Mangaluru: In a powerful showcase of Mangaluru’s rising tech prominence, Vertex Managed Workspace hosted a landmark event titled “The Novigo Story” on July 18 at Ajanta Business Centre, Bejai-Kapikad. The event featured an inspiring fireside chat with the founders of Novigo Solutions Pvt Ltd, one of the region’s most successful homegrown tech companies.
Moderated by Gurudutta Shenoy, managing partner at Vertex, the session centered on Novigo’s rise from a small Mangaluru-based startup in 2011 to a global enterprise with 900+ employees, 130+ clients, and offices across India, the US, UK, UAE, and beyond.
CEO Praveen Kumar Kalbhavi reflected on Novigo’s bootstrapped beginnings, emphasizing the power of early networks, OEM partnerships, and a commitment to staying rooted. “Half our team is from Mangaluru,” he noted, while advocating for stronger industry-academia collaboration.
CTO Mohammed Hanif attributed their success to a mix of risk-taking, adaptability, and financial prudence. “We broke even in six months without external funding,” he said, stressing the importance of agility in a fast-evolving industry.
CCO Shihab Kalandar highlighted Novigo’s leadership in Agentic AI, enabling autonomous enterprise operations, and reaffirmed their commitment to innovation, with 15% of revenue reinvested into R&D.
The event also recognized emerging local ventures like Indeanta E-Mobility and Updapt CSR, and included a data-rich presentation by Roopa Bhat Jacob (MARC), detailing Mangaluru’s growing IT influence: ₹3,000+ crore in exports, 220+ firms, and a target of 2 lakh jobs and $10B exports by 2033.
Vertex closed the evening reaffirming its mission to build future-ready workspaces, helping position Mangaluru as India’s next innovation hub.