Software People Stories

In this episode of Software People Stories , Gayatri Kalyanaraman speaks with Anu Dwaraknath , Staff Technical Program Manager at Lam Research , about her dynamic journey across geographies, domains, and roles. From her early days in telecom to becoming a driving force in the semiconductor space, Anu shares stories of adaptability, continuous learning, and purpose-driven leadership. Episode Summar...

Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Dr. Fred Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder at AlpVision and FinalSpark - Expert anticounterfeit technologies - Expert biocomputing talks about his journey to make a difference in AI and what propelled him to do that. 1. Early Career — Curiosity, Coincidence, and Counterfeits Fred describes himself modestly as a French physicist who stumbled into entrepreneursh...

I am very happy to bring you the inspiring story of Santosh Kaveti, CEO and Founder of ProArch Technologies. In this conversation he talks about: His Origin Story: From applied mathematics to entrepreneurship, navigating challenges, risks, and business growth. AI in Cybersecurity & Infrastructure: The rapid convergence of AI, security, compliance, and enterprise tech strategies . Investing & Start...

Her early inspiration while growing up in Goa with limited exposure to career options. Her Father’s intellectual influence despite personal hardships and shift in focus to technology. Personal tragedy sparked a resolve to become financially independent and learn deeply. Inspirational quote that shaped her mindset: “Even if your dreams haven’t come true, be grateful that so haven’t your nightmares....

I am in conversation with Deepak Mittal, CEO of FFTalos Technologies.  In this insightful episode, Deepak Mittal shares his career journey from coding to consultative selling , reflecting on his evolution from a tech enthusiast to a sales leader driving large-scale digital transformation. He explores solution-based selling , the importance of understanding customer needs , and why sales is more ab...

My guest today is Jake McKee, a pioneer in the modern customer community movement. In this conversation, he shares: Hiss Origin Story: His unique career bridging product design, engineering, and community strategy . Community-Driven Product Development: How companies can embed passionate customers in the development cycle . Empathy & Relationship Building: The importance of emotional connection be...

My guest today is Stamatis Astra is the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Intelligent Relations. In this freewheeling conversation, he talks about: Introduction & Origin Story Stamatis shares his varied career journey, starting in theater before transitioning into technology and entrepreneurship. Reflects on early internet days, the rise of e-commerce, and parallels with today’s AI revoluti...

Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Deeksha Senguttuvan, Founder and CEO of BabyMD and executive trustee for a pediatric cancer foundation . Deeksha brings her authentic self to share powerful stories of personal transformation, entrepreneurial grit, and unwavering compassion for children’s health. Some highlights from the conversation  Deeksha started her Career Journey in software indus...

Shiv is in conversation with Allen Cooper, President and CEO of Ancilla Ventures. Their focus is in providing tools to healthcare support staff to improve patient outcomes. In this conversation, Allen talks about: Allen’s Origin Story: Transitioning from accounting to computer science, and entering the consulting world at Anderson Consulting (now Accenture). Consulting to Startups: The transition...

Shiv is in conversation with Mathias Buus Madsen, CEO of Holepunch, Copenhagen. In this episode, Mathias shares his journey into software development,  beginning as a math student and evolving into a passionate advocate for peer-to-peer technology.  He explains the foundational concepts behind peer-to-peer systems, their advantages over centralized models, and their applications in both personal a...

I am in conversation with Sundar Rajan, a serial entrepreneur, currently the founder of OneMyle, a platform that seeks to address the needs of hyperlocal digital marketing in neighborhoods. He was earlier the co-founder of JustBooks, a lending library chain, supported by an innovative technology platform. Sundar reflects on his journey from a software developer to an entrepreneur, sharing his expe...

Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Sunil (SKG) Gupta, Senior Director in Cognizant and author of the book “Unlock Yourself” about creating a purpose led and fun filled life — a seasoned corporate leader with over three decades of experience spanning supply chain, IT-BPM, SaaS platforms, and now, marketing and influencer relations at Cognizant. Some highlights from the conversation has tw...

My guest today is David Young,Founder at Federated Computer. He has been a pioneer in cloud computing even before the term was invented. In fact, he and his team helped invent the term. In this conversation we could recall many of the developments of a couple of decades ago as well as what keeps him engaged now, at Federated computer. During this conversation, David touches upon: Introduction and...

Today, as part of the women’s special series in March, 2025, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Karthik Karunakaran(KK), CEO, co-founder of Mobius software and chief strategist Xtract.io , male ally for women continuing their career   and a serial entrepreneur talks about his career journey.   KK started his career in Tata Steel after completing production engineering in NIT Trichy and m...

Today, as part of the women’s special series in March, 2025, my guest is Veena Rao, SVP & Global Head, Corporate Lending at Finastra with over 25 years’ of experience in financial services and banking technology. In this conversation Veena shares Her early influences and being adaptable Her education and career path Her philosophy re career growth Insights from her leadership journey How to handle...

Today, as part of the women’s special series in March, 2025, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Ponni Krishnamoorthy, Director and Global head of Telco cloud in Nokia talks about breaking societal expectations to achieving career goals  - Ponni shares about her humble background and Her roots in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, and how her upbringing shaped her career choices and Ponni’s career jo...

Bindhu Unny is a leadership coach, podcast host and Social Entrepreneur, who straddles various mediums giving all her work a unique stamp of inherent creativity. She has 20 years of global experience working for corporates in various high-performance roles that span across Software development, Enterprise Marketing, Product Design, Customer Experience and Sales. During the course of her corporate...

Our regular and long time listeners know that we dedicate the month of March every year for our special women guests. Welcome to the first special episode for March, 2025. In this episode, I am in conversation with Vidya Kabra, a Global Tech and QA leader with over 30 years of experience in the global IT industry. She talks about:   - Overcoming challenges from a traditional Marwadi family to purs...

Sivaguru is in conversation with the serial author and colleague at PM Power, Paramu Kurumathur. They talk about The trigger for the upcoming book is related to leadership. How this book builds on previous books but focuses on general leadership principles. The three aspects of leadership involving execution, business, and personal growth. Importance of reconciling leadership styles in different c...

I am continuing this conversation with Rachana Shenoy, Engineering Leader HPE talks about balancing career growth, avid speaker and continuous learner In this part of the conversation,  Rachana shares her stress and delivery pressures balancing it with employee engagement scores  She shares some of the key techniques for budding managers Creating an environment of fun and accountability  Embracing...

Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Rachana Shenoy , Engineering Leader HPE talks about balancing career growth, avid speaker and continuous learner In this part of the conversation,  Started engineering as a natural choice due to the love of Mathematics Start at HP in the compiler and felt extremely overwhelmed and quickly found the mentor network  She contrasts that with industry ready...

I continue my conversation with Hikari Senju, Founder and CEO of Omneky, an AI platform that generates, analyzes, and optimizes personalized ad creatives at scale. In this part of the conversation, Hikari talks about: The need to focus on his customers - the advertisers’ needs Adapting to new technologies and standards such as cookieless future The inspiration to start his current company Omneky B...

I am in conversation with Hikari Senju, Founder and CEO of Omneky, an AI platform that generates, analyzes, and optimizes personalized ad creatives at scale. In this part of the conversation, Hikari talks about His background and how the influence of one of his uncles got him interested in computers His serial entrepreneurship arc, with two successful startups and in his third venture His learning...

I continue my conversation with David G. Ewing, CEO of Motiv. I asked David about how he thinks AI based approaches are likely to impact the customer experience. He shares how this can be used as a powerful tool to improve customer experience. He also talks about his new venture ContentLion that helps companies centralize and manage their content He touches upon aspects of data security and privac...

I am in conversation with David G Ewing, CEO of Motiv. In this first part of the conversation, David talks about: His initial days in Detroit, where he grew up Meeting the CEO of Oracle, Larry Ellison and how that influenced some of his later decisions in choosing the area of work When building solutions, how and why technology under the hood has to be invisible, while focusing primarily on the us...