Crafting Bharat - S2 launches its debut episode with Dheeraj Pandey, Co-Founder and CEO of DevRev
VMPL
New Delhi [India], May 12: As the global population continues to age rapidly, India stands out with its dynamic and youthful workforce. Experts project that India will maintain a leading position in terms of its working-age population for the next 25 to 30 years, making its youth a key driver of progress. Recognized as both catalysts and beneficiaries of change, the youth of India hold immense potential to shape the nation's future.
The "Crafting Bharat - Season 2" powered by AWS Startups, an initiative by NewsReach, in association with VCCircle, and production partner - HT Smartcast, explores how startups are harnessing the power of the cloud to accelerate growth, optimise operations, and building solutions that will define the India of Tomorrow. This series is hosted by Gautam Srinivasan, famed for hosting a diverse range of TV and digital programs, currently consulting editor at CNBC (India), CNN-News18, Forbes India, and The Economic Times.
In this episode, we spotlight Dheeraj Pandey, Co-Founder & CEO of DevRev, who is on a mission to transform how businesses connect with their customers. He shares his insights on scaling a global AI powerhouse, stretching every dollar to build resilient companies, and what it truly takes for India to emerge as a leader in SaaS 2.0 and AI-driven innovation. Discover the inspiring stories of startups shifting gears and driving innovation across various sectors, contributing to the mission of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047 through this series.
Video Link - https://youtu.be/Qi75GW-UnTM
Edited Excerpts:
Segment 1: Ignite
With DevRev you initially built a Jira alternative but pivoted to focus on customer support and customer centricity which presented better and more immediate growth opportunities. So, did the script flip?
We didn't originally set out to be a Jira alternative--that's a misconception. For us, work is simply work, whether it's support tasks or development efforts. Traditionally, companies have operated in silos, but the reality is that 90% of the engineering behind these systems is fundamentally the same. Whether it's Salesforce opportunities, Salesforce tickets, Zendesk tickets, Freshdesk tickets, or Jira issues, they all follow similar workflows with stages, states, and approvals. The real magic lies in recognizing that if you were to build software today--whether for opportunities, tickets, issues, or incidents--90% of the foundational requirements remain the same.
In terms of making the funding runway last longer than usual basis the lessons that leading your previous startup had provided?
Stretching the dollar is a term I use often. Firstly, I would say is the talent. If you make the company top-heavy, it will initially create problems among the specialists. You need to have a lot of synchronization before evolving and passing on the baton to avoid burning out the funding. Secondly, investing in young talents as they have the hunger to achieve and learn. By arbitraging this hunger with that other hunger which is demand and supply coming together is at the core of building great companies that stretched the dollar.
Segment 2: Launch
What's DevRev doing to democratize data at scale and break organizational silos that exist even in digitally native businesses to make AI actionable?
My perspective, and our collective approach, revolve around the concept of team intelligence--understanding what AI is truly unlocking. In this vision, both the customer and the AI agent are integral members of the team. This shift redefines collaboration, ensuring that AI agents enhance rather than replace jobs, while also bridging the gap between businesses and customers, making them part of the same ecosystem rather than separate entities.
Sub-segment: Boost
How do you see the bond between DevRev and AWS transform the enterprise especially as AI shifts the focus from code to customer-centric solutions?
I am a big fan of not just Amazon Web Services (AWS) but Amazon as well. The reason Amazon became popular is because of their 3 pillars - Convenience, Choice and Pricing. At DevRev we believe in the same three pillars. AWS has the best sales engineers and solution architects who talk to our developers in a very low latency and highly precise way. They have been humbling to us from Day 1 and it continues. I feel that level of hustle is just unparalleled.
Segment 3: Orbit
How can India overcome the hurdles, advance to SaaS 2.0, and emerge as a global AI powerhouse in line with Mission 2047?
The initial step is moving beyond prompt engineering. AI starts with prompt-based approaches using foundation models, but that's just the beginning. As many companies offer GPT wrappers, the next critical leap is semantic search and advanced reasoning. Talented engineers and designers can harness these capabilities, effectively unleashing AI's full potential.
India's startup ecosystem is thriving, powered by a new generation of visionary young talent who are developing solutions to pressing challenges. Their innovative approaches not only address key problems but also drive the nation's economy forward, paving the way for India's transformation into a fully developed and modern country.
Stay tuned to Crafting Bharat - Season 2 as we bring you these inspirational entrepreneurs for insightful and candid discussions with Gautam Srinivasan.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftingbharatofficial/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftingbharat/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/craftingbharat/
X: https://x.com/CraftingBharat/
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Hackers abuse modified Salesforce app to steal data, extort companies, Google says
By AJ Vicens Hackers are tricking employees at companies in Europe and the Americas into installing a modified version of a Salesforce-related app, allowing the hackers to steal reams of data, gain access to other corporate cloud services and extort those companies, Google said on Wednesday. The hackers - tracked by the Google Threat Intelligence Group as UNC6040 - have "proven particularly effective at tricking employees" into installing a modified version of Salesforce 's Data Loader, a proprietary tool used to bulk import data into Salesforce environments, the researchers said. The hackers use voice calls to trick employees into visiting a purported Salesforce connected app setup page to approve the unauthorized, modified version of the app, created by the hackers to emulate Data Loader. If the employee installs the app, the hackers gain "significant capabilities to access, query, and exfiltrate sensitive information directly from the compromised Salesforce customer environments," the researchers said. The access also frequently gives the hackers the ability to move throughout a customer's network, enabling attacks on other cloud services and internal corporate networks. Technical infrastructure tied to the campaign shares characteristics with suspected ties to the broader and loosely organized ecosystem known as "The Com," known for small, disparate groups engaging in cybercriminal and sometimes violent activity, the researchers said. A Google spokesperson did not share additional details about how many companies have been targeted as part of the campaign, which has been observed over the past several months. A Salesforce spokesperson told Reuters in an email that "there's no indication the issue described stems from any vulnerability inherent in our platform." The spokesperson said the voice calls used to trick employees "are targeted social engineering scams designed to exploit gaps in individual users' cybersecurity awareness and best practices." The spokesperson declined to share the specific number of affected customers, but said that Salesforce was "aware of only a small subset of affected customers," and said it was "not a widespread issue." Salesforce warned customers of voice phishing , or "vishing," attacks and of hackers abusing malicious, modified versions of Data Loader in a March 2025 blog post.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Hackers abuse modified Salesforce app to steal data, extort companies, Google says
Hackers are tricking employees at companies in Europe and the Americas into installing a modified version of a Salesforce-related app, allowing the hackers to steal reams of data, gain access to other corporate cloud services and extort those companies, Google said on Wednesday. The hackers, tracked by the Google Threat Intelligence Group as UNC6040, have 'proven particularly effective at tricking employees' into installing a modified version of Salesforce's Data Loader, a proprietary tool used to bulk import data into Salesforce environments, the researchers said. The hackers use voice calls to trick employees into visiting a purported Salesforce connected app setup page to approve the unauthorised, modified version of the app, created by the hackers to emulate Data Loader. If the employee installs the app, the hackers gain 'significant capabilities to access, query, and exfiltrate sensitive information directly from the compromised Salesforce customer environments,' the researchers said. The access also frequently gives the hackers the ability to move throughout a customer's network, enabling attacks on other cloud services and internal corporate networks. Technical infrastructure tied to the campaign shares characteristics with suspected ties to the broader and loosely organized ecosystem known as 'The Com,' known for small, disparate groups engaging in cybercriminal and sometimes violent activity, the researchers said. A Google spokesperson told Reuters that roughly 20 organizations have been affected by the UNC6040 campaign, which has been observed over the past several months. A subset of those organisations had data successfully exfiltrated, the spokesperson said. A Salesforce spokesperson told Reuters in an email that 'there's no indication the issue described stems from any vulnerability inherent in our platform.' The spokesperson said the voice calls used to trick employees 'are targeted social engineering scams designed to exploit gaps in individual users' cybersecurity awareness and best practices.' The spokesperson declined to share the specific number of affected customers, but said that Salesforce was "aware of only a small subset of affected customers," and said it was "not a widespread issue." Salesforce warned customers of voice phishing, or "vishing," attacks and of hackers abusing malicious, modified versions of Data Loader in a March 2025 blog post.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Google says hackers are using fake Salesforce app to attack businesses
Hackers are targeting employees at companies across Europe and the Americas using a sophisticated social engineering campaign involving a modified Salesforce app, 's cybersecurity arm has said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to Google's Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), the attackers—identified as UNC6040—have been 'particularly effective' in deceiving corporate users into installing a fake version of Salesforce Data Loader , a legitimate tool used for importing large datasets into Salesforce environments. How hackers are targeting large companies The team at Google explains that the hackers impersonate official Salesforce representatives and are calling employees to direct them to a fake app setup page. There, users are tricked into authorising a malicious version of the Data Loader app that mimics the original software. Once installed, the app grants attackers significant access to sensitive corporate data. Google researchers noted that the hackers can exfiltrate confidential information, query internal systems, and in many cases, pivot to attack other cloud services and internal networks. As per the researchers, technical indicators suggest that the campaign has ties to 'The Com', a loosely organised cybercriminal ecosystem known for orchestrating both online fraud and real-world violence. What Google and Salesforce have to say A Google spokesperson told news agency Reuters that at least 20 organisations have been affected by the UNC6040 operation over the past several months, with some suffering successful data breaches and extortion attempts. Meanwhile, Salesforce, stated that the issue does not stem from any vulnerability in its platform. A company spokesperson emphasised that the attacks rely on voice phishing (vishing) tactics and exploit gaps in employee cybersecurity awareness. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'There's no indication the issue described stems from any vulnerability inherent in our platform,' the spokesperson said, adding that the number of affected customers is small and the threat is not considered widespread. Salesforce had previously issued a warning in March 2025, cautioning users about vishing attacks and the risks posed by malicious versions of Data Loader. Stay ready with these 7 essential medical gadgets as COVID cases rise
