When you start a business, it’s easy to obsess over your product- perfecting the tech, the features, the "how." But what happens when you realize no one cares how it works… unless you can make them believe in why it matters?

In this episode of the Speak In Flow Podcast, Melinda Lee interviews Rohin Parkar, the CEO of Spintly, who has experienced this type of pivot firsthand. As an engineer, Parkar built cutting-edge access control technology. However, he hit a wall when investors shrugged and employees misunderstood his vision.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

The Engineer’s Blind Spot

"The product was everything… until it wasn’t."

Rohin’s early belief that technology would sell itself crumbled when investors rejected his jargon-heavy pitches.

Pivoting from Technical to Transformational

"You have to tell a story, not just specs."

How mentors pushed Rohin to simplify his message and focus on the problem his tech solves.

➡ ️The mindset shift: From "Am I good enough?" to "I belong here," especially as an Asian founder in a competitive space.

Scaling Vision (and Communication) with Growth

"Money comes as a result of how you build the company. Empathy isn’t optional."

Seed round vs. Series B: Why a $50M pitch demands a "disrupt the world" narrative, and how to authentically believe it first.

Work-Life Harmony (Not Balance)

Instead of chasing the myth of "balance," the Parkars’ built harmony, lunch together between meetings, late-night work sessions after family dinners, and piano lessons scheduled alongside investor calls.

Connect with Rohin Parkar

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohin-parkar/

About the Guest:

Rohin Parkar is the Co-founder and CEO of Spintly, a smart building tech company transforming access control through wireless mesh networks and edge AI. With 20+ years in engineering and leadership, he’s built Spintly into a global innovator, backed by Accel Partners and partnered with Apple to support access badges in Apple Wallet.

Rohin is passionate about decentralized systems, edge intelligence, and building deep-tech products from India that power smarter, more responsive buildings.

Fun Facts:

• 🧠 Edge Enthusiast: Rohin’s fascination with edge computing began with weekend IoT experiments in his garage.
• 🥾 Learning on the Trail: He often turns hikes with his son into mini deep-dives on tech, science, and innovation.

Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach, and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results.

She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and has worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence.

Website: https://speakinflow.com/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow

Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.

Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!

Subscribe to the podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

Leave us an Apple Podcast review.

Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.