Building in Public: How Zeni Uses Their $1B Monthly Transaction Volume to Drive Customer Trust

Trust is everything when you’re handling a company’s finances. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Zeni co-founder Swapnil Shinde revealed how they’ve turned their rapid growth into a powerful trust signal for potential customers, managing “more than $1 billion in finances every single month” across their platform.

Starting with Serial Founder Credibility

Before Zeni, the founding team had already built and sold multiple successful companies. As Swapnil explains, “We started our first company, Dingana, which was like Spotify for indian music… grew it to almost 10 million unique listeners listening to it from 100 countries around the world.” This was followed by Mezzi, “an AI powered travel assistant for business travelers” which was acquired by American Express.

Building Trust Through Shared Experience

Rather than just touting their success, Zeni leverages their founders’ experiences to demonstrate deep understanding of customer pain points. Swapnil shares a pivotal moment from their previous startup: “I literally remember a scenario where at Mezzi, I asked my finance team that, hey, why did our burn rate increase by 30%?”

This firsthand experience with the problems they’re solving creates immediate credibility with potential customers who have faced similar challenges.

Scale as Social Proof

Today, Zeni’s growth numbers speak volumes:

• “Close to 400 startups now”
• “Managing more than $1 billion in finances every single month”
• “Close to 260 employees, five offices, two in US, three india”

But more impressive than the raw numbers is their conversion rate: “70% of our customers are actually moving to us from using finance firms.” This statistic serves as powerful social proof that companies are willing to switch from established providers.

Pricing Transparency

Unlike traditional firms that “start at $2000 to $3000 a month,” Zeni is transparent about their pricing model. This openness, combined with their scale, helps establish trust before the first conversation.

Technology as a Trust Multiplier

Zeni doesn’t just rely on numbers – they leverage technology to build trust through transparency. “If you go to our dashboard, you will feel as if a finance expert is speaking to you about all the insights, like why did your burn increase? Why did your opex increase? Which vendor are you spending most money on, how did you spend on that vendor in the last twelve months?”

The Human Element

While showcasing their technology, Zeni also emphasizes their human expertise: “AI cannot power 100% of it. So we have a dedicated team of finance experts who collaborate with AI to stitch an experience that is ten x faster than what you might have today.”

Focus on Customer Outcomes

Rather than getting caught up in competitor comparisons, Zeni maintains focus on customer success. As Swapnil notes, “I think as founders we shouldn’t be focused on what a competitor is doing. We should be focused on the competitors customers. How do you delight them?”

For B2B founders looking to build trust in their market, Zeni’s approach offers several key lessons:

• Use founder experience to demonstrate deep problem understanding
• Share specific growth metrics that matter to customers
• Be transparent about pricing and differentiation
• Balance technology capabilities with human expertise
• Focus on customer outcomes rather than competitor positioning

The key is not just to share numbers, but to use them to tell a compelling story about your ability to solve customer problems. As Zeni demonstrates, when you have strong traction, building in public can be one of your most powerful marketing tools.