Aashish Kalra

Aashish Kalra
Nationality	Indian American
Occupation	Investor

Aashish Kalra (also known as Ashish Kalra) is a business professional and an equity investor. He currently serves as chairman of Cambridge Technology Enterprises^[1] and Cambridge Innovations.^[2] Since his appointment, Aashish has made the company into a technology platform focused on the convergence of cloud and big data.^[3] and double its revenue in 1 year.^[4] He was the Founder and of Trikona Capital.^[5][6] He is a socially conscious investor^[7][8]

Early life

Mr. Kalra attended The Doon School at Dehradun in India. He also holds a master's degree in international finance from Brandeis University, Waltham, USA, and graduated from St. Stephens College, Delhi with a bachelor's degree in economics (honors). He did his thesis on the Japanese Financial System at Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan.

Career

Cambridge Technology Enterprises

Aashish took over the company formally on the 1 January 2015. Under his leadership, Cambridge Technology Enterprises embarked on two year business plan (January 2015 till December 2016) focused on building the right partnership, invest in talent, expand the company’s service offerings and acquire new customers across key verticals.^[9]

Cambridge Technology Enterprises has overseen a 156% growth in net profit and 86% growth in revenue for the quarter that ended January–March 2015.^[1] In June 2015, the company also saw a rise in its overall revenue by 109.27% in the quarter ended June 2015 as against during the previous quarter ended June 2014.^[10][11] Since then, the company has also seen an incremental growth^[12] & is now looking to investing hiring the right talent and training them and upskilling current employees for the future by in setting competency centers^[13]

• Net profit rose by 1020.00% in the quarter ended September 2015 as against the previous quarter ended September 2014^[14][15]
• Cambridge Technology Enterprises also saw Sales rise by 109.63% in the quarter ended September 2015 as against the previous quarter ended September 2014^[16]
• Coinciding with the robust growth in revenues, shares in Cambridge Technology Enterprises rose over 1800% in 1 year^{[3][17][18][19][20]}

The company has also build several strategic partnerships with leading Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon.com and Oracle.

The success can largely be attributed to Aashish's vision of transforming the company as a sophisticated technology platform based on Big Data, Analytics^[21] and Cloud with the focus on building a better incubation model out of India to test technologies that would later be internationalized-a move which has seen the company's stock rise by over 700% over the year.^[4]

Strategic Partnerships

• Oracle - CTE achieved Platinum Partner status in Oracle Partner Network following which Cambridge Technology Enterprises is eligible to develop, sell, and implement the full stack of Oracle Cloud products and solutions. Maintaining said focus on the intersection of big data and cloud, CTE has strengthened its Oracle product offerings particularly with Platform as a Service (PaaS), Data as a Service (DaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – all of which are components of Oracle Cloud Solutions.^[22][23]
• ForgeRock -Cambridge Technology Enterprises partnered with ForgeRock to address the expanding market opportunity for identity management solutions that leverage the power of cloud, mobile and Internet of Things adoption^[24][25]
• Apica Systems^[26]
• Tableau Software Alliance partnership that allows Cambridge Technology Enterprises to integrate Tableau's software into its Cloud and Big Data offerings^[27]
• New Relic - As a member of New Relic’s partner program, Cambridge Technology Enterprises's customers will be enabled to use the company’s suite of software analytics products to enhance software performance management and monitoring.^[28][29]
• I.D. Systems -Cambridge Technology Enterprises signed a multi-year agreement is composed of multiple system, smoke, and automation testing initiatives.^[30][31]

Cambridge Innovations

On 16 December^[32] Mr. Aashish Kalra also announced that Cambridge Technology Enterprises would be launching an investment hub, Cambridge Innovations^[2] -for an early-stage investment in India & US-based start-ups, to tap into emerging technology and innovation, while at the same time address its core problem of getting employees trained in new technologies.^[33][34][35]

Cambridge Innovations (CI), is an investor and technology partner to early stage companies leveraging technologies in the area of cloud and big data for disruption.^[36]

Cambridge Innovations aims to provide capital, people and technical knowledge to early stage entrepreneurs looking to reach the next level of growth with reduced technology risk.^[37] The firm will provide up to 25% of seed capital to launch, a two-year technology plan and the product team to help execute it.^[38]

As a long-term partner and investor, CI will accelerate a start-up’s growth and success. Entrepreneurs can expect to:^[39]

• Get to a better Series A faster
• Have time to focus on sales and marketing, rather than solely on product development
• Accelerate their product roadmap strategically, and
• Collaborate with a scalable and redundant technology team

In a recent interview with Dataquest,^[40] Aashish, Chairman, Cambridge Innovations was quoted

“Cambridge Innovations understands the challenges facing entrepreneurs today; a faster-time to market, the ability to scale, the right product development team and the necessary capital are the difference between long term success, or failure. CI will meet these needs and remain committed to each start-up. This benefits Cambridge Technology Enterprises by creating a strong pool of future clients and access to the strongest innovation in the field.”

Under Aashish’s tutelage, Cambridge Innovations has targeted investing in 12 US-based start-ups by March 2017^[41] and have plans in place to scale it up to 50 investments^[42] over the next three years.^{[43][44][45][46][47]}

Cambridge Innovations currently has three firms in its portfolio:

• Causemo is evolving the experience of charitable giving by seamlessly integrating cause appeals into everyday digital consumer experiences. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Causemo is a digital giving platform targeting the US$358 billion a year US non-profit donation market. The company is creating simple and engaging ways for consumers to learn about, donate to, and champion a cause. For causes, corporate sponsors, apps and sites, Causemo makes it easy to customize campaigns and reach target audiences. Causemo recently raised US$4 million is currently partnered with nearly 20 cause organizations, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, City Year, and Save the Children.
• Authess is changing the way education and professional assessments are done, by using data science to determine what someone can do. Based in Boston MA, the company is led by Chris Kaiser, the former Provost of MIT, and former mobile executives from Pearson. The company’s mobile and online assessments platform utilizes creative problem solving challenges to determine a person’s readiness to apply his or her knowledge to real-world problems. This enables educators and employers to measure, for the first time, effectively and affordably what someone can do.
• RoadZen, with its app StrandD, is disrupting the roadside assistance market through a transformative offering. Started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by a Carnegie Mellon alumni, StrandD is the largest on-demand roadside assistance service in India with 18,000 providers in 1,500 cities. StrandD is building a global footprint through key partnerships and will launch service in its next country in Q1 2016.

CTE LLC/IBCC & other technology ventures

Kalra is a Venture Capitalist (VC) and was a partner at Cambridge Technology Enterprises (CTE LLC). CTE LLC established several successful companies in the Information Technology space. At CTE LLC,^[48] Aashish Kalra was also one of the co-founders of Cambridge/Samsung Partners, one of the earliest independent venture capital firm in Boston in 1996 in partnership with Samsung of Korea with a vision to provide funding and assistance for seed and early stage IT companies. He was also a co-founder of Cambridge Samsung Resources, a leading Systems Integrator. He also concluded successful partnerships and joint ventures with Hewlett-Packard, Marubeni, NEC and other global 1000 companies. CTE LLC/Cambridge Samsung Partners/IBCC have been associated as founders and investors of several successful technology companies.

Key IPOs include:

• Cambridge Technology Partners: IPO in 1990, Acquired by Novell in 2002.
• Open Environment: IPO in 1993, Acquired by Inprise in 1995.
• i-Cube: IPO in 1995, Acquired by Razorfish in 1998,
• One Wave: IPO in 1997
• Integrated Computing Engines (ICE): IPO in 1997, Acquired by Media 100 in 2000^[49]
• Cambridge Samsung Resources, IPO in 1998, Acquired by Pretzel Logic^[50]
• C-Bridge: IPO in 1999, Acquired by Progress Software in 2003,
• N*Able technologies: Acquired by Wave Systems in 1999^[51]
• Cambridge Technology Enterprises Limited: IPO in 2007^[52] in 2009.

Cambridge Energy Holdings (CEH Global), Cambridge Energy Resources (CER Inc) , now known as, Cambridge Clean Energy Limited (CCE)

Aashish Kalra is a Managing Partner at Cambridge Energy Holdings and its subsidiary Cambridge Energy Resources, a leading Renewable Energy/Clean Technology company which specializes in developing energy efficient products and services for the telecom tower industry under every possible grid availability such as off-grid, on-grid and unreliable grid solutions with a focus on EmSaaS (Energy Management Solution as a service) across the globe. Recently Cambridge Energy Resources merged with Clean Power Systems Holdings (CPS) of Africa, resulting in the new venture, Cambridge Clean Energy(CCE).

Cambridge Clean Energy (CCE) has raised over $21 million in Series A funding led by technology-focused venture capital firm Amadeus Capital Partners.^[53][54] Cambridge Clean Energy is currently working towards expanding their operations across India and Africa with an aim to become the largest distributor of renewable power in emerging markets.^[55] CCE will also strive to adhere to the Cambridge Energy Resources vision of being socially conscious by achieving the lowest cost per kWh of energy.^[55]

Trikona Capital

He was one of the earliest Private Equity(PE) investors in India and responsible for raising one of the largest funds dedicated to the Indian infrastructure and real estate markets. As a co-founder and one of the principals of Trikona Capital,^[56] the manager for a USD $500 million India-focused private equity fund called Trinity^[57] listed on the London Stock exchange’s AIM market in 2005, Mr. Kalra was principally responsible for the creation of the Trikona platform in India^[58] including buildup of the in-country team and partnerships with a number of India’s premier public/private development vehicles such as IL&FS^[59] and HUDCO. During this time, Mr. Kalra worked closely with IL&FS and IL&FS Investment Managers and was the key member of the investment committees of the joint ventures that invested in excess of USD $500million^[60] together.

Mr. Kalra was also a key member of Trikona’s Investment Committee, which invested in some of the most successful Indian real estate and infrastructure transactions^[61][62] over the past decade. Some key exits were IPOs of Pipavav Shipyard Ltd., IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd., and D B Realty Ltd. The combined asset value of the IL&FS and Trikona portfolio was in excess of USD $10 billion.^[63] Over the investment period between 2005 and 2008, Trikona executed over 5 exits, achieving IRR’s of over 95%; the fund also grew its AUM to approximately USD $1bl. by 2008. Mr. Kalra stepped down from running Trikona following the purchase of a controlling stake in Trinity by hedge fund investors^[64] in 2009^[65][66][67]

Spydre LLC

Aashish Kalra established Spydre LLC a global hi-tech venture catalyst, where he grew the portfolio to over $50 mm and a client base of over 25 companies spread across three continents (Europe, North America, South America) and established strategic relationships whilst maintaining a profitable business model.

Key Strategic Investors include:

• WPP plc
• Merrill Lynch
• IBM

He is a socially conscious^[7] investor who has built one of the largest platforms for institutional investors looking to invest in Indian infrastructure and real estate.^[68]

Television and public speaking

Aashish has been often quoted^[69] in leading Indian & international media and was featured in the Young Turks program on CNBC.^[70][71] Having led Cambridge Technology Enterprises to numerous milestones, Aashish has been interviewed a number of times by India’s leading business media.^{[72][73][74][75][76]} Following recent success with Cambridge Technology Enterprises and launching Cambridge Innovations –he was featured on CNBC-TV18^[77][78] and Bloomberg TV India.^[79] Aashish Kalra was also featured on TV5 (India)^[80] where he shared his thoughts on a healthy forecast for Cambridge Technology Enterprises^[81] and with Bloomberg TV India where he spoke about his plans for the company's growth.^[4] He has also written a number of industry articles, most recently on "Is big data a sound investment?", published on [India Infoline]^[82] and was also recently quoted on "How a blend of technology and human touch can help HR to manage their quantitative information and'human capital' more effectively".^[83]

He is a frequent international speaker and has participated in industry events in America, Europe, India, China and the Middle East. In 2008, he was named one of the "Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business"^[84] and also a panel speaker at the One Globe: Uniting Knowledge communities conference where he discussed "Digital India: Can e-commerce entrepreneurs drive digital adoption in India?"^[85]

References

External links

• Aashish Kalra
• Aashish Kalra, One Globe Conference
• Cambridge Energy Resources Inc, Bloomberg
• Cambridge Energy Holdings Team
• Cambridge Energy Resources Leadership Team