My guest today is Dr. Kishore Reddy, co-founder of & Chief Strategy Officer at ProHance.

Conversation highlights:

Background & Early Life:

• Kishore grew up across India—moving from Gujarat to Delhi and eventually settling in Bangalore, which he considers his home.

Medical Career & Transition to IT:

• Completed his MBBS from Bangalore Medical College with plans to pursue neurology residency in the US, inspired by family members.
• After facing US visa denials (under section 214B), his brother Kiran suggested exploring the booming IT field around 1998–1999.
• Approached Sudhir Sharma at Network Solutions to learn IT on the job without demanding a salary.
• Leveraged his medical background's intensive reading habits to quickly master IT manuals.

Early IT Experience & Growth:

• Had early exposure to computers during childhood thanks to his father and brother, including learning GW-BASIC.
• Worked on a World Bank-funded Health Information System (HIS) / Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) project for the Government of Karnataka.
• Mentored by DVN Sarma, gaining early exposure to data analytics and statistics.
• Network Solutions was acquired by IBM in 2005, leading to Kishore working at IBM for four and a half years.

Founding Jamocha Tech:

• Decided to start his own venture in October 2008 and teamed up with Rajesh (his former colleague from Network Solutions).
• Received early mentorship and backing from Sudhir Sharma.
• Named the company Jammocha Tech over coffee at Barista, driven by their passion for Java technology.

Evolution to ProHance:

• Initially built multiple products (e.g., network management, energy management) before streamlining focus.
• Shifted roles based on advice: Kishore transitioned to sales/technology head, while Rajesh handled delivery and support.
• Coined the name ProHance from "Productivity Enhancement" ("Pro" + "Hance").
• Rebranded completely to Prohands to avoid market confusion between the company and product names.
• Formally established ProHance India Private Limited in 2020, with ChrysCapital taking a majority stake in 2023.

Key Entrepreneurial Takeaways:

• Adaptability: Expect the journey not to be a straight line and remain flexible.
• Team Building: Recognize that while founders start the journey, the team drives the company's ultimate success.
• Brand Focus: Avoid confusing customers with too many entity/product names; stick to one strong identity.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kishore-r-2a37aa5/

Experienced Chief Technology Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Strong product engineering skills. Built and rolled out several large enterprise class products across various domains.