About me

I am passionate about empowering small businesses to successfully reach and connect with their customers through technology. Through my work at Facebook and Yelp, I have provided +200 million small businesses globally with tools that allow them to grow their business and have become a true lifeline during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

I grew up in Delhi, India, where Mom-and-Pop shops are at the center of retail and a cornerstone community unit, and from an early age, I became fascinated with their stories. I gained a deeper understanding of such local businesses while building a restaurant loyalty card program through FindAWay, a 16-people non-profit that I founded in sophomore year to fund education for underprivileged children. The program was an instant hit, with over 300 members joining within the first 2 weeks, and personally pitching to tens of restaurants gave me the insight into the potential of technology for the local economy. 

Eager to create impact at a larger scale, after graduating with a master’s from Georgia Institute of Technology, I joined Yelp to help people connect with great local businesses. There, I led growth for Request-A-Quote, Yelp’s messaging-based marketplace for home and local services. I helped grow the number of consumer requests on the platform by 25%, resulting in +$500 million in revenue generated from services category businesses (>50% of Yelp’s revenue). The product has empowered millions of customers to find and connect with businesses. 

When the pandemic impacted small businesses, I started to think about how to use technology to reinvigorate the local economy. During a trip to India, I noticed the creative use of WhatsApp by businesses for taking delivery orders and sharing status updates. The encounter inspired me to join Facebook to lead the growth strategy for click-to-WhatsApp ads. These tools allow consumers to start a conversation with a business directly from Instagram and Facebook. I have helped grow the product to over 1 million advertisers. I am currently focused on ensuring every small business in a WhatsApp first country can seamlessly connect with customers.