In this leadership series hosted by Helen Dwight from BizFluency, we explore the mindsets, skills, and stories that shape impactful and future-ready leaders. Their fresh insights, real-world experiences, and practical strategies will surely inspire you on your own journey of personal and professional growth.
This session features Irosha de Silva, CEO of Marketrix.ai. His vision is to revolutionize customer support by developing software that supports itself, resulting in instant onboarding, effortless training, and zero support tickets.
Helen: Irosha, thank you so much for joining me. We’re having a series of conversations with inspiring leaders, and today we want to hear your story—what inspired you, what drives you, and how you’ve built a business model that works. In a nutshell, what brought you to where you are today?
Irosha: Thanks, Helen. It’s a pleasure to speak with you. My journey really started with a love for technology at a young age. Like many kids, I began with computer games, but that shifted when my uncle introduced me to Visual Basic. I was about 10 years old when I built my first small tools and applications—calculators and programs for my school. That’s when I discovered the joy of building things.
Helen: You started coding at age 10? That’s impressive. When did it become more serious for you?
Irosha: Things became real when I moved from Visual Basic to Java, just before Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems. I took the Sun certifications and became the world’s youngest Sun Certified Web Component Developer at the time. That was my turning point—realizing I could build more than just small tools.
Helen: And that’s when you started developing platforms in Sri Lanka?
Irosha: Exactly. One of my first projects was City Life, a social networking platform with music-sharing features. It took off among friends but didn’t go mainstream. Later, I built Fitness Lanka, connecting gyms, trainers, and fitness enthusiasts on one platform. It gained traction in Sri Lanka, but I didn’t know how to properly monetize it back then. That was a big learning curve for me.
Helen: Learning the business side, not just the coding muscle. What was the biggest challenge at that stage?
Irosha: The toughest part was realizing that building a great product doesn’t guarantee users or investors. I thought, “If I build it, people will come.” But I quickly learned that you need a strong go-to-market strategy. That realization is part of what pushed me toward Silicon Valley. In Sri Lanka, adoption of new technology can be difficult because certain pieces of the ecosystem are not available.
Helen: So, you kept experimenting with applications?
Irosha: Yes, I built several—like Good Sale, an e-commerce platform with a middleman model where salespeople could earn commissions. Again, the technology worked, but traction was limited. Eventually, I realized I needed to understand not just building products, but also how to sell them.
Helen: How did you bridge that gap between building products and knowing how to sell them? Weren’t you pursuing a degree at this stage?
Irosha: Yes. While pursuing my degree, I worked in sales at a software company selling property management solutions. I was one of the top performers even though I was effectively part-time. That experience gave me exposure to the entire product lifecycle—building products and bringing them to market. Around the same time, I started my first real venture, CreativeHub Global, a software development consultancy agency. I literally began in my garage with one engineer.
Helen: And you scaled from there? What is your secret?
Irosha: Yes, we grew to 30–40 people and worked with clients in the US, Australia, Singapore, and the UK. We built websites, ERP applications, and e-commerce solutions. The business was profitable, and I reinvested heavily into experimenting with new products, like Vhesta, a mentor–mentee app focused on helping people discover their true purpose in life.
Helen: That must have been a challenging time yet equally rewarding, considering your personal passion.
Irosha: Absolutely. For me, technology is not just about code—it’s about solving real problems, creating value, and helping people. That’s the philosophy I’ve carried into my current role at Marketrix.ai
Helen: What was it about San Francisco that made you take the leap from visiting to actually moving here?
Irosha: From the moment I arrived, I fell in love with the city. The creative energy here is unmatched. People truly embody the idea that it’s easier to do hard things than easy ones. That mindset—and the support system for innovators—just doesn’t exist the same way anywhere else in the world.
Helen: That drive clearly fuels your journey in life. You were already succeeding back in college, even outperforming full-time sales reps. What led you into founding Marketrix.ai?
Irosha: Initially, I was running a consultancy—helping founders build MVPs and products. But I realized, as Sam Altman says, you can’t make something successful unless you go all in. I had to shift from a service mindset to a true product mindset. That transition wasn’t easy, especially coming from Sri Lanka where tech is largely service-oriented.
Helen: Tell us about the first version of Marketrix.
Irosha: Our early version was a widget that let sales teams instantly co-browse and video conference with customers. We imagined it becoming a “Fiverr for Sales.” But then AI went mainstream, and the game changed. Investors started asking, “Are you AI-first?” That made us rethink our approach.
Helen: What was the turning point that pushed you to found the company?
Irosha: Honestly, it was frustration with customer support. I remember trying to connect my Bank of America account to QuickBooks—it took hours of failed chats, videos, and clunky screen shares, only to get a partial resolution. That’s when it hit me: AI chatbots only know documentation, not the actual product. That’s a fundamental gap.
Helen: So how does Marketrix solve that gap?
Irosha: We’re building a patent-pending AI system that doesn’t just read documentation—it continuously simulates and understands the product itself. Think of it as mimicking your “super users,” exploring the product as they would. This allows us to predict new problems before they arise and provide proactive, not reactive, support.
Helen: That’s powerful. What does onboarding look like for a company that wants to try Marketrix?
Irosha: It’s simple. We take a demo login of your app, cross-check it with your documentation and walkthroughs, and run agent simulations. You can even test it through our Chrome extension before integrating. If you like it, just add a few lines of code, and you’re up and running.
Helen: What is your vision for Marketrix.ai?
Irosha: My vision is for software to support itself—eliminating the need for endless tiers of support staff. AI that not only solves problems but predicts them. That’s the future Marketrix is driving toward.
Helen: Thank you so much for your insights. It has been a pleasure. Any final thoughts?
Irosha: For me, it’s about passion and purpose. From coding at a young age to moving halfway across the world, I’ve always believed in pushing boundaries. Now it’s about helping others by making technology more human, more intuitive, and more supportive.