Balu Chaturvedula

Reflecting on the journey as a co-founder of Embibe - India's leading AI-driven EdTech platform - and following its meteoric trajectory over the years, fills me with immense pride and gratitude. Kudos to Aditi Avasthi Surri and the Embibe team for building something that truly epitomizes "technology for human flourishing". Back when we started building Embibe, AI wasn't the industry buzzword it is today. We were driven by a simple yet powerful vision: democratizing quality education through intelligent technology that could adapt to every student's unique learning journey. While others were focused on digitizing traditional teaching methods, Embibe took a fundamentally different approach by building AI systems that could: ⭐ Analyze individual learning patterns and knowledge gaps ⭐ Provide personalized study paths for millions of students ⭐ Predict performance outcomes and recommend targeted improvements ⭐ Make quality education accessible regardless of geographic or economic barriers What started as an ambitious idea has now impacted millions of students across India, helping them achieve their academic dreams through truly personalized learning experiences. The best part? Embibe was solving real problems with AI when it was still considered "niche technology." Today, as AI transforms every industry, I'm proud of how Embibe has pioneered this space by applying it meaningfully to education - not for the sake of technology, but for genuine human impact. To every entrepreneur building with purpose: sometimes being early to the game means standing alone for a while. But when you're solving real problems for real people, the market eventually catches up to your vision. Here's to the power of education, the potential of AI, and the incredible team that made Embibe a reality.

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About a month ago, I had the opportunity to speak at Redis Delhi, alongside some eminent industry leaders — Suman Guha (Tata CLiQ / Tata Digital), Murali Mohan Chakravarthy (Entain), and Rhythm Goyal (Monotype) My session ran for ~25 minutes and focused on how Redis has evolved far beyond its original role as an in-memory cache, and how teams are using it today to solve modern, large-scale problems. We discussed: - Vector search and its role in modern search systems - Bloom filters for efficiently checking user existence at scale (probability at scale!) - Sorted Sets as a practical primitive for rate limiting - Why in-memory systems like Redis became popular for agentic workflows instead of disk storage, aka GPU runtime costs What stood out the most was the audience—an enthusiastic, well-curated mix of experienced engineers and young, fast-growing talent. The questions and discussions made it a genuinely engaging session. It’s always a pleasure learning and collaborating with Jatin Gupta, Omkar Konnur, Justine Hermoso, and Rakhilaa Rajasheker. Thanks to the Redis Delhi team for having me and everyone who joined 🙌

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Is there a point to these posts on Hawa Mahal and “ancient climate solutions”? I’m struggling to see it. If the point is “go back to our roots”, that idea has been repeated endlessly — and ignored just as consistently. At some stage, it’s worth asking: Is the idea incomplete, or is it simply impractical at scale? Also, there’s nothing uniquely Indian about this. People across geographies have always adapted to their environments: - Desert regions developed passive cooling - Arctic communities built for extreme cold - Tropical regions designed for heavy rainfall Humans solve for time and place. But times have changed. We now have: - Urban density at an unprecedented scale - Resource constraints very different from the past - Expectations of comfort that didn’t exist earlier - And importantly, structures like Hawa Mahal were built for a tiny, privileged section of society — not something that can be generalized for millions. If the goal is to drive change today, the conversation needs to move from “look at what royalty built centuries ago” to “what scalable, modern solutions can work for today’s realities.” Otherwise, it remains an interesting history lesson — not a practical direction.

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Israeli observability startup Coralogix has raised $115 million in a Series E round, becoming a unicorn with a valuation of over $1 billion. Coralogix offers a full-stack observability and security platform that helps companies understand and resolve complex issues in their data streams. The company has developed an AI agent, Olly, which uses a semantic layer over internal and external data to automate data observability and provide sophisticated insights through simple text prompts. The all-equity round was led by NewView Capital, with participation from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments | Investissements RPC) and NextEquity Partners, alongside existing investors. The funding will be used to expand its engineering base in India, with a planned $100M investment over five years, and to further develop its AI agent. Congratulations to co-founder and CEO Ariel Assaraf and the Coralogix team. TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/dS3NZrrG #Observability #Data #AI #DevOps #Unicorn #SeriesE #Funding #VentureCapital #IsraelTech

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Very Interesting perspectives, I may disagree with a few and align with Many of the views shared, interesting views, perspectives, and practices nevertheless !! 1. The Counterintuitive Truth: Code Quality Does Not Equal Product Success Prasanna’s most striking lesson for engineers is that there is no direct relationship between high code quality and building a successful product. While technical excellence is a worthy goal, it is not the end goal. The ultimate measure of success is whether you are solving a real problem for people. < I am on the Edge with this one. While I am a strong proponent of Quality output/outcome, the ultimate measure of success is, however, the real problem solved :) Ramanan Natarajan - Would love to hear your thoughts on this :) 2. The Real Productivity Engine: Structure as the Foundation for Tools While Block is gaining attention for its powerful internal AI agent, Goose, Prasanna reveals that the single most impactful change for boosting productivity wasn't a tool, but a fundamental organizational restructure. The company shifted from a siloed structure to a unified, functional one. This new functional structure unlocked three primary benefits: > It created a singular focus on technology and technical excellence across the entire organization. > It allowed leaders to drive forward AI and platform depth for the whole company, rather than in isolated pockets. > It changed the hiring mindset. Instead of treating engineers as a "commodity" to be added to a business unit to increase feature output, "mythical man month", the focus shifted to building common platforms and leveraging deep experts across the entire organization. This unified structure not only drove technical depth but also created the ideal environment for small-scale experiments to be identified, supported, and scaled across the company, rather than dying within a business unit silo. < It's not always the Tool, it's the Mindset !! 3. The Principle of Momentum: Start Small to Win Big: The most successful and durable innovations rarely begin as massive, top-down corporate initiatives. Instead, they grow from small, focused experiments. < "Start small with everything." 4. The Human Element: Hire for a "Learning Mindset": The company now optimizes for a "learning mindset." They are less concerned with finding "amazing AI practitioners on the get-go." Instead, they prioritize finding people from recent college graduates to industry veterans who are eager, open to learning, and willing to embrace new tools. < Meta cognition is undervalued !! #organisationCluture #AI #Productivity https://lnkd.in/gw6saKXp

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This year has been a true transition point for ZIGRAM. We moved decisively from building individual, standalone capabilities to laying the foundation of a broader, integrated AML and Risk Ecosystem. Doing this while navigating increasing regulatory expectations, higher stability requirements, and tighter delivery timelines was not trivial. The fact that we did this without compromising on quality or compliance speaks volumes about the maturity of this team. Looking ahead, it is clear that the intensity will only increase. Regulatory scrutiny will continue to tighten, client expectations will rise, and the ecosystem we are building will demand even higher rigor. That said, we are better positioned than ever technically, operationally, and as a team. Take time to relax, disconnect, and recharge. You have earned it. Come back refreshed, focused, and ready to build the next phase of this platform with the same ownership and discipline that defines this team. #ZIGRAM #AML #RiskEcosystem

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Who’s a Real Friend? In this reel, Amit Rai, GM of AI and Enterprise Cloud at Vultr, shares his heartfelt definition of a real friend. Watch the Full Episode of Code Chaos Clarity here - https://lnkd.in/gVxd-jNp #AmitRai #Friendship #RealFriends #CodeChaosClarity #LifeJourney #InspiringStories #TrueFriendship #Relationships #LifeLessons #FriendshipGoals

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He Built a ₹26,000 Cr Retail Empire, by ignoring malls when India wasn’t even ready for it. He built Big Bazaar before 'Bharat' was even a buzzword. Here's how Kishore Biyani cracked Indian retail 10 years too early.... Building a retail empire that catered to India 1, 2, and 3, years before “#Bharat” was a buzzword? Learn how Biyani chose middle-class Indians over malls and turned sabzi-mandi insights into a billion-dollar chain From controlling supply chains to building desi trust at scale, discover how Big Bazaar - Future Retail reshaped Indian retail. Welcome to the ‘5 Key Takeaways’ Series! For the next 30 days, I’m breaking down 5 actionable insights daily, drawn from iconic brands, founders, case studies, and timeless principles. 👉 Swipe through for quick insights. 💬 Which one surprised you the most? Don’t miss the #3rd_Slide for a powerful bonus lesson that still applies today! Source: #Podcast with Mr. Kishore Biyani at the Think School ® (one of the best in class) on YouTube #RetailStrategy #IndianRetail #BigBazaar #KishoreBiyani #Entrepreneurship #FutureGroup #BusinessLessons #IndiaRetail #SupplyChain #MarketingStrategy #BharatMarkets #BrandBuilding #LinkedInCarousel

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Interesting point from Larry Fink - Can AI help increase GDP with a diminishing population? This reminded me of the questions posed by Prof Jhunjhunwala at #GlobalAIConclave Also a great point made by Shri Ambani ji: - There are limited opportunities for scale around the globe where 100s of billions of dollars can be invested meaningfully. This is where India presents multiple opportunities at this scale #GlobalDialogues Larry Fink Mukesh Ambani

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The era of "scrolling fatigue" is officially over. JioHotstar is teaming up with OpenAI to change how we discover entertainment. We are shifting from search-led navigation to something much more intuitive: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆. Why does this matter? 𝗜𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂: It’s not about keywords anymore. The AI understands context, mood, and intent. 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲: In a multilingual nation like India, voice is the ultimate tool for inclusion. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹: The AI actively helps you find what you need, turning passive viewing into interactive engagement. This is a category-defining moment for streaming in India. Can’t wait for you all to experience it.

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Agilitas x Virat Kohli partnership is one of the masterstroke deals I have seen in recent times. Virat invests 40 CR in Agilitas for a 1.94% stake, putting Agilitas’s valuation around 2000 CR. 📈 In turn, Agilitas acquires one8world, making Virat a co-founder and shareholder. They now get two very important growth levers: ⬇️ 1. A powerful manufacturing (via Mochiko Shoes - a 600 CR+ footwear brand that Agilitas acquired in 2008 ), 2. India’s biggest athlete — exclusively aligned. Easily becomes a 4000 CR revenue brand in the next 5 years. Footwear + retail scale requires capital — but this partnership compresses customer acquisition, product cycles, and brand-building like few others. Even Virat said in his podcast with Abhishek Ganguly, the co-founder of Agilitas that, “I didn’t want a brand deal… I wanted to build something that outlives me.” And Abhishek said something even beautiful - “An ambition to build from India but be globally relevant.” This isn’t marketing. This is legacy building with shared skin in the game. And that is how startups work - shared ambition with one goal (to make the company big) and food (read stake) in the table for everyone! A company that can be built in the long term with culture, capital, and conviction aligned. This might be the first time in India, where an athlete joins hands with a sport company to re-imagine and build the sport ecosystem of India - truly revolutionalising the game with a clear vision. 🙌

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🌱 Exciting Milestone for Famveg! Proud to share that Famveg, India’s first 30-minute B2B fresh produce supply chain startup, is now live and thriving in Electronic City, Bangalore. 🚀 We’ve already delivered fresh, high-quality produce to 200+ juice shops, restaurants, and cloud kitchens, and we’re just getting started. At Famveg, our mission is simple but powerful: 🌟 To eliminate food waste, reduce overstocking, and deliver consistent quality to food businesses faster than ever. Backed by a tech-enabled cold chain infrastructure, we ensure: ✅ 30-minute delivery windows ✅ Zero perishable loss ✅ Just-in-time inventory for SMBs ✅ Farm-direct sourcing with full transparency ✅ Sustainable, scalable operations 📍 Now Delivering In: ✔️ Electronic City 🔜 Coming soon: BTM Layout, HSR Layout, Bellandur We aim to empower kirana stores and SMBs by becoming their go-to fresh produce partner offering a delivery network that is dependable, scalable, and affordable, while enabling them to operate with zero wastage and maximum freshness throughout India and beyond. 🌍 #Famveg #FoodTech #B2B #SupplyChainInnovation #ColdChain #FreshProduce #SMB #SustainableLogistics #BangaloreStartups

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Proximity-Based Delivery (0.5–1 KM) and Kiranas' Superiority In dense urban and semi-urban areas of India, the significance of hyperlocal proximity, typically within 0.5 to 1 km, cannot be overstated. This is where kirana stores excel while major eCommerce players face challenges. The crucial aspects that make short-range delivery indispensable are: Speed of Fulfillment: Kirana stores situated just a stone's throw away can deliver essentials within 15–30 minutes, bypassing intricate logistics. Quick commerce apps attempt to emulate this through expensive warehouses and fleets, whereas kiranas achieve it naturally — often on foot or bicycle, with no additional technological expenses. Cost-Effectiveness and Frequency: Deliveries within a 1 km radius are essentially cost-free for kiranas — no external delivery services, no fuel expenses, no technology-related fees. Given that kiranas cater to frequent, low-value orders (₹100–₹300), this operational efficiency holds great importance. Personalized Trust and Local Expertise: Kirana proprietors are familiar with their customers' preferences, delivery locations, and even anticipated availability. This personalized approach to delivery, based on relationships, is irreplaceable by an application. It results in fewer returns, smoother transactions, and enhanced customer loyalty. Adaptability in Inventory Management: In response to local demands, kiranas can promptly adjust their inventory: "Fresh milk just arrived, it will be delivered in 10 minutes." This flexibility provides them with a competitive advantage over larger entities with centralized inventory systems and fixed delivery schedules. Sustainability and Expansion: On a larger scale, 1 km delivery proves to be more environmentally and economically sustainable. Envision 1,000 kiranas each serving their own 1 km radius — forming 1,000 micro-fulfillment centers powered by individuals, not vehicles. The fusion of AI and proximity amplifies the prowess of kiranas. By leveraging light AI for order Piyush Goyal

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Continued Global Capability Center activity. This article is true for most of us who are late comers to the GCC concept, We are building with this exact item in mind. Value Creation Centers - with the next-generation of workforce productivity in mind.

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"Cross-border expansion is often treated as a growth lever. In reality, it requires solving for operating architecture first." Scale demands cohesive systems that serve multiple regions efficiently. The paradox? These systems need to be modular enough to flex for local market needs, yet cohesive enough to scale without fragmentation. That balance is what separates expansion from sustainable growth. Really enjoyed being part of the panel at Retail ReMix discussing Cross-border Commerce at scale. Scaling e-commerce globally means learning fast, unlearning often, and building with local context in mind. Special thanks to Abhinav Patwa for his sharp insights and memorable analogies that cut straight to the point. To Khaled Boudemagh for his pace and thoughtful questions that pushed the conversation forward. And to Dharmendra Mehta for creating this community and platform that brings the retail ecosystem together. Loved seeing so many familiar faces; partners, colleagues, and new members of the community.

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In an eye-opening roundtable, Amit Relan, CEO and Co-Founder, Vineet Mathur- Chief Growth Officer and Dhiraj Gupta- Co-Founder of mFilterIt break down the hidden machinery of ad fraud, revealing how bots distort performance, erode trust, and threaten the very economics of digital advertising. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g9pU5q-r Story by Masaba Naqvi #MarketingMind #mFilterIt #Advertising

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For those in the U.S. with family businesses in India, this is a good watch. Highly relevant for the next generation looking to step in and create real impact. #FamilyBusiness #IndiaGrowth #NextGenLeadership

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