Ninad Kulkarni

This is a story of focus.
He follows a straight line.
He explores all its layers.
He folds them all into one sandwich.
Which he eats for breakfast.

Ninad Kulkarni is a technologist. With a degree in electronics and telecommunication (2013), he worked with Mastek as a software engineer. This was followed by an entrepreneurial leap (NuknCorner) that worked on building digitalisation channels for brick and mortar shops in India.

In parallel, to enable cross pollination of skill sets, he offered B2B mobile consulting services (Fresh Gravity) in individual capacity - which involved leading teams in iOS/Android development plus applications focused on data analytics, machine learning and internet of things.

It was a nascent market with unavoidable hurdles, which led to him and his partners having to cease their company’s operations. However, this served as a stepping stone, and he joined MetaMorphoSys Technologies as a core team member (2017).

A childhood interest in robotics and the wide application of embedded systems - and having designed a tele-medicine project in sixth grade (2001), Ninad’s decision to later pursue a degree in engineering (MIT Aurangabad) was a self fulfilling prophecy. He attributes this to the support he has always received from his parents, extended family and family friends - in the form of subject matter expertise and a nurturing access to knowledge.

In addition to active participation in college committees, Ninad has always been hungry for new technological developments in his field of education. He sought this information from his seniors, and from a merry band of fellow batchmates who were ever itching to kickstart a project or another. Reminiscing on his undergraduate education, he says:

“Our college was not the best in the region, but that was no reason we could not make the most of what we had. We learned what we could, networked aggressively, organised grand inter-college and intra-college tech events. Our curriculum was arguably rote. However, I soon realised that it was not intended for us to mug-up the course material, but to develop our intuition around the process of engineering. This intuitive approach, once developed, allows one to look around the corner and conceptualise the future.”

His first job at Mastek was an enriching experience. In three years, Ninad was involved in major projects for the public sector and healthcare, retail, insurance markets - across the UK, US, Japan, Singapore and India. Notably, his immediate reporting manager ensured this exposure and built him up within the organisation - allowing opportunities to work closely with the senior and top management. When Ninad expressed a desire to quit employment in order to build his own venture - a senior figure expressed confidence, offering him a safety net:

“Take a six month sabbatical.
If things do not work out, join us again.
If things do work out - I would gladly support you.
This is because I believe in you.”

Ninad leaped, brimming with gratitude. From wanting to pursue an MBA abroad and perhaps work out of a blazer-clad cabin at Mastek - his sense of purpose now had him rolling up his sleeves, and stepping out to build.

There was a healthy amount of doubt. How does one validate a new idea? How does one calculate risk associated with an idea that cannot be validated in its entirety? He found his answer through many a conversation with business leaders and fellow entrepreneurs - and an element of self realisation:

“Focus on your core skills. Trust your gut. Have faith. Pre-empt.

This helps when starting one’s own business. While the founder may have a well-defined vision and honest empathy, there is a risk of personal perception not overlapping with reality. Wanting to ride a straight rocket to the moon is great, but it is still a trajectory, a curve with contingency calculations built in. It is like driving a car on a swerving road towards a destination, a foot on the accelerator, a foot on the brake.”

Ninad believes in the potential of the Indian economy - suggesting that a psychological step change is essential for new product development that will lead to an economic step change. He shares his belief on how the ‘colonial hangover’ results in a lack of self belief, causing many Indians to be in a ‘follower’ mindset as opposed to a ‘leadership’ one. For Indian engineers, letting go of their inferiority complex need not mean developing a superiority complex instead. Adopting an India-centric viewpoint need not be a challenge to a global/glocal mindset, but should add to its multidimensional kaleidoscopic beauty. Grounding oneself into one’s heritage, and creating products for the world. Diverse lifestyles. Uniformity in core value systems. Singularity.

“I’m a family man, Sushrut.”

Ninad has focused on continuous skill development, identifying gaps and seeking to bridge them. He has focused on a core purpose that sharpened with time through a diligent self assessment - from scoring well in degree school and wanting to climb a corporate ladder, to (now) driving incremental and radical innovation in product development for insurance companies, aiding their MetaMorphoSys (sorry).

Our conversation on a Sunday afternoon was an easy reflection on his thriving career, which has evolved through a pursuit of new technologies and familial warmth. Ninad has showcased sincere enterprise, while building a strong network with a reputation that precedes him. On his way to completing a decade of self discovery as an ‘intrapreneur’, his approach to work and family life stays firmly integrated.

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Words: Ninad Kulkarni, in conversation with Sushrut Munje