In a nutshell: Consverge’s Expert Network Aggregator Platform provides access to global expert networks and independent research providers in one place. It’s used by customers in private equity and hedge funds,  capital markets, management consulting and corporates.

Based in the UK and India, Kumardeep with his co-founder Niraj Manek established Consverge in 2021, having come from a background in sales leadership and account management at organisations including Moody’s, IHS Markit, and Citigroup. Consverge reported its first revenue in March 2021, and Consverge now employs 8 team members. 

Argella: What makes you tick as an entrepreneur?

Kumardeep: The best bit of the job for me is talking to customers – whether that’s  an opportunity to sell or to get feedback on our product, the conversations are both interesting and useful. 

I also love technology. I spend a lot of time on research and get really excited about what other tech startups are doing – it’s one of the reasons why our tech stack is so good – we’re constantly researching, updating and improving it. 

Argella: What do you worry about?

Kumardeep: Quite a few things – most founders have a long list… 

One thing that keeps me awake at night is thinking about whether I’m making the right decisions. Being a founder in a decision making position looks great from the outside, but the truth is it can be a real worry – have I made the right decision? Am I prioritising things well?  

Once I’ve thought that through, there’s normally a hundred other things after that to keep me awake! 

Argella: One year into life as an entrepreneur, what advice would you give new and potential founders? 

Kumardeep: There are three important things I’ve learnt: 

Talk to your customers early, and often. When you live and breathe a business it’s easy to lose perspective – you might think you’re solving a massive problem, that you’re going to disrupt an industry completely, but talk to customers and prospects about it – they might tell you it’s not really a big problem you’re solving at all. 

Secondly, it sounds obvious but get your product right before you go to market. It’s hard to fix a bad reputation once it’s been built. 

Finally, introduce talent to the business as often as you can afford to. Keep hiring, and don’t worry about keeping your equity close to your heart, because ultimately that equity has no value unless your business is a success. 

Argella: Finally, how have you found working with Argella’s founder, Amar? 

Kumardeep: It’s been a great experience. Amar is engaged, well networked and a great advocate for our business. He makes introductions and talks about Consverge as often as he can which is a huge confidence booster. 

Amar really understands the challenges founders face, and is a great guide through the maze of start-up life. It’s like having an arm around us, to steer us in the right direction. 

To find out more about how Argella advises and advances growing tech businesses, visit www.argella.co.uk. For more information on Consverge visit www.consverge.com.