Harish Chandramowli, Co-Founder of Flaire, he transitioned from Lead Engineer at MongoDB to building fashion ERP software despite having zero industry background.
We dive into his journey from cybersecurity engineer to fashion-tech founder, the bold decisions that shaped his company's growth, and his contrarian views on the future of enterprise software in the AI era.
⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.com
Flaire - https://www.flairesoftware.com/
Harish Chandramowli - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scharish
🎙️ Hosted by Prashant Choubey
Follow Prashant on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/choubeysahab
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:11) Validating the Flaire idea without a fashion background
(04:53) Operating in stealth mode with design partners
(06:00) Challenges in getting demos and converting customers
(08:14) Using AI to solve real workflow problem
(10:11) Learning curve of transitioning from tech to sales
(11:25) Approach to product-market fit and go-to-market strategy
(13:08) Building a product that adapts to macro changes in fashion workflows
(16:15) Dealing with the urge to radically pivot
(17:22) Unique metrics for fashion ERP
(18:18) Approach to fundraising as a technical founder
(19:26) Building defensibility and moats in the age of AI
(21:38) Most vulnerable moment building the startup
(22:22) Pivotal decision that changed Flaire's growth trajectory
(25:17) Transition from employee to founder and impact on lifestyle
(27:01) Contrarian view on the future of fashion tech and ERP
(29:04) Strategic decision to complement Shopify
(31:16) Biggest learning as a founder
(33:34) Closing remarks and where to follow Harish's journey
For sponsorship or guest appearance requests, write to prashantchoubey3@gmail.com
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