Pune DeTour Recap: 3 Events, 1 Day, 60+ Founders, Endless Insights 🚀
A day to remember for B2B SaaS leaders!
On November 30, Pune became the epicenter of B2B SaaS innovation with GTMDialogues' Pune Detour. In one action-packed day, we hosted three exclusive back-to-back events designed for B2B founders and GTM leaders. Each session offered unique perspectives, in-depth insights, and powerful networking opportunities.
If you weren’t there, here’s what you missed — and why you’ll want to mark your calendar for future GTMDialogues events!
☀️ Breakfast meetup: AI-driven growth and future-ready SaaS
The day kicked off with an invite-only breakfast meetup for seasoned B2B founders and GTM leaders. This wasn't just a casual networking event — it was a curated roundtable where some of Pune's brightest SaaS minds explored how AI-driven solutions can streamline sales cycles and accelerate customer acquisition.
We had founders and GTM leaders of companies including iCertis (contract management software with USD ~500m funding), Druva (cloud data platform with USD ~500m funding), Qapita (captable management software with ~40m funding), Conversive (conversational AI platform bootstrapped to ~20m ARR), AutomationEdge (AI automation provider backed by founders with successful exit), OnlineSales.ai (Series A funded startup in retain media development space), Flytbase (Series A funded drone automation software), etc.
The intimate setting fostered genuine connections, allowing leaders to share experiences and build lasting relationships beyond surface-level networking.
🎤 Speaker session: Nitin Seth's playbook for scaling without VC funding
The afternoon's highlight was a powerful session with Nitin Seth, CEO of Conversive. An IIT Bombay graduate, Nitin shared his 16-year journey of scaling Screen Magic from zero to $20M — all without VC funding. This wasn’t just a session; it was a candid conversation filled with hard-earned lessons and practical strategies.
Key takeaways:
Pivot when necessary based on market feedback.
SMS Magic's first venture failed because they didn’t achieve product-market fit. They realized the importance of building products that solve well-defined customer problems.
Understand market demands in-depth before expanding.
When expanding into the U.S., SMS Magic took a cloud-first approach, ensuring scalability.
Innovation should always solve unmet customer needs.
SMS Magic differentiated itself by focusing on compliance and AI-powered conversational messaging to meet customer demands for more interactive communication.
Replicate successful strategies across markets to scale efficiently.
SMS Magic expanded into new markets using strategies that had already proven successful, such as their integration with Salesforce.
🛠️ PLG workshop: Mastering product-led growth strategies
The day concluded with an exclusive, hands-on workshop on Product-Led Growth (PLG). This wasn’t a typical workshop — attendees rolled up their sleeves and tackled real-world PLG challenges under the guidance of Tanmay Ratnaparkhe, Founder of Predis.ai.
Workshop highlights:
$1M PLG challenge: Participants brainstormed and developed strategic investment plans for a hypothetical $1M PLG budget. The exercise was more than theoretical; it was a chance to test ideas and compare them with successful enterprise strategies.
Tool stack brainstorm: Together, participants built a collective toolkit of PLG tools and strategies, discovering new resources to enhance their growth efforts.
🌟 What’s next? Don’t miss out!
The Pune Detour is the beginning of a larger movement. The energy and insights we shared and the connections made are unparalleled.
Our events are exclusive, invite-only, and designed to provide real value. Whether you’re an early-stage founder or a seasoned leader, there’s something for you.
Stay connected!
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About us: GTMDialogues is a GTM-focused community and scale-up platform for B2B companies. Build with a larger mission to “help B2B startups scale” and spread the impact to the long tail of founders.