Akhilesh Yede

CTO

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India24 yrs 9 mos experience

Highly StableAI Enabled

Key Highlights

Led AI-driven transformations for startups at Microsoft.
Pioneered India's first woman safety watch and fitness bands.
Transformed Groupon's Ecommerce platforms with AI integration.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS and IoT expert with extensive experience in mobile technology and product development.

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Skills

Core Skills

Cloud ComputingAiEcommerceIotB2b SaasProduct DevelopmentSmart WearablesEngineering ManagementSmartphone DevelopmentSoftware EngineeringMobile Ecosystem Development

Other Skills

3GAI IntegrationAgile Project ManagementAndroid DevelopmentAzureAzure FoundryAzure OpenAICoPilotsCross-Cultural LeadershipCross-Functional CollaborationCross-Functional LeadershipData AnalyticsData PlatformsData-Driven CultureDevice Interoperability

About

Akhilesh is a results-oriented technology leader and the current CTO for Microsoft’s Digital Native Group, partnering with founders and C‑suite executives to architect and accelerate AI-driven platform transformations. With 24+ years of experience across startups and global enterprises, he has scaled high-performing engineering teams worldwide and built platforms used by millions. He has led globally distributed teams across the US, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, UK, Denmark, and India — delivering large-scale innovation across AI, cloud, IoT, and consumer devices. His journey spans launching Nokia’s first Android platform and globally successful devices like the N96, E75, and Asha smartphones; building Airtel’s market-leading IoT platforms from scratch; and embedding AI into Groupon’s merchant systems to streamline operations and drive engagement. Akhilesh is deeply passionate about building future-ready tech organizations through global collaboration, strong mentorship, and a culture of engineering excellence.

Experience

Microsoft

Chief Technology Officer - Digital Native

Feb 2025 – Present · 1 yr 1 mo · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · Hybrid

As CTO for Microsoft’s Digital Native Group, I work closely with founders and C‑suite leaders of India’s most innovative startups to shape and accelerate their AI-first transformation journeys. The focus is on scaling innovation on Azure and unlocking value through Microsoft’s advanced AI and data platforms—spanning Azure OpenAI, Azure Foundry, Microsoft Fabric, CoPilots, etc.
These offerings go beyond infrastructure, acting as accelerators for AI-native product development:
Azure Foundry provides a powerful framework for building and operationalizing custom AI copilots and multi-agent workflows,
Microsoft Fabric unifies data engineering, real-time analytics, and governance, significantly reducing time to insight,
Azure CoPilots bring domain-specific intelligence into developer tools, productivity apps, and industry workflows.
By aligning technical architecture with business outcomes, the goal is to help startups build responsibly, differentiate faster, and lead with AI across their product and platform strategies.

AIAzureData PlatformsCloud Computing

Groupon

Senior Director of Engineering, India Site Leader

Aug 2021 – Sep 2024 · 3 yrs 1 mo · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Led the transformation of Groupon's Ecommerce marketplace platforms, with full ownership and accountability for their development and performance, delivering substantial improvements and simplifications to core business functions. Spearheaded the modernisation of the deal creation and customer support platforms by integrating AI-powered tools. Championed a data-driven culture, implementing robust monitoring and analytics to optimise product performance, merchant engagement and reduction in support contact cases.
Co-led the India site, fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, and innovation across all cross-functional teams (HR, TA, Facilities, Finance, etc.). Streamlined recruitment processes and performance management systems, implementing metrics to measure success and drive continuous improvement.

EcommerceAI IntegrationData-Driven CulturePerformance ManagementAI

Airtel x labs

VP, Head Of Engineering - IoT

Jun 2018 – Aug 2021 · 3 yrs 2 mos · Bengaluru Area, India

I built the high-performing team from scratch and launched the highly scalable B2B SaaS IoT platforms for enterprise connectivity, leading to market leadership in IoT solutions. I spearheaded strategic partnerships within the IoT ecosystem to identify synergies and scale Airtel's IoT solutions. Additionally, I developed a horizontal IoT device platform to facilitate interoperability and data sharing between various IoT use cases.

IoTB2B SaaSStrategic PartnershipsDevice Interoperability

Kaha pte ltd

Vice President, Engineering & Operations

Apr 2017 – May 2018 · 1 yr 1 mo · Bengaluru Area, India

Led the development and launch of India's first woman safety watch and fitness bands, leading cross-functional teams, SW + HW Engineering, Product, ODM Partners, Factory Production, etc. spread across the multiple countries.
Led development and launch of end-to-end B2C Smart Wearable platform.
Spearheaded strategic partnerships with NXP and YES Bank to enable payment capabilities on wearable devices.

Smart WearablesProduct DevelopmentCross-Functional Leadership

Juniper networks

Engineering Program Manager

Dec 2015 – Mar 2017 · 1 yr 3 mos · Bengaluru Area, India

Managed EX series switches.

Engineering Management

Micromax informatics ltd

General Manager (GM) - Engineering

Nov 2014 – Dec 2015 · 1 yr 1 mo · Bengaluru Area, India

In my role at Micromax Informatics Ltd, I drove the launch of the YU Smartphone brand while managing a talented engineering team. I facilitated cross-functional collaboration with partners in the USA and China, leading to the successful introduction of innovative products. My commitment to enhancing user experience was evident in the development of a custom Android OS/ROM tailored for Micromax devices.

Smartphone DevelopmentCross-Functional Collaboration

Microsoft (part of nokia devices unit acquisition)

Various Engineering Leadership Roles

Sep 2002 – Oct 2014 · 12 yrs 1 mo · Beijing City, China · On-site

Started my career at Nokia as a Software Engineer, and over the years, progressed into senior technical and program leadership roles, ultimately leading large-scale global initiatives across India and China. Demonstrated a strong blend of technical depth, program execution, and cross-cultural leadership, shaping the mobile ecosystem during a transformative era.
Launched the Nokia X Developer Platform and App Store, spearheading ecosystem growth for Nokia’s first Android-based devices. Successfully led a 200+ member high-performing, cross-functional and cross-cultural global team across Finland, Germany, USA, Canada, Russia, Denmark, UK, China, India, etc. delivering flagship products like Nokia X/XL, Asha smartphones, and Symbian S60 devices (e.g., N96, E75).
Built and scaled the Flash Lite engineering team in Bangalore, delivering multiple platform versions integrated across global product programs. Played a pivotal early role in porting Adobe Flash Player to the Symbian platform, enabling video playback on the groundbreaking Nokia N95—the first phone to support YouTube videos.
Contributed to IP mobility infrastructure development using EZchip and Intel network processors (IXP1200/2400) enhancing Nokia’s iSN platform for GGSN and SGSN telecom nodes.

Software EngineeringMobile Ecosystem DevelopmentCross-Cultural Leadership