People Behind the Platform: A Conversation with Pushkar Kulkarni

At NextBillion.ai, our technology is only one part of what helps enterprises solve complex logistics challenges. Equally important are the people who speak with customers, understand their operational realities and connect them with the right location-intelligence solutions.

We are beginning a new employee Q&A series to take you behind the scenes at NextBillion.ai. Through candid conversations with team members across different roles, we will explore what they do, the challenges they help solve, their experiences working with customers and what life at NextBillion.ai looks like from the inside.

In this edition of our employee Q&A series, we speak with Pushkar Kulkarni, Head of Sales & Partnerships at NextBillion.ai. Based in India, Pushkar works closely with enterprises exploring routing, route optimization and location intelligence for increasingly complex logistics operations.

We asked Pushkar about his role, the conversations he has with enterprise customers and how NextBillion.ai is building trust and recognition across international markets.

How would you describe your role at NextBillion.ai?

Pushkar: My role is to understand the logistics and location-related challenges enterprises face and help them identify the right technology for their operations.

This involves speaking with business and technical stakeholders, understanding their requirements, and collaborating with our solutions and product teams to determine how NextBillion.ai can support their use cases. My focus is not simply on presenting a product, it is on connecting customer challenges with practical and scalable solutions.

What do you enjoy most about working with enterprise customers?

Pushkar: Every customer brings a different operational challenge. One company may want to reduce delivery miles, while another may need to account for vehicle restrictions, driver shifts, service time windows, regional regulations, or other business-specific constraints.

I enjoy understanding how these businesses work and finding ways location intelligence can help them. It is rewarding to help customers solve complex problems and improve their operations.

What do enterprises really expect from a mapping and location-intelligence provider?

Pushkar: Enterprises need much more than maps or basic directions. They expect accurate and scalable APIs, dependable performance, customization options, transparent pricing, and support for their specific operational requirements.

They also want to know whether the provider understands their industry and can continue supporting them as their business grows. Security, implementation effort, deployment flexibility, technical support, and long-term reliability are all important parts of the evaluation.

Why does NextBillion.ai follow a sales-assisted onboarding approach?

Pushkar: Enterprise location needs can be complex. Customers may need to consider vehicle types, driver availability, delivery schedules, road restrictions, and local regulations.

Our sales-assisted approach helps us understand these needs and connect customers with the right commercial and technical experts early in the evaluation.

Instead of testing the platform only through a standard use case, customers can structure a proof of concept around their own data, workflows, and operational constraints.

 How does NextBillion.ai balance self-service product exploration with personalized support?

Pushkar: Different customers prefer different evaluation journeys. Some want to begin by reviewing documentation and testing APIs independently, while others require guidance from the initial stage.

We aim to support both approaches. Customers can explore the available technical resources, while our teams can help them identify the right capabilities, configure relevant scenarios, and evaluate the platform against their operational requirements.

For complex enterprise use cases, personalized assistance can make the evaluation faster, more relevant, and better aligned with the customer’s business objectives.

How do customers receive timely assistance when live-chat support is not available?

Pushkar:  We offer an AI-powered assistant on our website that is trained on NextBillion.ai’s products and APIs. It can quickly answer common questions and help users find relevant information.

For more complex questions involving routing, integrations, or specific implementation requirements, our solutions and product teams provide hands-on support.

How does NextBillion.ai build trust with enterprises familiar with established global mapping providers?

Pushkar: We understand that brand recognition and previous procurement experience can influence enterprise technology decisions. We build confidence through transparency, technical validation, relevant customer use cases, and a clear understanding of each customer’s needs.

Product demonstrations, performance testing, technical documentation, and proof-of-concept projects help decision-makers evaluate the platform based on its actual suitability. We also work closely with customers to understand their unique business needs and, when required, develop custom capabilities to support their operations.

Trust grows through the quality of our engagement. When customers see that we understand their challenges and are willing to solve them, the conversation moves beyond brand familiarity and focuses on measurable business outcomes.

What do procurement teams consider when evaluating a location-intelligence provider?

Pushkar: Procurement teams look beyond individual product features. They want to understand reliability, scalability, security, implementation requirements, deployment options, service commitments, and the support available throughout the relationship.

They may also require evidence that the provider can support future expansion and changing operational requirements. Our responsibility is to provide clear information, involve the appropriate technical and commercial specialists, and help stakeholders evaluate every relevant aspect of the platform.

What has NextBillion.ai learned from working with customers across different international markets?

Pushkar: Every country has different rules and requirements for fleet operations. Over the past six years, we have worked with large logistics and transportation companies worldwide, building the experience needed to meet the needs of each market.

Our teams work closely with customers to understand their local challenges and business goals. This helps us provide solutions that meet their current needs and support their future growth.

How is NextBillion.ai strengthening its presence and experience in newer international markets?

Pushkar: We already have a strong presence across North America and Europe and are continuously working to deepen our reach in these markets. At the same time, we are expanding into emerging regions such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia by working with some of the largest logistics businesses operating there.

Entering and expanding within any market starts with listening. We engage with local businesses to understand their logistics operations, regional challenges, regulatory requirements, addressing systems, vehicle types, and road restrictions. Customer feedback and proof-of-concept projects provide valuable insights that we share with our product, solutions, and engineering teams to improve our technology and support.

Our goal is to build the local expertise, strategic partnerships, and trusted customer relationships required to support businesses effectively as we expand globally.

Behind Every Solution Is a Conversation

Pushkar’s experience demonstrates that enterprise route planning and optimization is not only about technology. It begins with listening to customers, understanding their operational realities and bringing together the right people to solve each challenge.

As NextBillion.ai expands across industries and international markets, employees like Pushkar help transform complex customer requirements into practical location solutions. Their conversations also provide valuable insights that contribute to the company’s products, partnerships and understanding of regional markets.

This is just the beginning of our employee Q&A series. Stay tuned as we introduce more of the people working behind the scenes to make logistics smarter, more efficient and better aligned with real-world operations.