Well, the idea for Vodex came up when Anshul and I were discussing the challenges businesses face in outbound voice sales and marketing. We together already had an experience of running a company working in Chatbots and Voicebot for more than a decade. The idea started when lot of business started coming to us asking for a solution for outbound calls where Bots can mimic human conversation in a human like voice. We realized there was a gap in the market for a solution that could automate these calls and use AI to create more personalized interactions.

Q2. What made you start working on Vodex and executing this idea?

The idea itself was quite exciting, but what really made us take the plunge was the potential impact. We saw that businesses were missing out on growth opportunities due to inefficient and ineffective outbound calling. We believed that our solution could make a real difference. With our previous experience and access to Business adopting to AI, we did initial surveys and tried to understand the pain points.

Q3. When did you realise the need to raise Venture Capital - Seed funding?

The realization to seek seed funding came about six months into the journey of developing Vodex. Anshul and I had been bootstrapping the project up until that point, using our savings to cover the initial expenses. However, as we delved deeper into the AI development, we noticed that our resources were starting to thin. Simultaneously, we were observing a growing interest in our solution, and we saw the potential to speed up our product development to capture the market demand. There were a few other factors too. We understood the benefit of bringing in external perspectives from experienced investors, who could guide us in building the business beyond
just the financial support. Furthermore, we were aware that building an AI solution with the scope we envisioned required a dedicated team of experts, advanced computing resources, and extensive testing - all of which would need a substantial financial backing. Therefore, we decided to raise venture capital.

Q4. How has 100X helped you at the beginning of your journey?

100X.VC has been an invaluable partner since the very early days of Vodex. When we approached them with our idea and a rudimentary prototype, they immediately saw the potential and agreed to back us. This gave us the initial seed funding required to start building out our product in a more serious and focused manner. But their help has not been limited to financial support. The 100X team brings a vast amount of experience in building and scaling businesses, and they've generously shared their wisdom with us. They've mentored us through some of our toughest challenges, and have always been available for guidance and advice. Moreover, they provided us with opportunities to connect with industry leaders and potential clients through their network, which has helped us immensely in gaining early traction and market validation. Their introductions have also led to key partnerships that have helped us improve our product offering.

Q5. What challenges did you face & how did you overcome them?

In the early stages of Vodex, we encountered a variety of challenges.
First and foremost, there was the technological challenge. Building an AI-powered system capable of automating outbound voice sales and marketing calls is no small task. It required us to solve complex problems in speech recognition, LLM’s, and deep learning. Overcoming this challenge required a combination of hiring the right talent. We were fortunate enough to bring on board a team of talented engineers and AI experts, who were passionate about the problems we were trying to solve. The second major challenge was market acceptance. Given that we were introducing a novel
solution, it was hard at first to convince businesses to adopt our product. There were concerns about the effectiveness of GenAI in such a human-driven task, and whether the technology could truly replicate or exceed the efficiency of human telesales representatives.
To address this, we focused heavily on demonstrating the benefits of our product. We offered initial trials to potential customers, collected their feedback, and continuously improved our product based on their insights. We also worked on showcasing real-life
success stories, highlighting how businesses could benefit from using Vodex.

Q6. What stage is Vodex at present?

At present, Vodex is in the growth stage. We have a functional product that's being used by several businesses. We're now focused on expanding our customer base and improving our technology. We are now raising our seed round to help us expand in our GTM and support the product Research and Development as well.

Q7. As founders, what are your goals for the next 1-2 years?

Our immediate goal is to scale Vodex and establish a strong market presence. In the next two years, we plan to expand internationally and invest in R&D to keep improving our product and offerings.

Q8. What keeps you motivated & keeps you going?

The potential impact we can have on businesses and their growth is what keeps us going. Every time a customer tells us how much our product has helped them, it gives us the motivation to keep pushing.

Q9. Your message for Startup founders building in the same sector?

Firstly, always keep the customer at the center of what you do. Generative AI is an exciting field with immense potential, but it's easy to get lost in the technology and lose sight of the problems you're trying to solve. Secondly, invest heavily in research and development. The field of AI is advancing at a breakneck pace. To stay relevant and competitive, it's critical to keep up with the latest research and advancements. Thirdly, be prepared for a steep learning curve and numerous challenges. Building an AI-powered product is complex and can be fraught with technical difficulties. Persistence and resilience are key.

Lastly, remember that building a startup is not a sprint, but a marathon. It can take a while to see the fruits of your labor. Stay patient, stay focused, and keep pushing. The generative AI sector holds a lot of promise, and I believe there's plenty of room for new ideas and players.

About Kumar Saurav:

Kumar Saurav, Co-Founder and CTO of Vodex.ai, leads the development and delivery of Generative
AI-powered solutions for businesses. With over 11 years of experience in the IT, IoT, Robotics,
and AI industries, he has a deep understanding of the technical and business challenges that their
clients face, and how to overcome them with innovative technology.