Building Profound: From Core Thesis to Product
Built the team and shaped the vision for AI representatives that represent professionals.
Anuj Rathi
Co-founder and CEO, profound.me
From their time as
Co-founder and CEO
Profound • Jan 2025 – Present
Overview
Anuj is building Profound so professionals can have AI representatives that understand their work and represent it authentically. The experience starts with a 30-minute voice conversation that shapes a professional profile, giving agents context to support relevant introductions and content collaboration. The product connects shareable profiles, endorsements, and AI-supported co-creation to help professionals discover and connect with one another.
The Story
Anuj assembled the initial team and worked across product direction, company building, fundraising conversations, and execution.
The experience begins with a 30-minute voice conversation with a Profound AI representative, which informs a profile and enables agents to support introductions and content collaboration.
Early user conversations helped Anuj define the profile's information architecture, covering career stage, geography, job family, intent, stories, and endorsements.
Those conversations also led him to narrow the initial customer hypothesis toward AI-first professionals. He connected three product loops: shareable profiles, endorsements from people familiar with a user's work, and AI-supported co-creation between relevant people.
With funding raised and the team in place, the company prepared the release alongside a hiring pipeline on Profound and a growth framework.
Ownership Snapshot
Broad role
Co-founder and CEO building an AI-native professional network.
Goal
Bring a product based on professional AI representatives to market.
Direct ownership
Owns the core thesis, initial team building, product direction, fundraising, and go-to-market.
Team execution
The team is launching the public beta, a hiring pipeline on Profound, and the growth framework.
Topics
- AI-Native Products
- Team Building
- Professional Networks
- Fundraising
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