S7E5: Kashish Gupta and Hightouch Leverage “Reverse ETL” When Building Your Modern Data Stack

Joining us this week is Kashish Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Hightouch. Hightouch is a software for your data stack that syncs any data warehouse to the SaaS tools that your business runs on, making internal usage and sharing easier for everyone. Kashish talks to us about the current state of the modern data stack community and how the industry is constantly pushing forward. He describes how this plays into their sales tactic of “evangelizing” larger corporations by teaching them about “Reverse ETL” and how Hightouch works without pushing the sale. We cover themes such as starting a company with two of his good friends and the procedures they take when it comes to decision-making, the perfect modern data stack, and how to sell your business when the product is something that no one has heard of yet. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 6:00 - Where did Kashish grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?8:08 - Did Kashish always want to be a founder?9:27 - How did Kashish's education impact his professional goals?13:08 - What is the story behind Mama’s Cooking?15:01 - What was the “aha” moment that got Kashish thinking about Hightouch?18:10 - How do businesses take advantage of Hightouch?19:56 - How is Kashish's relationship with his partners, Tejas Manohar and Josh Curl?21:28 - How do Kashish's and his partners split up responsibilities and tasks?22:24 - How do Kashish and his partners handle things when there is a disagreement?25:03 - What part of the go-to-market is Hightouch going to continue investing in?27:58 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Hightouch? 29:51 - When is the right time for a company to embrace its data warehouse?32:29 - What is Kashish's stance on the semantic layer?34:38 - What are some tools in the modern data stack?35:39 - What tools does Kashish recommend for a company building their modern data stack?38:15 - What advice would Kashish give to an entrepreneur building in this space?40:44 - What’s next for Kashish and Hightouch?44:00 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Kashish and his career? WX Productions