When data creates dreams, technology changes

What happens when, in the middle of analyzing data for a project, a big bang idea strikes you? Thiru Rengasamy founded Tigma Technologies with an investment of INR 100,000. The company's revenue now stands at INR 30 million and growing.
In 2010, Rengasamy was a senior consultant for a US data analytics vendor. As he was immersed in the forefront of technology, he realised that making sense of data could be a “complicated and inaccessible” process for many businesses. “Data holds the key to unlocking limitless possibilities, but not everyone has the means to harness that full potential,” says Rengasamy. This prompted him to think about how to make data analytics and business intelligence “more accessible and actionable for all types of organisations.”
Rengasamy shared his idea for “democratizing data” with a few close colleagues, and things moved fast. “I moved from the US to India and started Tigma within a month,” he says. “Rather than just starting a company, the idea was to start a movement that would empower businesses around the world.”
Over the next decade, the company grew organically, generating enough internal revenue that it didn't need external funding to expand. But Rengasamy realized the mid-sized data analytics company needed new muscle to offer more diversified services. To do that, he needed to bring in corporate experience and governance to transform it from a purely offshore company into one that handled both onshore and offshore.
So four years ago, he brought on Dr. Srinivasan Vaidyanathan as CEO. “From the beginning, I knew that to make Tigma Technologies a game-changer, I needed someone with a deep understanding of how technology drives business transformation,” says Rengasamy. Having spent 30 years in IT at companies like Cognizant and Cap Gemini, Dr. Sri has an impeccable track record of transforming organizations with his strategic and operational vision. “His ability to see the big picture, combined with his relentless drive to push the boundaries, made him the perfect partner for this ambitious journey,” says Rengasamy.
While Tigma's founders remain the company's technical brains and financial backbone, Vaidyanathan is driving the growth strategy for its next big leap. “When Tigma first started, it was a low-cost offshore model with cost arbitrage. But since I joined, we have moved to an onsite or onshore offshore or nearshore model,” he says. “We want to diversify beyond data analytics into digital transformation, legacy modernization, software as a service, quality assurance as a service, etc. I want Tigma to be an IT services and product consulting company,” says Vaidyanathan.
The service bouquet is one element of growth; the other is geography. “We are expanding into new markets,” says Vaidyanathan. “So far, we have been primarily present in the US with a distribution base in India. But now we are targeting Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and other countries,” he adds. Ultimately, the company is targeting a 2x to 2.5x increase in revenue within three years from the current Rs 3 crore. In terms of headcount, that means growing from 100 today to 200-250 within three years, he says.
A large part of this growth will be driven by tech talent from tier 2 and tier 3 cities in Tamil Nadu. “We are recruiting talent from cities like Thanjavur, Trichy, Coimbatore and Pudukottai,” Vaidyanathan says. “We have tied up with engineering colleges in these cities and are also providing internship opportunities so we can source talent from that pool,” he adds.

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