Scaling is the holy grail that every early-stage startup founder chases. It’s the key to turning an unknown startup into a household name. But scaling internal operations may lack the glamour of funding rounds and founder profiles, it’s essential heavy lifting for startup success.
Two respected companies that have mastered the art of scaling are Airbnb and Instacart. These companies share important similarities in their ability to scale to massive size while adding new features to their initial offerings: Airbnb Experiences and Instacart ad network.
We’re thrilled to announce that Naba Banerjee, director of trust product and operations at Airbnb, and Asha Sharma, COO at Instacart, will join us for a session called ‘How to Build Intelligent Startup Ops that Will Scale with Your Business‘ at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. This session will take place on September 19-21 in San Francisco.
Scaling is no simple feat
If scaling were easy, every startup would be a unicorn. Both Banerjee and Sharma are consummate leaders with visibility into two companies that have practically turned scaling into an art form. We look forward to hearing their individual perspectives on what it takes to build out operations that support and grow along with your company.
Key Questions
We’ll ask questions along the lines of:
- How do you know when someone on staff is not up to taking their team or department to the next level, and whether you need to hire someone externally?
- How do you handle cultural consistency during periods of rapid hiring, especially in a multi-office model?
Expert Speakers
Learn more about our expert speakers — and their qualifications for scaling startups into massive companies — below.
Naba Banerjee: Airbnb Director of Trust Product and Operations
Naba Banerjee focuses on ensuring that guests and hosts have peace of mind as they travel and host on Airbnb. Her most recent work includes developing Airbnb’s reservation-screening technology to help identify potentially high-risk reservations and prevent those users from taking advantage of the platform.
Banerjee oversees the company’s effort to combat fraud, stop bad actors from using the platform, and build trust between hosts and guests. She has more than two decades of experience building products that deliver innovative, customer-centric solutions.
She joined Airbnb after 13 years at Walmart.com, where she played an instrumental role in the evolution of product management, ranging from shipping packages to customers more quickly to building mobile apps that help customers self-scan and check out faster.
Asha Sharma: Instacart Chief Operating Officer
Asha Sharma oversees Instacart’s product, design, research, partnerships, analytics, marketing, operations, and customer care. She joined Instacart from Meta Platforms, where she served as vice president of product for many of the company’s private communications products across Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram.
Sharma also served as Meta’s head of product for social impact. Before Meta, she was the COO of Porch Group and helped scale the company’s operations, product, marketing, and growth. Prior to joining Porch Group, she worked in marketing and operations at Microsoft.
She currently serves on the board of directors for AppLovin Corporation and Porch Group. She holds a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
Join us at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
You’ll find more conversations with leading experts on the Builders Stage, which features topics like operations, hiring, fundraising, and more. Don’t forget to check out our other stages, including:
- Main Stage: The main stage will feature keynotes from top industry leaders and innovators.
- Startup Battlefield: This is where you’ll find the most exciting new startups competing for funding and recognition.
- Expo Floor: This is where you can meet with exhibitors, network with other attendees, and explore the latest technology and products.
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