What do Indian SaaS operators say it actually takes to win US customers while building from India?
The short answer
The recurring advice is that global is a starting position, not a later phase. Manav Garg built Eka out of India when SaaS was not yet a word and had to win Fortune 500 trust from a standing start. Rocketlane's Srikrishnan Ganesan ran over 100 customer conversations and built a community before launch, reached 30 paying customers in two and a half months, and over 80 percent of its enterprise customers are now in the US, on the explicit view that you do not need to win in India, you need to win in the US. The most repeated mistake is the first US sales hire: founders hire on quota attainment at a big company instead of on adaptability, and they hire expensive reps before there is enough demand for them to work. And Sharath Keshava Narayana's point is blunt, the founder has to be a great seller first.
Go deeper, your way
4 hand-picked resources, 4 India-specific, 4 link-checked. Pick how you want to dig in.
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Why we picked it
Manav built Eka out of India when SaaS was not yet a word, so the section on winning Fortune 500 trust from a standing start is hard won rather than theoretical.
Why we picked it
Two companies past 20 million in revenue, both run with India engineering and US selling. He is direct about the founder having to be the great seller first, which most India to US advice dances around.
Why we picked it
The pre launch part is the useful part: a community called Preflight and over 100 customer conversations before there was a product, then 30 paying customers within two and a half months of launch.
Why we picked it
Has the number that makes the point: over 80 percent of Rocketlane's 600 plus enterprise customers are in the US. Also carries the no MVP stance, build what you are proud to show the world.