Meet Sujay
Thank you for having me! I’m Sujay Pawar, an entrepreneur on a mission to help businesses and individuals succeed online. My journey began in a small town called Lonand in India. I grew up in a middle-class family where I was encouraged to become an engineer, but life took a different turn when I discovered the internet in a cybercafe back in 2009.
I was fascinated by web technologies, online marketing, and how the internet could help people reach broader audiences. That fascination led me to team up with my friend Abhijeet and co-found Brainstorm Force. We started by creating websites and doing SEO work for clients. Gradually, we began building WordPress plugins and themes—ultimately launching products like the Astra theme, which is now active on millions of websites. Today, Brainstorm Force has a global team of over 100+ passionate individuals, and I’m proud to say our products are powering more than 7+ million websites around the world.
What inspired you to start Brainstorm Force?
My co-founder Abhijeet and I were simply hungry to learn and build something meaningful. We initially picked up small web projects—some were for as little as a few thousand rupees—and reinvested those earnings into hardware and hosting. Our first big break came from a client in Denver, Colorado, who referred us to multiple other clients. That’s when we realized we needed to scale, form a real team, and formalize our approach under the name Brainstorm Force.
What do you believe sets Brainstorm Force apart from other companies in the WordPress and SaaS space?
Our user-centric approach is what truly distinguishes us. We actively seek community feedback and prioritize features based on real-world needs. We also focus on lightweight, performance-driven development, ensuring our products not only work seamlessly but also enhance website speed and usability. Finally, we value innovation—we keep an eye on trends like AI, eCommerce, and automation, constantly evolving our offerings to meet changing market demands.
What products do you have for Brainstorm Force in its product suite?
At Brainstorm Force, we offer a diverse range of products designed for speed, flexibility, and ease of use:
- Astra – Lightweight, highly customizable WordPress theme.
- Starter Templates – Pre-built layouts for quick site launches.
- Spectra – Extends Gutenberg with advanced blocks and design options.
- Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Advanced modules for the Elementor page builder.
- Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder – Enhanced features for Beaver Builder users.
- ConvertPro – Lead generation and conversion optimization.
- Schema Pro – Simplified structured data implementation for better SEO.
- CartFlows – Funnel creation and optimized checkout experiences.
- ZipWP – AI-powered website builder for rapid site creation.
- SureCart – Streamlined eCommerce solution.
- SureTriggers – Automation tool connecting apps and services.
- SureForms – Easy-to-use form-building solution.
- SureMembers – Membership and content restriction plugin.
- SureMails – Reliable email deliverability for WordPress.
- SureFeedback – Simplified user feedback gathering.
- LatePoint – Intuitive appointment scheduling system.
- Presto Player – A performance-focused video player.
Each product addresses specific needs so businesses and individuals can build powerful, user-friendly websites more efficiently.
A few years later, through building countless WordPress sites for clients, we noticed a gap in the market for a lightweight, highly customizable theme that worked seamlessly with popular page builders. We created Astra to fill that gap. Thanks to our focus on performance, ease of use, and compatibility, Astra quickly gained traction. It became the first non-default WordPress theme in the repository to cross the million active installations milestone. Today, it’s our flagship product and continues to grow, with thousands of new websites launching with Astra every day.
How do your add-ons enhance the native capabilities of their respective page builders?
Each add-on is built to fill functional gaps and extend creative possibilities. For example, Spectra boosts the core Gutenberg editor with additional blocks and design controls, while our Ultimate Addons for popular page builders introduce specialized widgets and modules that simplify complex layouts. Essentially, we add layers of customization and flexibility without bogging down site performance.
What gap in the market did Brainstorm Force aim to fill for agencies and freelancers?
Agencies and freelancers often juggle multiple projects under tight deadlines, so we aimed to give them efficient, high-performing tools that minimize setup time. Products like Starter Templates drastically cut down project turnaround, while Astra provides a universal theme framework adaptable to virtually any client need. Now, with ZipWP, we’re pushing that efficiency even further—simply provide a prompt, and our AI-powered system can generate a complete, ready-to-customize website in seconds. This combination saves professionals hours of development time and ensures a consistent, high-quality result for every project.
How do you maintain quality and performance while scaling your products to support millions of websites?
We have a dedicated QA process that includes rigorous testing—both automated and manual at every stage of development. Performance is a key factor we constantly monitor, so we employ code optimization, frequent updates, and top-tier support to address issues quickly. Additionally, we gather feedback from a large community of users and partners, which helps us identify and fix potential bottlenecks before they become major problems.
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs entering the SaaS space, especially those focused on WordPress tools?
- Start with solving a real problem: Identify a gap or pain point and build a solution that addresses it directly.
- Prioritize performance and user experience: In the WordPress ecosystem, speed and usability can make or break a product.
- Stay close to your community: Actively seek feedback, provide excellent support, and adapt your offerings in response to user needs.
- Keep learning and innovating: Trends like AI and automation are constantly changing the landscape. Don’t be afraid to evolve.
Did you enjoy our interview? Do you have anything to say to our community?
Absolutely! I enjoyed every moment of it! Thank you for this opportunity to share our story. To everyone reading, I encourage you to stay curious, embrace new technologies, and most importantly, listen to your users. The WordPress and SaaS spaces offer incredible opportunities for growth, and I’m excited to see how our community shapes the future. If you ever have questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out—I’d love to connect!
