Winning Google’s Gen AI Hackathon: A huge milestone for Kale

It still feels surreal. Just a few days ago, I stood at the Google Gen AI Hackathon Demo Day, holding onto that win — validation for everything we’ve been building with Kale. But let me tell you, the journey to get there was nothing short of wild.

As a nervous flier, I can’t say the trip from Chennai to Gurugram was something I was looking forward to. Throw in a cyclone, bomb threats, and back-to-back intense hackathon sessions, and you’ve got a week that pushed me out of every comfort zone I knew. Yet, all of it led to the most rewarding outcome I could have asked for — Kale getting the recognition it deserves, and a new wave of inspiration for what we’re building.

Why this problem statement?

When it comes to customer retention, there’s one simple truth: it’s all about engagement. And in 2024, as user expectations keep skyrocketing, “engagement” means something very different than it did a few years ago. Customers expect timely, contextual, and hyper-personalized interactions from the products they use. At Kale, we set out to solve exactly this, knowing that traditional, one-size-fits-all retention strategies just don’t cut it in today’s B2B SaaS space.

Kale was initially built as a horizontal retention solution, tailored for B2B SaaS companies facing churn. We focused on scaling engagement through our AI-powered CSM and high-touch in-app experiences, giving every customer — from low-touch, long-tail users to high-value accounts — the attention they deserve, all from within the product itself. But when I read Policy Bazaar’s problem statement for the Google Gen AI Hackathon, I had one of those “aha” moments. It was so clear that the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) space needs a serious engagement facelift.

Why Policy Bazaar’s Challenge Was a Perfect Fit

The BFSI sector, particularly in India, deals with a unique set of engagement and retention challenges. It’s a high-stakes, high-touch industry where customers often have complex needs and expect clear guidance at every step — whether they’re purchasing a policy, managing their finances, or navigating claims. Yet, too many companies are still relying on outdated, reactive engagement methods. The opportunity to bring Kale’s retention technology to BFSI was a chance to demonstrate that even highly regulated industries could benefit from the kind of smart, in-product engagement we’ve built at Kale.

So we took our core product — an AI CSM that offers automated, in-app onboarding, proactive support, and personalized retention flows — and reshaped it to meet the specific needs of BFSI users. The goal was to give every customer the experience they’d expect in a high-end advisory office, but right within the app.

And it was a success! The response from Policy Bazaar and other fintech teams was encouraging, and we’re now seeing inbound interest from several companies in the BFSI space who are ready to take their user engagement to the next level.

In BFSI, where relationships are key, this kind of personalization is a game-changer. Customers want to feel valued, and Kale ensures that businesses can offer that without needing a massive customer success team. With AI doing the heavy lifting, companies can focus on what matters — building trust and retaining customers.

The Hackathon: A Rollercoaster of Ideas and Validation

The hackathon itself was incredible. Walking into Google’s office felt like stepping into a hub of innovation. The energy was contagious — teams working on healthcare solutions, AI for climate change, and education. We were all there for one reason: to push the boundaries of what AI can do.

Meeting other founders, developers, and AI enthusiasts reminded me just how vast the potential of AI is. The level of creativity and collaboration was insane. But as chaotic as it was (imagine sleepless nights and intense coding sessions), there was this collective feeling that we were all onto something big.

When it came time to announce the winners for our track, I had butterflies in my stomach. The stakes were high. We’ve poured everything into making Kale a platform that helps businesses retain customers by engaging them meaningfully.

And then came the best part? Winning the hackathon. That moment was pure validation, not just for the work we’ve done but for the vision we have.

Validation and Inspiration from India’s AI Community

Winning the Gen AI Hackathon felt like huge validation for Kale. We’ve spent countless hours refining our product, working to make customer retention as effortless and impactful as possible. Seeing our vision resonate with other teams and leaders in the AI space was incredible. This experience confirmed that we’re on the right path and that Kale has the potential to make a meaningful impact in sectors beyond B2B SaaS.

This Win is Huge for Kale: But We’re Just Getting Started

Winning the Google Gen AI Hackathon was a massive milestone for us. It confirmed that we’re on the right track with Kale. But this is just the beginning. There’s so much more we want to do, and we’re ready to keep pushing the envelope.

Winning the Google Gen AI Hackathon is more than just a trophy for the shelf — it’s a powerful validation of everything we’ve been building at Kale.

Retention is tricky. It’s 2024 cookie-cutter, generic product experiences just don’t cut it anymore. If users don’t adopt your product, they will churn.

To keep customers around, you need contextual engagement right inside your biggest retention channel — your product. But delivering that level of engagement can be tough, slow (think engineering bottlenecks) and expensive.

That’s why we built Kale. One retention stack for your entire customer base.

For your long-tail customers (the ones who usually don’t get a dedicated CS rep), our AI CSM is available around the clock inside your product, offering smart onboarding and proactive support, guiding users every step of the way — from adoption to advocacy. It’s like giving every customer their own success manager without adding headcount.

And for those high-value accounts where every interaction matters, our high-touch platform empowers CS teams to go deep with in-app, personalized video engagements that meet each customer exactly where they are in their journey.

And the best part? No engineering bottlenecks. Deploy once, set it up, and let Kale do the rest.

Retention shouldn’t be complex. It should be about keeping customers happy, engaged and cutting churn.

If your business is struggling with customer retention or engagement, don’t wait until it’s too late. Kale can help you set up an AI-powered customer success engine that keeps your customers engaged and satisfied, so you don’t lose them.

Reach out to us today to set up an account, and let’s revolutionize the way you think about customer success together!