Successful StartUp Exits

“The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not to start at all” – Seth Godin, Squidoo founder, author and blogger

“If you get an opportunity to do startup, please consider doing so, it will teach you more about yourself than any MBA” – Venki

Co-Founder & VP Engineering at Verdeeco: Aug 2010-13

Verdeeco was built to revolutionize utility software by offering cloud-only deployment, on-demand access to applications, and a flexible pay-per-use financial model. By eliminating capital-intensive server purchases and providing instant access to cloud-based tools, we enabled electric municipalities and cooperatives to adopt cutting-edge solutions without financial risk.

Key Contributions and Achievements

Led the design and development of a fully cloud-native SaaS platform.
Pioneered an on-demand application model, allowing utilities to access and use only the specific tools they needed, always on the latest version.
Introduced an innovative pay-as-you-go pricing structure, where utilities paid only for the assets analyzed, without large upfront costs.
Secured $600K in Series A angel funding and helped acquire the company’s first customers.
Played a key role in Verdeeco’s acquisition by Sensus, later acquired by Xylem in March 2014 for $3.5 million, delivering a 5x ROI for early investors.

This experience reinforced my expertise in cloud computing, SaaS scalability, and developing innovative business models for widespread adoption.

Founder & CEO at Ecologic Analytics (previously WACS): Sep 2001-05

The demand for utility data warehousing was clear, yet most companies discarded 99% of daily meter reads, relying only on monthly data for billing. Seeing this inefficiency, I worked with utilities to develop an early Meter Data Management (MDM) solution, leading to WACS. After successful trials and adoption, WACS was acquired by Bayard Group and later sold to Landis+Gyr/Toshiba.

Key Contributions and Achievements

Developed an Oracle 11-based data warehouse, storing 10 years of meter reads from any AMI network.
Led production implementation at multiple investor-owned utilities, processing 1.2 million daily reads from the CellNet AMI network.
Invested four years of sweat equity and $100K to grow the company.
Negotiated an acquisition with Bayard Group, which later sold the division to Landis+Gyr/Toshiba, delivering a 9x ROI.
The MDM solution remains in use today, supporting electric, gas, and water utilities with applications such as VEE and flexible billing routing.

This venture strengthened my expertise in data warehousing, AMI integration, and driving innovative solutions in the utility sector.