Three years after acquisition, BetterPlace names Saurav Chawla Co-Founder

BetterPlace, one of Asia's largest frontline workforce management platforms, has elevated Saurav Chawla, CEO of OkayGo and a long-time leader within the organisation, to the position of Co-Founder, three years after BetterPlace acquired his task fulfilment technology platform.

The appointment marks a significant leadership development for the workforce technology company as it looks to expand its presence across workforce management, gig economy services and AI-enabled operational solutions.

BetterPlace announced the elevation of Saurav Chawla and Kushal Budhia, the company's Group CFO, as Co-Founders, citing their contributions to the organisation's growth, strategy and operational scale.

From acquisition to co-founder

The move comes three years after BetterPlace acquired OkayGo, a task fulfilment technology platform founded by Chawla.

In a LinkedIn post announcing his appointment, Chawla reflected on his journey following the acquisition.

"Becoming a co-founder of a Series D company that leads the frontline workforce ecosystem in Asia is both an honour and a responsibility."

He described the recognition as one shared with the broader OkayGo team, his co-founder Tomonaga Tejima, and BetterPlace's leadership.

According to Chawla, his expectations following the acquisition were initially limited to helping integrate the business.

"When OkayGo was acquired by BetterPlace three years ago, I assumed I would help with the integration and then move on to start something new."

Instead, he remained deeply involved in building the business within the BetterPlace ecosystem.

Scaling the business after integration

Chawla highlighted the growth achieved since the acquisition, stating that the business expanded significantly under BetterPlace's ownership.

Key milestones cited by Chawla include:

• Scaling OkayGo tenfold before the acquisition

• Delivering a 10x return to investors

• Achieving profitability after integration

• Creating opportunities for millions of gig workers

• Expanding the business substantially within the BetterPlace platform

Reflecting on the experience, Chawla said:

"Over the last three years, we scaled OkayGo 10x, achieved profitability, and created opportunities for millions of gig workers."

He added that the post-acquisition experience reshaped his perspective on entrepreneurship.

"Along the way, I realised that I never stopped being a founder after the acquisition. While I have always loved the 0-to-10 journey, I discovered that I enjoy the 10-to-100 journey just as much."

A larger role in BetterPlace's future

According to his professional profile, Chawla currently leads BetterPlace's India gig business and oversees AI initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency across the organisation.

He is also involved in the company's Physical AI initiatives, supporting robotics and AI companies through data operations and human-in-the-loop workflows.

BetterPlace said the elevation reflects the leadership, vision and operational contributions both Chawla and Budhia have made to the organisation's growth.

In its announcement, the company noted that the two executives would play a pivotal role in driving BetterPlace's next phase of expansion.

Building scale in frontline workforce management

Founded in 2015, BetterPlace provides software and workforce management solutions focused on frontline and gig workers.

According to company information, the platform serves more than 1,500 businesses across the APAC and GCC regions and supports workforce functions including:

• Hiring and onboarding

• Background verification

• Attendance and payroll

• Compliance management

• Upskilling and workforce development

• Gig workforce fulfilment

The company says its platform has impacted more than 30 million lives through workforce management and employment solutions.

Focus shifts to the next growth chapter

The appointment comes at a time when workforce technology companies are increasingly investing in AI, automation and workforce intelligence to improve productivity and support large-scale employment ecosystems.

For BetterPlace, elevating a founder whose company became part of its platform signals a continued emphasis on entrepreneurial leadership as it scales its frontline workforce and human capital technology business.

While reflecting on the milestone, Chawla suggested the journey is far from complete.

"While I am proud of what we have achieved so far, it still feels like Day 0. There are many challenges ahead to solve for the frontline workforce, and I am excited to help take BetterPlace to even greater heights."

As workforce platforms compete to build deeper technology capabilities and expand services for employers and workers alike, leadership continuity and integration success stories such as Chawla's are becoming an increasingly important part of the industry's growth narrative.