Early Life and Career Beginnings
Suresh Sambandam, the founder and CEO of Kiss flow, hails from a modest background in India. Before venturing into the entrepreneurial world, he worked at Hewlett Packard (HP), where he was profoundly influenced by the “HP Way,” a philosophy that emphasizes trust and competency in employees. This experience laid the foundation for his future endeavors in building a strong organizational culture at Kiss flow.
Entrepreneurial Journey
Sambandam’s entrepreneurial journey began with the founding of Orange scape in 2003. Orange scape initially focused on rule-based computing but faced several challenges with its early products. The first product, ‘Dimension,’ aimed to simplify business app development without requiring programming skills. Despite gaining some traction, the market wasn’t ready for such a solution, leading to the product’s limited success.
Undeterred, Sambandam pivoted the company multiple times. The second pivot, Visual PaaS, addressed business application and workflow needs using cloud computing. While technologically sound, it again did not achieve significant market success. These early setbacks were critical learning experiences that shaped his approach to product development and market fit.
The Birth and Growth of Kissflow
The pivotal moment came in 2012 with the launch of Kiss flow, a workflow automation tool integrated with Google Apps. This product marked Orangescape’s transition from a platform-as-a-service (Paas) to a software-as-a-service (Saas) model. Kiss flow was designed to democratize application development through low-code and no-code solutions, empowering non-technical users to automate workflows efficiently.
Kissflow rapidly gained traction, evolving from a simple workflow tool to a comprehensive work management platform by 2018. Today, it serves over 10,000 customers across 160 countries, including major corporations like PepsiCo and Michelin Tyres. The platform is industry-agnostic, catering to diverse sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and finance.
Philosophy and Leadership Style
Suresh Sambandam’s leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in trust, continuous learning, and innovation. He emphasizes the importance of employee empowerment and creating a people-first culture. His approach is influenced by his belief in combining technological prowess with strong marketing strategies. Sambandam is particularly passionate about leveraging digital workplace trends and artificial intelligence to drive business innovation.
Contributions to the SaaS Ecosystem
Beyond Kiss flow, Sambandam is a significant figure in the Indian SaaS community. He is a co-founder of Saasboomi, a collective of SaaS founders and entrepreneurs aimed at fostering collaboration and growth within the industry. His vision is to see the Indian SaaS sector become a trillion-dollar industry, and he actively mentors and supports emerging SaaS startups.
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, Sambandam is focused on expanding Kiss flow’s capabilities and market reach. He anticipates significant growth in the adoption of low-code and no-code solutions, driven by the increasing need for businesses to streamline operations and enhance collaboration. Sambandam’s ambition is to continue innovating and scaling Kiss flow, aiming for substantial revenue growth and market leadership in the SaaS domain.
Suresh Sambandam’s journey from a small-town boy to a leading SaaS entrepreneur exemplifies resilience, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. His contributions have not only transformed Kiss flow into a global player but also significantly impacted the broader SaaS landscape in India.
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GoSeek Talks: Building global scale startups ft. Suresh Sambandam
