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T4G Underscored

Ayush Khanna: The Tech Entrepreneur Redefining Persistence and Innovation

In the fast-paced world of tech startups, adaptability is key. Few embody this principle better than Ayush Khanna, whose journey from an engineering student in India to a serial entrepreneur in Silicon Valley reads like a masterclass in persistence and innovation.

From Early Days in Delhi

Ayush’s story begins like many in the tech world – with a computer and a dream. His path was full of unexpected turns, such as when he found himself building an air conditioning system using audio components during his college years in India.

“I had no background in mechanical engineering,” Ayush recalls. “But I saw a problem and thought, ‘Why not try to solve it?’” This project, which earned him recognition in an international competition, foreshadowed a career defined by courage and diving into unfamiliar territories.

The Salesforce Saga: Enterprise Innovation

Ayush’s journey took another turn when he joined Salesforce, where he championed the launch of new impactful technology products such as Encryption at Rest. These projects, which required millions in capital investment, tested Ayush’s ability to navigate corporate structures while maintaining his entrepreneurial spirit.

“Getting buy-in for a project of that scale is a different game altogether,” Ayush notes. “It’s not just about the technology; it’s about aligning various departments and stakeholders.” The project’s success, marked by its launch and first customer acquisition, added enterprise-level product development to Ayush’s growing skill set. This also unlocked a burning desire within Ayush to pursue technology entrepreneurship.

Navigating the Visa Maze

Ayush faced a challenge familiar to many international entrepreneurs – the complex U.S. visa system. “It was like trying to debug code without access to the source,” he says. “You know there’s resolve, but the path isn’t clear.”

Rather than let this challenge derail his ambitions, Ayush turned to networking with an intensity that would make a LinkedIn algorithm blush. He attended hundreds of events, struck up conversations with strangers, and cold-messaged industry professionals. His persistence paid off when he landed a role at super{set}, a startup studio in Silicon Valley.

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The Startup Studio: A New Model for Innovation

At super{set}, Ayush found himself in a unique position. Unlike traditional incubators or accelerators, startup studios build companies from the ground up. This model allowed Ayush to be involved in every stage of the startup process, from ideation to execution.

“It’s like being a full-stack developer, but for entire companies,” Ayush explains. This experience has led him to found and develop four cloud and AI startups across various sectors, each presenting its own set of challenges and learning opportunities.

The GenAI Challenge: Learning at Light Speed

Recently, Ayush faced perhaps his biggest challenge yet: developing a Generative AI thesis and building a startup with no prior expertise in the field. His approach? Total immersion.

“I read over 50 research papers and had countless discussions with researchers at Stanford,” Ayush shares. “It was literally like trying to learn a new programming language while simultaneously building an app with it.”

This intense learning period culminated in the launch of a GenAI AdTech startup, showcasing Ayush’s ability to rapidly acquire new skills and apply them in a business context.

The Global Perspective

Throughout his career, Ayush has maintained a global outlook. “Tech problems might be local, but solutions can be global,” he observes. This perspective has influenced his approach to building startups with global teams. He has now finely honed the practice of building and managing software engineering teams in India.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Entrepreneurship

As Ayush looks to the future, he sees a world where the barriers to entrepreneurship are lower than ever. “With tools like AI and cloud computing, we’re seeing innovation emerge from unexpected places,” he says. “The next big tech revolution could come from anywhere in the world.”

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Ayush’s journey from a curious engineering student to an outstanding technology entrepreneur underscores a crucial lesson for aspiring tech founders: bias for action and the willingness to learn on the way and adapt is often more valuable than initial expertise.

“Every new challenge is an opportunity to grow,” Ayush reflects. “In tech, if you’re not learning, you’re falling behind.”

As the tech landscape continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, stories like Ayush’s serve as a reminder that in the world of startups, the most valuable skill might just be the ability to embrace the unknown and keep pushing forward.

You can contact Ayush on his LinkedIn.

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