Karthik Narayanan

Karthik Narayanan

Y Combinator Logo Batch: S21

Achievements

  • Co-founded inai, a Y Combinator-backed fintech startup focused on global payment orchestration
  • Built and scaled Auro, a fitness tech platform offering audio-based boutique classes, acquired by a Spanish company
  • Led R&D at Samsung Electronics in media analytics, computer vision, and computational photography as Senior Chief Engineer
  • Directed video delivery modules at Juniper Networks, contributing to advanced video technology
  • Worked on video DSP firmware at Qualcomm India, developing core multimedia processing tech
  • Recognized for significant contributions to payment and SaaS startup ecosystems in India

Peep this legend Karthik Narayanan

Alright, so here’s the deal with Karthik Narayanan, the dude’s a straight-up tech and startup beast. He’s been around the block, crushed it in big companies, then jumped into the deep end with his own startups and kept winning. Basically, he’s the real deal.

Karthik’s process kicked off with some serious engineering chops. He’s got degrees from Clemson and the University of Madras, but he also tried to do a PhD at Washington, that didn’t stick, but honestly, that’s probably a good thing. Dude’s all about jumping into the action. He’s worked at Samsung Electronics, where he was a Senior Chief Engineer, leading R&D in media analytics, computer vision, and computational photography. That’s some advanced stuff. Then he spent time at Juniper Networks, leading video delivery modules, and Qualcomm India, working on video DSP firmware. Basically, he’s been in the trenches with some of the biggest tech giants, building the tech that powers a lot of the modern world.

But what really makes Karthik stand out is his entrepreneurial spirit. He’s a serial founder, no cap. First, he co-founded Auro, a fitness tech platform that made audio-based boutique classes. The thing blew up, was acquired by a Spanish company, and that’s a big win. Then, he jumped into fintech with inai, a Y Combinator-backed startup focused on global payment orchestration. This isn’t some small idea, inai is tackling the real pain points in payments, helping businesses set up a global payment stack smoothly. That’s the kind of problem that’s huge, and Karthik’s built a solution that’s catching attention.

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What does all this say about him? Dude’s got mad motivation. He’s not just coding for fun; he’s out here building things that actually make a difference, whether it’s in fitness, fintech, or core tech infrastructure. He’s a believer in creating solutions that scale, that solve real problems, and that push the envelope. And he’s based in India, but his work is global, shows he’s thinking big from day one.

So, why is he important? Because Karthik isn’t just another engineer or founder. He’s proof that with enough passion, technical skill, and hustle, you can jump from working at giants to building startups that matter. His story is about pushing boundaries, not settling, and making a real impact in the tech and startup world. That’s why everyone’s watching him, he’s the kind of guy who’s gonna keep crushing it and changing the game.

Founder ID: 104030

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