Jessie Pujji is a serial entrepreneur, and founder of Gateway X, a venture studio specializing in launching capital-light businesses with a focus on growth marketing and/or e-commerce. Since its inception, Gateway X has successfully introduced three companies: GrowthAssistant.com, a platform connecting businesses with high-quality offshore knowledge talent; Kahani, an e-commerce SaaS solution prioritizing mobile-first optimization to improve website conversion rates; and unbloat.me, a sought-after supplement targeting bloating issues. Jessie's driving passion lies in helping others achieve growth and self-improvement through entrepreneurial ventures.
Share one of your favorite quotes.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle
What criteria do you consider when evaluating potential business ideas to spin up under Gateway X? Are there specific industries or market trends that particularly catch your attention?
We look for businesses that are capital-light
Heavily rely on my expertise of digital marketing/customer acquisition
That can grow for a very long time, profitably
Could you share a specific example of a challenge or obstacle you faced while launching one of the companies under Gateway X, and how you overcame it?
Finding and partnering with people who become company CEOs is the biggest challenge. To solve this, we meet with lots of people, openly share our ideas and even start working on them with scores of people. Ultimately, it's the best way to find a match for the few companies we actually start.
In your experience, what are the most critical factors that contribute to the success of a capital-light business?
Ability to find customers quickly.
Share your best pieces of advice for current and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Just start. Say you are doing it, put up a website, and get your email address. "Evaluation" is another word for procrastination.
The Redbud Mentor Network is a collective of successful operators, builders, and subject matter experts empowering people with their knowledge. Mentors are a keystone to the Redbud community, built on the mission to accelerate access to knowledge and network effects for founders.
Redbud VC is an early-stage venture capital fund and studio investing monetary and social capital in early-stage tech founders.