Kala VK
Bengaluru
Summary
Purpose driven professional with business development and partner management experience in platform and marketplace startup companies covering the entire journey of identifying new opportunities, articulating value proposition combined of capabilities, solutions, and service offerings, pursuing go-to-market campaigns, landing wins, and delivering customer success. Proven expertise in managing ambiguity aimed at solving problems, and scale effectively across a distributed organization. Demonstrated experience building and maintaining strong relationships with a diverse set of internal and external constituencies, including senior level executives, consulting resources, technical teams, and sales representatives.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Manager– Partnerships @ Bosch Mobility Platform
Bosch Limited
06.2024 - Current
- Identify, evaluate, and onboard strategic partners aligned with clients goal.
- Develop partnership strategies, business cases, and go-to-market plans
- Negotiate partnership agreements, contracts, and commercial terms
- Manage end-to-end partner lifecycle: onboarding, enablement, performance tracking, and renewal
- Act as the primary point of contact for partners, ensuring strong relationship management
- Collaborate with internal teams to launch and scale joint initiatives
- Define KPIs and measure partnership performance against revenue, growth, and engagement targets
- Identify new opportunities for co-selling, co-marketing, and product integrations from RFP to integration of products.
- Resolve partner and clients issues and escalate risks proactively
- Monitor market trends and competitive partnerships to inform strategy
- Reduced partner onboarding and adoption cycles by 30% through creation of a structured technical enablement and engagement framework.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with product, engineering, and GTM teams to align partner/clients strategies, driving faster commercialization of co-developed solutions.
Manager – Global Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
Customer Experience Lab
05.2020 - 04.2024
- Responsible for cultivating and expanding the partner ecosystem for Genesys and Sparrow, overseeing its Life Cycle Management. Collaborate closely with Cross-Functional Business Units to develop joint Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies tailored to the Data Quality market in South East Asia.
- Key Achievements include
- Identified strategic partnership opportunities, managing existing alliances, and drive new customer acquisition, market penetration, and brand visibility. Exceeded quarterly targets by crafting personalized value propositions aligned with customer profiles, product offerings, and market insights.
- Ignited revenue streams through partnerships, establish scalable models, and execute GTM strategies with partners. Proactively conduct Proof of Concepts (POCs) in major accounts, delivering bundled value-added solutions to System Integrators (SIs) and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).
- Diligently monitored project onboarding, deployment, UAT, and support. Conduct both online and offline workshops to train partner teams and enhance sales across the region. Achieved an annual target of $1 million through diverse solutions and consultation offerings to partners and end clients. Lead a team of two in the ASEAN region, providing guidance, mentorship, and setting up Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to achieve team goals and targets.
Manager - Strategic Partnerships
Yellow.AI
11.2020 - 08.2021
- Responsible for driving business development through strategic partnerships, focusing on building and maintaining robust relationships with key partners to expand market presence and accelerate growth. Conducted in-depth research to identify and engage potential partners aligned with business objectives and emerging market trends. Utilized comprehensive market analysis, competitor benchmarking, and due diligence to evaluate partnership opportunities and ensure strategic fit. Led end-to-end negotiations, defining partnership terms, conditions, and mutual value propositions. Successfully strengthened the company’s partnership ecosystem, enhanced collaboration efficiency, and supported the launch of innovative joint business initiatives.
Key Accounts Manager
Ameyo
07.2019 - 11.2020
- Tasked with developing and expanding the partner ecosystem while overseeing its Life Cycle Management. Collaborating closely with various Cross-Functional Business Units, I played a pivotal role in formulating joint Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies specifically tailored to the Data Quality market in South India.
Key Account Manager
Quikr
07.2016 - 07.2019
- Entrusted with the responsibility of nurturing and expanding relationships, with a specific focus on Builders and Developers. My primary objective was to ensure the sustained and efficient management of their lead sources. Through collaboration with diverse business departments, I played a key role in maintaining and cultivating strategic relationships with our Key Accounts.
Customer Support Manager
Myntra-Jabong
05.2014 - 05.2016
- Spearheaded the management of customer relationships across various CRM channels. My responsibilities included overseeing customer communication through push and trigger notifications, emails, SMS, web, and desktop pushes. I played a pivotal role in introducing cross-channel journeys based on channel affinity, contributing significantly to approximately 25% of Myntra's daily traffic.
Business Development Manager
Mebelkart
01.2013 - 04.2014
- Responsible for providing comprehensive interior designing solutions to major builders and developers. Leading a dedicated team, I orchestrated activities that encompassed account management, seller support, and sales initiatives. Our primary focus was to identify and engage potential partners with the aim of enhancing product functionality, increasing conversion rates, improving retention rates, and expanding the distribution of Mebelkart's diverse product portfolio.
Business Development Manager
NDS Global
07.2012 - 12.2012
- Responsible for the planning, implementation, and supervision of computer networks supporting in-house voice, data, video, and wireless network services. Successfully executed comprehensive network strategies to ensure seamless and efficient communication infrastructure.
Education
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics and communication
01.2012
Skills
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Channel Partners
Sales Enablement
Business Development
Alliance manager
Product consultation
Project management
Technical and business support
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Marketing
Certification
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C01) Cert Prep: 1 Cloud Concepts
Timeline
Manager– Partnerships @ Bosch Mobility Platform - Bosch Limited
06.2024 - Current
Manager - Strategic Partnerships - Yellow.AI
11.2020 - 08.2021
Manager – Global Business Development and Strategic Partnerships - Customer Experience Lab
05.2020 - 04.2024
Key Accounts Manager - Ameyo
07.2019 - 11.2020
Key Account Manager - Quikr
07.2016 - 07.2019
Customer Support Manager - Myntra-Jabong
05.2014 - 05.2016
Business Development Manager - Mebelkart
01.2013 - 04.2014
Business Development Manager - NDS Global
07.2012 - 12.2012
Cambridge Institute of Technology - Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics and communication