By: Samantha Perry
“We may be a bootstrapped company, but we are strongly supported by our customers.”
Sameer Narkar, Founder and CEO of Konnect Insights, reflected on the distinctive journey he has taken—one that diverges from many typical startup trajectories. On the Practical Founders Podcast, Sameer shared with host Greg Head how he built a 140-person SaaS company serving global enterprises—all without relying on external investors.
Today, Konnect Insights is a unified, AI-powered customer experience platform used by over 500 brands across industries such as telecom, insurance, fintech, QSR, and aviation. The platform integrates various channels like email, phone, Twitter, Instagram, and review sites into a single view, helping teams manage and respond to customer queries more efficiently and intelligently.
Betting on Enterprise From Day One
Sameer didn’t take the usual route of starting small and moving upmarket. “For a change, we are a bootstrapped company that directly works with enterprise customers,” he said. These include banks, telecommunications companies, government entities, and 25 industry verticals (mainly B2C) across regions, including India, MENA, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
While many founders focused on acquiring SMB customers initially, Sameer began by selling to digital marketing agencies that served larger enterprises. “They believed we could create the software that would solve their problems,” he said. That initial trust led to the acquisition of his first five enterprise clients.
Why Simplicity Wins Over Size
In an industry dominated by billion-dollar players like Sprinklr, Sameer’s advantage lies in Konnect Insights’ simplicity. “We are definitely more straightforward,” he said. “Our unique value proposition is that we help your agents become more efficient… It’s 3x productivity.”
According to Sameer, brands migrating from legacy tools find their platform not only quicker to adopt but also simpler to implement. That productivity pitch—saving time per agent while improving accuracy—has helped Konnect Insights replace established competitors in sectors where reliability is critical.
Partner-Led Growth, Not Paid Ads
Despite reaching $7 million in annual revenue and aiming to double that this year, Konnect Insights has invested very little in advertising. “We are certainly not spending heavily on advertising,” he said. “No Google ads, no Facebook ads, no LinkedIn ads.”
Instead, his go-to-market strategy emphasizes indirect sales. The company collaborates closely with ISVs and contact centre platforms like Genesys, Cisco, Nice, and Avaya, embedding its product within their partner ecosystems. “If you have a team of 100 salespeople using a CRM or Contact Center platform, you should provide them with every incentive to sell our product,” Sameer explained.
AI as a Differentiator, Not a Gimmick
Unlike many competitors who heavily rely on OpenAI integrations, Konnect Insights has developed its own AI layer using a secure, proprietary stack. “We began building AI with security at the forefront,” he said. “The entire knowledge base is now integrated with AI.”
This approach has yielded tangible results. Agents using the platform now have access to complete customer context, suggested replies, and quality assessments—all powered by AI. “If your agents were previously solving 50 queries a day, they might now handle 150,” Sameer said. The company’s AI doesn’t replace human teams—it enhances their capabilities.
What Keeps Sameer Going
With acquisition offers on the table, why hasn’t he sold? For Sameer, it’s about building something meaningful, not just profiting. “It’s not the consumption of things that brings happiness. It’s the creation of things,” he said.
He recently confirmed plans for a small funding round—but with a focus on smart growth rather than dilution. Long-term, he envisions an IPO within five years.
Sameer’s journey is not one of rapid, explosive growth. It’s a story of steady, profitable, product-led scaling—with clarity, determination, and a strong belief in long-term customer value
