30-07-2025
Perplexity founder Aravind Srinivas-backed Astra shuts shop on cofounder differences
Agencies Perplexity founder Aravind Srinivas-backed software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup, Astra, has shut down operations. In a post on LinkedIn, its cofounder and chief executive, Supreet Hegde, cited differences with another cofounder, Ranjan Rajagopalan, for the decision.'It is with a heavy heart and mixed emotions that I am announcing the closing of Astra. We are deeply grateful to our angel investors and mentors, who supported us through all the chaos we faced together,' he said.
'Despite our best efforts, as co-founders, we found ourselves at different crossroads regarding the pace of growth. It is a challenging decision, but we have chosen to part ways and bring this chapter to a close,' he added.
The startup promised to automate 80% of account executive activities and improve deal execution and even secured two enterprise clients during its beta phase. Founded by IIT-Madras graduates, it offers an AI-powered sales analytics platform for businesses for workflow execution. Srinivas joined Astra as an angel investor in March this also mentioned challenges in winning trust from enterprise clients, stating that the surge in AI agents has led to more complexity.'Working with larger companies meant navigating lengthy sales cycles, especially as an early-stage startup asking clients to trust us with sensitive data from platforms like Salesforce, G-Drive, Slack, and CLM. The current surge of interest and confusion surrounding AI agents added yet another layer of complexity, with many clients unsure of whom to trust or how to evaluate these AI agents,' the cofounder added in the to Astra, Hegde served as vice president of global business development for enterprise tech startup HyperVerge, while Rajagopalan was associated with AI text-to-video conversion platform Proshort and Google before co-founding the future plans are not yet disclosed by the executive. However, one of the cofounders, Rajagopalan, is reportedly working on a new startup, which is in stealth mode currently. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Regulators promote exchanges; can they stifle one? Watch IEX
Jane St: How an options trader smelt a rat when others raised a toast
TCS job cuts may not stop at 12,000; its bench policy threatens more
From near bankruptcy to blockbuster drug: How Khorakiwala turned around Wockhardt
Stock Radar: SBI Life rebounds after testing 50-DEMA; could hit fresh record highs above Rs 2,000 – check target & stop loss
These 10 banking stocks can give more than 25% returns in 1 year, according to analysts
Two Trades for Today: A metals stock for an over 6% gain, a large-cap chemicals maker for about 7% upmove
F&O Radar| Deploy Broken Wing in LIC Housing Finance to benefit from bearish outlook
