Menu
Back to Alumni
Class of 2017

Narasimha Kodihalli

Narasimha Kodihalli’s professional track record is eyebrow raising, to say the least: A business savvy technology executive with nearly eighteen years’ experience in building and managing Enterprise Technology Solutions for Financial Services Sector, he has worked with a range of companies, from large global banks and independent consulting firms to small boutique firms. Over the course of his career, he has worked with distinguished companies such as PwC LLP, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, BNY Mellon and UBS. By any measure, he has had the corporate career that most would aspire to.

Take the advice from someone who had almost given up on professional life and now fulfilling his dream: If I can do it, you can do it too! The gain from TRIUM is totally worth the pain one has to go through.

A medical emergency in 2014 shifted Narasimha’s priorities and he found himself confronting his unrealized dream of being an entrepreneur. Soon after, he embarked on the TRIUM journey, left the corporate world behind, and launched his startup.

Narasimha spoke with TRIUM about how the program nurtured the qualities and skills he needed to make the leap from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, what he believes makes for a successful entrepreneur, and the most formative moments of his TRIUM journey.

What were your objectives in exploring executive education and why did you choose TRIUM?

Towards the end of 2014, I underwent a major and life-changing surgery. It was more than a draining experience both personally and professionally. It all seemed like my career was over and all I could score in my life, at best, was getting a stable desk job and become yet another “employee” of a company. Instead, I decided to challenge myself and chase my dream of being an entrepreneur.

In preparing for the next big chapter in my life, an executive education stood out as the first step. As a first time entrepreneur, I knew I had to apply myself academically rather than counting on my prior corporate experience and professional network alone. In hindsight, attending a world-class business school had always been a part of my bucket list. The timing was perfect for the venture.

After several months of researching Executive MBA programs, a few facts about TRIUM program made it really easy for me to decide: The truly global nature of the program combined with an opportunity to attend the three best academic brands in their respective disciplines were major influencers for me. Along with the nature and quality of the academic offerings, the quality and experience of the cohorts made a specific impact on my decision. The program experience as articulated by some of the prior cohorts— “TRIUM feels more like being in a board room rather than a class room”—left no room for me to consider any other program but TRIUM.

What new values have you derived from your TRIUM journey so far?

With nearly eighteen years of practice in Capital Markets Technology, I was fully equipped with the subject matter expertise for my startup idea. However, I knew that establishing and running a business is much more than knowing your subject matter and technology. My primary goal in embarking on the TRIUM journey was to equip myself with such skills that were outside my comfort zone.

Becoming fluent with macroeconomic perspectives for a sustainable global business, understanding of holistic marketing techniques, and the ability to articulate the balance between a compelling story and the financials behind a successful company really enriched my experience and were just the skills I was looking to enhance. While these were only one side of the coin, the lifelong friends and an extended family bonds I formed were also an invaluable part of my TRIUM journey.

You transitioned from working with major companies to entrepreneurship. Why did you decide to make that transition, and what were some of the biggest challenges in the learning curve?

In my career, I have had the opportunity to work at some of the most elite companies such as Goldman Sachs and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with those teams and organizations. However, I knew that I didn’t belong in a typical corporate structure, and I always felt that something was missing.

Until I started my TRIUM journey, I didn’t realize how strong the entrepreneurship instinct in me was, nor did I have the courage to take the plunge. About half the way through my TRIUM journey, it became clear to me that I had acquired enough skills to give a more concrete shape to my startup idea and take the associated risks.

The biggest challenge of transitioning from corporate world to entrepreneurship was to be able to live and breathe an entrepreneur’s startup life while being able to fulfil the TRIUM academic rigor. I couldn’t have imagined getting though the journey without the support of my family and TRIUM teammates.

How has TRIUM helped you bridge the differences between these two worlds? How did the program facilitate giving you the skills and initiative necessary to take new ideas to market and to make the right decisions that lead to profitability?

There were several occasions that directly helped me bridge the gap between my corporate past and newly found love for entrepreneurship. Specifically, module 4 to 6 helped me (re)align myself with the lifestyle change and fine-tune the startup itself. Conversations with Corey Phelps and sessions with Professors Randy White and Roger Hallowell were so invigorating and much needed boost for me, particularly in times of doubt and uncertainties that any entrepreneur goes through in the beginning phases of a startup venture. Marketing tricks and valuation techniques we learned in Module 2 at NYU came very handy in articulating my startup for an investor. Negotiation sessions by Dr Matt Mulford can be explained only as an experience that no executive should miss out on!

I couldn’t have timed my transition better and couldn’t have expected anything less from exceptionally qualified TRIUM faculty in preparing me for my entrepreneur journey.

You have been selected as one of the “30 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs for 2017” by Insight Success magazine. Also, your startup, OpenRisk was selected as one of the “30 Most Promising Banking Technology Solution Provider” for 2017 by CIO Review magazine.
What are the qualities that make a successful entrepreneur? How does TRIUM nurture those qualities?

Success is a journey. There is no one factor or quality that makes anyone successful. This is especially true in an entrepreneur scenario. It’s the holistic nature of skills and approach that one needs to take on any startup journey. The TRIUM program is ideally designed to create this holistic skillset.

The ability to hold it all together and not be overwhelmed is a true leadership quality, and I couldn’t have asked for a better program than TRIUM to nurture such leadership qualities along with all skills I needed to take on the entrepreneurship journey.

How would you sum up your TRIUM experience in three words?

Invigorating. Fulfilling. Life-changing.