Name: Anup Gosavi
Anup Gosavi is the CEO of startup Spext. Spext allows you to edit audio the same way you edit text, saving time, and producing a great result. Spext also provides a very unique consumption experience, providing the transcription of the audio and allowing you to select snippets that you can share with others in email or on social media.
As a quick summary – Anup grew up in India. He went to college there for engineering. He started his career there working in Product Management and Marketing. He then moved to the US where he continued his education focusing on digital marketing, design, and business. This prepared him to go out on his own focusing on user experience and then starting his own company.
I got to know Anup through an angel investment opportunity. I was excited by the Spext product for my podcasts. I talked to him about the plans that they have moving forward and decided to become an investor.
I continue to spend some time with Anup and have grown to appreciate his vision, leadership approach, and desire to solve customer problems.
Questions Interview
I asked Anup Gosavi four questions that were specific to him.
- How did you develop the idea for Spext?
- Once you had the idea, how did you get started, raise money, and bring together the team?
- What have been some of the biggest challenges thus far?
- As the CEO, how do you spend your time? Is that what you expected?
I then asked Anup the same six questions that I ask all interviewees – in a lightning-round format.
- What’s the most important factor you consider when hiring someone?
- Who was your most effective boss, and what made him or her stand out?
- What was the most difficult transition that you made in your career?
- How do you approach helping someone with their career development or path?
- What tools and tricks do you use to find work-life balance?
- How do you go about building relationships with your peers and other leaders in the company?
The interview was fun, interesting, and full of valuable insights. Here are a couple of things that Anup had to say about startups.
“I look at any startup as a bundle of risks.
As CEO, most of my work is essentially around defining where we want to go – the direction and the vision of the company, and then figuring out the steps to get to that vision.”
Anup and I talked about how to help his team with their career development. Here is some of what he had to say.
“We definitely ask them. ‘What would success look like for them after 12 months or 24 months? ‘ That gives a very good idea about how they are thinking in terms of their career. It’s a simple question, but it reveals a lot of motivation and incentives that they have.”
I hope this gives you a sense of what you will hear in the interview.
Career Path
Next week I will share the journey that Anup took to get to where he is today.
See Also
Glenn Hilton – Keeping His Values from Bible College to Technology CEO
