Fractional CTO | AI Advisor | Startup Investor
About Vinayak Hegde
Vinayak Hegde is a distinguished Fractional CTO, AI Advisor, and Technology Leader with over two decades of experience in scaling technology-driven startups and enterprises across domains such as AdTech, IoT, AI, shared mobility, and cloud infrastructure. Currently based in Bangalore, India, he works with select enterprises to help them conceive, architect, and deploy AI-powered products — from strategic ideation to production-scale execution.
As a Fractional CTO and AI Consultant, Vinayak specializes in AI architecture, product strategy, and hands-on prototyping, offering CTO-as-a-service for startups and enterprise innovation teams. He also mentors and advises several high-impact startups, including Disha AI (EdTech), Kloudle (Cybersecurity), and BonVAero (Aerial Mobility).
Previously, Vinayak held senior technology leadership roles at Microsoft, serving as Principal AI Advocate and CTO-in-Residence for Microsoft for Startups, where he helped over 500 startups across 30+ countries scale their technology and product infrastructure. His work spanned programs like ScaleUp, Highway to 100 Unicorns, and Social Impact / Amplify, enabling global innovation through technical mentorship.
Before Microsoft, Vinayak served as Chief Technology Officer at Zoomcar, VP of Engineering at Helpshift, and Lead Architect at InMobi, playing key roles in scaling platforms from early-stage growth to global success. Earlier in his career, he contributed to Akamai Technologies, Microsoft India R&D, and Speedera Networks (acquired by Akamai), focusing on distributed systems and high-performance computing.
A long-time IETF contributor, Vinayak co-authored RFC 8468, served on multiple technical committees, and has been an Internet Society Fellow five times. Combining deep technical acumen with a business-first mindset, he continues to shape the intersection of AI innovation, scalability, and sustainable tech leadership.