Whatfix appoints co-founder Vara Kumar as new CEO

Vara Kumar, who co-founded Whatfix with Khadim Batti in 2014, has been appointed as the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), effective immediately. The appointment follows Batti’s sudden death last week.

“Khadim was a visionary leader, a partner, and a dear friend,” said Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Whatfix in a statement. “Over the past twelve years, we built Whatfix on a shared conviction that technology should empower people, not stand in their way. As I step into the role of CEO, our executive leadership team and I remain deeply committed to realizing that vision, supporting our global customers and partners, and building an enduring enterprise anchored in strong fundamentals.”

Whatfix provides in-application user guidance for business software across industries. The company said its operations, customer accounts and partner relationships across regions have continued without disruption since Batti’s death, with the executive team and board jointly overseeing the transition.

The company did not specify whether Kumar’s appointment is permanent or whether it plans a broader leadership search or restructuring.

Batti and Kumar co-founded Whatfix in 2014 and built it into a global business-to-business software company.

The two met at Huawei, where Kumar worked as a systems architect from 2001 to 2010. Batti joined the Chinese telecom company in 2007 and served as delivery head of Huawei’s DPI and BI portfolio within its Central Research Division until 2010.

The duo later co-founded SearchEnabler, a SaaS-based search-engine optimization platform for small and medium-sized businesses, in 2010. They ran the venture until 2013, when they began building Whatfix.

Since Whatfix’s founding, Kumar has overseen the company’s product and research strategy. The company now serves global enterprises across North America, the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Australia. Its clients include Shell, Schneider Electric, Mercedes-Benz, Heineken and UPS Supply Chain Solutions.

Whatfix began building a sizeable artificial intelligence unit last year as it sought to boost revenue. Its AI offerings were projected to contribute at least 20% of overall revenue by the end of this year, Batti told Mint in 2025. The company had also begun preparing for an initial public offering and was expected to file toward the end of 2026 or early 2027.

Batti’s death comes after the loss of two other members of India’s startup and investment ecosystem in recent months. In June, Paris Pasricha, who was part of the investment team at Info Edge Ventures, died of cancer. In July, Akhilesh Agarwal, a deeptech investor at Accel and a member of the firm’s Atom programme, died.