Welcome to Transform’s Founder Spotlight Series, an exciting journey into the minds of innovative leaders who are disrupting the now and next of work.
In each Q&A-style article, we’ll introduce you to founders like Arshan Ahmad, Co-Founder & CEO of Worksense AI, who are redefining the boundaries of their industries with forward-thinking ideas and transformative approaches.
About Arshan Ahmad
Arshan Ahmad is the CEO and co-founder of Worksense AI, an early-stage startup tackling employee engagement and retention through cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions.
With a rich background as a growth lead and product manager at industry giants like Workday and Autodesk and experience with multiple startups, Arshan brings a wealth of expertise in diverse industries. He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Beyond his professional pursuits, Arshan enjoys video games and martial arts and served as a prison chaplain in a maximum security federal prison.
About Worksense AI
Worksense is an AI-based people analytics tool that automates team sentiment. We integrate with employee communication and SaaS tools to give real-time data on well-being, engagement, performance, and flight risks. And we hyper-personalize the data to give AI-based actionable recommendations and cost savings on retention.
The Startup Journey
Transform: What gave you the idea of starting Worksense AI?
Arshan: My cofounder and I were on the same team at Workday building employee engagement tools on the talent team, where it became painfully apparent that there was a glaring deficiency in how engagement was being measured.
First, employers were paying a lot of money to understand employee engagement. The modus operandi for this was primarily through surveys, which, surprise-surprise, weren’t actually delivering much value. The reason is that employees lacking psychological safety gave answers as you’d expect: safe, usually positive, and uselessly neutral. Employers then, of course, never really needed to take action. Surveys, then, we concluded at the time couldn’t fully answer the employee engagement question. And if it was a problem at Workday, it probably was a problem at many other places as well.
So, we thought, what if we use AI to pull real insights from the tools people actually use, like Slack, Teams, Bamboo, and others? Deciding to answer our own hypothetical, Worksense AI was born.
Product Development
Transform: Who benefits from Worksense AI?
Arshan: Honestly, anyone who wants to report on employee engagement, retention, and morale. Usually, that means CHROs, People Ops leaders, and managers who want to get ahead of issues before they become full-blown crises. We’re talking about folks who need to make data-driven decisions fast without waiting for yet another quarterly survey that no one’s excited about filling out (or creating, for that matter). Basically, if you care about your team’s well-being, you will want Worksense in your toolkit.
Transform: Why is this so important?
Arshan: Because employee sentiment is the pulse of your company. If you’re waiting for someone to come to you with a problem, it’s already too late. We help leaders get in front of issues like burnout, disengagement, or turnover before they escalate. People don’t quit because they hate their job overnight—it’s a buildup of issues. Worksense gives leaders the insights to act proactively, not reactively. Plus, it saves them from making assumptions and helps them make decisions backed by real data.
Transform: How do you build a strong company culture while scaling the business?
Arshan: I believe culture starts with trust and ownership. From day one, we give our team the freedom to take risks and make decisions. Scaling shouldn’t dilute that sense of ownership—it should amplify it. And it’s not just about big slogans or ping-pong tables; it’s about actually living your values. We’ve built a culture where people feel valued, where their ideas matter, and they have real autonomy. Scaling doesn’t mean sacrificing that; it means doubling down on what makes us, us.
Fundraising
Transform: How do you maintain strong relationships with your Worksense AI investors and optimize their contributions?
Arshan: The key is communication and clarity. I try to be upfront with our investors, even when things aren’t going perfectly. No one likes surprises—especially when they’ve put money into your business. I also think it’s important to engage them as partners, not just check-writers. They’re in your corner because they believe in the vision. So I actively reach out for advice, intros, and insights. It’s a two-way street. If you build real relationships, they’re more likely to go the extra mile for you.
Team Building & Leadership
Transform: What are your strategies for attracting and retaining talent?
Arshan: It’s simple: have a mission people want to be part of and make sure they feel appreciated. People aren’t just looking for a paycheck anymore; they want to work on something meaningful. We make sure every person at Worksense knows how their role directly impacts the company’s success. Also, flexibility is huge (we’re fully remote). Want to work from Bali for a month? Sure, go ahead—just make sure you send us a postcard. Creating an environment where people feel supported, trusted, and inspired to do their best work is key to attracting and retaining talent.
Marketing & Branding
Transform: How does Worksense AI differentiate itself from its competitors?
Arshan: As mentioned above, we’ve gone from solely relying on outdated, static surveys that feel like a chore to fill out to pull real-time data from the tools employees are already using. Slack, email, calendars—these are goldmines of insights if you know how and can extract the right information. While competitors might focus on surface-level engagement metrics, we go deeper using AI to understand not just what people are saying but how they’re feeling. We offer actionable insights, not just dashboards full of numbers. Our focus is on proactive solutions so you can solve problems before they rear their ugly head.
Challenges & Lessons Learned
Transform: Can you share any specific lessons or mistakes you made during the startup journey and how you overcame them?
Arshan: Early on, I made the mistake of trying to do too much at once. We were developing new features, selling, fundraising, marketing—everything, all at the same time. It spread us too thin and made it hard to really focus on doing any one thing great. The lesson I learned was to prioritize ruthlessly. You can’t win on all fronts at once. Once we started narrowing down our focus to the key things that would move the needle, like perfecting our core product and closing key deals, everything got clearer. So, the big takeaway? Don’t be afraid to say “no” to the stuff that doesn’t matter right now. Focus on what’s most important, and the rest will follow.
Industry and Market Insights
Transform: What is one significant trend or prediction that you believe will drive the transformation of work?
Arshan: Although it’s the cliche of all cliches, AI still stands and will continue to be a game-changer in managing people, especially in identifying issues before they blow up. We’re embarking on a world where HR teams will yield the ability to predict burnout or turnover by simply analyzing day-to-day communication patterns. The future of work, in my opinion, will be more preventative than reactive; i.e., only realizing and solving a problem once it happens. That will be the new failure. The new success looks more like companies equipped with real data and AI-driven insights preemptively neutralizing potential flight risks. In a few years, companies that refuse to add AI to their people strategy will be at a huge disadvantage.
Company Vision
Transform: What would you like to say to People leaders considering using Worksense AI?
Arshan: You might be too late if you’re considering and not acting already! I’m kidding, but if you’re truly serious about what your workforce is feeling and fostering a thriving culture, staying ahead of issues is paramount. We no longer in the world we live in today can afford to wait until someone, especially a high-performing ‘someone,’ becomes disengaged to start figuring out a plan. We believe with Worksense, you can mitigate such problems by having real-time insights into how your people are feeling, where the friction points are, and how to solve them before ‘symptoms’ can even show up. It’s not just about retention—it’s about creating an environment where people want to stay and grow.
About You
Transform: What is your personal mantra?
Arshan: “Fail fast, learn faster.” I believe that you either win or you learn. There’s no standing still in life or business. If you’re not failing, you’re not pushing hard enough—and if you’re not learning from those failures, you’re in trouble.
Check out other inspiring Founder Spotlights on the Transform blog.