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Listen "Dropped Out of PhD to Build a 7 Figure SAAS. Here's What He Learned"
Episode Synopsis
What happens when you leave home at 15, become the first in your family to graduate college, drop out of a physics PhD, and build a company that scales to 7 figures?
Maruthi did exactly that. From a tier-2 city in India to University of Southampton, from physics research to building Almabase (the #1 alumni management software in the US), his journey is anything but conventional.
In this episode, we dive deep into:
→ Why he almost quit the moment he landed in London
→ The realization that made him drop out of his PhD
→ How he scaled companies like Rippling and Remote from $4M to $100M+
→ Building Navada AI: an AI tool actually designed with taste
→ Why hard work and discipline beat intelligence in hypercompetitive environments
→ The two skills that make teenagers unstoppable
Maruthy doesn't sugarcoat it. He shares the loneliness of arriving in a foreign country, the moment he knew academia wasn't his path, and the philosophy that keeps him going: "The universe has infinite opportunities, don't crumble over one setback."
Whether you're a founder, a parent supporting a kid with big dreams, or someone thinking about taking an unconventional path, this conversation will challenge how you think about risk, learning, and building products people actually love.
KEY TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
02:41 - Leaving home at 15: The hidden strengths discovered
03:28 - The moment he wanted to quit in London
04:53 - Why he chose entrepreneurship over physics PhD
08:15 - First startup journey and lessons learned
12:30 - Scaling Rippling and Remote to $100M+
15:45 - Building Navada AI with design-first thinking
18:20 - Why most AI tools lack taste
21:46 - AI myths for parents and teens
23:52 - The best advice he ever received
25:07 - The one skill every teenager needs to master
26:53 - Learning to learn + selling = unstoppable
Subscribe to the AI Parenting Institute for more conversations with founders who are building the future while navigating unconventional paths.
Hit that notification bell so you never miss an episode where we explore responsible innovation, entrepreneurship, and how to support the next generation of builders.
Find Rayyan:
YouTube: @aiparentinginstitute
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19Ens04...
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
LinkedIn: / rayyan-s-ali
Instagram: / rayyanali_api
Newsletter: https://substack.com/@aiparentinginst...
Find Maruthi:
LinkedIn / maruthimedisetty
Nevara: / getnevara
#SaaS #Entrepreneurship #StartupJourney #AITools #FounderStory #PhDDropout #IndianFounders #TechStartups #AlumniManagement #ProductManagement
Maruthi did exactly that. From a tier-2 city in India to University of Southampton, from physics research to building Almabase (the #1 alumni management software in the US), his journey is anything but conventional.
In this episode, we dive deep into:
→ Why he almost quit the moment he landed in London
→ The realization that made him drop out of his PhD
→ How he scaled companies like Rippling and Remote from $4M to $100M+
→ Building Navada AI: an AI tool actually designed with taste
→ Why hard work and discipline beat intelligence in hypercompetitive environments
→ The two skills that make teenagers unstoppable
Maruthy doesn't sugarcoat it. He shares the loneliness of arriving in a foreign country, the moment he knew academia wasn't his path, and the philosophy that keeps him going: "The universe has infinite opportunities, don't crumble over one setback."
Whether you're a founder, a parent supporting a kid with big dreams, or someone thinking about taking an unconventional path, this conversation will challenge how you think about risk, learning, and building products people actually love.
KEY TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
02:41 - Leaving home at 15: The hidden strengths discovered
03:28 - The moment he wanted to quit in London
04:53 - Why he chose entrepreneurship over physics PhD
08:15 - First startup journey and lessons learned
12:30 - Scaling Rippling and Remote to $100M+
15:45 - Building Navada AI with design-first thinking
18:20 - Why most AI tools lack taste
21:46 - AI myths for parents and teens
23:52 - The best advice he ever received
25:07 - The one skill every teenager needs to master
26:53 - Learning to learn + selling = unstoppable
Subscribe to the AI Parenting Institute for more conversations with founders who are building the future while navigating unconventional paths.
Hit that notification bell so you never miss an episode where we explore responsible innovation, entrepreneurship, and how to support the next generation of builders.
Find Rayyan:
YouTube: @aiparentinginstitute
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19Ens04...
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
LinkedIn: / rayyan-s-ali
Instagram: / rayyanali_api
Newsletter: https://substack.com/@aiparentinginst...
Find Maruthi:
LinkedIn / maruthimedisetty
Nevara: / getnevara
#SaaS #Entrepreneurship #StartupJourney #AITools #FounderStory #PhDDropout #IndianFounders #TechStartups #AlumniManagement #ProductManagement
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