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Tejas Konduru

Working on something new | Prev. Founder & CEO at Via | Forbes 30u30

Tejas Konduru is an entrepreneur and tech founder who is currently working on a new venture in stealth mode.4 Here's what we know about him:

Background and Education

Tejas is the son of Silicon Valley engineers who immigrated from India to the U.S. when he was 1 year old.1 He was raised in Silicon Valley, where his parents worked as engineers at tech companies and also ran restaurants as a side business.1

Entrepreneurial Journey

Via

Tejas is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Via, a mobile commerce platform he started in 2019.56 Via helps retailers engage with customers on mobile devices, providing tools for mobile commerce, SMS marketing, and customer interaction.12 Under Tejas's leadership, Via experienced rapid growth:

  • Grew from 0 to over 190 customers in a year
  • Achieved 400% year-over-year growth in annual recurring revenue (ARR)
  • Generated over $50 million in sales for its customers
  • Raised a $15 million Series A funding round in 202112

Current Venture

As of now, Tejas is working on something new in stealth mode.4 The details of this new venture are not publicly available, which is typical for projects in stealth.

Skills and Reputation

Tejas is described as a:

  • Full-stack developer
  • Former tech investment banker at Credit Suisse7
  • Phenomenally bright, insightful, and passionate tech founder3
  • Customer-obsessed entrepreneur with a strong vision2

His experience running his family's restaurants in high school sparked his interest in marketing and driving business growth, which later influenced his entrepreneurial path.1

Tejas has demonstrated an ability to pivot quickly, find product-market fit, and scale businesses rapidly. He's also known for his leadership skills and ability to attract top talent to his ventures.12

Highlights

Apr 4 · linkedin

Fundraising for your e-commerce or SaaS startup?

As the founder of Via, I raised $75M from top-tier VCs like Tiger Global & Soma Capital.

Every week I get DMs from founders asking how to launch, grow, and sell their startups. Unfortunately, I can’t get back to everyone.

I’ve just opened a few 1:1 slots on Intro. Happy to chat about the stuff you can’t google. ⤵️

✔️ Fundraising from VCs or angels ✔️ Which VC firms make sense for you ✔️ Pitch deck recommendations ✔️ Go-to-market strategies ✔️ Scaling & growth

Honored to be alongside world-class experts like @David Siegel (CEO at Meetup, Investopedia, & fmr President at Seeking Alpha), @Linde Scheers (former CMO @ eBay, Germany), & @Andrew Peters (Product Strategy Expert, Google, GoPro, Microsoft, Google).

Want to hop on a 15-min call this week? Book me here: intro.co/tejaskonduru

Apr 27 · linkedin

Just over 4 years ago, I started Via on my friend's couch to help businesses interact with their customers on the devices & networks they use most often. It's been amazing to see how a simple, but powerful mission inspired the company that Via has become.

Today I'm announcing that it is the right time for me to step down as CEO of Via and pass the role onto the leadership team who will safeguard, build and continue this vision. When I started this journey, nothing could've prepared the 23-year-old me for what was to come. We grew from a simple SMB software that helped brick-and-mortar businesses to a full suite of mobile commerce tools that generate millions of dollars in revenue every single week for 100s of merchants. I want to say thank you to all the people who have helped us make Via into what it is. A huge and well-deserved shoutout to my co-founder, Greg J. Woodfield. Without Greg, there would be no Via. He's the reason we kept going during the early days and the reason why we made the pivot into ecommerce.

The decision to step down was not an easy one, but the past couple of months have given me a lot of clarity. It came down to two things - 1) it's the right time for the company and 2) it's the right time for me. We are in a strong place with an incredible senior leadership team. We have the vision, capital, team, and customers to continue building around. I've spent the past 4.5 years prioritizing Via over myself, family, friends, and health. That came at the cost of neglecting the most important things in my life. It's time to put those things back at the top.

As for me, I'll still be involved with Via in an advisory role and will be spending much-needed time with friends & family over the next couple of months. Please reach out if I can help with anything :)

Related Questions

What is the new project Tejas Konduru is working on at Stealth?
How did Tejas Konduru transition from investment banking to entrepreneurship?
What challenges did Tejas face when starting Via?
Who are the key team members at Via alongside Tejas Konduru?
What makes Via's approach to mobile commerce unique?
Tejas Konduru
Tejas Konduru, photo 1
Tejas Konduru, photo 2
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Location

Los Angeles, California, United States