Spotlight on Tushar Shrimali: Simplifying complex workflows

Product Manager Tushar Shrimali’s impressive career in tech includes stops at Microsoft, Wish, and Datadog. The opportunity to modernize travel’s complex infrastructure made Spotnana an exciting next destination.

At Spotnana, Tushar supports customers and partners by building self-service tools for administrators and travel management companies (TMCs), creating product roadmaps, leading demos at conferences, and streamlining workflows from booking to budgeting and invoicing.

Tushar shared his career journey prior to Spotnana, why he chose to join, how his role has evolved, and more.

Can you share your career journey prior to Spotnana?

Product Manager Tushar Shrimali

“I began my career as an engineer at Microsoft after undergrad, excited to begin my career in Silicon Valley. Since then, my career has taken me to Seattle, San Francisco, and then to Bangalore to work at a startup that was similar in size to Spotnana.

“After pursuing an MBA in Paris, France, I moved back to San Francisco for my first product management role at Wish, an e-commerce marketplace. I eventually landed in New York to work at Datadog, a cloud monitoring and observability platform.”

Why did you choose to come work at Spotnana?

“After Datadog, I wanted to work at a leaner company. I didn’t have any travel industry experience, but I was drawn toward the deeply technical opportunity. Travel infrastructure is complex, and modernizing it felt like a meaningful challenge. There’s also a charm to being at a company where you’re building both the product and the organization itself.”

What was your interview experience like?

“I was interviewed by my manager, Alexis Rochat. It was a great experience. He asked me a fantastic question: ‘If you had a few million dollars, what would you build?’ 

“I answered that I would build a platform where you could book tickets to Mars or other planetary missions. Let’s see if I can make that a reality in the next 50 years.”

What is it like to work on your team?

“We believe customers should have full control over their own Spotnana instance. Our goal is to make complex workflows feel effortless and reduce the need for agent intervention. If we’ve done our job well, the customer never needs to reach out for help. In a way, the philosophy is to make ourselves redundant.”

How has your role evolved?

“My role has become more customer-facing over time. After gaining travel industry expertise and developing a greater understanding of our platform, I’m now able to lead calls and create my own roadmap.”

Can you share how in-person gatherings have shaped your Spotnana experience?

“I was amazed at how large and well-organized my first event was: Converge 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. People from around the world came together. It was amazing to see Spotters from Bangalore, London, South America, Manila, New York, and Palo Alto and finally put a face to their names.

“We enjoyed presentations, meetings, and sessions, which included some fascinating AI demos. The first night of Converge featured my favorite event, Spotnana’s Got Talent, where Spotters from many different teams sang, danced, and showcased various skills. I also enjoyed touring Bangkok on the second day. It was an action-packed five days, and I’m looking forward to our next Converge.”

What is your favorite thing about working at Spotnana?

“The people. I’ve met people who are incredibly kind, passionate, and empathetic. They go out of their way to help you. Colleagues ensure you’ve successfully onboarded, and industry veterans patiently and thoughtfully answer your questions about business travel. 

“I love coming to work every day to see them.”

Fun Facts!

• What’s the best trip you ever took? I ran a marathon in Antarctica, and I have pictures to prove it. My goal is to run a marathon on all seven continents. Five down, two to go.
• What’s your favorite thing to do at the airport? Drink coffee. I have multiple cups of coffee before the flight takes off.
• What’s your favorite airplane snack? The Biscoff cookies Delta offers. How could you not grab more than one?
• Aisle, middle, or window seat? Aisle. Always. I’d rather miss a flight than sit in the middle seat.
• What’s your go-to show to watch on a trip? Something new. I can’t watch repeat content.
• What’s the top destination on your bucket list? Masai Mara! I’ve been wanting to go to Africa for a long time to watch the Great Migration and spend a few days in the national parks. Hopefully this is the year I make that happen!