Vikas Garg is the founder and CEO of abillion, a social media platform that's scaled to 12M people in 188 countries, working together to build a community that helps 1B people go vegan.

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👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

I spend my days building a company that has a very clear mission, to inspire a billion people to go vegan.

I spend my time thinking about how we make this happen and build a business around that mission. I work with our team on designing, building and growing our core products, and I spend a lot of time talking to our users, our clients and evangelizing for our company and the movement we're building.

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🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

I learned to play five musical instruments and was terrible at all of them!

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🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Taking the leap to start abillion. It required me to remove myself from something I had devoted my career to and was really good at and go off into something completely new where I didn't know anything. It was terrifying and looking back it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I remember being on the Stanford Business School campus a year later and I saw this quote from Phil Knight that felt so right: "There comes a time in every life when the past recedes and the future opens. It's that moment when you turn to face the unknown. Some will turn back to what they already know. Some will walk straight ahead into uncertainty. I can't tell you which one is right. But I can tell you which one is more fun."

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🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

Consumers want more transparency, they want more information and more power. That's why I'm excited about platforms that empower consumers, like abillion.

I'm also excited about companies that are breaking the prescriptive mold of healthcare and enabling consumers to make better choices about their wellbeing.

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💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

Be friendly, be helpful. If you're trying to build something disruptive, most people will not get it. Save your time for investors that have built things.

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🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

My wife (hope she's reading this!)

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🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Hands down it's Duck Tales. A grumpy old duck who's also a thrill seeking capitalist... made for great TV growing up.

I haven't had a TV since the last one broke in 2008 so I'm not really up to date, although I did see the Last Dance on Netflix which was incredible!

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

In Singapore it's the Almond Brittle at Kind Kones!