Dheeraj Pandey, CEO and co-founder of DevRev, can be the previous CEO and founding father of Nutanix and a current board member of Adobe. Together with co-founder Manoj Agarwal, Pandey launched DevRev to remodel how developers (Dev) connect with revenue-generating customers (Rev).
DevRev’s mission is to embed customer-centricity into the core of product development, turning it right into a cultural foundation somewhat than a departmental focus. By leveraging data, AI, and design, the platform empowers developers to directly impact business outcomes, streamline workflows, and speed up innovation. Backed by one in every of the most important seed fundings in Silicon Valley history, DevRev is redefining customer-focused product development with its Product-Led Growth (PLG) model.
What inspired you to found DevRev after your successful tenure with Nutanix, and the way did your experience there shape the vision for DevRev?
While constructing Nutanix in the course of the era of Enterprise SaaS 1.0, I learned that enterprise software often turns right into a maze of fragmented tools, each tackling just a chunk of a broader problem. Many products out there are really just features packaged as full solutions. This experience fueled my desire to construct a platform that would truly unify and simplify complex workflows, helping businesses deal with what really matters: their customers. DevRev was born from this concept of doing fewer things but doing them higher—integrating functions seamlessly to construct more customer-centric corporations.”
DevRev is described as being built “from a blank page within the AI era.” Are you able to elaborate on what this implies, and why it was necessary to start out fresh somewhat than construct on existing SaaS systems?
Starting DevRev from scratch in today’s AI-driven world allowed us to create a fundamentally different product without legacy constraints. AI is undergoing what I wish to call a ‘Goldilocks moment’—a balance where technology, demand, and tools like neural networks are good for transformation. Constructing from a blank page meant we could leverage these advances to rethink what SaaS could possibly be and place customers and products at the middle somewhat than adapting old systems to latest demands.
You have got emphasized making a customer-centric platform at DevRev. How do you be certain that AI-driven processes still keep human needs on the forefront of operations?
Our approach is to make AI an enabler, not a substitute. We prioritize interactions that align with real customer needs by integrating human insights into the center of DevRev’s AI and knowledge graph—a strong, unified system that ties together product, customer, and operational data to supply wealthy context for AI interactions. This implies the AI can support teams by managing updates and simplifying processes, allowing corporations to deal with real customer needs. The result’s a platform that enhances human interactions by being collaborative and contextual, helping corporations remain empathetic and responsive.
What were the most important challenges you faced in the course of the early days of DevRev, especially by way of integrating AI and creating the knowledge graph that powers the platform?
One major challenge was avoiding the pitfalls of traditional project-centric systems. We wanted DevRev to be customer- and product-centric, which required a comprehensive knowledge graph from the beginning. Constructing this was complex, nevertheless it was essential to breaking down silos and integrating all the pieces from customer feedback to engineering workflows into one seamless interface.
DevRev is positioned as an AI-native platform. How do you see AI evolving throughout the enterprise SaaS space, and what role does DevRev play in that transformation?
AI is the driving force behind what we see as SaaS 2.0—moving from static software to an adaptive, agent-driven experience. On this latest model, AI shouldn’t be only a tool but a foundational layer that learns and evolves alongside the business. DevRev leverages agentic AI to create a seamless, continuous learning environment, allowing corporations to shift their focus from operational mechanics to deep customer engagement. Just because the cloud redefined infrastructure, AI is reshaping SaaS, enabling platforms like DevRev to drive richer, more responsive interactions across the complete enterprise.
How does DevRev’s knowledge graph differentiate it from traditional SaaS solutions? What value does it bring to businesses using your platform?
DevRev’s knowledge graph is built to unify product and customer data, making a dynamic, integrated view across departments. Unlike traditional CRMs, which regularly emphasize sales transactions, our knowledge graph captures the complete journey of a product and the shopper’s interaction with it. This implies businesses can higher predict needs, resolve issues faster, and ultimately create a product that’s constantly aligned with customer demands.
The brand new features in AgentOS, corresponding to no-code custom AI agents and conversational search, aim to simplify work. Could you share specific examples of how these features have transformed operations to your clients?
With AgentOS, corporations are finding they’ll streamline processes that after required multiple tools. As an illustration, no-code agents allow support teams to quickly construct workflows that reply to unique customer needs without heavy IT involvement. One client used conversational search to scale back their response time by 30%, empowering support teams to focus more on customer satisfaction than backend coordination.
With major backers like Mayfield and Khosla Ventures, what was your approach to securing funding for DevRev, and the way did you pitch the worth of your AI-native platform to investors?
The pitch centered on a fresh approach to SaaS that will be purpose-built for the AI era. Investors recognized that the timing was right—AI, cloud, and customer expectations have all evolved. They saw DevRev as a platform that would integrate these elements right into a unified solution, making enterprise software each more intelligent and more customer-centric.
DevRev is already seeing substantial time-saving impacts (e.g., reducing incident response times by 30%). What other areas of enterprise SaaS do you suspect can profit most from AI-driven efficiency?
AI could make an impact across functions, especially in areas that involve high-volume customer interactions, complex engineering processes, and frequent updates. DevRev is actively developing solutions that transcend just time savings—helping corporations cut down on operational costs while achieving a more agile, customer-driven approach.
As DevRev continues to grow, how do you maintain the balance between rapid scaling and staying true to your mission of constructing customer-centric corporations?
Staying customer-centric means constantly evolving with our clients and their needs. We’re focused on scalable, high-impact features somewhat than overwhelming users with options. Our team is committed to balancing growth with the principle of ‘less is best,’ ensuring that each feature we roll out enhances the shopper journey and aligns with DevRev’s core mission.
