We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Alex Kariman, Founder & CEO, EVAS, a company transforming how businesses connect with their customers through high-touch, consultative sales. In this interview, Alex shares his journey, challenges, and advice for future entrepreneurs.
Q1: Could you tell us a little bit about your company?
The short answer, EVAS enables a new kind of inbound sales. We connect website visitors with salespeople using video meetings to cost-effectively facilitate high-touch sales.
The long answer, EVAS offers a consultative sales and video marketing solution, instantly connecting website visitors with salespeople through video meetings to assist them with purchases involving a high degree of personal interaction. For companies that sell high-consideration products or services, this approach can triple conversion rates and foster repeat sales. By building personal relationships with customers, we’re addressing the gap left by traditional sales automation tools.
Q2: What inspired you to start your own company?
While working in IT consulting, we noticed a critical gap in how AI agents and sales automation tools handle high-touch sales. AI is fantastic for assisting customers but falls short when it comes to closing deals. It lacks the persuasive power and empathy that humans bring to the table.
This realization drove us to develop EVAS as a consultative sales and video marketing solution. It’s designed to support purchases requiring personal interaction, initially focusing on high-touch eCommerce. As we spoke with potential customers, we discovered broader applications, including lead generation for industries like insurance and consumer financial services, as well as urgent mental health consultations.
Q3: What previous experiences influence your role today?
Our backgrounds in business administration, IT engineering, and IT consulting have been instrumental. These experiences gave us the technical expertise and business acumen needed to build and grow EVAS.
Q4: What are the biggest challenges you’ve encountered as a startup founder this far, and how did you overcome them?
Two significant challenges come to mind: Customer discovery and prospecting – Understanding our target audience and their needs has been a continuous learning process and Raising funds – Like many startups, securing funding remains an ongoing challenge. While we’re still working to fully overcome these hurdles, persistence and adaptability have been key.
Q5: Do you have any mentors or role models who have inspired you while you have been building your business?
I wouldn’t say we’ve been inspired by specific individuals, but we’ve had mentors and friends who’ve contributed significantly to our understanding of both our customers and our solution. That said, we believe the best mentors are paying customers. Their feedback is invaluable.
Q6: What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs and future startup founders based on your own experiences and lessons learned?
Two lessons stand out: Be resilient and persistent – The entrepreneurial journey is full of ups and downs. Staying the course is crucial and Be a good listener – Whether it’s customers, mentors, or peers, listening is the key to identifying opportunities and solving problems effectively. With their innovative approach to blending human interaction and technology, EVAS is well-positioned to disrupt the sales landscape for industries that rely on personal relationships. Stay tuned as they continue to grow and uncover new use cases for their platform.