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Indian-origin founder shares ‘cold email’ he sent to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff 21 years ago: 'It changed my life'
Mehul Nariyawala, co-founder and President of Matic Robots, shared a screenshot of the email exchange, recalling the moment that, he said, “changed my life."
An Indian-origin entrepreneur based in the United States has caught the internet’s attention after revealing how a “cold email” he sent to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff more than two decades ago helped shape his career.
Mehul Nariyawala, co-founder and President of Matic Robots, shared a screenshot of the email exchange on X, recalling the moment that, he said, “changed my life.” The email, sent 21 years ago with the subject line “A request for a dream job,” received a response from Benioff within an hour.
“I rarely share this, but 21 years ago I cold emailed @Benioff for a job at @salesforce…he responded in an hour. it changed my life, so this is a full circle moment. very grateful Marc loves @maticrobots,” Nariyawala wrote while sharing the screenshots of the exchange.
In the email sent in 2005, a young Nariyawala expressed deep admiration for the company and its founder. “I have read almost every single article about salesforce.com and you. I admire the hell out of you, and I absolutely love how salesforce.com is reinventing software industry. I’d absolutely love to work for you at salesforce.com,” he wrote.
He went on to outline his credentials, describing himself as a second-year MBA student at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business who was “creative, exuberant and entrepreneurial.”
“My exuberance helps me lead and get my team excited. At salesforce.com, I will achieve exceptional results and make you proud. I appreciate your time, help, and especially your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you,” the email read.
Benioff’s reply was brief but significant. “Thank you for your note. Erin Flynn will take a look at this for us,” he wrote, referring the application to the company’s hiring leadership at the time.
Notably, Nariyawala revisited the exchange after Benioff congratulated him on securing $60 million in funding for Matic Robots, a company that builds AI-powered home robots.
“Announcing $60M for @maticrobots. We didn’t ask ‘What’s the most impressive robot we can demo?’ We asked ‘What’s the most useful robot we can ship? What comes after Roomba?’ Customers answered with their wallets: It’s Matic,” Nariyawala posted.
Responding to the announcement, Benioff wrote, “Congrats @mehul. I love my matic. Need a bigger water dish so it can run autonomously for at least a week at a time.”
How did social media react?
The interaction has resonated widely online. Reacting to the email, one user wrote, “I absolutely live or stuff like this. Thanks for sharing.”
“Salesforce changed my life, too. Ten years ago I started a new career thanks to Trailhead,” shared another.
“Loved it, the power of cold mailing is so underrated. Almost all the big breaks in my life have come through cold mails!” commented a third user.
