Nivedha: From Support Roots to Startup Founder

Welcome to Escalations, a series where I’ll be sharing stories of some amazing careers that started in Customer Support. While many of these will be compiled into a book, I will also be regularly sharing stories here, too. If you like this content, please consider subscribing or sharing. 

Introduction: The Starting Point

Nivedha launched her career with a hedge fund but quickly realized she thrived in the fast-moving culture of startups. Her first taste of support came when a founder, noticing her empathy and eagerness to solve customer problems, pulled her aside and said, “We need you to build our support team—figure it out!” That challenge sparked an entire career centered on problem-solving, empathetic engagement, and constant growth.

Almost by accident, she became the architect of new support departments. From configuring Freshdesk on a shoestring budget to hiring the very first head of support, Nivedha discovered she felt at home in the world of frontline problem-solving. Over the next decade, she leaned into roles that demanded both breadth and depth—building support teams, shaping product feedback loops, and eventually managing global support operations.

The Growth Path

Stepping from one startup to another, Nivedha repeatedly found herself in pivotal roles—setting up entire support functions, training new teams, and championing the voice of the customer. Each move introduced a fresh challenge:

• From small teams to scaling: She refined her ability to implement processes in 20-person startups—and then replicate or improve them for much larger teams like Zapier and Postman.
  

• From IC to leadership: As she coached newcomers and acted as a conduit between product teams and customers, she saw that her influence needed to grow. She transitioned to leadership roles, taking on the responsibility of building documented career paths and advocating for resources.
  

• From employee to founder: Finally, her desire to solve the repetitive, frustrating parts of support—such as continuously updating documentation—drove her to launch Pageloop, where she now leverages AI to make support teams more efficient.

  
  Despite the leaps, there were hurdles: ensuring she didn’t get stuck in routine, finding companies that truly valued support as a central function, and learning how to offer tough feedback without breaking team morale.

Implementing This in Your Own Career

• Prioritize roles at companies that genuinely view support as a critical function.
  

• Dive deeply into your product—use it like a customer to build empathy and insights.
  

• Don’t wait to flex your leadership muscles: volunteer to coach, train, or guide peers.

Breaking Through: Lessons & Key Decisions

1. Embrace “I Don’t Know”—But Learn Fast

Early in her career, Nivedha discovered that knowing how to research and troubleshoot was more important than having a ready-made answer. At Zapier, she had to share her screen, dive into a random API’s docs, and figure out if a specific solution was possible—all while interviewers watched.

This mindset of structured curiosity carried into daily work. In fully remote teams, miscommunications can create 12- to 14-hour delays. Learning to say “Here’s what I’ve tried so far” helped her ask sharper questions and refine her problem-solving instincts.

How You Can Apply It:

• Break big questions into concrete steps.
  

• Show your work: if you’re stuck, outline what you’ve tried.
  

• Invite feedback early to build confidence and hone your instincts.

2. Coach Others to Accelerate Your Own Growth

Nivedha’s leap from individual contributor to team lead took shape when she began onboarding and mentoring new hires. Beyond sharing technical knowledge, she had to master the art of empathetic feedback—recognizing when team members needed a morale boost, and when to point out areas for improvement.

Coaching also reinforced her personal expertise: each time she trained someone, she sharpened her own skills and built up a deeper understanding of the product.

How You Can Apply It:

• Volunteer to onboard new team members or lead training sessions.
  

• Document recurring challenges—then share solutions with the team.
  

• Treat feedback as a loop: listen, clarify, and follow up.

3. Document Knowledge—Everyone Benefits

From her earliest startups to leadership roles at Zapier and Postman, Nivedha noticed that writing things down is the glue of a high-performing support team. At Zapier, support was spread across time zones, so asynchronous collaboration was essential. Clear documentation ensured the entire team could jump into a complex ticket without scrambling for context.

This culture of open knowledge-sharing also helped minimize repetitive questions. It transformed one person’s solution into a reusable resource for the whole team, making every handoff smoother.

How You Can Apply It:

• Make documentation a habit: write things down as soon as you discover them.
  

• Encourage open channels for Q&A so everyone learns together.
  

• Push to democratize knowledge outside the support team—product, marketing, and beyond.

4. Seek Companies That Truly Value Support

Over time, Nivedha saw stark differences between organizations that treated support as a strategic function and those that regarded it as a cost center. She thrived—and advanced fastest—where support was woven into the product’s success, receiving budget, tooling, and leadership buy-in. Conversely, a lack of support investment meant limited career options.

Pursuing roles in places that genuinely champion support opened doors for her. She could showcase the department’s ROI, push for better metrics, and gain a seat at the leadership table.

How You Can Apply It:

• In interviews, ask how leadership measures support success.
  

• Look for evidence of cross-functional collaboration.
  

• Don’t hesitate to move if you’re stuck in a place that undervalues your work.
  

5. Don’t Fear Big Leaps—Founding Is Possible

One of the most remarkable arcs of Nivedha’s career is her pivot from solving support challenges inside existing companies to founding a startup that tackles those same pain points. Reflecting on her choice to launch Pageloop, she wishes she had taken risks even sooner.

She calls it an “accelerated learning path”—equal parts exhilarating and stressful. Yet she believes support veterans make uniquely qualified founders because they see product gaps, user frustrations, and operational inefficiencies firsthand.

How You Can Apply It:

• Spot recurring frustrations that you might solve—either internally or as a future product.
  

• If you’re drawn to entrepreneurship, keep notes on unmet customer and team needs.
  

• Experiment with side projects or hackathons to build your confidence.
  

Actionable Takeaways

• Practice Guided Curiosity
  Show how you arrived at a question or idea; it fosters better, quicker answers.
  

• Document Relentlessly
  Whether it’s troubleshooting steps or team knowledge, writing things down creates shared clarity.
  

• Evaluate Cultural Fit
  Not all companies champion support as a strategic asset—choose wisely.
  

• Push Past Comfort
  Boredom can signal it’s time to seek bigger challenges, especially if you value fast learning.
  

• Coach to Grow
  Mentoring others accelerates your leadership and communication skills.

Where They Are Now & Final Words of Advice

Today, Nivedha is Co-founder and CEO of Pageloop, building AI-driven solutions to help support teams maintain up-to-date knowledge bases. Her journey—from “accidental” support lead to startup founder—showcases how empathy, problem-solving, and customer-centric thinking can power a career in every direction.

She reminds us that support can be both a fulfilling career and a launchpad for broader opportunities. Sometimes, all it takes is saying yes to a challenge—especially when no one has the answers yet.

Do you have a story to tell or insights to share? Consider having a conversation with me so I can share something like this about you!