CxO of the Week: Neha Narkhede, CTO and Co-Founder of Confluent

Published on
13/12/2019 09:43 AM

Founded by the team responsible for the pioneering Apache Kafka data system, Confluent is one of the leading companies in the digital world, helping organizations to transform. In a world where data is the most valuable asset any business can have, companies like Confluent ensure that organizations can access information in real-time streams. Of course, behind any fantastic business idea, is an incredible founder. In this case, it's Neha Narkhede. Neha is the co-founder and CTO of the Confluent brand. In her role, she helps to drive innovation and growth for Confluent using Apache Kafka.

Passionate about Data and Large-Scale Systems

Narkhede's career in the technology world began with the Oracle Corporation in 2008, where she worked as Lead Engineer. With Oracle, Narkhede was responsible for designing and implementing faceted search systems in Oracle text. She stayed with the business for 2 years, before moving into a position with LinkedIn. At the world's leading B2B social media company, Narkhede was both a Software Engineer for one year and a Senior Software Engineer for another year. Neha also took positions as Principal Software Engineer and Lead of Streams Infrastructure with LinkedIn. When working with LinkedIn, Neha was one of the innovative minds that helped to develop the Apache Kafka platform. The solution can process and manage a vast amount of data in real-time. This data-processing system became an open-source process in 2011, and it was the heart of the Confluent brand, which Neha co-founded in 2014. Together with her coworkers from LinkedIn, Narkhede created Confluent as an avenue for developing tools for companies using the Apache Kafka platform.

Pursuing Ongoing Growth

Neha has come a long way since earning her master's in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and BE in computer science from the University of Pune. Today, Neha continues to drive innovations in the world of real-time data management. Confluent has raised $125 million in its latest funding round in January and has received $206 million overall. Confluent works with companies like RBC, Demonware, Mojix and many more. When Narkhede isn't driving the growth of her amazing company, she enjoys travelling and experimenting with her love of photography.

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