Whatfix co-founder Khadim Batti passes away

Khadim Batti, co-founder and chief executive of digital adoption platform Whatfix, has died at 49.

“It is with deep sorrow that we confirm the unexpected passing of our beloved co-founder and CEO, Khadim Batti, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest today. The company requests the media and the public to respect the privacy of Khadim’s family during this difficult time,” the company said in a statement, confirming the news.

“A visionary leader known for his transformative impact on the global enterprise SaaS landscape, Khadim’s passion, clarity, and conviction shaped not just Whatfix, but everyone who had the privilege of meeting him. He inspired entrepreneurs beyond technology to dream big and pursue their ambitions with conviction. His legacy lies in the resilient organization and deeply committed leadership team he built. Our leadership team remains steadfast in carrying his vision forward,” the statement said.

Batti co-founded Whatfix with Vara Kumar in 2014 and grew it into a global business-to-business (B2B) software company. Whatfix provides in-application user guidance for business software across industries.

The company had begun building a sizeable artificial intelligence (AI) unit last year 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. Whatfix had also begun preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) and was expected to file towards the end of 2026 or early 2027.

Batti graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mumbai in 1998 and completed a master’s degree in information technology from the International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru, in 2000.

After stints at smaller companies, he served as delivery head of Huawei’s DPI & BI portfolio within the Chinese company’s Central Research Division from 2007 to 2010.

In 2010, he launched SearchEnabler, a SaaS-based search-engine optimization platform for small and medium enterprises, according to his LinkedIn profile. He ran the company until the end of 2013, while starting Whatfix in June that year. Under his leadership, Whatfix grew into a global enterprise software business that was last valued at nearly $900 million.

Industry mourning

His passing was first announced on X (formerly Twitter) by AIBoomi chief executive Avinash Raghava. “I’m deeply shocked and saddened by the passing of Khadim Batti, Co-founder of Whatfix, earlier today,” he wrote on the social media platform. “Khadim has been such an important part of our AIBoomi community and of the larger SaaS and AI ecosystem in India. Someone many of us have known over the years, shared rooms and conversations with, learnt from, and deeply respected.”

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.