TPH Spotlight: Prashant Mahajan
Humility, connection, and making a difference to PMs on the path to building a company
I vividly remember the first time seeing Prashant’s name come across my LinkedIn feed. He was sharing a win where his company, Zeda.io, was the underdog in a sea of options. I recall smiling at the post as I read it, because something came across that did not reek of arrogant victory. I could tell he was grateful, and excited for what the future held for him and his team.
Fast-forward a few months later to after I spoke at a product conference. In the sponsor hall there was Zeda’s booth, with Prashant smiling while chatting up attendees. I walked over and instantly we connected on product management and the space we both love to serve. Since then we’ve chatted about all the things - the opportunities we are lucky to have, the challenges we face, the thrill of winning and learning when we don’t, our favorite leaders and influencers in our space, life’s lessons, the culture we share and how to continue supporting the PM community from many angles.
It’s time for us to all get to know the human behind Zeda.io.
I didn’t intend on that rhyming :)
Education & Professional Highlights
Prashant’s LinkedIn
Prashant’s Company, Zeda.io - a B2B SaaS platform that centralizes user feedback, close loops, and manage roadmaps to keep you and your customer on the same page.
Born and Raised: Prashant is originally from Amritsar, India 🇮🇳 where he spent most of his early life. He ended up being the first in his family to move out of his city to pursue higher education and a career. Throughout his life, he’s lived in different parts of India and also moved around to Indonesia 🇮🇩 and Singapore 🇸🇬, seizing incredible professional opportunities at each step.
Today he lives in San Francisco, where he has chosen to settle down and grow both his career, and his company’s brand and future.
Education: National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
Prashant shared that he actually didn’t have a great experience during his higher education years, and wishes he had had a mentor to guide him through the process. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re in the space of product, but this stuck with me because for us, mentorship is everything.
He also calls out that there’s a difference between the American and Indian educational systems. In America, students have many choices. In contrast, for Prashant, educational opportunities were largely determined by grades and ranks. He shared that he just needed to go with the flow, but felt limited in his options. So, driven by his passion for chemistry, Prashant chose chemical engineering as his major. Soon after, he realized that the field did not offer ample career opportunities, which made him reassess his career path. I think it’s safe to say lots of people are in the same mindset today wondering whether there will be enough opportunities given the times we’re in with such technological advances.
It’s all about mindset
One of the beliefs we share in common is that in the Japanese philosophy of ikigai. Put simply, this is finding the intersection of what you love, what the world needs, what you’re good at, and what you can get paid to do. If you have not yet read the book, I highly recommend it.
It should come as no surprise that Prashant believes his degree did little to help him build his actual career. He recommends the following in your higher education years:
“Focus on finding the intersection between your passions/interests and potential career opportunities. Identifying where these circles overlap in the Venn diagram of your professional future is essential. Doubling down on this subset allows you to balance pursuing work that you're passionate about while also considering financial stability. It's not just about working solely for passion or solely for money; rather, it's about finding that sweet spot where both aspects align.”
So what do we tell those who want to get into product?
Before I share Prashant’s advice, I want to say (once again) that product management is not for the faint of heart. I hold steady to the words above and those who have found it to be something they enjoy, while working on a product the world needs, and getting paid to do it, find the most success. If dealing with uncertainty along with the many perspectives of customers, investors, and stakeholders is not your thing, reassess :) Patience, focus, and empathy must be in your dna.
When asked about what helps people get into product he believes the best thing you can do is actually build something, and be curious throughout the process. Another piece of advice is to broaden your perspective while doing this. Learn about marketing, or even learn to code to help you understand what it takes to tactically build and actually launch a product.
Core Values
I think by now for those of you who have read my spotlights you know this is my favorite part. Here’s where we get to learn what drives the humans behind the product and experiences in our world. Prashant shares his three core values and how he’s leaned on them to build his company: Do the right thing, be humble and positive, and continuous improvement.
Do the right thing: "Integrity is very important to me.” During Zeda’s early fundraising phase, he shared he received an offer from an investor and verbally committed. The next day he received a better offer but upheld his initial agreement out of principle. He just felt it was the right thing to do then. This decision not only helped him maintain trust with his investors but also resulted in increased investment in subsequent rounds. He believes that upholding his word has always been essential to building lasting relationships and credibility.
Be humble and positive: Prashant believes that maintaining humility and a positive outlook has been key to all his interactions and relationships. This mindset has fostered strong connections, which is evident in the numerous individuals who expressed interest in investing in his project. He also thinks that staying in touch with past colleagues and team members from Zeda.io has been mutually beneficial, reflecting the enduring positivity surrounding our venture.
Continuous improvement: He believes in prioritizing both personal and professional development. Even though he’s got a hectic schedule (peep his social to see all the recent events he’s hosted in SF!) he dedicates time to enhancing his skills and staying updated with industry advancements through reading on a daily basis. He calls out that because he comes from a non-tech and non-business background that he’s actively worked on broadening his skills in coding, marketing, design, sales, and overall business management.
Getting into Practice: Product Management Roles
A first step into our world
Prashant's first step into product was at Paytm, which was both daunting and rewarding, marking a pivotal point in his career. Despite lacking prior experience, diving into product management was exhilarating. He spearheaded projects like Paytm QR codes and the wallet, which gained massive popularity nationwide. He also enjoyed collaborating closely with various professionals and learning leadership and teamwork in the midst of authority dynamics. Engaging in all facets of product development, from coding to marketing, was enriching (I’m sure you’ve learned he loves this by now).
After that, transitioning to Tokopedia in Indonesia was a huge leap, marked by language barriers and cultural adjustments. Professionally, it propelled him into strategic leadership roles, navigating a multibillion-dollar company and managing teams for the first time, fostering humbling growth experiences.
He did have his fair share of failure, as we all do! At Paytm he launched products that failed and crashed unexpectedly. At Tokopedia he shared that he needed to own the fact that his product incurred financial losses as well. Throughout all of this, he still remained positive:
“Mistakes were made just like in most startups: over-hiring, launching products with no demand, hiring and firing employees, and more. However, I firmly believe that making such mistakes is all part of the journey.”
And now owning he’s got his own company that SERVES PMs!
He notes that since establishing Zeda.io it has been a whirlwind but it’s the proudest achievement in his career. The journey of transforming an idea into a tangible product that has paying customers proves so much can be done when you focus on a problem that people are faced with.
Culture is something important to him as he continues to build his business. He shared that some of the earliest or first employees are still dedicatedly working with Zeda.io today. He also keeps close contact with many former Zeda alumni. In his view, the people and the team of Zeda.io are its most valuable assets. From the initial idea, raising funding, and launching products to acquiring paying customers, the entire journey of success has been made possible by the dedicated individuals of Zeda.io.
He learns something new every day as his CEO duties requires not just being and adaptable, but being in a constant state of learning. On the flip side, he’s expected to know everything. Doesn’t this sound familiar, product people?! Wearing multiple hats while navigating uncertainties has been humbling yet educational for him and he continues to be humble while figuring things out along the way.
The Impact of Others Along the Journey
Prashant’s co-founder, Vaibhav, is the human he wants to say thank you to the most today. Working alongside Vaibhav has been a truly enriching experience for him. He finds that he complements him well, filling in the gaps where Prashant may lack, leading to a highly effective partnership. Despite many differences in thoughts and opinions, they have managed to maintain a respectful and constructive relationship, which Prashant finds truly remarkable. Their different approaches and styles end up contributing significantly to their shared success.
He also recalls a challenging individual early in his PM days who was notoriously difficult to work with. The individual was especially tough on PMs and created an unhealthy space for them to work in while being expected to deliver on business results. This is the first piece I’ve written where someone is willing to share a not-so-great encounter in the journey. I will say in addition to us all knowing we each have that individual along our path, what we want to take away here is what Prashant learned: he backed his decisions with data and was resilient throughout his time in seat, contributing to who he is today.
Let’s Get Into Prashant’s Product Heart!
I’ve enjoyed getting to know Prashant over the last year but 100% wanted you all to get to know him as well. Here are his answers to the questions for all my spotlight guests:
What advice would you give to Product Managers today?
His response was immediate and insightful: “Don’t be a vanilla product manager." His reasoning behind this statement is clear: in today's age of information overload, many product managers tend to blindly follow popular product influencers, their frameworks, and solutions without critically evaluating them.
He believes this blind adoption leads to a lack of innovation and creativity. Prashant refers to the famous saying, "A fool didn’t know it was impossible, so he did it," noting the value of daring to challenge the status quo and think outside the box. He believes if product managers continue to rely solely on online content without prioritizing innovation, all products will eventually become the same. With this, he believes, there will be a lack of “Art”.
What advice would you give to Product Operations people today?
Prashant advises Product Operations professionals to anticipate AI integration into their field, driven by platforms like Zeda.io and Zapier. Merely focusing on operations risks redundancy. Instead, embracing AI can optimize processes, automate tasks, and add value. They should evolve into facilitators, connecting stakeholders in product development. By expanding their role beyond operations proper, they can excel in an AI-driven landscape.
What grounds you as a product person?
Prashant note that it’s the ever-changing nature of product management that keeps him grounded, noting stark differences in product development across diverse markets like India, Japan, and the US. This diversity underscores the constant need for learning, as nuances vary based on team dynamics, industry, and cultural demographics, reminding him of the breadth of the field and the ongoing journey of exploration.
He emphasizes the inherent interdependency in the role of a product manager, where success relies on collaboration with various teams like marketing, engineering, executive, and sales. Despite meticulous efforts, Prashant acknowledges the unpredictability of product success, highlighting the humbling reality that even with everything done right, failure remains a possibility. He reminds us, “You can do everything right, and the product might still fail!”
What do you remind yourself of in the hardest days in this space?
Prashant reminds himself of the impact his work can have on others. He finds motivation in the fact that every effort he puts is directed towards solving real problems and improving people's lives. He believes there’s a human angle in product management, understanding that his actions have the potential to ease someone's frustrations and enhance their experience. Knowing that he is contributing to making a tangible difference in individuals' lives is a powerful source of inspiration during challenging times.
Imagine someone waving a wand and allowed you to sit with YOU, at the beginning of your professional journey. What would you say to yourself?
If Prashant could advise his younger self, he would stress two key points. Firstly, prioritize being data-driven from the outset to enhance effectiveness as a product manager. Secondly, he would encourage diving deeper into AI, recognizing its substantial potential despite initial skepticism. He shares here that he himself was a part of the ‘AI is a fad’ crowd, now recognizing its immense impact and potential for all of us.
What do you feel people coming up in our space should spend time learning about or doing?
Prashant advocates for user engagement as the cornerstone of effective product management, contrasting it with the glamorized perception often depicted on Youtube (we’ve all see the perfect ‘day in the life of a PM videos!). He stresses the importance of understanding and addressing customers' real needs, asserting that true value in product management stems from solving genuine problems and ensuring user satisfaction. By prioritizing meaningful interaction with customers over mundane tasks, product managers can drive success and stakeholder satisfaction.
Lastly, he shares a few of his favorite resources that have helped him along his path:
Newsletter: Lenny’s Newsletter
You can find Prashant on LinkedIn, or Twitter so please follow him and check out all the great stuff he’s doing over at Zeda.io!