Growth @Rifa AI | Making AI work like your most reliable teammate | Previously @ Topmate | 30u30 IQ

AI isn’t replacing people. It’s replacing processes that slow them down.

At Rifa AI, we’re building intelligent agents that automate back-office conversations across chat, voice, email, and support without breaking ops.

The goal isn’t to sound human.
The goal is to get work done, with AI that can reason, act, and complete entire workflows across tools.

Our best users don’t even realize they’re talking to a bot.
That’s the point.

Before this, I led growth at Topmate and picked up a few hard truths:
 → Shiny doesn’t scale
 → Funnels lie
 → Speed breaks things, but it also builds them

Rifa is a tougher game. The stakes are higher.
You’re shipping into systems where mistakes cost trust, not just clicks.

That’s why I care about:
 → AI that’s functional, not performative
 → Growth that’s compound, not chaotic
 → Shipping like it’s a reflex, not an event

If you’re building at the intersection of AI, ops, and velocity, let’s chat.

Shubham Khoker

I just saw Ankit's post about Topmate hitting profitability, and I couldn’t scroll past without smiling.

To the world, "profitability" is a financial metric. To me, having been in the trenches with Ankit and Dinesh, I know it’s a badge of pure grit.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: My time as Head of Growth at topmate.io was my real MBA.

It was the most intense classroom I’ve ever stepped into. Working with both of you gave me my earliest instincts for product, growth, and just... how to operate in absolute chaos without losing clarity.

A lot of the DNA I carry today as a founder comes straight from those months. The pace, the difficult decisions, and the relentless execution.

You don’t forget teams like that.

Seeing them hit profitability is a reminder of what consistent execution looks like when most people would have given up.

Huge congratulations to Ankit, Dinesh, and the entire team.

This win is well-earned. So proud to have been a small part of this journey.

Everyone’s busy calling themselves “AI-first.”
But your customers don’t care about it. 

When we first started pitching to healthcare clients, I thought leading with “AI-powered” would make their eyes light up. Instead, it usually made them lean back in their chairs, because for most healthcare stakeholders, AI-first sounds risky.

They’re not thinking about the model you used.
They’re thinking: what happens if it fails? Will it violate compliance? Leak data? Or give the wrong answer to a patient?

So now, I start those conversations differently.
About what we’ve done to make sure AI actually works when it’s supposed to.

Every voice agent we build passes through a simple checklist before going live:
→ Does it log every interaction for audit trails?
→ Does it know when to stop and escalate to a human?
→ Does it meet every compliance protocol, even if no one’s watching?

Once that foundation is clear, then the conversation about automation begins.

AI might get you in the door, but risk management keeps you in the room.
That’s what actually builds long-term trust.

I predict AI will vanish by 2030.
And I say that as someone who spends every single day building with it.

Not literally, but in how we talk about it. 
Five years ago, AI was a buzzword.
Today, it’s a feature.
Five years from now, it’ll just be invisible infrastructure.

No one will brag about “AI-first” anymore, just like no one says “internet-first” today. Because the best technology always disappears behind the experience.

When we deploy voice agents in hospitals, no patient ever says, “Wow, this AI bot is amazing.”

They just say,
“Finally… someone actually picked up.”
That’s the direction we’re headed. AI won’t live in headlines or product launches.

It’ll live inside workflows, quietly fixing things that humans don’t have the time or patience to.

So, here’s what I’m betting on:
𝟭/ 𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.
We’ve hit peak hype, and the next winners won’t be the flashiest demos; they’ll be the ones that never break in production. 

𝟮/ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗮𝘁.
In healthcare, reliability is the foundation. The companies that bake guardrails in from day one will outlast the ones chasing speed.

𝟯/ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿.
Typing, clicking, searching; all of it will fade into natural conversations. Your voice will become the universal remote for how you access systems.

And maybe that’s the irony:
AI will be everywhere, precisely because it will feel like it’s nowhere.
By 2030, the best AI won’t feel like AI at all, it’ll just feel human.

If that happens, what’s one part of your workflow you hope disappears first?

Building should feel hard.
But it shouldn’t feel blurry.

Most people assume burnout happens when you work too much.
In my experience, it’s when you don’t know what you’re working towards anymore.

The chaos creeps in quietly: 
→ Too many priorities
→ Too many opinions
→ Too many half-baked “let’s just test it” plans

Suddenly your calendar’s full, your brain’s fried, and you're still not moving.
And the worst part?
You start confusing activity with progress.

I’m not anti-hustle.
I’m anti-chaos.

The only thing that’s ever pulled me out of a spiral wasn’t rest—it was clarity.
Clarity of: 
→ What problem actually needs solving
→ What to drop (even if it’s shiny)
→ What not to chase this quarter

Because burnout isn’t just about energy.
It’s about direction.

And sometimes the most productive thing you can do is… stop and think.
That’s not a “growth hack.”
That’s survival.

Tag a founder who needs to hear this.

The first time I had to let someone go, I didn’t sleep that night.

I kept replaying the conversation in my head; the silence after I said their name, the way they nodded slowly, the awkward gratitude at the end.

Nothing prepares you for that moment.
When we hired our first person at Rifa AI, it felt like validation, like someone believed in what we were building.

But when it doesn’t work out, it hits differently.
You start asking yourself if you could’ve coached better, communicated sooner, or just seen it coming.

That’s when I learned something that never makes it into startup books:
Company culture isn’t defined by how you celebrate wins. It’s defined by how you handle endings.

Hiring is about hope.
Firing, when done right, is about honesty.
Both take a piece of you.

And both, in their own way, make you a better builder — and maybe, a better human.

When you’re a non-technical founder building a technical product, impostor syndrome moves in next door, rent-free.


There have been times when the team was deep in conversation about inference speeds and vector databases, and I’d be there, nodding, jotting notes, then Googling half the terms later, only to realize I still didn’t get all of it.

However, I’ve learned that it’s part of the job.
I’m lucky to have a co-founder who lives and breathes the tech side (that’s Sameer). My role has always been to connect what we’re building to what the customer actually feels.

So I stopped pretending to understand everything and started asking the simplest questions again.

Every time I asked a “dumb” question, the conversation got clearer for everyone in the room. We stopped over-explaining to each other and started building something users could actually use.

Over time, it has become my strength. I stopped trying to sound technical and focused on what I can understand and build with.

Yeah, impostor syndrome still drops by sometimes, but I’ve learned to make peace with it.

If you’re a non-technical founder quietly sitting through a technical meeting, feeling like an outsider, you’re not behind.

You’re just seeing the problem through a different lens.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what your team needs.

Everyone says “talk to your customers.”
I’m taking that advice one notch higher, and I’ll pay you for your time.
No clickbait. Stay with me till the end.

As we explore the healthcare vertical at Rifa AI, I’ve realised something important:
You can’t automate an industry you don’t understand.
You can’t sit behind dashboards and guess how frontline workflows operate.

So before we ship anything in healthcare, I want to learn from the people who actually hold the system together. The ones who deal with chaos, patient load, insurance calls, and operational bottlenecks every single day.

That’s why I want to speak with:
→ Front desk staff at hospitals/clinics
→ Patient coordinators
→ Medical receptionists
→ Nurses who work closely with ops/patient flow

I’m not looking for confidential data. I’m looking for operational reality. I want to know where the friction is, what the "unwritten rules" of your workflow are, and what tools drive you crazy.

And yes, I’m happy to compensate for your time.
It could be a paid virtual meeting or a conversation over a coffee.

If you work in US healthcare operations and are open to a 30-minute paid chat (or know someone who fits), drop me a DM, tag them below, or share this post.

If you’re planning to build a startup, here’s the part that no MBA or mentor ever tells you.

Last week, when Anisha Jain and the HIVE team at the University of Chicago asked me to speak to their students, I said yes instantly.

Because I remembered what it felt like to be in their shoes.
Hungry to build something, unsure where to start, and confused by all the startup terms around “AI,” “product-market fit,” “fundraising,” and “the right time.”

Back then, I thought progress would be about finding the perfect idea or learning the right framework. But, once you get past the excitement and the theory, you hit the part where nothing looks linear, certainty disappears, and you have to build even when your confidence doesn’t show up with you.

That’s the phase that actually teaches you what matters, and here’s what I learned during that phase:
1. Start with a problem that keeps bothering you.
You don’t need to know how to code on Day 1. What you really need is a problem you can’t ignore... something you’re willing to think about even when no one’s watching.

2. A co-founder is someone who believes in the same future you see.
Skills can be hired, but what you can’t hire is someone who shows up on hard days with the same energy as you do.

3. Investors look for clarity more than big pitches.
If you can explain what you're building, who it helps, and why now is the right moment, the conversation changes instantly.

4. Your early job will teach you more about building a company than any “startup guide.”
For me, most of my instincts came from Topmate, the messy days, the mistakes, the adrenaline, the long nights. That’s where I learned how startups actually work.

None of this shows up in the pitch decks or the headline interviews. But it’s exactly what determines whether you ship something real or just talk about it.

So, if you’re at that stage: excited, overwhelmed, curious, questioning everything, that’s exactly where most real journeys begin.

P.S. What’s one lesson your founder journey has taught you?

I thought I knew what leadership was.
Then I became a founder.

Turns out, leading one branch of the company and leading a company are two completely different things.

When I was working as a Growth Head, it was about ownership within a structure.
We had a clear direction, a set goal, and a team to rally.

Someone had already built the walls of the house; my job was to optimize the rooms, fix the wiring, and ensure growth. There was stability, even in chaos.

At Rifa, I quickly realized leadership from the ground up is a whole different game.

There is no existing structure. You are literally building the walls while simultaneously deciding what kind of house you even want to live in.

The shift is profound, and honestly, sometimes scary.
You stop being a functional head and become the emotional backbone of the entire operation. Every product pivot, every client bet, every tough hiring call has effects that you simply cannot delegate away.
 
They need someone who can admit, "Yes, this is fog," and still be the first one to take a step forward.

That's the real leadership muscle I had to build, and that’s the part most leadership books skip:

The silence that comes with being responsible for everything, and the humility it takes to show up every day, even when you don’t have all the answers.

If you've made the jump from employee to founder, what surprised you most about leadership?

People keep asking me, "When will your AI be smart enough to replace a nurse?"

I tell them that's the wrong question.

The right question is, "How can our AI be reliable enough to handle the 5 hours of administrative work that burns a nurse out every single day?"

The goal isn't to replace our heroes, it's to give them room to be human. Isn’t it?

You don’t need a dev team or a $50K budget to build a voice agent anymore.
Hard to believe, but that’s where we are now.

I’ve seen companies spend months wiring together APIs, vendors, and compliance checks just to make a phone line “talk.” By the time it goes live, the use case has already changed.

That’s the gap we’re closing with Rifa.
Building automation shouldn’t feel like building another product; it should feel like setting one up.

With our platform, you can design, test, and deploy a compliant AI voice agent in minutes. 
You don’t need to know coding. 
You can simply drag, drop, and go live on any phone number.

And it doesn’t stop when the call ends.

→ Your CRM updates automatically.
→ Follow-ups get scheduled.
→ Issues get flagged without anyone touching a dashboard.

Because real automation shouldn’t add another layer of complexity, it should remove it. That’s what we’re betting on at Rifa: making AI powerful and practical for the people who actually use it.

If building automation were this simple, what’s the first workflow you’d hand off?

We are building an AI Voice Agent to automate phone calls. But to get our first 10 customers, I had to make hundreds of phone calls myself.

That’s the irony of building in AI today. 
Everyone wants to automate everything, including product development and GTM.

But here’s the reality I’ve seen time and again, from leading growth to now building Rifa…
AI can automate workflows, but can’t automate trust.

And when you are selling into industries where a single mistake has consequences— healthcare, finance, compliance-heavy ops—that difference matters.

These buyers aren't looking for a "cool AI tool." 
They're worried because the risk surface has expanded:

_ "What if the response is wrong?"
– “Who is liable for the model’s error?”
– “How do I explain this to an auditor?”
– “What does this break in my existing workflow?”
– “What happens if the model behaves unpredictably?”

These aren’t objections you solve with a funnel, or a case study, or an automated sequence.
These are objections that need context, interpretation, and reassurance. 

And this is where old-school GTM suddenly becomes a superpower again because it helps buyers process risk at a human pace.

That’s why the AI companies that are winning right now have strong trust-building mechanisms:
• High-context conversations
• Non-scalable onboarding
• Long-form demos
• Domain fluency
• Founder-led selling in v1
• Field intelligence from real calls

Because GTM in AI is about risk translation before efficiency or growth. 

If your product is AI-first, your early GTM must be risk-first. 
And right now, risk is still interpreted by humans, not workflows.

See, AI will eventually sell AI.
We’ll get there.

But we're in the messy middle, where technology has leapfrogged, but buyer psychology hasn’t caught up.

The biggest mistake you’re making as a founder is trying to make your GTM move as fast as your tech. While in reality, it should match the pace of your buyer’s fear.

Don't let the hype trick you into hiding behind your screen.

P.S. Are you also seeing traditional channels outperform the automated ones right now?

Buy-side Due Diligence – Logistics Company (Revenue: INR 600 Cr)

1) Conducted detailed revenue analysis, EBITDA analysis, and customer-level margins for a logistics firm handling Full Truck Load (FTL), Part Truck Load (PTL), and reverse logistics.

2) Analyzed key cost components such as fuel, driver salaries, and toll expenses, contributing to the calculation of adjusted EBITDA.

3) Presented significant financial observations and operational insights to investors, supporting decision-making.

4) Participated in a site visit to the company's logistics yard to understand operational challenges and validate financial assumptions.

Associate - Strategy & Transactions

B2B Food supply chain company - Handled critical areas including revenue, GST, payroll, and trade receivables. My responsibilities were centered on delivering thorough financial assessments while ensuring regulatory compliance.

1] Managed a total revenue of ₹3600 Cr, conducting an in-depth price comparison across various product lines and market trends.

2] Performed trend analysis to identify revenue patterns and anomalies, which contributed to the refinement of business forecasts.

3] Conducted a category and sub-category analysis, breaking down revenue streams to understand the performance of different product segments.

4] Ensured accurate assessment of GST compliance and filing requirements, with focus on ensuring smooth tax reconciliations and minimal discrepancies along with preparing ITC and Output liab recomputation and reconciliation. 

5] Managed payroll costs amounting to ₹200 Cr, verifying compensation structures, allowances, and tax compliance across multiple business units.

6] Conducted an ICFR review, ensuring that financial controls in areas such as revenue, payroll, and receivables were robust and met regulatory standards.

7] Performed walkthroughs and testing of controls to verify the effectiveness of financial reporting processes, identifying potential risks and implementing corrective actions where necessary.

Senior Executive - Audit

1) Conducting Statutory Audits of entities with a valuation of over USD 3 Billion+, in the Tech, Media, and Telecommunication sectors.

2) Managing 12+ significant areas and performing the required substantive and analytical procedures.

3) Implementation of technology and Data analytics to perform audit procedures to get more efficient results, do mapping of interrelated items, and bring in automation to focus on more significant areas.

4) Ensured compliance with 15+ relevant Ind AS, Disclosure requirements in notes to accounts, Company Law, and other regulatory requirements.

5) Project management and liaisoning with various departments including Valuation, Direct Tax, Indirect Tax, ITRA, and Capital Markets to carry on the assignment successfully meeting overall timelines.

IPO Engagement:

1) Conducted IPO procedures and Audit for India's Largest Logistics Startup (Turnover: Rs 6,800 Cr, Issue size: Rs 5,235 Cr) and helped in filing and complying with the SEBI ICDR regulations.

2) Performed circle-up procedures in the offer document and issuance of various types of letters such as comfort letters, consent letters, arrangement letters, certification work, etc.

3) Reviewing the company’s preceding three years' historic financial statements for any restatement adjustment and its inclusion in the offer documents as per SEBI ICDR Regulations.

Internal Control over Financial Reporting:

1) Prepared and updated process notes, identified SCOTs and WCGWs, performed walkthroughs, a test of controls, and an analytical review of financials. 

2) Ensured compliance with the Risk Control Matrix (RCM) designed for the clients for ICFR compliance.

3) Preparing audit programs, the scope for audit, audit deliverables including audit reports, management letters, documentation for audit observations and the conclusions derived, audit committee presentation, etc.

4) Identified SCOTs and WCGWs, and performed walkthroughs, tests of controls, and analytical reviews.

CA Article Trainee - Audit

Rotaract

1) Played a key role in setting up a Digital Training Lab, organizing visits to Schools for the Blind, Old age homes, and dog shelters, and supporting the unprivileged section of society. Was an Active part for 2+ years.

2) Organised 3+ Blood Donation Camps in Delhi NCR and managed to impact 300+ lives!

Senior Executive

BIL Conference

1) Coordinated event planning, sponsorship & logistics of conference having a footfall of 1,500+ students.

2) Lead and managed a team of 25+ members for a span of 2 months.

Organizer

Passionate about Strategy, M&A and Content Creation, I am a first attempt CA and a graduate from the SGGSCC DU'21, currently working with EY Strategy and Transaction as an Associate. 

Follow this space to learn more about Finance, M&A, Strategy, Startups, Audits, and Career-related aspects which will add value to your life!

Here is a quick brief about me!

⏩ Professional Journey:

- Working with EY for the last 3.5 years in TMT sector. Started with Audit, now in Strategy & Transactions

- Conducted Statutory Audits of entities with a valuation of over USD 3 Billion+. Specialize in Logistics, Quick Commerce, consulting and B2B supply chain sector.

- Worked on India's largest logistic company's IPO worth Rs 5,350 Cr (Turnover: Rs 7,000 Cr+)

-  Implementation of technology and Data Analytics 

- Have won 3 awards till date for extraordinary performance

⏩ Content Creation Journey: 

- Into the creators and influencer economy since November 2020. Started with writing long-form articles and blogs

- Worked with Unfinance, Masters India, ZFunds, and top finance creators for over 2 years. 

- Delivered well-researched content pieces resulting in an increase in followers, reach, and engagement by 40%.

- Check the recommendation area of the profile to hear from people I have worked with.

⏩ What I am beyond work:

- Actively creating content on LinkedIn, followership of 68k, ranging from Finance, Strategy, Audit, M&A and IPOs to Case studies and personal experience. 

- Represented the Northern Region at ICAI National Debate Talent Hunt held at Vadodara.

- Founded a Podcast named “Upfront” to interview seasoned professionals and remarkable personalities from different walks of life. Cumulative views: 75k+.

- Student mentor having a demonstrated history of mentoring and guiding 2000+ students for CA studies, articleship, and college.

For Brand Collaboration/Discussions, drop a DM or mail on jayhotani.work@gmail.com

CA Jay Kumar Hotani

I was in Bangalore for a bit and one thing genuinely impressed me.

I walked into Starbucks for an Americano, but for Bangaloreans Starbucks is not just a coffee place.

It is a workspace, meeting spot, pitch desk and sometimes a mini co-working zone.

Every table had a story.

Someone was polishing a deck, someone was running a quick investor call, someone was brainstorming a new idea with a friend.

The energy felt different. Everyone was building something.

Next day I went to Third Wave in HSR and saw the same vibe.

People working, creating, collaborating, talking product and fundraising like it was the most natural thing.

I have been in Delhi NCR for more than 7 years and honestly people still stare at you when you open your laptop at a café.

It is changing slowly, but Bangalore made me realise how powerful a small cultural shift can be.

The best part was how easy it was to talk to strangers and make new connections while sipping your coffee.

Curious to know what you think.

Drop your thoughts in the comments.

----

Stuck with finance interviews? 
Book a 30 or 60 minute Topmate session. Linke in comments! 

#bangalore #cafe #work #culture

CA | 80k+ | Sr Associate @ EY FDD | Private Equity and Venture Capital deals and Investments

No alternative text description for this image

The moment I realized I’d been approaching interviews wrong for years.

I kept preparing like a topper.

All standards, all sections, all definitions.

And every interview felt the same. Average.

Then it hit me.

They didn’t want someone who could recite a clause.

They wanted someone who understood business.

Because nobody hires you to repeat the textbook.

They hire you to solve problems.

Spot risks.

Explain numbers in plain English.

And think like an owner.

The day I shifted my prep, my interviews changed.

Instead of reading more theory, I started doing this:

1] I broke down one real company every week. Revenue, margins, cost drivers, everything.

2] I studied how deals work. Why buyers cut EBITDA. Why sellers inflate projections.

3] I practiced explaining financials like a story, not a checklist.

4] I linked every technical concept to a business outcome.

Lease accounting affects profitability.

Working capital affects cash.

Deferred tax affects future earnings.

Suddenly, answers became clearer.

Examples became sharper.

And conversations became longer.

If you are preparing for Big 4, M&A, audit, finance or consulting roles, remember this.
Your concepts matter, but your business sense sets you apart.

Hope this helps! 

-----

If you want a detailed interview prep strategy, book a 30 or 60 minute session on Topmate. Link in comments!

3 Things I Wish I Knew During My CA Articleship Phase! ✨

1] Striking a balance is the way forward - and it takes time! ⏳

Practical experience, studies, and making time for events and hobbies should go hand in hand. You should aim to excel in every aspect.

This is essential for your overall development, or else post-CA, when you're asked, "What did you learn? What are your hobbies? What have you achieved apart from CA?" — you might not have an answer.

And this won’t happen on day one; you'll master it as each day passes. 💡

2] Your articleship experience shapes your future after you qualify! 🚀

Stop taking it for granted. During the first year of your articleship, devote yourself to learning the ins and outs of your profile. Aim to improve and become a well-informed professional.

Take on new tasks, say yes to opportunities, and ask lots of questions. Always run behind the WHY of things! 🔍

3] A degree should be part of your personality, not define it. 🎓

Yes, you are a CA, but be someone beyond that.

If someone takes away this prefix from your name, you should still be someone, not no one.

Build something beyond your degree. You might be mocked for it at first, but later, you'll be valued for it. 💪

Lately, I’ve realized that my audience doesn’t follow me just because I’m a CA, creator, or traveler—they follow me because I am all three at the same time, embracing the journey. 🌟

Always strive to go that extra mile to achieve something extraordinary — bit by bit, step by step. 🚶‍♂️

Hope this helps. Follow for more amazing content! 🙌

I used to earn more from content writing than what I made during my CA articleship.

And it was real money. Consistent. Scalable. Fun.

So the obvious question came up.

Should I quit CA and go all in on content?

Many people told me to do it. Some creators even said I was wasting time by studying.

But I didn’t listen, because I was looking at the bigger picture.

Content writing was great in the short term.

Clearing CA in the first attempt was what would help me play the long game.

So in my exam year, I stopped every content writing gig and studied full time.

Today I see many people doing the same mistake I almost did.

Quitting studies or leaving a strong degree because content or influencing pays a little more right now.

My honest advice, don’t do it.

Only a tiny fraction of creators become big.
The rest get buried on the internet, forgotten in a few months.

Content creation can give you a short bull run.
Your academics and work experience give you a long runway.

I meet so many CA finalists who get into content.

But when exams come, they are unable to deliver.

This leads to multiple attempts, self doubt and a long cycle of stress.

I am not against content. I still do it. I enjoy it.

But it works only when your foundation is strong.

So chase the long term game. Build your base first.

Content can wait. Your future cannot.

------------ 
 
If you’re confused about balancing studies, career and content, book a 30 or 60 minute Topmate session. We can go deeper into your plan and figure out what works for you.

Startups are a great place to work at given the dynamic culture and innovative work profiles. 

The most lucrative profiles offered by startup include Business Finance which is largely dominated by MBAs and CAs. 

Here is what you will exactly do in these profiles 

1] Analysis metrics depending upon the industry you work in!

For example, if you are a fintech company like PhonePe, your focus will be on the number of active users, transactions per user, quantum of transactions, product concentration and revenue per product, commission and platform fee, overall trends etc

2] Margin analysis at all horizons. 

Customer margins, product margins, LOB margins etc depending upon the industry and working upon the gaps, strategizing and thinking through to maximise the margins. 

3] Overall strategizing and growth

Budgeting and setting target of the metrics and business overall, tracking them closely over different periods and planning for overall growth and strategy to improve profitability and overall entity position in the market

-----

I interviewed for this role in startups across E-Comm, Fintech, and Logistics sector 

and probably the interviewer will give you different scenarios where you would have to startgise what metric you will measure and work on, what strategy you will adopt, whether you will enter or exit the market, and what will increase your overall EBITDA level proftability. 

It’s def an interesting profile and worth a shot if you are more inclided toards the startup world!

---

Have queries on how to crack finance interviews? Book a detailed Topmate session with me. Link in comments.

I had one of the worst interview experiences after becoming CA in 2024!
 
And trust me, it taught me more about companies than any HR handbook ever could.
 
The panel was late by 35 minutes to the video call
 
They had not even glanced at my CV.
 
They kept asking irrelevant questions, then cut me off midway.
 
At one point, two interviewers were gossiping with each other while I just sat there.
 
And the best part?
 
They thought this behaviour was normal.
 
People say candidates should prepare well. True!
 
But can we talk about how some companies treat interviews like a favour they are doing for us?
 
A job interview is supposed to be a two way conversation.
Not an interrogation room.
Not a place to show dominance.
Not a test of how much a candidate can tolerate.
 
If a company cannot respect your time, your work or your presence during interviews, imagine what they will be like once you join.
 
My advice is simple. Walk away from places that cannot get the basics right.
 
A poor interview experience is usually a trailer of a poor work culture.
 
What do you think about this? Do let me know in the comments!
 
-----
 
If you’re preparing for finance or Big 4 interviews and want to discuss strategy, mock questions or red flags to watch out for, book a 30 or 60 minute Topmate session. We can go deeper into your specific situation.

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The Battle

Shubham Khoker

CA Jay Kumar Hotani

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The Battle

Shubham Khoker

CA Jay Kumar Hotani

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Shubham Khoker's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreCA Jay Kumar Hotani's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreShubham Khoker's LinkedIn Performance