WorkNetwork: How Vivan Puri is Building an AI Matchmaking Engine for Professional Growth

January 9, 2026 11 min read

In a digital landscape dominated by LinkedIn endorsements and endless "following" lists, the art of the authentic professional conversation has often been lost. Vivan Puri, Co-founder and CEO of WorkNetwork, is bringing matchmaking science to the boardroom. By building an AI-powered engine that instantly connects relevant professionals for learning, growth, and business, Vivan is ensuring that the "hidden knowledge" of the industry is finally unlocked through the power of authentic relationships.

Vivan Puri’s journey into professional networking is a story of a "diversity-seeker" who prioritized experience over traditional paths. A graduate of New York University (NYU) who walked away from a Law degree at USC, Vivan spent his early career working across NGOs, marketing events for TED, and high-level business advisory. In 2019, alongside co-founder and CTO Vignesh Prasad, he launched WorkNetwork. Backed by angel investor and mentor Jitesh Shah, WorkNetwork has facilitated thousands of meetings, proving that the most valuable part of a career isn't what you know, but who you converse with.

The 'Intern' CEO Mindset

Despite being the CEO, Vivan refers to himself as the "Intern of the Company." He believes that a founder's job is to assemble a team where every single person is more skilled in their respective field (Tech, Marketing, Ops) than the founder themselves. This humility allows the company to build products based on expert execution rather than founder ego.

The Problem: The "Static Profile" Trap

Most professional platforms like LinkedIn focus on "static data"—years of experience, job titles, and college degrees. However, a person's LinkedIn profile rarely reflects who they are today: their current interests, the content they are consuming, or their specific "burning" business objectives. This leads to high-friction networking where reaching out to a relevant person feels like a "cold pitch" rather than a meaningful connection. 30% of professional learning happens through informal conversations, yet those conversations are the hardest to schedule.

"I saw that we had thousands of 'connections' but zero 'relationships'," Vivan explains. "People want to learn about AI or find a co-founder, but they don't want to spend 10 hours searching through profiles. We wanted to build a platform where you click one button, and you are instantly in a room with the exact person who can help you reach your 5-year vision."

The Solution: The AI Matchmaking Engine

WorkNetwork acts as a digital matchmaker for the professional world. Their platform uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to go beyond job titles, analyzing the content users share and the feedback they provide after meetings to build a "behavioral map" of each user. This ensures that every meeting is not just relevant on paper, but delightful in practice.

The Back-end Matchmaking Flow

Objective Definition: Users tell the platform their weekly goal—learning a new skill, growing a business, or seeking mentorship.
Cohort Analysis: The algorithm first maps the user to a "Cohort" of similar profiles based on basic parameters like industry and experience.
Behavioral Refinement: Using NLP, the system looks at the user's shared content and interaction style (listener vs. talker).
Feedback Loop: After every one-on-one or group session, users share feedback which the AI uses to refine the "Similarity Match" for the next week.
Frictionless Execution: Introductions, calendars, and meeting links are handled automatically with one click.

"Don't build a product because you want to be a 'Founder.' Build it because you felt a pain point that nobody else was catering to. If you are solving your own problem, you'll have the grit to survive the first 50 mistakes." — Vivan Puri

The Power of the Pivot: From Freelance to Connection

WorkNetwork’s greatest breakthrough came from a failure. Initially, Vivan and Vignesh spent six months building a freelance marketplace. However, they soon realized that while there was a need, there was zero "differentiation" in an over-saturated market. After onboarding 4,000 users, they noticed a massive, unexpected demand for "introductions" rather than "gigs." By following their own data, they pivoted into a networking engine—a move that saw their user base grow 50% month-over-month organically.

"We were building a perfect product without talking to customers," Vivan admits. "Once we started listening, the users told us they didn't want jobs; they wanted conversations. That pivot transformed our retention rate to 70% for users who complete at least two meetings."

WorkNetwork Growth & Strategy

70% Retention Rate: For users who complete two or more meetings on the platform.
50% Organic Growth: Month-over-month expansion fueled strictly by user referrals.
Thousand of Meetings: Facilitating high-value conversations across India and the APAC region.
APAC Expansion: Aiming to serve 360 million users across Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan.

Lessons in Leadership: The '5-Year Vision' Interview

Vivan’s hiring philosophy is built on two simple questions: "Do you believe in our mission?" and "Where do you want to be in 5 years?" He believes that if a company cannot help an employee achieve their personal 5-year goal, the relationship is a disservice to both. By aligning personal growth with the company's scaling milestones, WorkNetwork has managed to attract top-tier talent from global giants like **Microsoft** and **Flipkart**.

"You have to build a team that forces you to up-skill," he reflects. "Don't be influenced by what other funded startups are doing. Listen to your own data, ground your vision in your users' needs, and hire people who are obsessed with the problem, not the prestige."

Founder's Lesson: The ROI of Education

Vivan is candid about his NYU degree. "I paid for a high-priced education with limited ROI, but the real value was the diversity of people I met. That taught me that the biggest ROI in life comes from the conversations you have, not the textbooks you read."

The Future: A Borderless APAC Network

Vivan’s vision for WorkNetwork is to become the primary "Connection Layer" for the APAC region. He sees a future where a professional in India can seamlessly match with an investor in Singapore or a student in Japan, creating a truly global exchange of knowledge. For Vivan, the ultimate victory isn't an exit, but the day he can click a button on his own app and instantly have a life-changing conversation with a stranger.

WorkNetwork is proving that the future of networking isn't in "Followers," but in "Conversations." By using AI to bridge the human gap, Vivan Puri and his team are ensuring that for the next generation of professionals, the right relationship is always just one click away.

About the Guest

Vivan Puri is the Co-founder and CEO of WorkNetwork. An alumnus of NYU and a former candidate at USC, Vivan has a diverse background spanning business advisory, marketing, and the NGO sector. Under his leadership, WorkNetwork has emerged as a pioneer in AI-driven professional networking, securing marquee angel investments and scaling across the APAC region. He is a passionate advocate for authentic connection and a recognized leader in the Indian consumer-tech landscape.

WorkNetwork is an AI-powered professional networking platform that enables users to have instant, seamless conversations with relevant people. By utilizing NLP and behavioral data, the platform creates high-value matches for learning, sharing, and business growth, helping millions of professionals build authentic relationships in a digital-first world.