Dear Fellow Alumni,
A farmer’s son from Iruttupallam, educated in Tamil, raised without the resources that city kids had. Armed with nothing but tenacity and vision.
Growing up, I spent my days in the fields with my father, battling the scorching sun, unpredictable rains, and stubborn soil. Watching him work tirelessly against nature’s challenges—drought one season, floods the next—taught me true resilience. Little did I know that those early mornings, hunched over sugarcane, turmeric, and paddy fields, would teach me perseverance more than any classroom ever could.
Self-Study 101
Physics in a government higher secondary school was supposed to be “taught,” but resources, including teachers, were scarce. I had no choice but to teach myself the concepts in both Plus One and Plus Two, treating every problem like a mini challenge: identifying the pain point, experimenting relentlessly, and pivoting until it worked.
When it came time to prepare for GATE (one of India’s toughest entrance exams), I didn’t join coaching centers. Instead, I plastered my walls with 1,800 formulae jotted down from every reference book Mr. Christy Sir graciously let me check out of the Karunya library. I practiced every single engineering problem from all four years of study. Covering the breadth and depth of core engineering subjects in just two and a half months taught me that when you commit fully, even the hardest exams can be broken down into footholds.
From Bharathiar University to IIT Kanpur
At Karunya, mentally translating every lecture from Tamil to English taught me that being uncomfortable is only temporary. When my mentor, Mr. Samuel Jones Dadala Sir, suggested I aim for an M.Tech at an IIT, I hesitated.
After a couple of motorbike accidents (memo to self: speed thrills, but also spills), I doubled down on my GATE prep—fueled by that same farm-born grit and a stubborn refusal to quit. Scoring in the 98th percentile on the GATE exam opened doors to several prestigious institutions: IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, and IISc. I chose IIT Kanpur for its focus on mechanical engineering design, which particularly intrigued me.
I dove into the intersection of computers and mechanical engineering. Finite Elements, CAD, and Digital Image Processing became my sandbox. IIT Kanpur gave me the opportunity to work on the landing gear of India’s indigenous fighter aircraft. Working as Professor Ramesh’s lab assistant allowed me to push boundaries, teach myself to program in C and C++, and contribute to research papers for the prestigious journal Strain.
After graduation, I joined Computervision, a CAD company, which paved the way for me to move to the US.
Comfort Zones Are Overrated
Once I entered professional life, I realized engineering jobs often meant tweaking parts of a giant machine rather than steering it. Every time I felt too comfortable, I handed in my resignation and joined a startup. Each stint revealed a new facet of customer pain and product-market fit—knowledge no textbook could teach.
Still, I knew technical skills weren’t enough; I needed business fluency and social skills.
Enter Bhuvana and Babson, Family and Many Startups
My wife, Bhuvana Palaniappan, didn’t just marry me—she partnered in my vision. Before our wedding, I asked her one crucial question: “I will start a company someday. Will you support me?” She said, “Yes,” not knowing I would keep that promise—not next year, not even the year after, but fourteen years later.
With her encouragement, I enrolled at Babson College, the #1 school for entrepreneurship in the US. During this time, we welcomed our first child, Pranav, adding a beautiful new dimension to life while intensifying the challenge of balancing startup work, business school, and family.
Having a newborn taught me prioritization and efficiency—skills that proved invaluable. At Babson, I learned that building a venture isn’t just about having an idea or securing VC funding; it’s about reducing risk, deeply understanding customer pain, and mobilizing the right mix of money, talent, and tools to scale a solution.
Between 2004 and 2012, I worked with four different startups while our family grew with the arrival of Sanjit. Each experience broadened my entrepreneurial lens—spanning technology, operations, market dynamics, and team building. Eventually, I acquired a small software services company in Coimbatore: Fogpanel.
What Entrepreneurship Truly Means
To me, entrepreneurship equals freedom. It frees you from the rat race, lets you dream big and allows you full control your schedule. After the successful multi-million-dollar exit of Fogpanel, I started Appranix in Boston, a cloud resiliency company.
Even during Appranix’s busiest days, I had the flexibility to attend all of our children’s tennis and squash matches, and still be on 4:00 AM overseas calls. That freedom didn’t come from an ironclad plan—it came from a mindset of continuous learning and life balance.
Purposeful Life & Continuous Learning
Entrepreneurship taught me that a purposeful life is critical—not just to build wealth for your family, but to create opportunities for others. A company only thrives when everyone feels part of its mission.
To stay sharp, Bhuvana and I took up karate, inspired by our kids (second and third-degree black belts). After six years of training, we both earned our black belts. Karate taught me perseverance, focus, and balance—lessons I bring into every boardroom decision and sales presentation.
Startups: Trials & Acquisitions
During and after Babson, I joined four startups—all founded by others. Though none became household names, each was acquired by a larger firm. That pattern reaffirmed a key belief: well-designed, customer-centric solutions, even in niche markets, will attract strategic buyers.
My Approach to Entrepreneurship: The Appranix Odyssey
Founding Appranix as a solo entrepreneur was the toughest ride yet. While many West Coast peers raised large seed rounds with co-founders, I went at it alone—juggling product vision, sales, marketing, and family.
I reinvested all the proceeds from the Fogpanel exit into Appranix. During COVID, I even had to dip into my retirement account to keep the startup alive.
My philosophy is simple: if you believe in what you’re doing, there can be no Plan B. As soon as you have a backup, Plan A fails. That same tenacity that saw me writing 1,800 formulae back in the day carried me through every inch of this journey. And Bhuvana’s unwavering support has always been my secret weapon.
Lessons for Future Builders
- Root Yourself in Customer Pain
Deep empathy beats flashy features. Ask the right questions. Then ask more. Finally, ask: how much would you pay for it? - Burn Your Spare-Time Boats
If entrepreneurship is your goal, make it your full-time job—no safety net. - Invest Skin in the Game
A paycheck is nice, but true conviction comes when you risk your own capital. - Embrace Downturns
Talent becomes more available when others are retrenching. - Differentiate Relentlessly
Study competitors, but carve your own path with a growth mindset. - Sell from Day One
If you can’t sell your vision early, the product won’t save you later. - Keep the Right Mentors
Advisors with real-world scars—victories and defeats—can help you avoid costly mistakes.
At Appranix, these principles paid off. We grew 40% year-over-year, stayed cash-positive, and earned recognition from Gartner for pioneering application resilience. We even surprised our Indian engineering team with cars—a small “thank you” for building enterprise-grade solutions.
In 2024, Commvault acquired Appranix at a 17.5x valuation. Today, I mentor founders, invest in VC funds and private equity, and help others turn bootstrap dreams into reality. The exit also made several employees in Coimbatore financially secure for life.
Why You Should Care
To the 500+ alumni family: from that small village of Iruttupallam, without city resources, with just grit and dreams—if that Tamil-medium farm kid can make it in US tech, you have everything it takes to write your own success story.
Embrace the grit you’ve cultivated—whether in a lecture hall, a family farm, or late-night study sessions. Let it fuel your launchpad. Entrepreneurship isn’t about being the loudest voice—it’s about the discipline to learn, the courage to fail, and the vision to carve your path.
Here’s to the next wave of founders from Iruttupallam, Karunya, and every corner of our alma mater. May our shared journey and relentless drive inspire us all to build something meaningful, find freedom in our work, and remain lifelong learners—whether perfecting business strategy or karate kicks.
