The success stories of the tech giants have inspired many to take the path of entrepreneurship, and one such innovator who caught the eye of Entrepreneurs Today is Ayush Jaiswal, Co-Founder and CEO of Pesto Tech.
Hailing from the city of Varanasi, Ayush launched Pesto Tech in 2017 alongside Rahul Jaimini, Cofounder / Ex-CTO of Swiggy. With a background in chess and a commitment to innovation, Ayush is recognized as a Kairos Fellow and advisor for Startup Grind India, where he hosted speakers like Gary Vee and others in Hong Kong and even worked briefly with a micro VC fund before starting Pesto.
Inception of Pesto
It was back in 2017 that Ayush first learned about remote work on his visit to San Francisco. Witnessing the unequal access to high-paying jobs in San Francisco compared to other regions, someone needs to level the playing field. Ayush reveals,
“As a software developer, I felt it was not right to value developers purely based on location. Such disparity looked a bit unfair since your value should be based on the work you can do & not on where you’re born. When I first came across this difference, it was over 10 times. I understand that some countries have different tax structures & markets have evolved independently of each other. But the main reason I felt that contributed the most to this gap was the demand/supply mismatch.”
This led to the birth of Pesto. The company swiftly began onboarding developers from diverse locations, providing them with standardized screening, a platform for showcasing their skills, and occasional educational support. Leveraging AI technology, Pesto effectively matched these developers with companies where their expertise was a perfect fit. Ayush further explains,
“The US has over 600,000 open job positions in software engineering, yet the number of computer science graduates every year has been either flat or going down in most schools. The demand has been increasing, & supply is flat. This presented a unique opportunity at a time when remote work was a very early concept.”
Unlike the Others in the Market
“Pesto is the world’s first capability-based recruitment platform to hire remote software developers.”
Pesto distinguishes itself in the tech hiring landscape with its innovative AI-driven approach to matching developers with companies. Unlike conventional recruitment processes, Pesto bypasses manual sourcing and filtering.
Utilizing advanced AI technology, Pesto streamlines the hiring process, saving up to 9 weeks by globally screening developers with 99% precision.
The platform pre-vets developers using a combination of DSA assessments, take-home projects, and comprehensive interviews, ensuring high quality while significantly reducing hiring time and resources.
Pesto’s commitment to a flexible cost model offers unparalleled value, empowering companies to scale their hiring efforts without worrying about escalating expenses. Moreover, Ayush notes,
“Pesto has a consistent global assessment to benchmark developers irrespective of where they’re born.”
Navigating Challenges
Reflecting on his journey, Ayush says,
“Building any business is very difficult, and operating in a market that’s developing is even harder. When we started, remote work wasn’t a thing. Before we landed any customers, we had to convince them to hire someone on the other side of the world who’ll do a timezone overlap that’d work for them.”
The problems did not cease there and Ayushl encountered several other challenges while building Pesto Tech. One major obstacle was developing an AI system capable of effectively matching developers with job opportunities, requiring significant investments in machine learning and natural language processing technologies.
Additionally, overcoming skepticism in a market resistant to non-traditional hiring methods proved to be a task. He adds,
“It was very difficult. The amount of effort that went into educating both supply & demand was draining for us. One of the few upsides in the post-pandemic era was awareness about remote work. Proactively educating our customers on remote work went a long way for us.”
Celebrating Feats
“Success at Pesto is quantified through the satisfaction of both companies and developers using our platform.”
Till now, they have successfully facilitated numerous hires, saving time in the hiring process for both companies and developers. Notably, their top developers earn an impressive average CTC of up to INR 65 lakhs while working remotely from India.
Moreover, Pesto Tech has expanded its database to include thousands of vetted developers and has served numerous hiring partners, marking their growth and impact in the industry.
Plans Ahead
A few years down the line, Pesto Tech plans to enhance its AI capabilities to provide more personalized and accurate matches between developers and job opportunities. Additionally, the company aims to expand its global presence, facilitating easier access to top tech talent for companies worldwide. Before signing off, Ayush expresses his plan for the future. He says,
“Most of our hiring partners are based in the US, and having supply in regions where we can have much better timezone overlap will go a long way. Developers from 24+ different countries have signed up for beta access to Pesto AI so far. Our focus is to identify some of these markets & go deeper by building a larger supply in those countries.”
