Interview with Kishan Srivastava, CEO, and Anuj Yadav, CTO at SDLC Corp

Welcome to this interview with Shashank Jaiswal and Kishan Srivastava, the Founders of SDLC Corp. Since 2015, they have grown SDLC from a small team in India to a global technology partner with a presence on multiple continents.

SDLC has completed over 500 projects for clients, including startups and well-known brands like Fujitsu, PayPal, and Domino's. The company has earned a reputation for providing innovative solutions in areas like blockchain, AI, mobile and web development, and AR/VR.

In this interview, we are talking with Shashank and Kishan about their journey as entrepreneurs, the challenges they have faced, and their vision to help businesses turn bold ideas into impactful digital solutions.

To set the mood, let’s travel back in time. It’s 2015 — the year you began SDLC Corp. What inspired the two of you to start the company, and how has your vision changed since then as the company has grown?

Anuj’s Answer

In 2015, I was neck-deep in technical consulting — mostly helping startups and mid-sized firms architect their platforms. Over and over, I saw good products get derailed — not because the idea was weak, but because the tech execution was just off. Misaligned stacks, over-engineered systems, missed delivery windows — it was like watching a great screenplay get ruined by poor direction.

That’s when the thought clicked: what if we could create a company that actually understood tech deeply and executed fast — without compromising quality?

I started sketching the idea out and called Kishan. We both agreed — this wasn’t about building just another dev shop. It was about solving technical chaos with structure, ownership, and clean delivery.

We began in a small workspace with a three-person dev team. I handled the architecture, code review, and sprint planning myself — because in the early days, quality couldn’t be delegated. Our first project was an eLearning platform for a US-based client, and I still remember debugging critical features at 2 AM. But that hands-on start gave us the foundation we needed.

As we scaled, my focus shifted to building a technical culture — where every engineer understood the "why" behind the code. Today, our teams build systems in AI, Blockchain, AR/VR, and scalable SaaS platforms across 4 continents.

What hasn’t changed is the intent: to build solutions that work under pressure, scale with demand, and solve real business pain.

Kishan’s Answer

While Anuj was untangling codebases, I was constantly dealing with a different challenge — people. Between 2013 and 2015, I’d worked with a few product teams and saw how miscommunication, missed expectations, and poor accountability were killing trust with clients. It didn’t matter how good the tech was — if the client didn’t feel heard or supported, it fell apart.

So when Anuj called me about starting SDLC Corp, I saw the opportunity clearly: build a company where clients didn’t need to chase us for answers, where projects were managed proactively, and where delivery meant actual business results — not just shipped code.

I took the lead on client strategy, delivery operations, and building a culture of ownership. In the first year, I was the account manager, delivery head, and escalation guy — all rolled into one. I still remember flying to Dubai to meet a client who was unsure if we could handle a project double our size. That project became one of our biggest success stories.

Over the years, I’ve focused on scaling relationships — not just revenue. From small founders to Fortune 500 stakeholders, our aim has always been the same: “Tell us your toughest challenge, and we’ll figure it out.”

Today, my role is about enabling people — both clients and internal teams. Whether it’s a product roadmap in Dubai or a compliance rollout in the US, I make sure we’re always aligned, accountable, and ahead of the curve.

You’ve both founded multiple ventures before SDLC. What lessons did you bring with you, and what makes SDLC stand out today in such a competitive industry?

Anuj’s Answer – Tech & Delivery Lens

Before SDLC, I’d built a couple of small tech ventures — one was a mobile app that gained traction briefly, and another was a backend consulting gig for early-stage startups. Neither scaled the way I’d hoped, but both taught me one core thing: technical strength means nothing without strategic clarity.

I used to focus entirely on building the “perfect product” — best framework, cleanest code, full scalability. But I learned that what clients value more is predictability, communication, and results that tie back to business goals. That mindset shift shaped how we built SDLC from Day 1.

What sets SDLC apart now is our hybrid approach — we combine deep technical expertise with real-world product thinking. We don’t over-engineer. We build what’s right for the business — whether it’s a lightweight MVP or a full-scale enterprise rollout.

Our engineers are trained to think like product owners. We don’t just deliver sprints — we solve edge cases, preempt failure points, and build for scale. That’s something we’ve hardwired into our culture, and it’s why our retention rate — both for clients and engineers — is way above industry average.

Kishan’s Answer – Business & Client Lens

Before SDLC, I had my share of “almost-successes.” I co-founded a small digital agency that started well but collapsed when we took on more than we could manage. I also consulted with a few startups where I saw firsthand how fragile client relationships can be when transparency is missing.

So when we started SDLC, I came in with two non-negotiables: clarity in communication and ownership in delivery. No overpromising. No hiding behind layers of hierarchy. If something wasn’t working, we’d say it, fix it, and move forward — and clients appreciated that honesty.

That transparency became our edge. In a market flooded with vendors, we show up as partners. We don’t talk in jargon, we don’t disappear after UAT — we stay accountable through post-launch, upgrades, and pivots.

Another thing we did differently was investing in real project management early. While many small firms skip this, we hired delivery managers when we were just 10 people — because we knew that growth without structure would eventually break things.

Today, SDLC stands out not just because of what we build — but how we engage, how we manage risk, and how we turn long-term trust into long-term growth.

Fun fact: One of our first clients from 2016 is still with us — we now handle three of their business units across two continents.

Many founders say that failures teach more than successes. Do you agree? And can you share with us a significant failure or obstacle you faced with SDLC and how you turned it into a learning opportunity?

Kishan:

Oh, 100% — failures hit harder, stay longer, and honestly, teach you faster than success ever does.

Anuj:

Yeah, there’s one from 2017 that we still joke about… but back then, it was a full-blown nightmare.

Kishan:

You’re talking about the logistics project, right?

Anuj:

Exactly. We were building this delivery and tracking platform for a US-based startup. The core features were ready — dispatch, routing, real-time updates — and everything looked great in staging. But we didn’t plan properly for real-world load.

Kishan:

We launched without stress testing for high traffic. Within the first week of peak orders — boom, the system choked. Four hours of downtime. And this was during a major retail event in their region.

Anuj:

That was on me. Architecturally, I knew better. But I was rushing to get them live. After it crashed, I flew to the client, sat with their CTO, and restructured the load strategy. It was painful but necessary.

Kishan:

And for me, the bigger lesson came from how we’d set the project up. We hadn’t scoped it tightly enough, so the client’s expectations kept shifting mid-way. It created a lot of confusion on both sides.

Anuj:

After that, we introduced mandatory load testing and architectural reviews in our process. No exceptions.

Kishan:

And we built a formal Discovery Phase into every project. Scope, risks, success metrics — all mapped out upfront. It felt slow at first, but clients actually thanked us for being thorough.

Anuj:

The funny thing is — that same client came back to us two years later with a new project. Said, “You guys actually owned your mistake — that’s rare.”

Kishan:

Failures suck in the moment, but if you don’t walk away from them with systems and self-awareness, you’ll just repeat them louder next time.

Anuj:

Now when things go wrong — and they do — we ask: what will this fix long-term? That mindset has changed the way we lead, hire, and deliver.

Technical teams often face internal challenges as well, from alignment to burnout. Have you faced a moment like that, and how did you keep your team motivated?

Anuj’s Answer –

Definitely — internal challenges are just as real as client-side ones, and sometimes harder to spot early. I remember a phase in 2021 when we had four large-scale projects running in parallel — AI, blockchain, mobile platforms — all high-intensity, high-stakes work. Our engineering leads were juggling sprint cycles, late client calls, and firefighting bugs. From the outside, we were “hitting targets” — but internally, the team was stretched thin.

One day, I walked into the office and saw one of our top developers asleep at his desk at 10 AM. That was the moment it clicked — this wasn’t about productivity anymore, it was burnout.

We paused, re-evaluated everything. I held a candid town hall where I said: “Hitting deadlines means nothing if we’re breaking ourselves to do it.” Then we did three things:

1. Introduced buffer sprints — so every 4th week, devs got time to clean up tech debt or just breathe.
2. Split delivery into smaller vertical squads, so no one team had to carry the entire load.
3. Invested in mentorship, not just for skills but for managing pressure — because not every burnout is technical, some are emotional.

What surprised me was how quickly morale bounced back once people felt seen and supported. Productivity didn’t dip — in fact, it improved. Attrition went down. And we made it a permanent part of our engineering culture: “Build fast, but don’t break yourself.”

Burnout isn’t always loud. Sometimes it looks like silence. As a tech lead, it’s your job to notice both.

SDLC Corp has an impressive 98% client retention rate. What do you believe is the secret behind building such long-lasting relationships with clients?

Kishan’s Answer –

I think it comes down to one word: ownership.

From the beginning, we’ve operated with a simple rule — if a client is trusting us with their business, we treat it like our own. That mindset has shaped everything from how we communicate to how we solve problems.

The 98% retention rate isn’t because things never go wrong — they do. A feature gets delayed, an integration breaks, or a client's priorities suddenly shift. The reason they stay is because when those moments happen, we don’t hide behind excuses. We show up. We fix it. We stay accountable.

I still personally stay in touch with our earliest clients — some from as far back as 2016. One of them told me, “You guys make my problems feel like your own — that’s rare.” I think that’s it. Clients don’t want superheroes. They want consistency.

Another part is transparency. We’ve turned down projects when the timeline was unrealistic or when the fit wasn’t right. That honesty builds more trust than overpromising ever could.

Also, we’ve built systems around retention — not just relationships.

• Dedicated success managers after every MVP launch
• Quarterly check-ins
• And we always show the roadmap, not just the sprint

At the end of the day, retention isn’t a metric — it’s a reflection of how much you care after the invoice is paid. And at SDLC Corp, that’s something we take personally.

You’ve successfully delivered 500+ projects across multiple industries. How do you adapt your approach when entering a sector that may be new to your team?

Anuj:

Honestly, it starts with understanding the problem the client is trying to solve—not just what tech they want us to build. Every sector has its own nuances, but at the end of the day, most businesses are chasing efficiency, better user experience, or revenue growth. So, we begin by digging into their workflows, existing tech stack, and challenges. We also assign domain-specific analysts or tech leads who can quickly get up to speed on industry compliance, integrations, or trends.

Internally, we’ve built a knowledge-sharing framework. If someone’s worked in healthcare, for example, their insights are shared across teams working on similar projects. And we keep our architecture modular—so whether it’s fintech or eLearning, we can plug in what’s needed without reinventing the whole setup.

Kishan:

From the client side, our job is to listen more than we talk in the initial phase. We ask the right questions, capture the business goals, and then let Anuj’s team tailor the solution. It's not about just delivering code—it’s about translating business objectives into working systems. That’s how we win trust even in unfamiliar sectors.

What is your customer acquisition strategy? How do you find new clients, and what is the cost of acquisition?

Kishan:

Our customer acquisition strategy is a mix of inbound marketing, outbound targeting, and strong referral cycles. A large portion of our business still comes through referrals and returning clients, which keeps our acquisition cost efficient. But for acquiring new clients, we’ve built a structured approach:

LinkedIn-based lead profiling: We actively use Sales Navigator to identify ideal personas and engage with tailored messages.

SEO + long-form technical content: We rank for high-intent service queries, especially around Odoo, AI development, and enterprise apps.

Custom code demos with showcases: For technical buyers, we build small proof-of-concept snippets to start conversations.

Developer communities: We monitor pain points in niche communities and respond with value-first insights.

Targeted outreach via platforms like TechBehemoths: We participate in curated directories where clients actively search for vetted development partners.

Partnerships with agencies and consultants: These relationships bring us industry-specific projects and help us quickly adapt to domain nuances.

In terms of CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost), we operate within $2200–$3500, depending on the channel. Our LTV stays high because of solid onboarding, modular cross-selling (like adding analytics or automation layers), and consistent post-deployment support.

Could you share one project that you’re especially proud of and what made it unique?

Anuj:

One of the most defining projects we took on was with a mid-sized U.S. logistics company based in the Midwest. When they first reached out, they were drowning — not just in paperwork, but in inefficiencies. Their operations spanned eight states, yet their backend was stitched together with spreadsheets, outdated legacy systems, and — believe it or not — WhatsApp chats for dispatch coordination.

They were losing nearly $150K a quarter to delays, fuel mismanagement, and billing errors. The CTO said, “We’re running a modern business with broken tools — and it's killing us.”

We proposed a customer ERP software (Odoo). A way out of the mess. We didn’t give them a one-size-fits-all template. We custom-built an ERP that mapped their real-world routes, automated their fuel tracking, tied dispatches to live GPS updates, and brought their entire billing, invoicing, and fleet compliance into one clean system.

The result?

• 42% faster delivery coordination
• 30% reduction in operational overhead
• 100% transparency across all departments

But numbers don’t tell the full story. Their team went from burned out and reactive… to strategic and in control.

What drives us is a simple philosophy:

Technology isn’t just about fixing broken systems — it’s about freeing people to build something better.

That’s why we love working with Odoo — it respects that philosophy. It’s open, flexible, and scalable. We’re not locked into a mold. We build around their needs, not around software limitations.

Kishan:

And what started as a 3-month rescue project? It's now a 3-year partnership.
The same CTO calls us before every tech investment. That’s what matters. Tools change. But trust stays.

Many companies today rely heavily on online visibility and reputation. With 51K followers on LinkedIn and growing, how does SDLC make sure it stands out and builds trust in today’s crowded online marketplace?

Kishan:

We’ve never treated LinkedIn as just a platform to post updates. For us, it’s our digital headquarters. Every post, every case study, and even every team achievement we share is meant to reflect who we are, not just what we do. We invest real time in showcasing the thought process behind our work—not just polished results. That’s why we don’t chase vanity metrics. Our 51K+ community grew organically, through consistency, transparency, and valuable content.

We also encourage every team member to be a brand voice. You’ll see developers, marketers, and even interns sharing what they’ve learned or built. This authenticity creates a ripple effect—clients notice, peers engage, and new leads often say, “We came across your post, and it felt different from the usual sales pitch.”

It all ties back to our philosophy: Trust is earned when visibility reflects reality. Our online reputation is simply a mirror of how we operate offline—clear communication, consistent delivery, and no fluff.

Anuj:

And to add—visibility is one thing, but visibility with substance is what cuts through the noise. Our goal is not to shout the loudest, but to speak the clearest. Whether it's sharing a backend architecture, a product UI overhaul, or our latest Odoo integration—we want to be known as the team that builds and backs it up.

If you were mentoring a young entrepreneur starting in the IT space today, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give them? What would be the three most important 3-4-5 theses in your mentorship role?

Kishan:

The first piece of advice I’d give is—build a company, not just a service. Most young entrepreneurs rush into execution without establishing foundational values or long-term vision. In IT, trends shift fast, but your ability to adapt without losing your core identity determines your staying power.

From a mentorship lens, these are the top 3–4–5 theses I strongly believe in:

1. Customer obsession beats competition obsession
   Focus more on delivering value to your clients than worrying about what competitors are doing.

2. Keep your burn low in the early stages
   Don’t chase vanity growth—chase sustainable scalability.

3. Build your founding team like you’re choosing a co-pilot
   Skills can be taught, but trust and alignment can’t be forced.

4. Stay hands-on with tech, even as you scale
   Your early involvement in the tech stack sets the culture and standards for years to come.

5. Respect the first 10 users—solve for them personally
   Their feedback is your first product roadmap.

Anuj:

I’d say—fall in love with the problem, not the solution. Technology is the enabler, not the goal. If you’re clear about the problem you're solving, pivoting, innovating, and scaling will follow naturally.

Here are the mentorship pillars I always stand by:

1. Solve a real pain point—don't just build what excites you
   The market doesn't care about ideas; it rewards execution and impact.

2. Leverage global teams but build a local culture
   Culture isn't perks—it's how your team behaves when you’re not in the room.

3. Master storytelling as much as engineering
   If you can’t communicate your vision, you’ll either build in isolation or raise capital at a discount.

4. Build once, sell forever
   Whether it’s a platform, process, or internal system—invest in assets, not ad hoc fixes.

5. Stay humble. Stay curious. Stay in beta.
   The moment you think you’ve “figured it out” is when the market teaches you otherwise.

How did TechBehemoths impact your business operations? How do you find it compared to other great platforms in the industry?

Kishan:

TechBehemoths has played a meaningful role in expanding our global presence. Unlike many other directories that offer generic exposure, TechBehemoths actually delivers visibility to the right decision-makers — CTOs, startup founders, and business leaders who are actively looking for partners. That’s powerful.

One of the standout differences is how curated and trust-driven the platform feels. It’s not just about dumping your profile and hoping for the best. Their team truly vets the companies they feature, and the reputation-building tools are well-structured — from verified reviews to project showcases.

Compared to traditional listing sites, I’d say the ROI with TechBehemoths is higher because the traffic is relevant, the users are informed, and the engagement is real. It’s not just a lead-generation tool for us — it’s a credibility multiplier.

Outside of work, what hobbies or interests do you each enjoy?

Anuj:

For me, hitting the gym is more than just fitness — it’s a daily reset. It sharpens my discipline, which flows into how I lead teams. I also play cricket whenever I get the chance. That mix of strategy, coordination, and adrenaline — it’s surprisingly similar to running a company. You have to stay on your toes, adapt fast, and back your team.

Kishan:

I’m a reader at heart. Books give me perspective — whether it’s business, psychology, or even biographies. They help me slow down and think deeply, especially in a fast-moving industry. I also enjoy chess. It keeps my problem-solving sharp and reminds me that every move should be intentional — much like decision-making in tech.

Are you both friends? How do you spend time together when you’re not building SDLC?

Anuj:

Friends? Absolutely. Who else would argue with me at 2 AM about whether we need another dashboard redesign? But jokes aside, Kishan is that one person who’ll obsess over every detail until it’s perfect—and that’s what keeps our standards high. We try really hard not to talk about SDLC outside work—which usually fails within 10 minutes. Still, having someone that committed, dependable, and annoyingly logical around makes this rollercoaster worth it.

Kishan:

Yeah, we’re friends—the kind who debate startup valuations over coffee like it’s a national sport. Anuj has this wild energy that just doesn’t run out. He’s the one who can motivate a dead Slack channel at 1 AM and still show up for a pitch like nothing happened. We’ve tried doing “normal” friend stuff, like watching a movie, but within minutes, he’s pitching a new product feature. It’s chaotic, sure—but his drive and vision are what make SDLC exciting and unstoppable.

If you had to describe each other in just three funny words, what would they be?

Anuj about Kishan:

“Silent. Strategic. Chessboard.”
(He’ll say one word, and it’ll make you rethink your entire pitch.)

Kishan about Anuj:

“Ideas. Energy. Espresso.”
(He doesn’t run on coffee; coffee runs on him.)

As we wrap up, let’s reflect a bit — if you could change one decision from SDLC’s early days, what would it be? And looking ahead, what’s your biggest hope for what SDLC will be known for in the next five years?

Anuj:

If I could rewind, I’d focus earlier on building a stronger leadership layer — people who could grow with us and take ownership of functions from day one. We were wearing too many hats at the start, which slowed us down in areas that could’ve scaled faster.
Looking forward, I hope SDLC is known for building a fearless approach. I want people to say, “If SDLC is behind it, it’ll work. Period.”

Kishan:

Looking back, I would’ve invested in internal systems sooner — like better process automation, documentation, and project governance. It’s easy to ignore until scale hits you hard.

In the next five years, I want SDLC to be known as the place where people grow — clients and teams alike. A company that doesn’t just deliver software, but transforms businesses and careers.

Thank you so much, Shashank a Kishan, for sharing your insights and experiences with us today. It’s been a pleasure learning about your journey and the exciting work you’re doing at SLDC Corp.

SDLC Corp is one of the leading companies on TechBehemoths. If you like this interview and think that Kishan and Anuj, and their team can help your business, don't hesitate to contact them via TechBehemoths or discover the agency on social media: LinkedIn.