Intervue founder Rahul Arora has shared how he successfully secured seed funding from Cred founder Kunal Shah through a cold email approach. According to reports from LiveMint, Arora sent an email to Shah on January 29, 2021, requesting his thoughts on his startup ideas and pitch. The response was a game changer for the Bengaluru-based entrepreneur, who described the moment as when 'he came in as an angel.' As reported by LiveMint, Arora emphasized that waiting for introductions isn't necessary, stating that proactive outreach can bring opportunities and beneficial partnerships.
According to LiveMint, Intervue is a platform that provides SaaS solutions designed to streamline technical hiring through collaborative, live coding and video-based interview environments. The company raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding led by Titan Capital, Kunal Shah, Brendan Rogers and Hershel Mehta. As reported by India Entrepreneur, this funding was used to 'scale the product and strengthen the core team.' Arora, who appeared as a contestant on Shark Tank India Season 3, featured in Forbes and has been shortlisted for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
According to LiveMint, Arora sent the email while he was 'short on angels, short on warm intros, short on options' during the startup's early days. He recounted that he was at his cousin's wedding when he sent the mail about what they were 'building and where it would go.' As reported by LiveMint, Shah replied on January 29, 2021, stating 'Would be keen. Send me round details.' Arora confirmed on LinkedIn that 'He replied! Round closed He is one of our investors,' emphasizing that cold emails work more often than people think.
This development comes at a time when Kunal Shah is in the limelight after Meta appointed him as WhatsApp global CEO. As reported by LiveMint, this appointment followed Meta's massive ₹7,400 crore investment into Indian fintech platform CRED. Social media users have responded positively to Arora's story, with comments highlighting the effectiveness of direct outreach and the importance of taking opportunities when they present themselves.
