146. From Investment Banker To Revolutionising Workforce Management w/ Natasha Ratanshi-Stein | Surfboard

Episode 146: Amardeep Parmar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amardeepsparmar) from The BAE HQ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-bae-hq) welcomes Natasha Ratanshi-Stein, Founder  of Surfboard.

Natasha Retenshi-Stein, founder of Surfboard, discusses her journey from investment banking at Goldman Sachs to founding her workforce management software company. She explains how her experiences and challenges in customer service at Bulb led her to identify a gap in the market, ultimately driving her to create a solution that has since gained significant traction and positive feedback from customers.

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Show Notes: 

00:00: Intro 

01:34 - Childhood aspirations to be a lawyer, studying at LSE, and shifting to investment banking.

02:22 - Moving to London for university and deciding against pursuing law.

03:02 - Experience at LSE and pivot to investment banking after attending a law firm networking event.

03:54 - Competitive nature of getting a job at Goldman Sachs and her journey there.

04:58 - Time at Goldman and transition to the growing technology sector.

06:29 - Move to Piton Capital and decision-making process behind joining a small VC fund.

08:11 - Insights gained from time at Piton, particularly in portfolio management.

09:52 - Transition from VC to joining Bulb and experiences there.

11:20 - Feelings of imposter syndrome and various roles at Bulb.

12:45 - Roles at Bulb, including customer service and risk management during the pandemic.

13:39 - Genesis of Surfboard and struggles at Bulb that led to its creation.

15:42 - Decision to leave Bulb and start Surfboard, supported by family and colleagues.

17:30 - Steps taken after leaving Bulb, including research and finding a co-founder.

18:25 - Securing pre-seed funding and hiring a team.

21:40 - Utilisation of pre-seed funds and early team hiring.

24:18 - Description of Surfboard’s current product and its evolution.

26:23 - Imposter syndrome and importance of asking questions as an entrepreneur.

27:27 - Challenges of ensuring everyone in the team has the same information and context.

28:13 - Recent successes and customer feedback for Surfboard.

30:08 - Vision for Surfboard and inspirations from high-performing teams like Manchester City.

30:46 - Future goals and aspirations for Surfboard.

Natasha Ratanshi-Stein:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-ratanshi-stein-%F0%9F%8F%84%F0%9F%8F%BC%E2%80%8D%E2%99%80%EF%B8%8F-69333723/

Surfboard: 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/teamsurfboard/

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https://www.thebaehq.com/

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