From College Dreams to AI Innovations
Kamalakar Devaki
Founder,
SandLogic
When most graduates were refining their resumes, Kamalakar Devaki was busy assembling a team to embark on a groundbreaking entrepreneurial journey. While still in college, he worked part-time to develop tech solutions for local businesses like medical shops and auto repair shops. This early exposure ignited his passion for innovation and solidified his desire to create something impactful. Driven by the childhood dream, Kamal initially took a job to gain experience before breaking away from the corporate world to start his own venture. While global figures and multi-billion-dollar enterprises offered broad inspiration, Kamal found his real motivation in the people he worked closely with. His inspiration for entrepreneurship came from a mix of influences – family members who ran businesses, mentors from his early career, and managers who shaped his thinking. The vision ultimately led to the creation of SandLogic. As the founder and CEO of SandLogic, Kamal has channelled over two decades of IT experience into advancing the company’s position in the AI landscape. The decision to focus on generative AI, edge AI, and AI coprocessors was a natural progression from his work in IT architecture. Observing the growing interest in AI among customers and recognising its potential for transformative applications on small devices, Kamal was determined to address these emerging needs. Under his leadership, SandLogic has achieved significant milestones with innovative products like the ExSLerate AI chip, TXTR for advanced OCR and ICR, and LingoForge for AI-driven language processing. His contributions have earned him awards such as ‘100 Inspiring Entrepreneurs’, ‘Innovation Leader’, and ‘High-Flyer 50’ underscoring his influential role in shaping the future of AI technology. When speaking with TradeFlock, Kamal speaks more about his journey.
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What initial challenges did you face with customer knowledge and talent acquisition?
Initially, having a trusted founding team, including close friends and my wife, helped us to overcome challenges like dealing with non-paying customers. However, finding new business was difficult, especially since AI is still emerging. To address talent acquisition, we began collaborating with colleges, hiring interns for six-month to year-long terms. This allowed us to integrate them into our culture and assess their potential. Since 2020, we’ve trained 100+ interns, with roughly 50% joining us and the others moving on to companies like Sony, AMD, Intel, Bosch, and Continental. This approach has become a core strength of our talent strategy.
What roles do you play, and what keeps you up at night?
I wear many hats throughout the day, but by night, I’m the CTO. As CTO, I focus on emerging technologies and customer adoption trends, dedicating my mornings to strategic planning. My day is spent evaluating product features and offering feedback. Concerns about revenue and expansion also keep me up at night. I rely on my team, advisors, and mentors to navigate these challenges. Staying agile and adapting to evolving situations have been crucial to our startup’s success.
How do you encourage innovation and learning in your organisation?
At SandLogic, we promote innovation and continuous learning through our PPRP strategy—Product, Project, Research, and PoC/Paper. We encourage every employee to engage directly with our products and customer projects, gaining real-world insights that help refine our technology. Research plays a key role, with employees selecting topics related to their work, conducting research, and developing proof-of-concept (PoC) projects. These PoCs often lead to new product features. This approach ensures our team stays innovative, actively contributes to our growth, and continuously advances their expertise.
What are three critical lessons you've learnt as a professional and a founder?
From my journey as a founder, the key lessons that stand out are meticulous planning and adaptability. They are crucial, as every aspect of the business rests on your shoulders in a startup. Second, shifting from a purely technological focus to a broader business transformation mindset. This is very challenging and demands involvement in all facets of the enterprise. Finally, self-reliance and ownership. Unlike in a corporate environment with established support systems, a startup requires you to anticipate challenges and devise solutions independently to drive sustained growth and success.
What's the strategy behind SandLogic's chip development?
The development of our AI chip at SandLogic began with a customer challenge to run AI on small devices. Embracing the idea, we started by creating frameworks to adapt neural networks for these devices. When the Indian government launched a microprocessor challenge, we proposed developing a local AI chip. Our innovation exercise led to a top-ranking submission. As a leader, I envision a low-cost chip capable of 10 trillion operations per second, under one watt. This milestone chip has broad potential applications
Has SandLogic raised funding, and what challenges have you encountered with investors?
Yes, we’ve secured funding and are now approaching our Series A round. However, the novelty of the chip industry in India presents challenges, as many investors are more familiar with service-based businesses. Pitching our unique product to analysts with limited experience in this field has made it difficult to convey its value. Despite these obstacles, we’ve remained persistent and, with the support of a strong team and knowledgeable advisors, have successfully navigated these challenges.
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