Spring 11 MASTER.indd - Thunderbird Magazine

india catches its stride
neurs, but by those closer to home such as Ratan
Tata, chairman of Tata Group, India’s largest private
conglomerate, and Azim Premji, the leader
of Wipro Technologies.
“One needs to really understand all of the
dynamics of India to be successful,” Reddy says.
“You need to really cater to most segments to
be a truly profitable company in India, whether
your customer is a person riding a bike or someone
driving an Audi. Having an Indian mindset
really kicks in.”
As president of the Thunderbird Entrepreneurship
Network, Reddy looks forward to returning
to India and starting his own business in
the service sector.
“There is huge interest from every sector, and
it isn’t just about the bottom of the pyramid,” he
says. “There’s a huge luxury market here as well.”
CHENNAI:
Recovering from setback
Krishna Chilukuri ’10 was in Lagos, Nigeria,
with a problem. As the founder of Roanakh,
an energy company that built and sold custom
solar panels, he came to Africa to capitalize on
growing interest in the renewable energy sector.
He had completed a few projects and had several
promising leads with the Nigerian government
when the recession hit. Oil prices dropped, and
then all bets were off.
So Chilukuri, who worked internationally for
16 years in software sales and development with
Dassault Systemes before starting Roanakh, hit
the books. He enrolled at the Indian School of
Business in Hyderabad and then Thunderbird to
complete a certificate in advanced studies. Once
on campus, he began to see the far-reaching
entrepreneurial opportunity his home country
offered for someone with his background and
skills to bounce back.
“Ten to 15 years ago, there were a lot of barriers
to doing business because the government
controlled so many aspects of the economy,”
Chilukuri says. “But we’ve opened up. Now is
the time. Today the whole country is growing so
fast that I feel if you aren’t dynamic, you could
be left behind.”
When he finished at Thunderbird, he went
home and started a new venture that built on
his corporate background: Catapult Tech Inc. in
Chennai, which outsources 3-D CAD modeling.
“Those of us who have worked abroad bring
knowledge back to India that gives us an edge
and helps us to stand out,” he says. “Going to
Thunderbird gives us that exposure and confidence
to talk to global customers. We feel we
have the skills and the knowledge to contribute
to the economy, and it’s almost a responsibility
that we have to shoulder.”
Right now, Chilukuri is taking advantage of India’s
highly skilled technical workforce to build
his business. He’s also coming out with his first
book, “India’s Place in the World,” essentially an
International Political Economy primer specific
to India inspired by Thunderbird Professor Roy
Nelson, Ph.D.
Roanakh is on hold for the moment, but Chulukuri
is optimistic.
“Today in every sector
there is space for
all kinds of private
ventures,” he says. “To
me, I think that is the
monumental shift
that gives entrepreneurs
the confidence
to do things.”
Krishna Chilukuri ’10 at the
Taj Connemara in Triplicane, Chennai,
Jan. 18, 2011.
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