With the talent market becoming more competitive, strong business is a must for thriving business. Organizations want to appoint leaders who can perform well even during trying times. Navigating her way through all the challenges and roadblocks, Sarvjeet Kaur is currently the Head of Product at Getproven and has a bachelor in Technology degree in Computer Science and an MBA from Punjab University. Getproven is a platform that allows firms and Venture Capitals to build custom supplier marketplaces of trusted vendors. Sarvjeet brings to the table a vast array of knowledge working in various start-ups and wants to make a conscious, tangible impact on society through her work. In an in-depth interview with the Women Entrepreneur team, Sarvjeet shares with us her professional journey and the various lessons that she has gathered along the way. Here are some excerpts from the conversation:

Take us through the prior industry experience that you bring to the table. What inspired you to join Getproven?

The Start-up universe is something that has magnetized me right after stepping out of college. My first start-up was Codebibber where I joined as an HR, with an intent to understand the human structuring required for a company to flourish. However, like in any other start-up, the role got diversified and I started getting involved in tech projects and realized my problem-solving ability and my love for solutions. This followed with me joining another start-up of the founder, called Spinny where I dedicatedly worked as the hiring manager. This is when my interest in nurturing products and managing projects spiked, which eventually led me to join Supplified as their project manager. An interesting opportunity knocked on my door in the form of another startup started by Supplified’s founder, called The Vault, which was a TV series about funding start-ups where I got good exposure to what goes into making a start-up a success. Post which I planned to transition out of the start-up world into the creative marketing world, and hence I joined The Glitch. My next experience was with a Healthcare Ed-Tech-focused start-up called Virohan.

During the lockdowns, I had the urge to do something different and global which would be in line with my thought of ‘everything is connected’. Hence, I joined Getproven as the Product Manager, where I am currently involved in nurturing a SaaS product that assists business eco-systems to save, grow and connect faster, across the globe.

Give us an overview of the various roles and responsibilities that your current role as Head of Product at Getproven. What is the key business strategy at Getproven?

Getproven is a Robust SAAS platform that helps companies make smarter buying and partnering decisions while helping them save time and money. Essentially a community management platform that is curated for venture capitalist firms, and private equity firms and also has curated versions that support FDI and banks. My role at Getproven as the head of product includes everything from heading the product, leading the design to acting as a tech liaison, and project manager, and also hiring the right talent.

The balance between allocating ownership to people while keeping their teams’ spirit intact is the key business strategy at Getproven. Another important thing is competent communication and accepting flaws because it eases things out and builds team spirit.

What are some of the challenges that you face as the head of product and how do you overcome it?

Getproven started as a small organization that dealt with a few clients i.e., VC firms, in the beginning, but as we grew, we started dealing with clients at the global level. With growth, one has to be agile to adapt to the changes and that’s one of the biggest challenges. Another challenge is Complying with data privacy rules around the globe since every country has different rules and few of them are very strict when it comes to data privacy. The key thing to change is our architecture for data privacy since now we are working with global firms in countries that have stringent rules.

"Getproven helps companies make smarter buying decisions while saving them time and money"

What are some of the major milestones that you have achieved in your professional journey? What is the current state of the VC landscape like and how do you see it evolving in the near future?

One of my biggest achievements was the shift from HR to Product head at the professional level but I have seen more growth at a personal level and how I approach work now and I consider this my biggest achievement. There has been a shift in mindset where earlier I wanted to be the sole contributor, and problem-fixer now I have learned to let go and shift focus to working as a team. I also had this tendency wherein I wanted to create an impact in society but I have realized with time that every business has some sort of subtle implications. I have also become more customer-focused.

VC firms are presenting themselves as a value addon to start-ups now. In the future, VC firms will be a lot more cautious as to where they invest their money because of the impending recession. They will be guiding the organizations toward a cost-cutting spree in the near future.

Drawing from your experience as a business leader, what would your advice be to young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders in the future?

The majority of people fail to realize their calibre, so it's really important to assess that. I would also advise you to stop looking for external validation because we get hooked on validation and try to make it our driving force. One should not be scared of taking multiple leaps of faith and exploring the unknown. Breaking out of one’s comfort zone to experience the unknown is your best friend.

Sarvjeet Kaur Head Of Product, Getproven

Sarvjeet Kaur was born in Tehran, Iran. She has a Bachelor of Technology In computer science and an MBA from Punjab University. She is currently the Head of Product at Getproven which is a company that enables companies backed by VCs and private equity firms to make informed buying and selling decisions.