OxIgnite Ep15: Rohan Doctor, Louisa AI
Learn how Louisa AI unlocks the collective intelligence within organisations with its AI powered knowledge marketplace for a company’s colleagues, clients, and alum.
Welcome to OxIgnite - a podcast in which we navigate the dynamic journeys of Oxford-linked founders, venture capitalists, and trailblazing innovators. Our mission? To fuel the fire in Oxford's next generation of boundary-pushing change-makers.
This episode features Rohan Doctor, Founder and CEO of Louisa AI.
Michael Dell once said, "Imagine a world in which everyone in your company knew, what everyone at your company knows.”
Louisa enables company’s to do just that by building each company’s AI powered social network that plugs into a company’s systems to auto-build profiles for every colleague, client, and alum.
Louisa AI has customers as large as Goldman Sachs with 10,000s of people all the way to smaller companies with 200 people.
Rohan Doctor, is a Double First physics graduate from Oxford the city. He attended St.Anne's college from 1999 to 2001. And then went on to do a Masters in Mathematics & Finance at Imperial College, London. He has just left Goldman Sachs where he spent 17 years. He started in investment banking in London, then moved to Hong Kong to run Banks Sales, and then to the Executive office in New York to build Louisa AI. He just spun Louisa AI out of Goldman Sachs and now runs and owns Louisa AI which is an independent company with Goldman Sachs and other financial organizations as customers.
In this episode, we deep dive into how how Louisa AI is enabling organizations to optimize their internal connections and expertise utilization, with Rohan sharing the strategic insights and practical wisdom that have shaped Louisa AI's vision for redefining how businesses connect and collaborate.
Get ready, get set, get Oxignited!
List of Topics Covered:
Introduction to Louisa AI: Rohan Doctor introduces Louisa AI as an innovative platform designed to solve the challenge of efficiently connecting the right individuals within organizations. The platform leverages AI to create a comprehensive web of relationships and expertise.
AI-Powered Social Networking: Louisa AI's core functionality involves creating profiles for employees, clients, and alumni within an organization. Through integration with existing systems, Louisa AI identifies skills, expertise, and connections, streamlining the process of identifying the right individuals for specific tasks or inquiries.
Enhancing Sales Efforts: Rohan explains how Louisa AI benefits sales teams by providing tailored news updates and insights relevant to their clients. This feature empowers salespeople to engage in informed client interactions and strategic business development.
Louisa AI’s Diverse Use Cases: Beyond sales, Rohan discusses how Louisa AI supports remote work, employee mobility, and talent development. The platform fosters internal networking, aids in succession planning, and assists employees seeking new opportunities within their organization.
Entrepreneurship Transition: Rohan shares his transition from a stable role at Goldman Sachs to the uncertainties of entrepreneurship with Louisa AI. He emphasizes the need for financial planning, a founder's mindset, and the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in various stages of their careers.
Importance of Support Networks: Rohan and Yusuf discuss the significance of entrepreneur support networks, drawing from personal experiences. They highlight how peer groups offer motivation, share setbacks, and normalize challenges faced by entrepreneurs.
Oxford's Influence: Rohan reflects on his time at Oxford University, emphasizing the lasting impact it had on his confidence and entrepreneurial mindset. He credits his physics education for providing a sense of achievement that continues to influence his journey.
Rohan’s Transformative Vision for Louisa AI: Rohan outlines his ambitious vision for Louisa AI, drawing inspiration from Peter Thiel's philosophy of transformative innovation. He envisions Louisa AI as a digital marketplace for knowledge exchange, where individuals can seek information and insights from an advanced AI entity.
Challenges in Enterprise Sales: Rohan discusses the challenges of dealing with large corporations and the lengthy sales cycles involved. He highlights the mental fortitude needed to navigate these challenges and the persistence required to secure partnerships with major enterprises.
Balancing Well-being as Startup Founder: Rohan shares his approach to holistic well-being, including fitness routines and virtual training sessions. He discusses how personalized training sessions led by a dedicated trainer contribute to his well-being by addressing both physical fitness and stress management.
Summary:
This Oxignite episode features Rohan Doctor, Founder and CEO of Louisa AI.
Michael Dell once said, "Imagine a world in which everyone in your company knew, what everyone at your company knows.”
Louisa enables company’s to do just that by building each company’s AI powered social network that plugs into a company’s systems to auto-build profiles for every colleague, client, and alum.
Louisa AI has customers as large as Goldman Sachs with 10,000s of people all the way to smaller companies with 200 people.
Louisa AI addresses a longstanding challenge for organizations – the efficient identification and connection of the right individuals within the organization for various tasks and queries.
Louisa AI, Rohan explains, has taken on the task of creating an intricate web of relationships and expertise within companies. This is done through the development of an AI-powered social network that automatically generates profiles for each employee, client, and alumnus. By seamlessly integrating with a company's existing systems, such as CRM databases and email communications, Louisa AI is capable of discerning skills, connections, and subject matter expertise. The result is an invaluable tool that expedites the process of pinpointing the right individuals to address specific inquiries or projects.
At its core, Louisa AI solves the common predicament of locating the appropriate person in a large company in a timely manner. Rohan underscores the importance of this capability, emphasizing scenarios where clients urgently require insights on specific topics. For example, a client might need assistance with GDP concerns in Italy or information about Greek ship financing. Louisa AI makes such interactions significantly more efficient by automatically building a comprehensive understanding of who knows what within the organization.
Rohan elaborates on the primary application of Louisa AI in the realm of sales. The platform equips salespeople with tailored news updates relevant to their top clients. Additionally, these updates are accompanied by insights about internal experts related to the clients' industries. This sophisticated amalgamation of news and expertise enhances the sales process, fostering more informed client interactions and enabling strategic business development. Louisa AI thus emerges as a potent tool in nurturing client relationships and facilitating revenue growth.
However, the potential of Louisa AI extends far beyond sales. Rohan delves into other key use cases that emerged somewhat serendipitously. The platform proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic when companies were grappling with remote work, new hires, and employee mobility. Louisa AI seamlessly facilitates internal networking, ensuring that no connection or professional milestone goes unnoticed. Additionally, the platform plays a pivotal role in internal mobility within organizations, aiding employees seeking new opportunities within their companies.
Rohan also addresses the intriguing concept of using Louisa AI for talent development and succession planning. By capturing not only current roles and expertise but also employees' career aspirations and goals, the platform becomes a powerful tool for identifying high-potential employees and nurturing their growth within the organization. The platform provides a space for employees to publicly share their aspirations, which, as Rohan notes, significantly increases the likelihood of these goals becoming reality.
The conversation turns to the broader implications of Louisa AI's role in organizations. Rohan discusses how the platform's data-driven insights can contribute to strategic resource allocation, collaboration, and innovation. The platform's ability to rapidly connect people with relevant expertise accelerates decision-making and problem-solving, both of which are crucial in today's fast-paced business landscape.
Rohan delves into the intricacies of implementing Louisa AI within companies. He underscores the shift from manual and disjointed methods, such as relying on individual memory or scattered Excel sheets, to the streamlined efficiency offered by the platform. Louisa AI significantly reduces the time spent searching for information, thereby optimizing employee productivity and allowing them to focus on value-added tasks.
From enhancing sales efforts to fostering internal networking and promoting talent development, Louisa AI emerges as a pioneering solution for today's complex business challenges with immense transformative potential.
Discussing his professional background prior to founding Louisa AI, Rohan traces his journey from studying physics at Oxford's St. Anne's College to his tenure at Citigroup and later Goldman Sachs. During his 17 years at Goldman Sachs, Rohan's career spanned from investment banking in London to running cross-divisional bank sales in Hong Kong. A pivotal point arrived when he closed a substantial transaction, which led to his realization that such successes were often based on serendipitous encounters. Inspired by this, Rohan envisioned a way to systematize serendipity through data and insights.
Rohan shares how the concept of Louisa AI evolved. He describes his transition from Goldman Sachs to building Louisa in New York with input from the C-suite. The process involved securing ring-fenced funding and creating a side-hustle approach where team members contributed to the project alongside their regular roles. This approach allowed for careful recruitment and resource allocation. Starting with just three core team members, Louisa AI expanded to encompass 50 individuals across various locations. However, the challenges of 2022 led to downsizing, resulting in a cost-efficient and cohesive team.
The interview touches on the transition from a comfortable corporate position to entrepreneurship. Rohan candidly discusses the difficulty of leaving Goldman Sachs, emphasizing the mindset shift required when moving from a salaried role to equity-based compensation. He underlines the importance of financial planning, whether for someone in their twenties or someone like him with a family. Rohan acknowledges the challenges faced by many who take the leap into entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need to surround oneself with a founder's mentality.
Rohan and Yusuf discuss the value of a strong entrepreneur support network, drawing from personal experiences. Rohan highlights the significance of peer groups that offer encouragement, share struggles, and normalize setbacks, ultimately serving as a source of motivation.
The conversation turns to Rohan's time at Oxford, with Rohan expressing how his physics education there instilled a sense of achievement and confidence that continue to influence his entrepreneurial journey. Rohan acknowledges the impact of his Oxford experience in shaping his path towards entrepreneurship and his current role as the CEO of Louisa AI.
Speaking about his entrepreneurial journey of building Louisa AI, Rohan reflects on his experiences at Oxford and draws a thought-provoking analogy between his time there and his entrepreneurial venture. He likens his position as an entrepreneur to being a world expert in his startup domain, much like when he was a physics student at Oxford, learning from luminaries in the field. This perspective leads him to view entrepreneurship as a constant process of learning and teaching, and he finds the process to be personally rewarding. Rohan sees Louisa AI as a digital marketplace for knowledge exchange, which aligns with the concept of continuous learning and teaching.
Rohan shares his ambitious vision for Louisa AI - inspired by Peter Thiel's "Zero to One" philosophy, he emphasizes the importance of transformative innovation rather than incremental improvements. Rohan envisions Louisa AI as the voice in the spaceship, analogous to the interactive computer systems in science fiction narratives like Star Trek, where individuals can seek information and insights from an advanced AI entity. He underscores the significance of people within AI systems and how Louisa aims to leverage collective intelligence.
Transitioning to the naming process, Rohan recounts the origin of the name "Louisa." He intriguingly traces it back to historical figures whose marriage brought about the formation of Goldman Sachs. Rohan explains that the name carries a sense of familiarity within the financial sector due to its association with Goldman Sachs, making it an effective marketing tool. Yusuf also observes the intuitive connection between Louisa AI and the innovative connotations of names like "Lisa" from the history of computing.
The conversation then delves into the challenges and opportunities inherent in Louisa AI's growth journey. Rohan emphasizes the significant challenge of navigating long sales cycles when dealing with large corporations. Despite having an interested client at the executive level, the extensive processes involving risk assessments, procurement, and data privacy still require considerable time before closing a deal. Rohan acknowledges the mental fortitude required to withstand these challenges and the persistent effort needed to secure partnerships with major enterprises.
Rohan mentions that they raised a million dollars two months ago for generative AI and are currently in the process of raising another million for their SDK (Software Development Kit) solution. He notes that they have the funding to last for another two years without additional client revenue. However, it's important to note that this information is based on the context provided in the transcript, and there might have been developments or changes in their fundraising situation since then. To get the most accurate and up-to-date information, it's recommended to directly reach out to Rohan Doctor.
Rohan introduces another challenge, that of maintaining a prudent burn rate. He elaborates on Louisa AI's approach of working with limited funding, emphasizing a focus on generating revenue to sustain operations. He outlines a unique arrangement wherein he and his colleagues in New York operate without a base salary, deriving income solely from closing deals. This approach underscores the commitment to revenue generation as a primary goal for Louisa AI.
Rohan and Yusuf also discuss the paradox of skeptics who criticize big corporations for investing substantial resources in solutions like Microsoft Viva, yet end up seeking alternatives due to dissatisfaction. Rohan's insights reveal Louisa AI's distinct value proposition. He asserts that Microsoft, despite its prowess, faces limitations in comparison to Louisa AI. One significant distinction lies in Louisa AI's ability to integrate seamlessly with diverse enterprise systems, irrespective of the specific HR, CRM, or communication tools used. Rohan emphasizes Louisa AI's deep focus on taxonomy, enabling it to discern nuances such as synonymous terms or different terminology used across sectors.
Rohan elaborates on Louisa AI's pragmatic approach to integration, stating that while Microsoft is undoubtedly a formidable player, they're racing to catch up with AWS in the cloud domain. In contrast, Louisa AI's deep integration and keen understanding of the sector's intricacies position it as a unique player. He asserts that Louisa AI's approach accounts for the nuances of the industry, as it is crafted by finance experts, for finance experts - an approach that they will continue to maintain as they expand to new industries. This niche specialization grants Louisa AI the advantage of a nuanced perspective and a thorough understanding of user needs.
Transitioning to advice for aspiring founders, Rohan shares his pragmatic perspective on timing and commitment. He suggests aspiring founders "try before they buy," implying that they should invest time in their startup concept while continuing their current roles, progressively dedicating more energy as the idea gains traction. He advises against an all-or-nothing approach, emphasizing the importance of iterative progress and steady improvement.
As the conversation comes to a close, Rohan delves into his personal approach to well-being and stress management. He underscores the significance of a balanced routine, reflecting on his own fitness journey, which incorporates personalized virtual training sessions. These sessions not only focus on physical well-being but also offer a platform for discussing stresses and challenges, contributing to holistic well-being.
Lastly, Rohan's passion for coaching and music comes to light. He recounts his involvement in coaching his sons' soccer team, driven by family ties and a commitment to their interests. He also highlights his connection to music through his mother-in-law's foundation, the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation. His engagement in these areas showcases his diverse interests beyond entrepreneurship.
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