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Varun Varahabhotla
AI Search and Workflows for Knowledge Workers In Finance | CEO of AlphaWatch (YC W23)
Varun V. (LinkedIn username: varunvnv) is the Co-Founder and CEO of Alphawatch.AI, a company that was part of Y Combinator's Winter 2023 batch (YC W23).1 Alphawatch.AI is focused on building the future of AI financial research for institutions, funds, and knowledge workers.1
Professional Background
Prior to founding Alphawatch.AI, Varun had an impressive career in the tech industry:
- Amazon Web Services (AWS): He worked as a Software Development Engineer (L5) on AWS Data Center Ops from 2022 to 2023.1
- Coinbase: Varun was a Software Engineer 2, working as a Backend Engineer on the Web 3 Platform & Apps team from 2021 to 2022.1
- Uber: He held positions as both a Software Engineer and a Technical Program Manager (TPM) from 2018 to 2020.1
Education
Varun's educational background includes:
- A Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Engineering from Columbia University in the City of New York.1
- Participation in Y Combinator, likely as part of his role with Alphawatch.AI.1
Skills and Languages
Varun is multilingual, with proficiency in several languages:
- English (native or bilingual proficiency)
- Telugu (native or bilingual proficiency)
- Hindi (professional working proficiency)
- Spanish (limited working proficiency)1
It's worth noting that while the query mentions "Varun Varahabhotla," the LinkedIn profile shows the name as "Varun V." This discrepancy could be due to a shortened or different representation of the last name on the LinkedIn profile.
Highlights
Startups should stop worrying about moats.
Here’s why…
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Most startups fail because they never find product-market fit, not because they lack a moat. When you're just starting out, your focus should be on building something people want, not on creating a strong defense for your business.
DoorDash founder Tony Xu emphasizes this point: "No startup on day one should be thinking about moats." When DoorDash began, they simply aimed to deliver food from restaurants that didn't offer delivery. They focused on solving a real problem for customers and restaurants, not on creating barriers to competition.
This approach isn't unique to DoorDash. Many successful tech companies started without moats. Facebook began as a way for college students to connect, and Amazon initially only sold books. These companies built their defenses over time by continually adding more value to their products and services.
Instead of worrying about defending your business from the outset, concentrate on understanding your customers, improving your product, and proving you're creating value. Your defense will naturally develop as you build something truly valuable and difficult to replicate.
In essence, don't focus on building a strong barrier around your business when you're just starting. At the beginning, your defense doesn't exist - and that's okay. Your priority should be creating something worth defending in the first place.
