How I Built Skydo to Eliminate Forex Costs for Indian Exporters

Srivatsan Sridhar, co-founder of Skydo, is building a cross-border operating system that's transforming how Indian businesses receive international payments.

In this conversation, we dive into how Skydo enables 0% FX fees for freelancers and businesses, making them the cheapest option in the market. Srivatsan shares how traditional payment methods like PayPal and wire transfers cost Indian exporters up to 8% in hidden fees – a problem Skydo directly solves with local collection accounts and transparent pricing.

The discussion covers Srivatsan's journey from running his family business to co-founding a fintech startup, the importance of finding the right co-founder with complementary skills, and how persistence helped secure crucial banking partnerships.

We also explore Skydo's approach to building an MVP, their fundraising strategy, and how they've processed over $300 million in annual payments.

Connect with Srivatsan:   / srivats80  
Connect with Subah:   / subah-wadhwani  

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00:00 Trailer
01:07 What is Skydo and how it works
03:08 Cost comparison: PayPal vs wire transfers vs Skydo
06:10 The cognitive overload problem for international clients
07:26 Building a cross-border operating system
09:37 Growing up in an entrepreneurial family
13:02 Finding self-motivation and academic excellence
14:45 Why he returned from the US to India
19:30 Getting a scholarship and the decision to study abroad
20:10 Starting with entrepreneurship first, then finding the idea
22:40 Meeting his co-founder at Ola
25:14 Complementary skillsets in co-founding partnerships
26:51 Why venture capital vs bootstrapping
30:08 The credibility factor of VC backing
31:42 Hiring philosophy: mindset over pedigree
34:47 Building an MVP with spreadsheets
36:42 Getting first customers through Twitter
38:10 Multiple layers of product-market fit
41:06 The process of getting PACB entity approval
43:54 Building international banking partnerships
47:11 How money moves through Skydo's infrastructure
51:10 Regulations as enabler, not blocker
55:09 Customer onboarding and KYC process
57:54 Revenue model and transparency in pricing
01:01:41 Fraud detection and AI implementation
01:05:30 Competition with Revolut's India launch
01:08:08 Could you build this without college?
01:09:43 Fintech opportunities in crypto and IoT
01:11:48 Advice to younger self: be bolder