The people behind Rocketlane

Last week, Rocketlane raised a series B, we invested again, and I couldn't be happier. I don’t want to talk about the company but the remarkable people behind it—Sri, Vignesh, and Deepak. I’ve known this trio for a decade. Four words define them: Ambition, Empathy, Intensity, and passion.

Ambition

Second-time founders are cautious. But not this team. They know the Freshworks playbook, but they decided to change the game. They took market risk. They created a new category, instead of entering an existing one. They created a brand, and threw away the demand-gen playbooks of old. This team wants to build a legacy, and is in it for the long term.

Intensity

Sri is the CEO because he leads by example, sets the pace and gets his hands dirty. A competitor asked a prospect to write to us at 1:56 am local time. Our support must be asleep. Right? Sri replied at 2 am local time. In 4 minutes. Guess who won the deal? I’ve seen Sri sleep on beanbags, write blogs at the airport, and take calls at parties. He’s always on. He paused our lunch for a customer (picture below). Because customers come first.

Empathy

During the inception days, Vignesh told me he was equally excited and scared. I asked him - isn't it easier the second time? The answer I got - “The first time, it was just us. This time, people who know us are joining us because they believe in us. And I can’t let the people down. We have to succeed for them.” Srikrishnan is popular amongst the SaaS founder ecosystem. Despite his schedule, he always makes time for founders who need help and pays it forward. When I tell founders we are investors in Rocketlane, I hear one of two answers - I know Sri, or I know off Sri. Never a “I don’t know Sri”.

They look out for their tribe. This empathy and care has translated into clients like Moveworks, Fivetran, Drift, Clari and more. The community is propelling us forward, and if you are a customer, I can assure you that you’ve picked the right team.

Passion

This team puts its heart into everything it does. Vignesh is one of the best B2B product builders in our country. And there’s nothing else he’d rather do. If I’m on the phone at 4 am, it’s Vignesh talking about reports & analytics. I want more people to know him - so please come to Bangalore and do a session with us. Deepak has every feature of a great CTO - proud of the mundane, and slightly dissatisfied, knowing there is always scope to do more. He has hacked every system, is always curious about tech, and combines it with systems & long-term thinking. And I don't need to speak about the brand. I can show you - check out their fundraise rap video . To our new CMO, Rao - welcome onboard. We are lucky to have you. You have a tough act to follow!

This is not a celebration post; it is an appreciation post. I’m inspired by this special bunch, and they’ve taught me a lot. So thank you and congratulations, team Rocketlane, and all the best for the next phase of growth.