Ishan Agrawal

Yo, you gotta hear about Ishan Agrawal. This guy’s the real deal in the startup game. So, he’s a tech entrepreneur, part of YC’s S23 batch – that’s like getting into the coolest club of founders right now. Dude’s been around the block, working at places like Rakuten, Viki, Funding Societies, and now he’s crushing it with his own thing, Branch AI.

Here’s the story: Ishan started out with some serious chops in tech – he’s been at Viki and Rakuten, big names in the biz, so he knows how to build stuff that scales. Then he jumped into fintech with Funding Societies, which is this huge Southeast Asian lender, and he was their Group CTO. Over seven years, he helped them grow from a tiny seed to a Series D monster. That’s no joke – it shows he’s got that entrepreneurial grit, understands how to scale, and is all about building effective tech.

But he’s more than just into fintech. Ishan’s always been about AI and pushing boundaries. He co-founded Branch AI, a YC startup, and this thing is advanced. They’re using large language models to totally change how e-commerce search works. Imagine shopping online-no more boring keywords. Instead, you ask questions like you’re chatting with a friend, and Branch AI makes it all super relevant. It’s about bridging the gap between conversational queries and traditional searches-huge for retailers trying to boost conversion rates. Bottom line: Ishan’s on a mission to make online shopping smarter and way more intuitive.

What’s crazy is, even before all that, he was deep into organizing tech communities – like Docker meetups in Singapore. So he’s not just about building; he’s about bringing people together, sharing knowledge, pushing the tech scene forward. That’s some real passion, not just chasing money but genuinely wanting to make a difference.

And now, in early 2025, he jumped into Airwallex as Head of Engineering. So, after building something original with Branch AI, he’s still hungry to lead, to shape big tech teams, and keep pushing the envelope.

So, what does all this say about him? This guy’s got mad motivation. He’s not just in it for the fame or the bag – he’s genuinely obsessed with tech, improving stuff, and solving real problems. His process shows that starting something isn’t just about having an idea; it’s about relentless hustle, scaling, and always looking for the future trend to change the game.

Long story short: Ishan Agrawal is a tech startup guy who’s crushed it across fintech, AI, and now big enterprise, all while staying super passionate about community and innovation. He’s proof that with the right mix of talent, hustle, and vision, you can go from building community meetups to leading major tech teams and founding significant startups. No cap, he’s someone to watch.