ExitStack Unfiltered: The Operator's Playbook w/ Ishmam Chowdhury, COO, Shikho

​Join our upcoming ExitStack Unfiltered session with Ishmam Chowdhury, Chief Operating Officer at Shikho, for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to operate and scale a startup from the inside.

​This session marks the first ExitStack Unfiltered conversation focused entirely on the operator’s seat. Rather than fundraising, pitching, or go-to-market, we’ll unpack the less visible work behind scaling a company: building systems, managing teams, making decisions, and turning operational challenges into business outcomes.

​We’ll trace Ishmam’s journey from his six years at Grameenphone to his role as COO at Shikho, exploring what operating at scale in a large organization taught him — and how those lessons translate when you’re building and scaling a startup.

​At the center of the conversation will be Shikho’s operating story: scaling across functions, building a more effective customer experience function, and turning CX from a cost center into a revenue driver. We’ll also explore where AI fits into the modern operator’s toolkit, including how Ishmam has used AI to automate work that previously required 150+ hours a month.

​For founders and operators, this is a practical look at what scaling really looks like once the pitch deck is behind you.

​Looking forward to seeing you there!

​Best,
ExitStack Team