Three generations of IIT Madras Alumni highlight how the Institute shaped their Entrepreneurial Journey

IIT Madras Hosts Discussion on Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which offered inspiring insights and celebrated the unrelenting entrepreneurial spirit nurtured by the Institute ecosystem

CHENNAI : Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Students and Researchers had the rare opportunity to listen to three generations of Alumni speak on the role played by their Alma Mater in nurturing their entrepreneurial spirit.

These successful IIT Madras alumni interacted with students during the ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in IIT Madras’ event organized by the Office of Alumni and Corporate Relations (ACR), IIT Madras, in the campus on Monday (28th Oct 2024).

A panel discussion titled ‘Evolution of Entrepreneurship: Three Generations of Alumni Share How IIT Madras catalyzed Their Journey’ saw entrepreneurs, CEOs and heads of big business ventures share their experiences and insights into how the institute shaped their paths toward building successful ventures.

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, and several IITM Alumni Entrepreneurs, faculty and students took part in the event.

The panellists included:

Ø  Mr. D. Chandrasekar (1970 – B.Tech – Metallurgical and Material Engineering), Entrepreneur and President, Madras Dyslexia Association: He began as a first-generation entrepreneur with zero capital in the small-scale sector way back in 1974 and made a success of many companies in different areas of engineering: machine-building, aluminium foundry, electro-less nickel coating, light chemicals.

Ø   Mr. Venkat Vishwanathan (1992 – B.Tech – Civil Engineering), Chairperson, LatentView: LatentView is now one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing digital analytics firms. It provides a 360-degree view of the digital consumer, enabling companies to predict new revenue streams, anticipate product trends and popularity, improve customer retention rates and optimize investment decisions.

Ø  Mr. Pradeep Gulipalli, Co-founder, Tiger Analytics (2003 – B Tech – Civil Engineering): Tiger Analytics works with 100+ clients worldwide, building cutting-edge solutions using AI and Advanced analytics, enabling them to transition into a new world where human ingenuity is augmented by artificial intelligence.

Ø  Mr. Kedar Kulkarni, Co-founder & CEO, HyperVerge (2012 – B Tech – Metallurgical & Material Engineering): HyperVerge is a B2B SaaS company providing AI-based identity verification (KYC) & business verification (KYB) solutions for companies in Fintech, BFSI, Insurance, Lending, Gaming, Logistics, EdTech across 195+ countries.

Ø  Mr. Rajiv C. Lochan (1993 – BT-CE) MD & CEO, Sundaram Finance Limited: He is active in the social sector‎ in the areas of financial inclusion, public health and education. Before his current position, he was the Managing Director and CEO of Kasturi and Sons Ltd., publishers of The Hindu and Group publications.

Welcoming the Alumni to their Alma Mater, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Bharat must be a Start-up nation to achieve supremacy.  Very heartening to note that several of our alumni are successful entrepreneurs and I have no doubt that we will have many more of them in future”

Highlighting the important role Alumni can play in inspiring current students, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras has a proud legacy of its alumni who have had remarkable success as entrepreneurs and have also gone on to be guiding lights for the next generation of students. Not only have they been beacons of business success, they have also played a crucial role in inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs at the Institute. Through their success stories and staunch support to the institute, each generation of alumni has passed on the entrepreneurial torch to the next, thereby fostering a vibrant culture of innovation.”

Following the panel, a Fireside Chat with Mr. V. Shankar, Founder, CAMS, delved deep into his remarkable journey in founding and scaling CAMS into a leading player in the financial infrastructure space.

Describing IIT Madras’ role his entrepreneurial journey, Mr. V. Shankar, Founder, CAMS, said, “IIT Madras provided me with more than just technical expertise; it instilled the resilience, curiosity, and analytical mindset essential for entrepreneurship. The ecosystem of innovation, collaboration, and relentless pursuit of solutions I experienced there laid a foundation that has been invaluable on my journey as a founder.”

The event culminated with the re-launch of ‘An Eye for Detail’, a book authored by Mr. V Sriram, Historian and originally published in 2016, that chronicles Mr. V. Shankar’s entrepreneurial journey. The re-launch by Prof. V Kamakoti also introduced the book’s audio podcast and the video podcast series.