Dinesh Ravishanker, CEO and co-Founder of CallFire
Three weeks ago, Dinesh Ravishanker, the 29 year-old co-Founder and CEO of tech startup CallFire, spent close to an hour explaining to me the intricate details and benefits of cloud telephony. Don’t tell him, but, aside from my notes, all I really remember about the conversation was that he was a very sweet, very nice guy with a dog. One who didn’t bat an eye at a lengthy explanation of a communications service he is obviously passionate about (to someone whose passion is anything but technology).
I do remember that cloud telephony services offered by CallFire can pinpoint which marketing efforts are working and which ones are costing you by providing a near-limitless amount of trackable phone numbers. The no-lag connection created by CallFire’s human answering machine detection is superior to automated detection systems (the ones that cause the dreaded “dead air” sound the second before a telemarketer comes on the line). And since the term “cloud” refers to on-demand technology, you only pay for what you use.
Most importantly, the Jack Russell’s name is Lucky. See, Dinesh? I was listening, after all 
1. Can you give us a quick explanation of cloud telephony and how CallFire works?
CallFire provides creative telephone solutions for nonprofits & businesses on a pay-as-you-go basis. For example, CallFire was recently used by NoOnProp8 (case study) to enable over 10,000 volunteers to work from home to help increase gay-rights awareness. We’re also used by businesses to automate collections phone calls and by governments to deploy emergency broadcasts during natural disasters. Our team developed CallFire’s platform to reliably handle several thousand inbound & outbound telephone calls simultaneously.
2. How much of your day is spent explaining how CallFire works, and does it ever get tiring?
<lol> Much of my time is spent as a proxy between partners, customers & our development team. Inevitably, 80-90% of my time is spent explaining CallFire’s value prop! Thankfully we have a diverse, energetic team that pretty good at explaining CallFire’s services. This means account managers, developers & support staff talk directly to all of our customers… and when the going gets tough we help each other out by picking up the slack.
3. What is the key to marketing a technology that so few people understand?
We take a very simple approach to marketing by defining our audience for each marketing campaign first. Then we tailor creative messages that convey our value proposition to that specific audience. In the SAAS (Software-As-As-Service) world constant product innovation, coupled with easy-to-use interfaces, also helps to keep customers coming back.
4. As someone who has spent his adult life focused on technology, do you find it hard to unplug at the end of the day?
When business took off in 2007, my partners and I learned how to force ourselves to “unplug.”  My recent diversions include mixed-martial-arts and developing explosive marketing models! I also enjoy finding unique places to eat in LA, hiking in Santa Monica, cooking healthy and teaching our mascot new tricks! (Photo features Lucky, CallFire’s mascot)
5. Would you rather date someone who shares your understanding of technology, or someone who can distract you from it?
Distractions never hurt, but tech-savvy women are definitely a turn-on. 
6. At what age did you decide you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
My partners and I have always been highly entrepreneurial. Our interest in developing a cloud services company grew while learning Computer Science at UC Irvine. We were only 19!
7. What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?
I’m fortunate to work with talented friends and that I’m able to help nonprofits like MoveOn.org (case study) & NoOnProp8 achieve their goals. It’s also very fulfilling to help SMBs succeed (case study) in such challenging economic environments. Our dev team mans a 24×7 operation, sustaining telephone connectivity for over 14,000 small businesses around the clock. It’s a huge engineering undertaking, but we enjoy & thrive on delivering ambitious projects that help other businesses grow.
8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
My partners and I share a strong interest in education, technology & philanthropy. I suspect we will venture into related fields, perhaps in fewer than 10 years. For now our team is focused on building communications tools that businesses love, forging key industry partnerships and acquiring financing to accelerate our growth.  CallFire has sustained over 3 years of profitability, impressive year-over-year growth and revenues into the millions.  The organization can grow even faster with the help of reputable VCs or strategic partners that have significant telecom experience.  It would be great to work with a firm like Khosla Ventures or OpenView Partners.
Dinesh’s Bio:
Dinesh Ravishanker is 29 years old and lives in West Los Angeles, CA. He serves as the CEO of CallFire, an innovative cloud telephony company comprised of an aggressive team of entrepreneurs and techies. Dinesh is a recognized authority on creative telephony for nonprofits, call centers & the enterprise.  He earned his B.S. in Computer Science and an MBA from UC Irvine.
Connect with Dinesh on LinkedIn or Facebook HERE!
original publish date 9/15/2009
