The ‘Awesome’ Rise of Keka: Revolutionizing the HR Landscape

The year 2015 witnessed the inception of one of India’s leading HR automation software. This is when Vijay Yalamanchili decided to launch Keka.

It was a time when the HR software industry was screaming for a transformation as it grappled with huge gaps just waiting to be filled. These included bulky interfaces, bad user experiences, inefficiency, and adequate features.

The limited software options available at the time failed to see these gaps as opportunities, but Vijay saw inspiration in the growing frustration.

“When we stepped into the HR market, we noticed a void that existed in this arena. Companies were concentrating on other aspects and completely ignoring the real purpose behind creating the software. We took it on ourselves to fill this void and today we are successfully helping employee-centric companies to focus on these assets and transform themselves. Our mission is to create digital workplaces where employees feel safe and flourish to do their best and we can see it happening already, so that’s quite a feat for us!”

Vijay Yalamanchili, Founder and CEO, Keka

And that’s how Keka was born.

But what does it do? Simply put, it is Human Resource (HR) automation in action. It is an ally to HR personnel, ridding them of repetitive, mundane tasks, thus allowing them to focus on the real employee issues.  

Based out of Hyderabad, Keka has rapidly made a mark for itself in the Indian HR & payroll market. It has shown exponential growth by building a client base of over 700 within just two years of its inception. Its client base includes some of the biggest players like Toyota, Hyundai, Vedanta, Dream 11, and OnePlus, among others.

Soon after it was founded, Keka won the Hottest Startup in Hyderabad (HYSEA) in 2015, followed by the Best Enterprise Product the same year. Since then, Keka has come a long way.

Unlike startups that typically raise money from investors to scale their business, Vijay is that rare self-made entrepreneur who chose to bootstrap his way to success. That’s right, he established Keka without any external funding, investments, or sponsors. And as memorable as it is, Vijay’s journey could not have been without challenges.

Know Thy Founder

“Don’t wait for the change, just be the change.”

Vijay Yalamanchili

Let’s put it down officially for this post. Vijay Yalamanchili is Founder at Keka, an HR software company that helps small and medium businesses optimize their HR functions. He leads the company and at the same time, works closely on its products to simplify and modernize HR processes.

Vijay studied Electronics and Communications at JNTU, Hyderabad. Later, he completed his Master’s in Computer Science at the University of Delaware.

Thereafter, he started his career as a software engineer with Microsoft in 2003. He then went on to build several companies, like Fotolink Media, Ramp Technology Group, and Technovert. Each one gave him experience that shaped the way he runs things at Keka.

He’s been in the business for almost 20 years now. Over time, Vijay has built teams and products from scratch, taken ideas, designed them, and brought them to market. He considers SaaS, software design, and cloud technology his biggest strengths.

When it comes to business, his approach involves spending capital carefully, growing with profits, and creating a workplace where people can do meaningful work.

When he isn’t working, Vijay spends his time reading, listening to music, and sharing his thoughts on leadership and technology on LinkedIn.

Exploring Keka’s Origins

“‘Veni, Vidi, Vici - We came, we saw, we conquered’ from Julius Caesar pretty much sums up what our team did in terms of disrupting the SME HRTech market.”

Vijay Yalamanchili

When Keka entered the HR software market in 2015, it had to go up against established and well-funded organizations. Vijay had his work cut out for him. He knew he was a newbie in the highly crowded and competitive HRMS market. Still, he was determined to build software that helps companies build new strategies, while managing and maintaining their workforce.

“We had to be creative and work much harder to become the HR tech leader and maintain that narrative in the market,” said Vijay.

And that was it. Before he knew it, Vijay was already busy growing his software services business while looking for the right HR solution to support them. The glaring gap inspired him to build his own software, Keka, a tool meant to help HR practitioners focus on their key assets, i.e., employees.

In case you’re wondering what the word ‘Keka’ means, it is the Telugu equivalent of the English word ‘Awesome.’ Vijay chose this name for the software to reflect his love for the language.

Getting to Work

Every entrepreneur works with a growth mindset, and Vijay was no different. He was quick to realize that the scaling in the industry he’d chosen depended on seamless product adoption and positive user experiences. The tech space circa 2015 lacked in this aspect and Vijay couldn’t wait to own this opportunity.

He opined, “This was a very crucial part because the HRs who started using Keka found it simple and easy to use, and they were able to achieve more in less time.” As such, when these users changed organizations, they would adopt Keka HR there as well, while also referring it to their friends. This kind of brand advocacy and positive word-of-mouth worked wonders for Keka, with the brand achieving speedy and organic growth.

Today, Keka offers a wide range of products such as payroll and expense tracking, people and data analytics, hiring and onboarding, learning management, performance and culture, time and attendance, as well as timesheets and projects (PSA).

Keka calls itself Employee Experience Software and has been embraced by 2.5 million employees in India and around the world. The reason for this is simple: it helps employees resolve complex HR problems in a straightforward and intuitive manner.

From Navigating Roadblocks …

“Our journey from zero to 3,130 customers wasn’t a cakewalk but a pleasant and inspiring trek for sure. As a bootstrapped entity, we had the freedom to do the right thing for our customers and employees without undue pressures for blind growth.”

Vijay Yalamanchili

Expertise in any area cannot be built overnight. It comes after tripping down, standing back up, learning, and course-correcting until the right approach finally clicks. Barun Mallick, Head of Marketing at Keka, admits the company went through plenty of trial and error while shaping their product.

However, the mission was clear from day one: simplify HR and make it as effortless as possible. That helped a lot. Team Keka knew the path ahead was far from smooth, but every setback became a stepping stone in that journey.

Barun acknowledges that Indian businesses are extremely value-conscious. Customers don’t just want problems solved; they want them solved at the right price. As he explains, “the customer is the hero,” and this mindset shaped how Keka positioned itself.

He further explained that their core market, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), is one of the toughest to serve. These businesses expect the competence and inclusiveness of an enterprise-level tool, but at a price that doesn’t strain their budgets. Delivering on both fronts demanded relentless focus, creativity, and an unshakable commitment to quality.

Another challenge that Keka faced was to grow without external investors. Unlike many startups running on investor money, Keka took a different route. Today, the company is proudly bootstrapped, running entirely on the revenue it generates.

For Barun and his team, this isn’t just a financial decision; it’s a philosophy that emphasizes fiscal discipline and independence. He admits the approach might feel old-school and rooted in a traditional Indian business mindset, but to them, building independently is part of the charm. In his words, “this is the new sexy.”

… To Winning Accolades

Here are some of the most noteworthy awards and milestones achieved by Keka over the years:

2015: Launched and won the HYSEA Startup Award

2017: Won the “Best Payroll Software” in India by the World HRD Congress

2019: Surpassed $1 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR)

2020: Reported a sevenfold increase in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021: Served 5,500 customers, recording an ARR of $6.5 million. Also raised $1.6 million through Recur Club.

2022: Secured $57 million in Series A funding from West Bridge Capital

2024: Won the “Built for Bharat Startup of the Year” at SaaSBoomi Annual 2024

Stepping Into the Future

Keka’s eyes are now set on expanding their global presence. After proving its strength so far, the team is ready to take their product to new markets, carrying its roots and learnings with pride.

HR is never easy and every market comes with its own set of challenges. But Barun Mallick believes Keka is built to tackle those head-on. The idea is to bring the same simplicity and clarity they’ve delivered at home to businesses across the world, step by step.

If there’s one lesson Keka wants to pass on to other businesses, it’s this: discipline matters. Growth looks exciting from the outside, but behind it lies a steady focus on managing money wisely.

For Keka, reinvesting profits and staying lean has been the backbone of its success. In their view, that kind of financial discipline isn’t just good practice, it’s what keeps a company standing strong when the hype fades.

Wrapping Up

Keka has come a long way from its humble beginnings, and the growth feels anything but ordinary. What started as a simple idea to make work easier has now turned into a platform that quietly powers thousands of businesses. More than 6,500 companies now run on Keka, with over 200,000 people logging in to take care of everyday HR tasks.

The revenue numbers also show just how fast things are moving. Keka crossed the $85 million mark in 2024, up from the year before, all without a single outside investor. That independence is part of Keka’s charm. It’s proof that a company can grow big, stay profitable, and still hold on to its original vision.

Looking ahead, the goal is simple but ambitious: keep building HR software that feels effortless, works at scale, and doesn’t make businesses choose between quality and cost.