Whatfix CEO Khadim Batti, a prominent SaaS entrepreneur, passes away

Batti helped build Whatfix into a global enterprise software company and was a mentor to India's startup community

Khadim Batti, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of enterprise software company Whatfix, has passed away. A prominent figure in India’s technology, software-as-a-service (SaaS) and startup ecosystem, Batti, who was around 50, reportedly died on Tuesday following a cardiac arrest.

 

A former Huawei employee, Batti co-founded Whatfix with colleague Vara Kumar in 2014 with the mission of helping individuals and organisations get the maximum benefit from technology. He was a global executive with over two decades of industry experience, driving business growth through product development and innovation.

 

Under Batti’s leadership, Whatfix grew into a global enterprise software company, expanding its presence across international markets. The company has offices across the US, the UK, Germany, Singapore and Australia.

 

 

It serves hundreds of clients, including Fortune 500 companies such as Shell, Microsoft, Schneider Electric and UPS Supply Chain Solutions.

 

Under his leadership, Whatfix also raised a total of about $266 million from marquee investors such as Warburg Pincus, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Dragoneer, Peak XV Partners, Eight Roads and Cisco Investments. The firm secured $125 million in a Series E funding round in 2024.

 

An entrepreneur at heart with an engineer’s mind, Batti was also known for giving back to the startup community by sharing his knowledge and mentoring aspiring talent for over a decade and a half.

 

Batti was an important part of the AIBoomi community, which is focused on supporting AI-native product builders and founders and the broader SaaS and AI ecosystem in India.

 

“He is someone many of us have known over the years, shared rooms and conversations with, learnt from, and deeply respected,” Avinash Raghava, CEO and founding volunteer of AIBoomi, formerly SaaSBoomi, said on LinkedIn.

 

“His journey with Whatfix inspired so many founders in this community. But beyond everything he built, I will remember Khadim for the person he was. A wonderful friend. A generous mentor. Someone who always made time for the ecosystem and showed up for founders with warmth and sincerity. We have lost someone very special today. My heart goes out to his family, the entire Whatfix team, and everyone who was close to him.”

 

Batti began his entrepreneurial career in 2010. Before co-founding Whatfix, he was the delivery head for DPI and BI solutions at Huawei Technologies India. He later co-founded SearchEnabler, where he served as chief executive, before launching Whatfix.

 

Batti held a master’s degree in information technology from the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bangalore and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mumbai.

 

Sowmya Narayanan Sadagopan, founding director of IIIT Bangalore, said on LinkedIn: “I had known Khadim as a student of the very first batch of IIITB students. He was in touch with me all through the 25 years. We spoke just a couple of months back.”

 

“He used to educate me about his products, the reason he named the product and the company as WhatFix, pivoted quietly multiple times, and always be clear in his thoughts. He has been in touch with other IIITB Alumni, IIITB Faculty, and Staff and students, and even served on the Board,” Sadagopan said.

 

“We will miss him dearly, as a professional, entrepreneur, mentor, employer, and in so many roles. Personally, I will miss him as a dear friend and former student.”