Rapid fire with Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-founder of InterviewBit and Scaler
YS Life poses fun and quirky questions to Abhimanyu Saxena of InterviewBit and Scaler to discover his personality beyond his business.
He started out to become an engineer, but the entrepreneurial bug bit Abhimanyu Saxena quite early on his journey.
While pursuing BTech at IIIT Hyderabad, Saxena—the co-founder of and —built a home automation system with his batchmates, which he later sold to a Malta-based company.
Back to where he started, in 2010, Saxena went back to programming at Progress Software, later moving to Fab.com in the US. It was during these two stints that Saxena’s entrepreneurial side was triggered again, and he got into bridging the gap between the university curriculum and the real-life skills required to succeed as a software engineer.
In 2015, Saxena joined hands with batchmate Anshuman Singh to launch InterviewBit—an online interview preparation platform for aspiring techies. Fast-forward to 2019, the duo founded Scaler Academy, an upskilling platform for both students and professionals.
Backed by marquee investors, including Tiger Global Management, Sequoia Capital India, and Lightrock, Bengaluru-based Scaler helps students connect with global industry leaders and communities.
Abhimanyu Saxena
Recently, in a fun and candid conversation for ‘Rapid Fire with YS Life’, Saxena gave us a peek into his life beyond his business.
Extracts from the conversation:
YS Life (YSL) What are the three words that describe you best?
Abhimanyu Saxena (AS): Perseverant, content, and grateful.
YSL: The last book, movie, or show that made you cry?
AS: Super 30.
YSL: What is the first thing you do in the morning?
AS: Yoga.
YSL: Two startup founders you don’t mind getting stuck on an island with?
AS: Anshuman Singh (Co-founder, Scaler) and I have been in such a situation many times! And Kunal Shah, (Founder of Cred) for deep philosophical discussions as long as you want.
YSL: Quality or consistency?
AS: Consistency leads to quality.
YSL: What is the one thing you love about your job?
AS: Being able to see our efforts showing direct impact.
YSL: What is the one thing you hate about your job?
AS: Not having enough time to pursue some of my interests.
YSL: If not an entrepreneur, then what?
AS: Innovator.
YSL: Who is your go-to person in life?
AS: My co-founder Anshuman for anything related to work, and my circle of old friends for everything else.
YSL: What’s the golden rule to stay ahead in life and business?
AS: Know why you are doing whatever you are doing. Be honest with yourself.
YSL: Money or fame?
AS: In my early 20s, I wanted to be rich. But by my late 20s, I didn’t find it worthy of pursuing. In my late 20s, I wanted fame. By my mid-30s, I did not find that worth pursuing either.
My current state is finding satisfaction in creating something of value, which completes the full circle, as that's what I enjoyed the most when I was 18.
YSL: Three things you never leave the house without?
AS: My mobile phone, spectacles, and keys.
YSL: The mantra that you live by?
AS: Be grateful for what you have got, and chase how much better it can be.
YSL: What is your most prized possession?
AS: My collection of books.
Edited by Suman Singh