Is there anything you feel you did differently from others that made a big difference in your favor in early days of hashnode? And how did you guys thought of starting hashnode?

Yes, our unique value proposition is that we help developers start a personal blog on their own domain for free. This helped us drive initial word of mouth and growth. More info here: hashnode.com/post/i-am-helping-thousands-of..

How did you go on to build a team for hashnode since in early stage, lot of company's future depends upon the team working. What specific thing you look for in a candidate?

I believe real developers write code to solve business problems. So, I always look for problem solvers. I don't care so much about your degree. If a person can solve problems through code, I would like to talk to them.