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In this episode, we sit down with Praveen Seshadri, former Microsoft executive and co-founder and CEO of Thunk.AI. He previously co-founded AppSheet, which was acquired by Google.

Praveen shares his journey from leaving Microsoft at age 40 to navigating five pivots over two years before discovering product-market fit with AppSheet. He discusses how the company pioneered no-code and product-led growth, the importance of customer-led development, and the lessons learned from building and scaling a startup.

The conversation also explores his latest venture, Thunk.ai, where he is focused on using generative AI to automate business workflows. He shares insights on the current state of AI, the challenges of reliability, and why AI has the potential to fundamentally reshape how work gets done.

In this episode, Praveen talks about:

- His transition from Microsoft to entrepreneurship
- The journey from multiple failed ideas to building AppSheet
- The rise of no-code and product-led growth
- Key lessons on fundraising, team building, and customer focus
- The opportunities and limitations of AI in business today

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, technologist, or builder, this episode offers a candid look at what it really takes to build, pivot, and succeed in a rapidly changing technology landscape.

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Brought to you by TiE Seattle
Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar
Producers: Minee Verma and Eesha Jain
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Praveen Seshadri: Building AppSheet - Five Pivots to a Google Acquisition and the AI revolution