Biography of Tanmai Gopal: Founder & CEO of Hasura -Entrepreneur & Investor
Biography of Tanmai Gopal:
Early Days of a Tech Enthusiast
Tanmai Gopal's journey into the tech world began with his
education at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras). Here, he
pursued an Integrated Dual Degree in Computer Science, earning both his BTech
and MTech from 2007 to 2012. His time at IIT Madras was marked by a deep dive
into various aspects of computer science, setting the stage for his future
endeavors.
Shaastra: Shaping a Tech Festival
During his time at IIT Madras, Tanmai was a core member of
Shaastra, the university's annual technical festival. He led the 'Evolve' team,
responsible for introducing new events and showcases, demonstrating his
organizational and leadership skills in a high-impact setting.
From Mathematics to IIT Aspirations
Tanmai Gopal’s journey to founding Hasura is a compelling
blend of academic pursuit and entrepreneurial spirit. Raised across various
locations in his state, Tanmai initially focused on mathematics, particularly
algebra and geometry, which laid a strong foundation for his future endeavors.
Encouraged by his parents, he aimed for the prestigious Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs), where he deeply engaged with intellectually stimulating
peers and excelled in areas like computer vision and machine learning.
Exploration and Research
During his time at university, Tanmai participated in
medical Olympiad camps and enjoyed a diverse range of activities. He undertook
a significant research project in computer vision and machine learning during
his master’s, which included collaboration with Microsoft Research. Despite his
initial inclination towards a research career, Tanmai was drawn to the idea of
translating theoretical knowledge into practical applications.
Early Research and Internships
Tanmai's early career included research and internship roles
that shaped his technical expertise. At IIT Madras, he worked on a project
funded by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) focused on
autonomous micro-UAV target tracking. He also gained experience as a research
intern at Microsoft Research and developed a multi-lingual website for the China
Studies Centre
The Brass Plate: A Taste of Entrepreneurship
In 2012, Tanmai founded The Brass Plate, a home-made food
delivery startup in Chennai. Despite a successful pilot phase, the venture
faced challenges due to high logistics costs and low margins, leading Tanmai to
pause the project. This experience highlighted the complexities of scaling a
business in the food delivery sector.
Research Contributions at Polaris
Tanmai's career also includes a stint as a research
consultant at Polaris Financial Technology from October 2012 to October 2013.
His work focused on distributed systems and data mining, contributing to
advancements in modern software development practices.
Biography of Tanmai Gopal: Founder & CEO of Hasura -Entrepreneur & Investor/Success story of Tanmai Gopal/Hasura/Life story of Tanmai Gopal/Startup
Innovation with 34 Cross
At 34 Cross, Tanmai's leadership led to the development of
several successful projects, including a blog that was featured on CSS-tricks
for its innovative use of CSS in web design. His work with 34 Cross demonstrated
his ability to lead and innovate in the tech industry.
Owlink: Mentoring Future Developers
Tanmai's entrepreneurial spirit also shone through in his
role at Owlink, a startup he co-founded in 2013. He mentored a team of interns
and first-time programmers from IIT Madras, guiding them through the
development and launch of their first app. The app continues to run
successfully with minimal maintenance, reflecting the strong foundation laid by
Tanmai and his team.
Contributing to Tech Saloon
As a founding member of Tech Saloon, Tanmai played a key
role in creating a space for sharing ideas and fostering collaboration. Tech
Saloon hosted regular events featuring leading technologists and innovators,
helping to drive conversations and inspire new developments in the tech
community.
Advising Emerging Tech Ventures
Tanmai's expertise extended to advising several tech
startups. From January 2016 to January 2017, he advised Levo, a company aiming
to transform travel experiences. He also contributed to ChooseMyBike.in and
Find A Kadai, helping these ventures with their technical strategies and
development, which led to impressive site metrics and awards.
Building with 34 Cross
At 34 Cross, a product development company, Tanmai served as
the engineering lead from May 2013 to June 2017. The company focused on
creating applications using Hasura's technology. Under his leadership, 34 Cross
achieved notable success, including a 200% increase in page views for a rebuilt
project and recognition for its innovative approach to web design.
Tech Saloon: Fostering Innovation
Tanmai was also a founding member of Tech Saloon, an
initiative at IIT Madras aimed at promoting the exchange of ideas among
technologists, scientists, and entrepreneurs. From September 2015 to 2017, he
helped organize talks, panel discussions, and demos, providing a platform for
sharing knowledge and fostering innovation.
Shaping the Future of Learning with IMAD
Before starting Hasura, Tanmai was instrumental in creating
India's largest MOOC, IMAD (Introduction to Modern Application Development).
Launched in 2016 alongside Professor Gaurav Raina, IMAD quickly became the
largest online course in India. The course attracted over 210,000 students and
led to the development of over 12,000 applications, reflecting its immense
success and impact.
Shifting Strategies and Open-Source Success
Realizing the limitations of bootstrapping, Tanmai and his
co-founder shifted their strategy. They closed the consulting firm and sought
venture capital to focus on their technology. They launched their product as an
open-source project in 2018, which quickly gained traction. Their product
achieved remarkable success, reaching 2 million downloads in its first year and
100 million in the second year, with projections for further growth.
A Passion for Full-Stack Development
As a full-stack developer, Tanmai Gopal mastered a wide
range of technologies, including React, GraphQL, Node.js, Python, Haskell,
Docker, Postgres, and Kubernetes. His proficiency in these areas highlighted
his versatility and passion for technology. Tanmai was driven by a desire to
simplify the process of building applications, which became a central theme
throughout his career.
Founding Hasura: Revolutionizing GraphQL
In July 2017, Tanmai co-founded Hasura, a company that has
made a significant impact in the tech community. Hasura provides an open-source
engine that instantly delivers real-time GraphQL APIs for applications using
Postgres databases. This innovation allows developers to seamlessly integrate
business logic and automate event handling, making Hasura the fastest solution
for GraphQL APIs on Postgres.
Hasura
Hasura is an open-source tool designed to automatically
generate GraphQL or REST APIs with built-in authorization layers for your data.
By pointing Hasura to your databases, REST and GraphQL endpoints, and
third-party APIs, it creates a unified, connected, real-time, and secure
GraphQL API for all your data needs. This significantly accelerates the
development process, making it a popular choice for enterprises looking to
integrate GraphQL.
The Hasura GraphQL Engine
At its core, the Hasura GraphQL Engine is a high-performance
GraphQL server that provides instant, real-time GraphQL APIs over Postgres
databases. It includes features such as webhook triggers for database events
and remote schemas to handle complex business logic. The open-source nature of
Hasura allows developers to customize and extend its capabilities as needed.
Conclusion
Tanmai Gopal’s founding Hasura highlights his blend of
technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit. His early experiences in
computer science and various startups paved the way for Hasura, a
groundbreaking tool that simplifies the creation of real-time GraphQL APIs.
Tanmai's achievements reflect his commitment to advancing technology and
empowering developers, marking him as a significant innovator in the tech
world.
A timeline of Tanmai Gopal's journey:
2007-2012: Completed an Integrated Dual Degree in Computer Science
(BTech and MTech) from IIT Madras.
2012: Founded The Brass Plate, a home-made food delivery
startup in Chennai.
2012-2013: Worked as a research consultant at Polaris
Financial Technology, focusing on distributed systems and data mining.
2013: Co-founded Owlink, mentoring interns and first-time
programmers from IIT Madras.
2013-2017: Served as engineering lead at 34 Cross, focusing
on product development using Hasura’s technology.
2015-2017: Helped establish Tech Saloon at IIT Madras, promoting
tech innovation and collaboration.
2016: Co-created IMAD (Introduction to Modern Application
Development), India’s largest MOOC.
2017: Co-founded Hasura, providing an open-source GraphQL
engine for Postgres databases.
2018: Launched Hasura’s open-source project, which quickly
gained significant traction and user adoption.
2022: Hasura reached over 100 million downloads,
highlighting its impact and success in the tech community.
