Soumitra Deshpande

Soumitra Deshpande is a SaaS revenue leader with a strong track record of driving non-linear growth through scalable go-to-market strategies.

During his tenure at Freshworks, he played a pivotal role in growing revenue exponentially, from $50 million to over $500 million for the publicly traded company. He spearheaded various partnership programs, including SI/GSI, ISV, Strategic Alliances, Channels, Technology Partnerships, and Startups.

Currently, Soumitra heads Freshworks for Startups, collaborating with over 1000 VCs and operators and 10,000 startups globally, generating substantial revenue and establishing a prominent presence in the startup ecosystem.

His experience in leading exponential growth has equipped him with valuable insights into team building and scaling operations from startup phase to scale-up.

Prior to Freshworks, Soumitra drove growth for startups and scale-ups through direct and indirect channels as a top go-to-market executive. At Tracxn, as Director of Business Development, he successfully built the EMEA business from inception, contributing to its eventual public listing.

At Klevu, a Finnish Search Tech Startup, Soumitra played a crucial role as a core team member and lead go-to-market professional. He established sales and marketing strategies from scratch, overseeing customer acquisition, partnerships, content strategy, and overall growth plan.

Before this, at Larsen & Toubro, an engineering and communications conglomerate, he excelled in direct and partner-led capital equipment sales in the automobile and engineering sectors, earning accolades from esteemed organizations like Crompton Greaves, ABB, and Mahindra.

Located in London, Soumitra has developed a strong network and expertise across EMEA, US, and APAC markets. He is deeply passionate about B2B SaaS and startups, actively mentoring multiple startups and participating in numerous startup forums.

On the educational front, Soumitra holds a PGDM in Brand Management & Digital Marketing from MICA | The School of Ideas, a B.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering from NIT Jaipur, and completed his XII and X grades in Science from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Aurangabad.

Throughout his career, Soumitra has held key positions at various organizations such as Kovai.co, Tracxn, Klevu Ltd, Hindustan Times, and Larsen & Toubro Limited, showcasing his versatility and expertise in business development, partnerships, marketing, and sales.