In an interview with Insights Success, the visionary and the co-founder of the software industry giant AllGo Embedded, K. Srinivasan, reveals his fruitful insights behind the success of his journey as an entrepreneur. Popularly known as Srini, the insightful leader has driven the software solution company to the global scale with his robust innovation and management skills. Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between Srini and Insights Success:
Give us a brief insight of your journey as an Entrepreneur? And the road that led your company to what it is known as today?
Srini: I started AllGo in 2005 along with a few of my colleagues from Motorola. We started doing embedded software development for automotive and consumer products. Other than an initial seed investment from some of our friends, the company operated in a boot-strapped model. We invested in some of our own Intellectual Property development in addition to doing contract software development for our customers. Though we initially developed quite a few design and technology in consumer products, our IP in consumer space didn’t really see market success. Notable among them was a low cost tablet design, which though achieved a sub $100 price point, couldn’t compete with consumer tablets from well-known brands and was eventually shelved. Our technological success finally came in automotive infotainment with the advent of smartphone connectivity technologies such as CarPlay and Android Auto. Our media and connectivity software for automotive infotainment achieved good market traction among automotive OEMs and Tier1s. We were only one of the three ISVs offering this software. One of our customers Visteon Corporation was interested to own this technology in-house. After more than 10 years of journey as an entrepreneurial company, we agreed to be purchased by Visteon, and are part of the Visteon family since July 2016. AllGo continues to operate as an independent software vendor providing IVI and DMS solutions to OEMs and Tier1s even after being acquired by Visteon.
What are the services/solutions/products offered by AllGo?
Srini: We offer solutions for automotive infotainment for media and smartphone connectivity technologies. Notable among them is our integrated media and smartphone mirroring stack called RACE 2.0, which won a CES innovation award in 2017. We also provide solutions for eCockpit development using Android and Linux. Our newest investments for future growth are in camera based Driver Monitoring, High speed In-Car connectivity and Embedded Security.
What prompted the inception of AllGo Embedded Systems? What was the pivotal moment?
Srini: After spending over 10 years in Motorola, I was looking for more interesting career options. When Motorola spun off Freescale as a separate semiconductor company, there was an opportunity to do contract software development with Freescale as our customer. This provided the spark to start AllGo.
According to you, what is the most important characteristic that every Entrepreneur should possess in this day and age?
Srini: Integrity, perseverance and the ability to work with smart and independent people. I believe that strategic clarity and technical capability, while essential for a technology business, will happen if one has a good team and sticks to the entrepreneurial path.
Where do you see AllGo Embedded Systems in the next five years and how do you see yourself facilitating that change?
Srini: AllGo is now part of Visteon, but continues to operate as a separate company serving the broader automotive market as a Tier2. We will continue to grow our niche in technology development, serving the fast-growing connected and autonomous car industry. I see myself as the leader setting the stage for future growth of AllGo as part of this journey.
Finally, what would be your advice to some of the young and aspiring entrepreneurs entering the market?
Srini: Stick to the basics of doing business and don’t get carried away by the fad of today. I see that many of today’s youth are driven by getting VC funding rather than business growth. While investment and funding may be necessary for a business, they should never be put ahead of business success.
About the Entrepreneur
The scholar alumnus of University of California and IIT, Madras, K. Srinivasan started his career with Motorola Global Software Group and advanced the company with his expert solutions for nearly a decade. Prior to that, Srini was at an innovative start-up company in California back in 1994-95.
Srini, with his resilient engineering and people management skills has shouldered the AllGo team to scale new heights. His innovative approach and exceptional business strategies has flaunted the company on a global scale with credible acknowledgements. AllGo was acquired by the prestigious automotive giant, Visteon in the year 2016. Srini is also a non-executive board member, and chalks the road maps to make AllGo Vision the pioneer among video analytics solution providers worldwide.
About the Company
AllGo is an Automotive Infotainment expert, which deploys software solutions to Tier 1s and OEMs. It is among the top global In-Vehicle Infotainment technology providers. Topmost automobile manufactures across Europe, the US and China, are utilizing AllGo developed Media and Mirroring Solutions. Its automotive partner portfolio includes Google, Apple, Genivi, Android, Miracast, Mirror link and SOC partners like Qualcomm, TI, Intel, NXP and more. The solutions delivered by the company are deployed in over 14+ million cars worldwide.
Technical prowess in Avant-grade embedded, multimedia, and connectivity solutions has powered the organization on a global platform. The adaptable and creative expertise of embedded systems, signal processing, software process, and people management contributes with strong foundation, which is a core factor behind AllGo’s enormous success.
