In this episode of The Galata Podcast, I’m joined by Suresh Kumar , the founder of Pepul Tech , a privacy-first social network that’s reimagining how people connect online. Suresh has an incredible journey: he bootstrapped Pepul from zero to a million users in just three months , built strong relationships that powered growth, and even turned down funding offers to stay true to his vision. In this conversation, we dive into the art of proactive selling , the courage it takes to say ‘no’ when everyone expects a ‘yes,’ and the deeper philosophy behind building a social platform that’s designed to make the internet more human. Resources mentioned in the episode: Books mentioned: As a man thinketh The Secrets by Ronda Bryan Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! - Robert H. Schuller 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey Zero to Million Dollar by Suresh Kumar G | MacAppStudio at AIC Raise Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address The making of Girish Mathrubootham - Factor Daily article Movies Founders - McDonald's movie Padayappa Baashha Shoutouts: Balaji Kalyana Raman Girish Mathrubootham Vijay Shekar Sharma Rajnikanth M. G. Ramachandran