackle real-world business problems. In this insightful episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Saravana Kumar, the founder of Kovai.co, a flourishing multi-product SaaS company. Saravana is a passionate technologist who shares his journey from humble beginnings and the candid lessons he’s picked up along the road to success.

What began as a one-person show has burgeoned into a company nearing 300 employees. Saravana recounts the leap of faith he took in 2019 by investing in an office space for 300 people, a testament to his confidence in the company’s growth trajectory. Internally, Kovai.co is segmented much like a cluster of startups, with individual teams dedicated to each product range. Document360 boasts the largest team, where around 130 professionals work as part of this mini-ecosystem, pushing boundaries and innovating within Kovai.co’s walls.

The choice to bootstrap Kovai.co provided a foundation for an open corporate culture and a transparent growth path for both the company and its employees. Saravana delves into the benefits and challenges of bootstrapping, particularly highlighting the low customer acquisition costs that their initial product, Bistro360, enjoyed. While currently satisfied with the bootstrap approach, he doesn’t dismiss the idea of embracing venture capitalism in the future for new endeavors.

Mistakes and hurdles are par for the course in any entrepreneurial journey. Saravana acknowledges missteps, including wrong hires and product line decisions. Yet, he stays focused on the overarching vision: to create a billion-dollar company by 2030. As a CEO, he positions himself primarily as a strategic thinker, dedicating his energies to shaping the company’s future rather than getting absorbed by the day-to-day operations.

Saravana’s testament to a methodical and passionate approach to business leadership is an affirmation that successful companies are not just built on great products but also on great visions and the tenacity of their leaders. As the episode draws to a close, with Cristian Dina expressing gratitude to Saravana for sharing his wisdom and experience, listeners walk away with a much deeper understanding of what it takes to construct and grow a business that solves problems and grows continuously in a competitive tech landscape.