Board games, Business History, Climate Action, Football & Martial Arts
Kalaikovan Balakrishnan
Product & Growth @ Startups
Bengaluru
Summary
With 11+ years of hands-on experience in the startup world, I’ve had the privilege of building and scaling innovative products. I’m currently leading HiPER, my second startup, after gaining valuable experience at mid-stage companies like Snapdeal and Mu Sigma.
Throughout this journey, I’ve discovered a passion for tackling complex challenges and navigating ambiguity, always with a strong focus on putting customer needs first. I'm particularly excited about driving impactful solutions in climate action and am eager to bring this energy and mindset to my next role.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Cofounder, CBO
HiPER
09.2020 - Current
- Cofounded & scaled HiPER, IoT hardware focused on diagnostics & Diesel savings for heavy buses & trucks
- Responsible for GTM, Product & Ops along the 0 to 1 journey
- Identified market opportunities, set the product roadmap, & prioritized features to reach 5 out of India's 10 largest commercial fleets
Cofounder, CSO
Antrepriz (Dice.tech)
10.2017 - 02.2020
- Cofounded & scaled the B2B SaaS product that helps businesses cut costs & improve their financial workflows, from 0 to 1
- Hired & nurtured the 7-member team & executed our sales-led GTM to reach 100+ customers in just 18 months
- Represented the customer voice as we developed & iterated on the product to reach 10,000+ MAUs & $300,000 ARR rate
- Exited the startup to cofounders & angel investors to pursue my long term passion in sustainability
Project Delivery Lead, COO's Office
Amplus Energy
04.2017 - 08.2017
- Coordinated process excellence across domains affecting project delivery at this growth stage $350 M solar EPC firm
- Successfully delivered a 200 MW project closure while optimizing the supply chain & achieving 10% cost savings
Sr. Supply Chain Manager
Snapdeal
05.2015 - 03.2017
- Led the Serviceability (compliance & product availability) function for Snapdeal, India's 3rd largest eCommerce platform
- Managed a 10-member team to effectively control daily ops across 30K delivery & 12K pickup Indian pincodes
- Optimized allocation of ~180 K daily shipments to achieve best in class customer NPS while reducing the cost by ~15%
Sr. Business Analyst
Mu Sigma
07.2011 - 06.2013
- Led the Case Forecasting pilot & converted it to long term business with Walmart US
- Was part of the Assortment Optimization team that converted 3+ pilots by delivering revenue growth
Education
Learning For Action (LFA) - Climate Action
Terra.do
Earth 04.2022 - 06.2022
MBA - Marketing & Finance
FMS DELHI
India 07.2013 - 04.2015
B.Tech - Mechanical Engineering
NIT Trichy
India 07.2007 - 05.2011
Skills
Customer success & product
Biz dev & sales
Building & managing teams
Operational planning & execution
Finance & strategy
Affiliations
- Building 2 businesses ground up in the last 7 years
- Awarded SCM Gold Awards @ Snapdeal in Q1 2016 & Q3 2015
Interests
Timeline
Learning For Action (LFA) - Climate Action
Terra.do
04.2022 - 06.2022
Cofounder, CBO
HiPER
09.2020 - Current
Cofounder, CSO
Antrepriz (Dice.tech)
10.2017 - 02.2020
Project Delivery Lead, COO's Office
Amplus Energy
04.2017 - 08.2017
Sr. Supply Chain Manager
Snapdeal
05.2015 - 03.2017
MBA - Marketing & Finance
FMS DELHI
07.2013 - 04.2015
Sr. Business Analyst
Mu Sigma
07.2011 - 06.2013
B.Tech - Mechanical Engineering
NIT Trichy
07.2007 - 05.2011
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