‘You went to IIT for this?’ Meesho founders interviewed by company’s AI bot on 10th anniversary

As e-commerce company Meesho marked its tenth anniversary, co-founders Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal sat down for an interview with the company’s own AI voice bot, Varsha. The founders shared the interview on their respective LinkedIn posts.

For the Bengaluru startup, the Gen AI-powered voice bot handles 60,000 customer calls daily in Hindi and English, resolving 95% of queries with minimal human intervention.

Meesho founders interviewed by AI bot

The AI bot effectively handles interruptions, operates smoothly on basic smartphones in noisy environments, and has reduced Average Handle Time by 50% while reducing support costs by 75%.

"Our AI voicebot, the same one that now speaks to customers across India interviewed us," shared Barnwal. "It asked the questions. We just told the story."

In a candid conversation with the bot, the Meesho founders shared their uncommon journey from IIT Delhi to India’s small towns and kirana stores.

“When we started Meesho, we had no idea this is what it would become. We didn’t know what to expect. All we knew was we wanted to solve a problem — to help small businesses grow,” Vidit Aatrey, CEO, Meesho, said. 

The two IITians started their entrepreneurial journey with no prior experience in commerce or retail, and little exposure to India’s small business ecosystem.

It was a tough decision for them to leave secure jobs and enter a completely unknown domain.

“At the start, our parents would ask us, ‘You went to IIT for this?’ And at that time, we had no good answer. We were just figuring it out as we went,” recalled CTO Sanjeev Barnwal.

From a social commerce app to a full-scale e-commerce marketplace, Meesho has come a long way.

“We’ve pivoted, failed, and re-pivoted more times than we can count. But what never changed was our belief that small businesses deserve the same technology as the biggest ones,” Barnwal said.

“Honestly, we didn’t plan this far ahead. We just wanted to solve one problem at a time,” Aatrey said.

Barnwal concluded his LinkedIn post by saying: "We are 10 years in. Still learning. Still building. Still dreaming of what's next."

Also read: Ashwini Vaishnaw launches RailOne—Indian Railways all-in-one app to book tickets, check PNR, and order food (startuppedia.in)