logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
58m 37s

How to pull off the ‘zoom-in pivot,’ and...

First Round
About this episode

Todd Jackson is back on the mic to guest host another product-focused episode. This time, he chats with Kesava Kirupa Dinakaran, co-founder and CEO of Luminai, a B2B software tool that helps automate any manual process down to just one click. 


Dinakaran’s personal and professional story is one that you do not want to miss. A former Rubik’s Cube champion and back-to-back Hackathon winner, Dinakaran’s foray into the world of building software products is anything but conventional. The founders stumbled on the idea for its automated “one-click” product started on accident, at a corporate hackathon. 


But it’s exactly this unique worldview and introspective strategies that make Dinakaran’s advice on the path to finding product-market fit for Luminai so fascinating. Formerly called Digital Brain, Luminai is a Series A startup that’s raised nearly $20 million since its launch out of Y Combinator in 2020. 


In this episode, we explore the psychology behind the sales process, why sales leaders should consider pitching straight to the CEO and Dinakaran’s decision to scrap hundreds of lines of written code to focus on building out their most beloved customer feature. 



On the surface, Luminai may seem like just another B2B SaaS startup, but with nearly half the team comprising of former founders (seven of which are ex-YC founders), Luminai is a true example of how the co-founders can really make their mark on shaping their company on the path to product-market fit.  

Up next
Jul 1
How Gusto built a $9.5 billion company by identifying a burning problem
Tomer London is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Gusto, the payroll and people platform used by over 400,000 businesses. He grew up helping run his dad’s clothing store in Israel — an experience that sparked his mission to build better tools for small business owners. ... Show More
55m 1s
Jun 19
How rejecting conventional wisdom grew Sentry to a $3 billion company | David Cramer (Co-founder and CPO)
David Cramer is the co-founder of Sentry, the leading open-source error monitoring tool used by over 90,000 companies. A self-taught engineer, he went from 9th grade high school dropout and Burger King manager to building one of the most widely adopted developer tools in the worl ... Show More
1h 41m
Jun 10
Inside Linear: Why craft and focus still win in product building | Karri Saarinen (Co-founder and CEO)
Karri Saarinen is the co-founder and CEO of Linear, the project management tool built for high-performance software teams. Since its founding in 2019, Linear has achieved a valuation of $1.25B as of 10th June 2025 and now counts companies like OpenAI, Ramp and Vercel as customers ... Show More
1h 33m
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
#19 - Rabea Ataya (Co-founder & CEO of Bayt.com) on making smart business investments
Rabea Ataya is one of the forefathers of the MENA tech space. Prior to co-founding Bayt.com in 2000, he started and sold InfoFort. He is passionate about starting companies that have a lasting impact and align with a bigger purpose.Rabea is generous with his thoughts and learning ... Show More
1h 9m
Dec 2022
Building a Marketplace For Diverse Brands on WooCommerce with the co-founders of SheHeThey
Michael Ayre and Luke Jordan are the co-founders of SheHeThey – the home of diverse brands. It’s a marketplace built on WooCommerce, celebrating Queer, Black, POC, Disabled, Neurodivergent, Woman, and Ally Owned Brands. Founded in 2021, they launched in mid-2022 and they’re alrea ... Show More
36m 42s
Apr 2022
EP110 "Batting For Crazy" | GrubTech CEO Mohamed Al Fayed On Failure, Intrapreneurship & Opportunity
GrubTech co-founder and CEO Mohamed Al Fayed has walked a fascinating journey. He describes himself as a "late bloomer" who took a while to figure out his passions and what makes him tick. He started restoring cars and selling ambulances before finding a niche in merchandise plan ... Show More
46m 8s
Aug 2023
How Solving His Dad's Online Review Problem Led to Big Business with Eric Rea: An EOFire Classic from 2021
From the archive: This episode was originally recorded and published in 2020. Our interviews on Entrepreneurs On Fire are meant to be evergreen, and we do our best to confirm that all offers and URL's in these archive episodes are still relevant. Eric Rea is the co-founder and CE ... Show More
25m 28s
Jun 2019
Starting A Million Dollar Business On $300
Introducing Mario Nawfal Todays guest joining us on the Join Up Dots business coaching podcast interview is Mr Mario Nawfal He is an entrepreneur who enjoys the challenge of building businesses that scale globally. It was just a few years ago, back in 2012 when he started his fir ... Show More
45m 29s
Mar 2024
#190 Brad Jacobs: How To Build a Billion Dollar Company
Brad Jacobs doesn't just build big companies – he builds industry giants. As the founder of eight multibillion-dollar companies, he's cracked the code on scaling businesses from zero to billions. In this conversation, the secrets he's earned over decades. You'll discover where bi ... Show More
1h 43m
Jun 2024
GTM 97: The Neural Network Training Approach to Enterprise Sales Process with Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks IV has spent 12 years leading sales, marketing and customer success at early-stage startups. Typically, he has served as the first sales (and first non-technical) hire reporting directly to a technical founder. Robert started his career at Charles Schwab but joined ... Show More
59m 30s
Feb 2023
#18- Philip Bahoshy (Founder of Magnitt) on using data to drive your decisions & marketing approach
Philip Bahosh is ex-consultant turned entrepreneur. He’s the Founder of Magnitt, the leading startup and investment data insights platform. Over the course of building Magnitt, Philip has had to continuously listen to customers using data to evolve and grow his product offering.P ... Show More
47m 12s
Sep 2016
SaaStr 059: How To Measure Sales Team Success, Test New Pricing, Build Culture From Day 1 & The Biggest Learnings From Watching Box Scale Into Hypergrowth with Michael Cardamone, Managing Director @ A
Michael Cardamone is the Managing Director of Acceleprise, a SaaS focused accelerator based in San Francisco and backed by leading operators. He is also an advisor to and angel investor in early stage SaaS companies. Prior to Acceleprise, Michael was one of the first 30 employees ... Show More
24m 32s