Connecting the Dots

What is CallHQ?

CallHQ is a Voice AI platform that lets businesses build AI agents to make and receive phone calls, automate conversations, and streamline customer interactions.

I first came across CallHQ long before I ever thought about working there.

TL;DR

The First Time I Heard About CallHQ

Back in 2025, I attended DevFest New Delhi. Like every tech enthusiast at such events, I spent most of my time exploring booths, talking to founders, checking out demos, and discovering products being built by Indian startups.

One of the startups that caught my attention was CallHQ.AI.

Their idea was interesting. I spent some time understanding the product, exploring what they were building, and learning about the problem they were solving. After the event, I moved on to other projects and technologies, but the startup remained somewhere in the back of my mind.

At that point, I had no idea that a few months later I would end up working with them.

Another Event, Another Day

Fast forward to February 2026.

I attended the India AI Impact Summit 2026, where I got the opportunity to explore a wide variety of startups, AI products, and emerging technologies. Walking around the summit, speaking with founders, and seeing what teams were building was incredibly inspiring.

Interestingly, during the event, I came across a product solving a problem very similar to what CallHQ was working on.

That instantly reminded me of the startup I had seen months earlier at DevFest.

On my way back, a simple thought crossed my mind:

"What if I just ask them if they're hiring?"

It sounds obvious now, but many opportunities are missed simply because people never ask.

Sending That Message

After the summit, I reached out to the CallHQ team.

Instead of sending a generic "Are you hiring?" message, I shared my work, projects, and the things I had been building. I wanted them to see what I could actually do rather than just read a resume.

A few days later, I learned that my profile had been internally shortlisted by their team.

Soon after, an interview was scheduled.

The Interview

In early March 2026, I had my interview with Akash Malhotra, the co-founder behind the product.

Like most interviews, I went in expecting technical questions, discussions about projects, and conversations around my experience.

A significant part of the discussion revolved around one of my projects called Vibe.

What made the conversation particularly interesting was that the architecture and ideas behind Vibe had surprising similarities to some of the systems they were building themselves.

Rather than feeling like a traditional question-answer session, the interview felt like a discussion between people who genuinely enjoyed building products.

We talked about:

• Projects I had built
• Technical decisions I had made
• How I approached problem solving
• Technologies I was comfortable working with
• What kind of work I would be expected to do at CallHQ

By the end of the conversation, I felt confident that I had communicated my thought process clearly.

The Offer

Two days later, I received the news.

I had received my first internship offer.

Without hesitation, I accepted it.

On 9 March 2026, I officially started my journey as a Web Developer Intern at CallHQ.

Connecting the Dots

Getting my first internship taught me something valuable:

Opportunities don't always come from job portals or mass applications.

Sometimes they come from attending an event, discovering a startup, building projects in your free time, sending one message, and being willing to take a chance.

Looking back, what seemed like unrelated events—attending DevFest, exploring startups, building side projects, and visiting the India AI Impact Summit, ended up connecting together in a way I never expected.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."