Serial Entrepreneur • Internet Technologist • Coach/Mentor • Investor
Santosh is a serial entrepreneur with 20+ years of building, scaling, and investing in technology companies. Now building XPAND — the growth platform for the WhatsApp-First Economy. Helping coaches, creators, and SMBs turn WhatsApp into their business operating system. Bootstrapped & raised VC funding to scale SaaS business Explara from $0 to $11M gross transaction revenue, serving 100K+ global users. Also runs Foundership - a Full-stack venture operating system that builds, operates, scales, and strategically exits companies. Product teams at eBay UK, BBC iPlayer launch (2007), plus a decade in FTSE 100 companies, and lived & worked in the UK, USA, Finland, Singapore and India. Building Internet-first products since 1998!
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"*Transforming startups*" through proven growth strategies, elite networks,
and hands-on leadership.
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Entrepreneurship & Track Record
- Now building XPAND (March 2026 onwards) — the growth platform for the WhatsApp-First Economy. Helping coaches, creators, and SMBs turn WhatsApp into their business operating system.
- Co-Founder - Foundership (2021 onwards): A Full-stack venture operating system that builds, operates, scales, and strategically exits companies. Started as a Global Emerging Tech Accelerator with 58 startups in 8 cohorts from 1500+ applications and got transformed into a full-stack venture studio.
- Co-Founder - Explara (2008-2019 and 2025 onwards): Bootstrapped India's first DIY Event Registration SaaS platform. Scaled from $0 to $11M gross payment volume. Multi-product evolution: Events, Community management, Payments and Crowdfunding. Almost lost the company during peak COVID but persevered to rebuild a new Platform - ExplaraX - Community Management Tool for Building Community-First Business.
- Achieved profitability and secured 3 funding rounds for Explara from incredible VCs and investors across India, Singapore, and the USA
- Prior experience: Product teams at eBay UK, BBC iPlayer launch (2007), plus a decade in FTSE 100 companies, and lived & worked in the UK, USA, Finland, Singapore and India. Building Internet-first products since 1998!
Proven Impact & Expertise
Domain Expertise
Unparalleled Network
Technical Foundation & Enterprise Experience
How We Work Together
Recognition & Credibility
"I only work with founders /CEOs committed to building world-class companies. If that's you, let's talk."
Contact
My Newsletter
My Essays and Posts
Essays & Posts
My Talks/Interviews
In the News
Paying it forward for Founders
(C) 2025 Santosh Panda