The Tech Icon

Aditya Singla & Chitra Rakesh

5.0 (3)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
UPDATED MONTHLY

A podcast that brings to you stunning stories and extraordinary journeys of technology icons. Real, unfiltered conversations with industry leaders!

OCT 31

The Remarkable Journey of Kumar Saurabh, the CEO & Co-Founder of AirMDR

A passionate builder and a serial entrepreneur, Kumar Saurabh, the CEO & Co-Founder of AirMDR, is onto his third venture. Following an IPO and an acquisition, Kumar is building an AI-powered Managed Detection & Response (MDR) service. In this episode of The Tech Icon, he talks about the golden age of AI, shares his vision for the future, and reflects on his early years. Kumar brings more than 20 years of industry experience and holds a master’s in computer science from Columbia University and a bachelor’s from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Outside of work, he enjoys public market investing, a good game of poker, and spending time with his wife, Clara, and children, Maya and Arjun.

31 min
AUG 19

The Captivating Story of Rob Woollen, the CTO & Co-Founder of Sigma

After going without revenue for seven straight years and a series of bold pivots, Rob, the CTO & Co-Founder of Sigma, finally witnessed the revenue graph of his company take off like a rocket ship! Today his unicorn has raised more than $500 million in venture capital and powers over 1,000 enterprise customers. In this episode of The Tech Icon, he unpacks Sigma's rather unconventional journey to $100 million in ARR. A Princeton University graduate in computer science, Rob is a brilliant technologist and innovator. He knew he wanted to become a programmer when he was 12 and the first piece of code he ever wrote was a program to help his mom tabulate student grades. Prior to Sigma, he served as the CTO and Chief Architect at Salesforce and BEA Systems. When he’s not working, he enjoys good wine, cooking, and spending time with his family.

32 min
MAR 15

The Magnificent Journey of Kishore Gopalakrishna, the CEO & Co-Founder of StarTree

A leading technologist and the co-creator of Apache Pinot, Kishore Gopalakrishna founded StarTree to truly democratize real-time analytics and unlock the power of data. StarTree has raised a total of $75 million in venture capital. In this episode of The Tech Icon, he shares his startup journey, the concept of learning to learn, and his passion for the game of cricket. A medium pace bowler turned batsman, Kishore dreamed about becoming a truck driver as a little boy. He holds a bachelor’s in electronics from the National Institute of Technology in India. Kishore loves solving hard problems and lives in Los Altos with his family. He enjoys being a robotics dad to his daughter, Sanvi, and a chess dad to his son, Saahas.

33 min
FEB 18

The Phenomenal Journey of Zhamak Dehghani, the CEO and Founder of Nextdata

A pioneer, author, and the undisputed queen of Data Mesh, Zhamak Dehghani founded Nextdata with a vision to solve the grand challenge of data management at scale. In this episode of The Tech Icon, she shares her experiences of growing up in the war torn country of Iran and how she channelized her anger and frustration to build and innovate. A self-confessed "troublemaker" and a technologist with more than 25 years of experience, Zhamak is a shining star in the male dominated world of tech. She did her bachelor’s in software engineering from the Shahid Beheshti University in Iran and her master’s from the University of Sydney in Australia. Today, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Adrian, and their eight-year-old daughter, Arianna.

50 min
JAN 12

The Amazing Journey of Christian Beedgen, the former CTO & Co-Founder of Sumo Logic

From driving a cab in Germany to driving technology trends in the United States, Christian Beedgen, the former CTO & Co-Founder of Sumo Logic, hacked his way into the world of entrepreneurship with his insane programming chops. In this episode of The Tech Icon, he shares his extraordinary journey to the Sumo Logic IPO and beyond. A self-taught programmer who grew up in a German village and dreamed of becoming a rock singer at the age of five, Christian landed in Seattle for an internship, in the late nineties. His company Sumo Logic raised more than $300 million in venture capital, made its public debut on NASDAQ in September 2020, and was acquired by Francisco Partners in May 2023. Today, Christian lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and three fur babies.

30 min
11/13/2024

The Stunning Story of Dheeraj Pandey, the CEO & Co-Founder of DevRev

Pioneer. Dreamer. Philanthropist. He has created more than a thousand millionaires, he has donated more than $20 million to humanitarian causes, and he has built two iconic companies. Meet Dheeraj Pandey, the Co-Founder of DevRev and Nutanix. He also sits on the board of Adobe. In this episode of The Tech Icon, he shares his incredible journey interlaced with deep personal moments. Dheeraj gets his humility and fierce resolve from his parents. He did his bachelor’s in computer science from IIT, Kanpur, and his master’s from UT Austin. Today his company, DevRev commands a market valuation of $1.15 billion while Nutanix has a market cap of $17 billion. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

39 min
10/18/2024

The Fascinating Story of Abhinav Khushraj, the former CEO & Co-Founder of Petasense

From the narrow streets of Chennai to the heart of Silicon Valley, Abhinav Khushraj, the former CEO & Co-Founder of Petasense, used "education" to live his American dream. Today, he works at the cutting edge of AI as the Head of Product at Google (BigQuery). In this episode of The Tech Icon, he shares the promise of AI, his entrepreneurial journey, and the importance of kindness and empathy. Abhinav believes in technology for impact rather than technology for its sake. He did his bachelor's in computer science from BITS Pilani, master's from the University of Florida, and an MBA from MIT. Outside of work, he enjoys being a fencing parent to his son, playing with his daughter, and learning Spanish on Duolingo.

30 min
09/17/2024

The Incredible Journey of Justin Borgman, the CEO & Co-Founder of Starburst

With a strong urge to change the world and have the biggest impact, Justin Borgman, the CEO & Co-Founder of Starburst, knew his calling as a teenager. In this episode of The Tech Icon, he shares how he stumbled upon his first startup idea while studying at Yale, the origins of Starburst, and his entrepreneurship journey. Justin strongly believes in the values of grit, integrity, and endurance. Named one of the most Exceptional Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs, he is a pioneer in the field of data and analytics. His company, Starburst, has raised a total of $414 million in venture capital at a market valuation of $3.35 billion.

30 min
08/13/2024

The Spectacular Journey of Rajat Bhargava, the CEO & Co-Founder of JumpCloud

10X Founder. Author. Investor. Meet Rajat Bhargava, an industry legend and the CEO & Co-Founder of JumpCloud. Rajat has founded 10 companies with eight exits, including two IPOs and six trade sales. In this episode of The Tech Icon, he shares his many adventures and learnings including attending two high schools, taking on Microsoft, and dealing with pressure. From founding his first as a senior at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to his tenth with more than 200,000 enterprise customers, Rajat is a powerhouse of knowledge. His company, JumpCloud, has raised $425 million in venture capital and commands a market valuation of $2.65 billion. Rajat has also co-authored The Startup Playbook: Founder-to-Founder Advice From Two Startup Veterans.

32 min
07/15/2024

The Inspiring Journey of Satyen Sangani, the CEO & Co-Founder of Alation

Did you know that Satyen Sangani, the CEO & Co-Founder of Alation, never wanted to be an entrepreneur? Or that an 18-hour phone call altered the course of his life, forever? In this episode of The Tech Icon, Satyen shares his extraordinary journey, the future of data and analytics, and advice for founders, builders, and students. Satyen is on a mission to empower a more curious and rational world. He holds a Master’s in Economics from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor's from Columbia University. His company, Alation, achieved a unicorn status in the year 2021, a centaur status in the year 2022, and has raised a total of $340M in venture capital. Outside of work, Satyen is a family man: a doting dad, a loving husband, and a caring son.

32 min
SEASON 1 TRAILER

Prelude: The Tech Icon

Debuting in July of 2024. The Tech Icon is a podcast that brings to you stunning stories and extraordinary journeys of technology icons. This prelude is an ode to our guests—pioneers and visionaries—who’ve built disruptive businesses, conquered new frontiers, and improved human lives.

1 min

TRAILER

Prelude: The Tech Icon

Debuting in July of 2024. The Tech Icon is a podcast that brings to you stunning stories and extraordinary journeys of technology icons. This prelude is an ode to our guests—pioneers and visionaries—who’ve built disruptive businesses, conquered new frontiers, and improved human lives.

S1

•

1 min

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

A podcast that brings to you stunning stories and extraordinary journeys of technology icons. Real, unfiltered conversations with industry leaders!

Creator

Aditya Singla & Chitra Rakesh
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

11
Copyright

© Aditya Singla
Show Website

The Tech Icon