Biography of Kranthi Kiran: Founder of ThoughtFlow- Indian Entrepreneur
Biography of Kranthi Kiran:
Foundation in Engineering and Early Career
Kranthi Kiran embarked on his technical journey with a solid
academic background. He completed his Integrated M.Tech in Electronics and
Communication, focusing on Computer Vision, at the prestigious Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur from 1999 to 2004. During his time at IIT
Kharagpur, Kranthi was actively involved in robotics and various technical
societies, which sparked his interest in combining technology with practical
applications. This foundational education prepared him for a diverse career in
technology and entrepreneurship.
Beginnings in Handwriting Recognition
After completing his studies, Kranthi joined Read-Ink
Technologies in Bangalore as a Senior Research Engineer. Here, from June 2004
to May 2007, he worked on developing algorithms for handwriting recognition.
His efforts focused on improving online and offline handwriting recognition at
various levels, from component to word recognition. Working with Prof. Emeritus
Thomas Binford, a pioneer in computer vision, provided Kranthi with invaluable
experience and insights into cutting-edge technologies.
Diving into Biometric Systems
In May 2007, Kranthi co-founded Anaxee Technologies and
served as the Chief Technology Officer. At Anaxee, he led the development of a
patented Vein Biometric System, which identified individuals based on the vein
patterns in their hands. His team also contributed to the Aadhaar (UIDAI)
project, developing a fingerprint extractor and sensor with a notably low false
rejection rate. This innovative work was crucial in advancing India's vision of
universal identity verification and biometric solutions.
Establishing a Career in Technical Consulting
Following his stint at Anaxee Technologies, Kranthi
transitioned to various roles in technical consulting. He joined Adaequare as a
Senior Technical Consultant in January 2014, where he led a team to build
Havasay, a customer engagement platform. Havasay allowed e-commerce websites to
integrate customer ratings and reviews, enhancing user interaction. Kranthi’s
role at Adaequare involved overseeing the development and successful deployment
of this impactful product.
Biography of Kranthi Kiran: Founder of ThoughtFlow- Indian Entrepreneur/ Startup/Age/Net worth/Kranthi Kiran/ story/Founder of Convertiply, Enabli.com
Transition to the Startup Ecosystem
Kranthi's entrepreneurial spirit continued with the
co-founding of Enabli.com in January 2015. Enabli provided businesses with
leads on a subscription basis by analyzing millions of conversations to
identify potential customers. This venture underscored Kranthi’s commitment to
leveraging technology to solve practical business problems and improve customer
acquisition strategies.
Shaping User Interfaces
From March 2015 to December 2015, Kranthi worked as a UI
Consultant at Octane Softech. His role involved designing and refining user
interfaces, contributing to the development of intuitive and effective digital
solutions. This experience further enriched his expertise in creating
user-centric applications and frameworks.
Experience in Financial Technology
Kranthi joined InvestmentYogi as a Senior Technical
Consultant in January 2013, where he focused on improving user engagement and
traffic growth for the online tax filing software. InvestmentYogi, a leading
personal finance portal in India, benefited from Kranthi’s expertise in
enhancing its financial planning and tax-filing services.
Role in Healthcare Technology
In June 2016, Kranthi took on the role of UI Architect at
Napier Healthcare, where he was involved in developing a significant enterprise
UI framework. His work at Napier was pivotal in creating user interfaces that
improved healthcare technology solutions and streamlined enterprise operations.
Entering the Microsoft Ecosystem
Kranthi's career took another significant turn when he
joined Microsoft as a Senior Software Engineer in July 2021. At Microsoft, he
was part of the Teams division in Bangalore, where he worked on building user
interfaces for the Teams Admin Center using React and TypeScript. This role
allowed him to contribute to one of the leading communication platforms
globally.
Founding and Leading ThoughtFlow
In February 2019, Kranthi founded ThoughtFlow, a tool
designed to capture, visualize, and prioritize ideas to create a shared vision
for organizations. ThoughtFlow combines elements of whiteboards and
spreadsheets to help teams manage their projects more effectively. Kranthi’s
vision for ThoughtFlow reflects his dedication to bridging the gap between
ideation and execution through innovative technology solutions.
Innovating with Convertiply and Yeloni
Kranthi's entrepreneurial ventures also include Convertiply,
a high-conversion opt-in tool for websites, which he launched in July 2018.
Additionally, he co-founded Yeloni in September 2014, providing widgets for
lead capture and marketing automation. Both of these ventures highlight his
ongoing commitment to developing tools that enhance business operations and
marketing efficiency.
Evolving Through Continuous Discovery
Kranthi’s approach to building products evolved
significantly over time. Initially, he would start with an idea, develop a
product, and then market it. However, he realized the importance of continuous
discovery and customer feedback, influenced by books like "The Lean
Startup" by Eric Ries. This shift led him to focus on understanding
customer needs before diving into development, which he applied to ThoughtFlow’s
development process.
Addressing Challenges and Enhancing Product Strategy
One of the challenges Kranthi faced with ThoughtFlow was
converting trial users into paid subscribers. By conducting frequent user
interviews and focusing on specific outcomes, he was able to align
ThoughtFlow’s features with customer needs and improve conversion rates. This
iterative approach, driven by continuous discovery, helped him refine the product
and achieve better results.
Throughout his career, Kranthi Kiran has demonstrated a
remarkable ability to innovate and adapt, leveraging his technical expertise
and entrepreneurial spirit to build impactful solutions across various domains.
His journey from a research engineer to a successful entrepreneur highlights
his dedication to bridging the gap between technology and practical business
applications.
Timeline for Kranthi Kiran journey
1999-2004: Completed Integrated M.Tech in Electronics and
Communication at IIT Kharagpur.
June 2004 - May 2007: Senior Research Engineer at Read-Ink
Technologies, focused on handwriting recognition.
May 2007: Co-founded Anaxee Technologies, developed Vein
Biometric System.
January 2013: Senior Technical Consultant at InvestmentYogi,
improved online tax filing software.
January 2014: Senior Technical Consultant at Adaequare,
developed Havasay platform.
September 2014: Co-founded Yeloni, provided widgets for lead
capture and marketing automation.
March 2015 - December 2015: UI Consultant at Octane Softech,
designed user interfaces.
January 2015: Co-founded Enabli.com, provided lead generation
services.
June 2016: UI Architect at Napier Healthcare, developed enterprise UI framework.
July 2018: Launched Convertiply, high-conversion opt-in tool
for websites.
February 2019: Founded ThoughtFlow, tool for capturing and prioritizing ideas.
July 2021: Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft, worked on
Teams Admin Center UI.