In this episode of Software People Stories, VR Govindarajan, aka Govi, the co-founder and executive chairman of Perfios Software, shares his comprehensive journey from the early days of his career to building successful startups. Govi dives deep into his academic background, industry experience, and the various startups he co-founded, including Aztec Soft and Perfios. He emphasizes the importance of technology-focused innovation, building a product company out of India, and navigating the challenges of operating in a regulated industry. Govi also shares his insights on the value of teamwork, culture, and maintaining a larger purpose beyond just making money. Throughout the conversation, he provides valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs on raising funds, managing teams, and scaling businesses globally.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:35 Govi's Background and Career Journey

01:43 Early Startups and Challenges

02:48 Building Aztec Soft and Going Public

03:10 Transition to Perfios and Product Focus

06:18 Navigating the Dot-Com Bust

08:18 Acquisitions and Selling to MindTree

13:41 Importance of Team Effort

17:34 Choosing the BFSI Sector

20:39 Challenges in a Regulated Industry

22:29 Managing B2B Sales and Integration

24:26 Focusing on Product Development

24:46 Creating a New Market Category

25:06 Challenges of Evangelizing a New Product

26:21 Leveraging Global Trends

28:07 Expanding to International Markets

34:25 Managing Code and Customizations

36:54 Importance of Local Customer Support

38:11 Leveraging AI and Data

41:22 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

44:51 The Importance of Culture and Values

48:53 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The timestamps are approximate and do not include the time for the intro. Add about 90 seconds to locate the section

As the Co-founder & Executive Chairman, Govi has been the driving force behind building Perfios into the Operating system for the BFSI in India and across the globe. Perfios is an acknowledged technology driven SaaS Pioneer that works across almost all financial institutions (Banking and Insurance Sector) both in India and across 18 countries in South East Asia, Middle East and North Africa. Perfios is a Unicorn and is backed by some of the best Global Investors. As a fintech Pioneer, Govi has been part of many committees in industry forums such as FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM. He has been an active speaker at many BFSI related conferences and public institutions.

He brings over 35 years of rich experience in the IT industry across the US and India. Before co-founding Perfios, Govi was the Co-founder, CTO, and Board Member at Aztecsoft, a pioneering force in the offshore product development space. From being a startup, Aztecsoft got listed in the Indian markets and was run as a public company before being sold to another Public company. Prior to starting Aztecsoft, he played a key role in advancing database technologies at global technology leaders such as Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and IBM.

Govi holds an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts and a B.E. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

He may be reached at: govi@perfios.com