Kirthiga Reddy

Startup Founder | Investor | Public-company Board Director | Engineer | Mom

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

Always a great conversation with people who are reimagining how media works.

Enjoyed catching up with @AshwinPaddy to discuss how AI-search is reshaping content, influencer strategy, partnerships, media, and commerce.

One thing we kept coming back to: the awareness and urgency gap.

Even some of the biggest companies are still underestimating how much discovery is changing. That gap is also where the biggest opportunity lies.

What's the single biggest shift companies need to make in the AI-search driven discovery era?

#WPPMedia #AISearch #GEO #OptimizeGEO #AIFirst

[Vaibhav Domkundwar @vaibhavbetter]

We have invested heavily in our "Quick India Movement" thesis since 2023/2204 so when Plazza came along it was a no-brainer because we were already clear on how broken the customer experience was and Aman Priyadarshi had THE clearest articulation of the entire problem AND the solution.

This was a one call commit for us - my long zoom call with Aman ended with a clear and firm commitment to invest right there with no qualifications whatsoever...Aman was THAT good on that call. He took the call from the Plazza store, his store members were moving around in the background, he was wearing the Plazza gear (which is the only thing he always wears) and appeared like he had just come back from delivering an order (which might have been the case) and during our discussion he would walk towards the shelf behind him to grab a medicine to show me the QR code he was adding to them to explain how to use them etc. It was a like a pitch and a live demo all in one right from the store. I had never seen anything like that.

Over the next several months, I saw Aman and team execute every piece of the puzzle brick by brick to create a machine like nothing else.

We are have along way to go but I am amazed how far we have come in such a short time, how many pitfalls and mountains we have tackled and excited to be a tiny part of this mission.

Super grateful to all friends and co-investors in this round - $15M Series A led by Accel, Nexus Venture Partners and Elevation Capital - as well as the founding stage one, All In Capital. They say it takes a village and this is one incredible village assembling around Aman and Plazza.

Kudos team, and thank you for bringing us along for the ride!

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

6/
The question that's stayed with me:
Does your brand show up when someone asks AI to recommend you?

What's the biggest gap between how your brand measures visibility today and what AI search actually rewards?

#VivaTech #AISearch #GEO #OptimizeGEO #FutureOfMarketing

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

Life After Search: What's Your Strategy When AI Becomes the Storefront?

That was the question we explored at #VivaTech in Paris.

Here's what stayed with me. 👇

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

5/
It was a privilege discussing these shifts with Terence Kawaja and David A. Steinberg, moderated by Will Lee.
One of the sharpest rooms I've been in this year.

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

Some rooms remind you why the work matters.
CNBC TV18's Future Female Forward was one of them. 🧡

An inspiring lineup of leaders, founders, and builders discussing what's next for AI, leadership, and the future of work.

From @ShereenBhan setting the tone, Ranjan Bhattacharya sharing what it takes to build future-ready organizations, and @kiranshaw reminding us what it means to bet on the impossible, to an inspiring panel with Amitabh Malhotra, @ruchidk , @anjalisardana, @DekyiYangtso, @MansiJain2407, @Sarojayeramilli, Jo Aggarwal, and Meghna Agarwal—the conversations were all about what's next.

My biggest takeaway:
The AI revolution is not waiting. And women cannot afford to wait either.

Not just as founders—but as engineers, researchers, investors, and decision makers shaping the future.
I also believe we need to acknowledge something openly: venture capital still has an unconscious bias when it comes to funding women-led tech startups.

Recognizing it is the first step. Fixing it is the work.
What's the one thing you believe would most accelerate women's leadership in the AI era?

#FutureFemaleForward #WomenInAI #WomenLeadership #OptimizeG

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

Caught up with the Visa team on the day of the launch of Visa Payment Passkey with IDFC FIRST Bank.

One idea stayed with me:

Biometrics and device-based authentication aren't just reducing checkout friction. They're becoming the trust infrastructure for a world where AI agents transact on our behalf.

As AI becomes the storefront, brands won't just compete for visibility—they'll compete to be trusted, understood, and chosen by AI.

Always great catching up with Gaurav Ramdev, Richa Batra, Prashant Malkani, and Avinash Srivastava.

One question for everyone:

How do you decide which card is best for you? 💳

#AIPayments #AgenticCommerce #GEO #OptimizeGEO #AISearch

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

Some people build businesses. @ShuklaBose built a future for thousands of children. 🧡

After 26 years in corporate leadership, she invested her life savings to start a school on a Bangalore rooftop in 2003.

Today, @parikrma Humanity Foundation serves 1,500+ children and has been recognized as India's No. 1 Social Impact School.

One line I'll never forget: "I have 2,000 children and 35 grandchildren. Can anyone be luckier than that?"
This is what purpose looks like.

Who is a woman builder in your world who deserves more recognition?

#WomenWhoLead #SocialImpact #Parikrma #PurposeDrivenLeadership

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

Nothing brings me more joy than seeing amazing people do amazing things.🧡

Congrats Amanpreeit Bajaj on what you've built with Spotify India.

And Arjun Ravi Kolady — from Google to Meta to Spotify. So wonderful to see you keep going from strength to strength. 🙌🏼

Also... after seeing many great offices, Spotify's might just take the 🥇. The Heart & Soul room was my favorite.

Don't miss the artist signatures in the last photo...
Any guesses who's featured? 🎶

#Spotify #Leadership #OfficeSpotlight

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

The very first Millward Brown measurement study for Meta India was with HUL.

A landmark moment that proved social platforms in India could shift something as fundamental as how consumers think and feel about a brand.

Excited to be back - this time to talk about a whole new set of firsts in the AI-first era.

Today's visit is a tribute to HUL's pioneering spirit, rooted in heritage, fiercely focused on the future. Some things never change.🧡

Priya Nair, Tejas Apte

What does pioneering spirit look like in your industry right now?

#HUL #GEO #OptimizeGEO #FutureOfMarketing

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

Some of the best strategy sessions happen when you're not in a conference room.
A core group of us. Bangalore. 4-5 days. Just honest GTM pressure-testing, a hackathon session, and the kind of conversations that remind you who you're really building this with.
Can't wait for the whole OG team to get together like this. 🧡
Do you think the best strategy happens in the room — or around it?
#OptimizeGEO #StartupLife #GEO

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

What we did:
→ Set intentions for the year ahead
→ Stress-tested our GTM strategy — honest, no-filter, no-holds-barred
→ Ran a hackathon-style session that pushed us to think faster and build sharper

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

1/ We got together in Bangalore for an impromptu 4-5 day offsite.
No big agenda. Just the team, a shared goal, and focused energy that's hard to manufacture from a calendar invite.

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

What's the one question about marketing's future that's been on your mind?

#VivaTech #CMOSummit #AISearch #GEO #OptimizeGEO

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

The CMO Summit at VivaTech asked the one question every marketing leader is losing sleep over.

Here's what the room said 🧵👇

[Kirthiga Reddy @kirthigareddy]

That's what we're building at @OptimizeGEO.

An autonomous growth engine that monitors, corrects, and strengthens how a brand is understood across every AI platform.

Tech, CPG, healthcare, financial services — we've seen it work.