Susmeet Jain

My Career Journey

A few highlights - the full story is on my LinkedIn, in fact my twitter highlights also capture me better than this page.
Developer Relations, Dune [2022-2023]
It's nearly impossible for someone with my credentials to break into a company like this, especially in this role. My manager was David, an Oxford Gold Medallist. The story of how it happened is captured in this blogpost - I highly recommend reading it for more insight into my work than this page can provide.
Senior Product Engineer, Myelin Foundry [2020-2021]
Joined early at this company started by Gopi, the former CTO of the entire Tata Sons conglomerate. Took on serious responsibility and even shared the lunch table with Gopi himself several times. Had my own apartment, lived the Bangalore life.
Freelance work [2018-2019]
Got to work with some incredible minds, including Tufool, an MIT graduate (yes, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Education That Shaped Me

Plaksha Technology Leaders Fellowship [2019-2020]
This one-year masters program focused on AI was something between an MBA and an MS. We took classes with professors who flew in from Berkeley, Stanford, etc. Entrepreneurs like Ankur Warikoo and Pankaj Chadda (Zomato co-founder) mentored us.
My internship was under Dr. Sudheendra Hangal, formerly a professor at Stanford.
From my small batch of 60, we've had multiple VC-backed startups (one got into YC), some friends landed roles in consulting at BCG. and a batchmate wrote one of the earliest books on GPT3, published by O'Reilly media.
Me and my batchmates have been way ahead in the AI Game. Much before ChatGPT came in.
Even before entering the program, my batchmates were accomplished graduates from IIT Bombay, IIIT Hyderabad, BITS Pilani, Pesit and other prestigious institutions.
Plaksha is a new university started by some of the same founders as ISB and Ashoka, but focusing on tech. I was part of the incredible founding batch.
IET DAVV, BE (IT) [2012-2016]
One of the best engineering colleges in Indore.
Choithram School [1998-2010]
One of the best schools in Indore during my time there.

What Keeps Me Active

Been on the road the last three years, so haven't found consistency with any of these, but...
Sports
I love racket sports. Played Badminton at college level and represented my branch in competitions. Enjoy TT as well. Played Lawn Tennis long ago.
Working Out
I enjoy group workouts that rhyme with music - Zumba, cardio, or strength.
Yoga
While I haven't practiced regularly lately, it won't take me long to get back into rhythm. You'd be surprised at the poses I can do with ease and elegance.
I'm also adding swimming to my list - picked it up very recently and want to explore water sports in the future.

Other Things I'm Good At

Public Speaking
Did some during college days and at Dune, where I conducted workshops online and offline, including at the prestigious Eth India conference. Sometimes I also hold the mic at family weddings/functions.
My communication skills also come in handy for my podcast, blog, and other content I'm planning. Lately, I've been experimenting with writing lyrics and poetry, and might compose music with AI.
Music
I enjoy singing in groups and some dancing. Not particularly good at any of it, but not bad either.
Acting
Haven’t done it in a long long time but…
  • Played the lead role, enacted Pulak Sagar ji in a play back in 2010, in front of a audience of thousands. Made hundreds of people cry.
  • Also played the lead in a school play back in 6th grade.
So it is like I have done a lot across my life. But haven’t been consistent with a lot of it. I am just putting together whatever I can recall at the moment.
Cooking
I can cook everything. That's right, everything.
Travel
With experience in 12 countries, I can navigate anywhere internationally with ease. I can drive a car or ride a scooter across towns, internationally as well.
General Management
We organized events during college, and even today, I step up whenever needed. At friends' weddings or family functions, I quickly pick up the ropes in new places with new people and make things happen. Generally don't sit still.

My Family Roots

Immediate Family
I live with my mom (homemaker) and brother. My brother has an established business making WordPress websites for small businesses in the UK, US, Canada, etc. He's built a consistent inflow of clients with a strong reputation. His two employees have been with him for over 6 years working on highly paid projects. He handles the business meetings, his employees do the work, and he gets the money.
Dad's Side - Narpatya Gotra
We're famously recognized with the name of our great grandfather - Kalu Bhopali. We've been in Indore for over six generations and still have our ancestral home in Malhar Ganj. We maintain close ties with extended family, and no major decisions happen without everyone's involvement.
Dad had no brothers, but three sisters (two elder, one younger), all in well-to-do families in and around Indore.
My second Bua, Sunita Patni ji, is married into Manik Chand Ji Patni's house in Jain colony - one of the visionary founders of Jain colony in Indore and holder of several posts across societies.
Bua's daughter Pragya Sogani is married into the prestigious Akhbaar vale family (Duli Chand Ji Jain) in Downtown Indore - Kanchan Bagh. They recently did a Bhumi Poojan with Manish ji & Sapna Godha for a new project, building a new colony on their lands together.
All us cousins are really close to each other.
Dad's Mama Family
My Dadi comes from the legendary Barjatya family. All seven siblings have their clans spread across Indore. Mom still maintains close ties with everyone in this extended part of the family.
Mom's Side - Suwalal Gujarmal Ji Jain
You're probably already familiar with the legacy of my mom's family. We have the same shop running for over 100 years in Durg. The family is known for setting new standards for our Samaaj, with wedding ceremonies that are still remembered years and decades later. All daughters have been married into prestigious families.

Assets & Financial Standing

  • 2800 square feet bungalow in Gumasta Nagar, (recent deals nearby at ₹11,000 per sq ft, minimum 3 Cr value) Monthly rental income sufficient to cover Mom’s expenses.
  • Current residential flat, 500 metres from the bungalow (recent similar deals in our building have happened at about 75 lacs)
  • Mom's savings in FDs: about 50 lacs, interest received gets compounded back.
We don't touch any of the above. We've built our own corpus and are sufficiently capable of meeting any expenses, big or small.

References

I suggest speaking with Neeraj Jiyaji (Varsha Di) - one of the very few people across family who actually know me.

Testimonials

Listen to what some of my podcast guests have got to say about me.
You can listen to full episodes of my podcast on this link.
 
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