At a Glance
Role: Head of Growth, The Max App
Founder: COzero
Current Focus: Growth Marketing, AI Engineering, Product Research
Location: Fremont, California, USA
Marketing Belief: “I think cold emailing will never be dead.”
Buzzword to Retire: “B2B saas has to go.”
Favorite Marketing Challenge: “Omnichannel attribution and message alignment.”
Couldn’t Work Without: “Combining AI tools with structured workflows.”
Marketing Prediction: “Highly personalized, AI-driven marketing experiences.”
"AI has become a brainstorming partner rather than a decision-maker."
Savar Shandilya is building his career across growth marketing, AI engineering, entrepreneurship, and software development at a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how businesses operate. Working on projects ranging from startup growth and AI-powered healthcare to climate technology and product development, he represents a generation of marketers that has never known a professional world without AI.
Today, as Head of Growth at The Max App and founder of COzero, Savar combines technical knowledge with a practical marketing mindset. His experience spans growth marketing, AI engineering, product research, software development, and business development, giving him a unique perspective on how AI can improve both execution and strategic thinking.
Rather than treating AI as a replacement for people, Savar Shandilya believes its greatest value lies in eliminating repetitive work so marketers can focus on creativity, strategy, and building stronger relationships. In this interview, he shares how his team uses AI to accelerate research, streamline outreach, improve workflows, and support better decision-making while keeping humans firmly in control.
Q&A
Which AI tools are most valuable to your team today?
To me and my team, vibecoding tools, such as Cursor and Codex, automation tools, such as Openclaw, are the most valuable because they save us time while working. We like to do the thinking ourselves but, when it comes to writing emails and codes, it’s easier to automate it.
Where has AI delivered the clearest productivity gain so far?
AI has had the biggest impact on content creation and research. Tasks like drafting outreach emails, summarizing market research, generating campaign ideas, and creating first drafts that once took hours can now be completed in minutes, allowing our team to focus more on strategy and execution.
Can you share one example where AI improved a workflow, campaign, or client outcome?
One example was using AI to streamline our business development process. We automated prospect research, personalized cold email drafts, and outreach planning, which significantly reduced preparation time while allowing us to contact more qualified prospects with highly tailored messaging.
How has AI changed the way your team approaches creative or strategic decision-making?
AI has become a brainstorming partner rather than a decision-maker. We use it to rapidly explore different campaign concepts, messaging angles, and market insights, but every major strategic decision is still reviewed and refined by our team to ensure it aligns with client goals and brand identity.
How are clients responding to AI being used in your agency’s workflows and delivery process?
Most clients appreciate the increased speed and efficiency as long as quality remains high. They’re generally less interested in whether AI was used and more focused on receiving thoughtful, personalized work delivered faster and with consistent results.
What has been the biggest challenge when integrating AI into your agency’s work?
The biggest challenge has been maintaining quality control. AI can generate strong first drafts, but every output still requires human review to ensure accuracy, originality, and alignment with the client’s voice and objectives.
What guardrails or best practices are most important for responsible AI use in your team?
We treat AI as an assistant, not a replacement for human expertise. Every AI-generated deliverable is reviewed by a team member, sensitive client information is never entered into public AI tools without approval, and all factual claims are verified before reaching clients.
Where do you see the biggest opportunity for AI in marketing agencies over the next 12 months?
The biggest opportunity is combining AI-powered automation with human creativity. Agencies that use AI to automate repetitive work while allowing their teams to spend more time on strategy, relationship building, and creative problem-solving will be able to deliver better results at a much faster pace.
Final Thoughts
Although Savar Shandilya works across AI engineering, software development, and growth marketing, his perspective on AI remains remarkably practical. Throughout the interview, one message stands out: the most valuable use of AI isn’t replacing human expertise – it’s creating more time for people to think, solve problems, and build meaningful relationships.
Whether he’s improving outreach, automating research, or experimenting with new growth strategies, Savar’s approach combines AI-powered efficiency with human creativity, structured workflows, and thoughtful decision-making. Rather than pursuing automation for its own sake, he focuses on using AI where it delivers the greatest value while ensuring that every important decision remains human-led.
As AI continues reshaping marketing, Savar Shandilya’s perspective reflects a generation of marketers that sees artificial intelligence not as the destination, but as a tool for building smarter systems, stronger ideas, and better customer experiences.
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