Khadim Batti, co-founder and CEO of Whatfix, died on 1 September.
He started Whatfix in 2014 with Vara Kumar Namburu and built it out of Bengaluru into a global enterprise software company. He was one of the most respected founders in Indian SaaS, and one of the most helpful. He made time for other founders, and was candid about how Whatfix had actually been built, including the years when it did not work.
Whatfix
7h
It is with deep sorrow and profound sadness that we share the sudden passing of our beloved co-founder and CEO, Khadim Batti, today.
His legacy is the resilient organization and the committed leadership team he built along with all the lives he touched. We remain united in carrying forward the vision and values he championed.
Avinash Raghava runs AIBoomi, the community of Indian SaaS and AI founders.
Avinash Raghava
11h
I'm deeply shocked and saddened by the passing of Khadim Batti, Co-founder of Whatfix, earlier today.
I'm truly struggling to find the right words while processing this news.
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.
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.
Rest in peace, Khadim. You will be deeply missed.
Kabandi Saikia co-founded Omnify.
Kabandi Saikia
11h
This is such a heartbreak news! Khadim was one of the rare kind ones. May his soul rest in peace π
Anand Jain co-founded CleverTap.
Anand Jain
11h
@avinashraghava So sorry to hear this. He was such a genuine person. Hard to process this for me. May his family find the strength to bear the loss.
Om Shanti π
Parth worked with Khadim at Whatfix.
Parth
10h
One of my favourite ex-bosses is no more - @KhadimBatti died of cardiac arrest.
I am very sad at his passing.
He was a kind & patient man. He had a presence. A good judge of character. He taught me fairness can exist with scale.
I will miss him.
May Universe guide his soul.
Harshdeep Rapal is a co-founder of Legitt AI.
Harshdeep Rapal
10h
This is beyond shocking.
When we were launching Legitt AI I dropped him a cold-mail to pick his brains on reaching out to US customers. He agreed for a call and walked me through his journey.
Such a genuine person and a wonderful founder.
May his soul rest in peace!
PJ is building Raise The Bar.
PJ
10h
@avinashraghava Shocking to hear this.
May his soul rest in peace π
Ashish Sinha founded NextBigWhat and runs UnPluggd, the conference Whatfix launched at.
Ashish Sinha
10h
very shocking and sad to hear this. Whatfix launched at UnPluggd and later, we used to meet frequently over chai. an amazing friendly and helpful guy. RIP my friend.
Lakshmi Narayanan G worked at Whatfix.
Lakshmi Narayanan G
10h
Sad & shocking to hear this π
Khadim is one of the best superbosses I've worked for.
I joined Whatfix at a time when Khadim was still interviewing new joiners & I remember feeling awe at how approachable he was. Always had time for all. A good mentor. Level headed & calm.
Krishna Mehra co-founded Capillary Technologies and is a partner at Elevation Capital.
Krishna Mehra
10h
Shocked and saddened to hear this news. Khadim was a mentor to so many. Condolences to his family and the broader Whatfix family. Om shanti π
Tejeshwi Sharma is the founder of Mettle Capital.
Tejeshwi Sharma
10h
Today is a tragic day for the Indian start up ecosystem. Still processing what just happened...
Rest in peace, my friend @KhadimBatti
Chirag
10h
As I read this, it reminds me of my first conversation with him. I was in my 2nd year of engineering, and Khadim was just casually wandering around the Innovation Cell. I used to be the student prez back then.
I talked to him for more than 1.5 hours without even knowing that he headed a multi-million-dollar startup. I only found out after going back and Googling his name, much to my shock.
One of the most approachable and humble guys Iβve ever met. RIP π
Siddarth Pai founded Sahasranshu Technologies.
Siddarth Pai
9h
OMG, so sad! I remember how he came out with unique insight on software sales and built a unicorn.
Zishaan Hayath co-founded Toppr.
Zishaan Hayath
9h
Shocked and deeply saddened to lose @KhadimBatti. You will always be remembered for your kindness and helpful nature.
Prukalpa Sankar co-founded Atlan.
Prukalpa Sankar
9h
@KhadimBatti was an authentic, humble, helpful and all around amazing human being. Still processing this news. RIP.
Rishabh Shukla is building RevQ.
Rishabh Shukla
9h
Shocked in disbelief.
Apart from inspiring many in the SaaS community, and leading the front with Whatfix....
Khadim also took time to give back to our engg college (Fr Agnels, Vashi).
Had the pleasure to interact with him during a Covid-period online session... where he shared his journey from a graduate of the first batch of engg to whatfix (and beyond)
Rest In Peace, Sir! Go well!
Kalpesh Bhalekar co-founded Scoutflo.
Kalpesh Bhalekar
9h
Very sad to hear that Mr.Khadim, Co-Founder of Whatfix, passed away a few hours ago.
He was one of the most approachable CEO in HSR, always open to a quick chat if you happened to run into him at Third Wave.
Absolutely heartbreaking to hear this βΉοΈ
Manisha Raisinghani is the founder of SiftHub.
Manisha Raisinghani
9h
@avinashraghava This is shocking. Donβt know how to process this
Arvind Jha is building Mithila Stack.
Arvind Jha
8h
@avinashraghava Shocking. So young. Prayers for his soul.
Aashish Punjabi is at Peak XV Partners.
Aashish Punjabi
8h
@avinashraghava May his soul rest in peace. Condolences to the family and to everyone whose life he touched.
Mayank Jain is an investor at Stellaris Venture Partners.
Mayank Jain
8h
Shocked and heartbroken to hear of the sudden passing of @KhadimBatti, founder of Whatfix.
I only met him a handful of times β but he left a mark. No airs despite all his success. Humble, helpful, calm, always smiling.
Gone far too soon. Strength to his family & the team π
Rajesh Sawhney founded GSF, the accelerator and fund.
Rajesh Sawhney
8h
This is one of the saddest days of my life. We lost Khadim Bhatti, founder of Whatfix today.
@gsf_fund was the first investor in @whatfix.
Khadim and I shared a deep bond. A few weeks back he pinged me. He wanted to meet me to show his 2 new AI products for the US market.
I visited Whatfix 2 weeks back & spent hours with him. He was in great mood & looked in fine fettle. He told me he runs 5Kms frequently.
I am shocked, why did God take away a promising life and a great soul who was always full of help.? He had hired 5 ex-GSF founders as his CXOs
I would make Whatfix as my base whenever I visited HSR, this was home to me. And he made it home for me. I would meet other portfolio founders in my new comfort zone.
I will always miss you my friend.
GSF family of 300 + founders will always miss you.
May you rest in peace!
IIIT-Bangalore
8h
We are deeply saddened by the sudden and untimely passing of Shri Khadim Bhatti, a valued member of our Board, a distinguished alumnus of the Institute, the co-founder of Whatfix, and a highly accomplished entrepreneur.
Through his association with the Institute, Shri Khadim Bhatti made significant contributions and served as a respected member of the IIITB Board. He will be remembered with great pride and affection for his dedicated service, professional achievements, entrepreneurial vision, and the distinction he brought to the Institute as an alumnus. His untimely demise is a profound loss to his family, colleagues, friends, and the entire Institute community.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones and pray that they find strength and solace during this difficult time.
May his soul rest in peace.
Ashsingh
8h
@avinashraghava We competed against Khadim at some point in time. Always admired the way he was building WhatFix.
Rajeev Singh is building EqualByte.
Rajeev Singh
8h
Really sad to hear that an old colleague passed away so early. Was with him in Huawei and he was very focused in his craft.
RIP Khadim
Riten is the founder of Fueler.
Riten
8h
deeply shocked by the news of khadim sir :(
i recently accidently met khadim sir at chaayos hsr and even got his autograph. it was on the same book i got to read more about him and whatfix (the grit stories by saas bhoomi)
really admired what he built with whatfix. taking a small startup and making it a globally recognised tech company is such an incredible feat (they were infact planning for IPO by 2026 end, early 2027)
i used to walk past the whatfix office almost every day and was always so inspired by what they had built, impacting so many lives.
you will be missed sir...thanks for all the learnings π
Ananda Verma is founder and CTO of Fasal.
Ananda Verma
8h
@rajeshsawhney @gsf_fund @whatfix Khadim was our hero entrepreneur from IIITB alums network. We have always looked to him for inspiration and grit. We all are shocked to hear this news. May his soul rest in peace π.
Gaurav is the founder of Maximem AI.
Gaurav
8h
Really sad to hear about the passing of Mr. Khadim Batti of Whatfix. Never had a chance to meet or hear him speak. But a fan of the business and category he created. Just 6 days back, was chatting with one of the early employees and he had the nicest things to say about him. RIP, legend.
Gopi Krishna is building Hyperleap AI.
Gopi Krishna
8h
@amnigos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmxxS8ZiMy4 gem of a person. Learned so much in that one interview. ππ
Virendra Maloo is the founder of Rarome.
Virendra Maloo
8h
I heard a lot about Khadim and attended one of session where he was the speaker. He was always willing to help the founders and was one of the prominent figures in Indian startup scene.
Only last week I was telling someone about Whatfix.
May God give strength to his family at this time. Rest in Peace, Khadim.
Mohamad Faraz co-founded Upsparks Capital.
Mohamad Faraz
8h
Rest in peace, Tragic news of Whatfix founder and CEO Khadim Batti , Didn't knew him personally but had heard great things about him and his work across startup ecosystem. Big loss gone too soon , prayers for him and his family.
Sanket Shah is the CEO of InVideo.
Sanket Shah
7h
Deeply saddened by the passing of Khadim :( may god give strength to his family and team. Life is so fragile π
Arnav is building Leap.
Arnav
7h
@avinashraghava This is saddening. I only met him once, reached out for help out of the blue.. but he was so kind and helpful.
One of the nicest people in the ecosystem. π’
Bhavya Dilipkumar covers startups and tech at Moneycontrol.
Bhavya Dilipkumar
7h
Deeply saddened by the passing of Khadim Batti, co-founder & CEO of Whatfix.
I had the privilege of moderating a session with Khadim. I remember his clarity, conviction and love for what he was doing.
Heartbreaking to see a remarkable entrepreneur gone so soon. RIP, Khadim!
Shubham
7h
We used to have an office right next to Whatfix.
One random day, I was wondering what these guys had done to build such a big brand. Opened YouTube, searched for the founders and found this video.
I know it's a very old video, but it's still a gem.
RIP Khadim.
Rahul Chandra
6h
RIP Khadim ππΌ helpful, generous and gentle in every interaction. May God bestow strength to your family to bear your loss
Arvind is building Loop AI.
Arvind
6h
Deeply saddened by the passing of Khadim. Remember him very fondly from our one interaction back in 2019..
Prabhhav Sharma is the founder of Zintellix.
Prabhhav Sharma
6h
Reading about how khadim sir play a role in their startup life.
How he inspired others and shared advice on growing business in heartwarming.
We lost one of the legends of Indian Saas Ecosystem.
Also a reminder for other founders to focus on their health.
Arun
5h
@amnigos What terrible news. Such a warm and humble human. He left too soon. Condolences to everyone he touched.
Suresh Sambandam founded Kissflow and co-founded SaaSBoomi.
Suresh Sambandam
5h
I am shocked, saddened and left with no words to truly express my feelings for the loss of a good friend founder and ceo of @whatfix #KhadimBatti . He passed away suddenly today morning due to cardiac arrest and was texting one of my other friends while he was hitting the "personal emergency" and will be missing a meeting. I first met him late 2014 or early 2015 at Leela palace bangalore. He had a small booth next our large booth and he and Vara his cofounder were so curious to learn anything and everything. 10 years later in 2025 I went to him for inputs to understand the nuances of scaling US enterprise market. He built $70m approx company and raised north of $200m and mentored 100s of founders. This is a big blow and a great loss to his family, his company, our close friends and the ecosystem. Still can't believe this has happened π
Prasanna K runs Upekkha, the B2B founder community.
Prasanna K
5h
@whatfix This is a terrible loss for all of us..
My condolences to the whatfix team and his family..
Kumar Manish is the founder of Communicate Karo.
Kumar Manish
4h
Gujarat-origin SaaS company Whatfixβs co-founder and CEO Khadim Batti has passed away.
From a small village in North Gujarat to making a mark in the global tech ecosystem, his journey was nothing short of meteoric.
Beyond building a successful company, he was a respected mentor and a generous ecosystem enabler who helped many entrepreneurs find their way.
A remarkable journey, cut tragically short. Condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and the entire Whatfix community. π
@eChaiVentures
Ritesh Banglani co-founded Stellaris Venture Partners.
Ritesh Banglani
4h
Shocked beyond words at Khadim's sudden demise. So gentle a soul taken away so soon and so abruptly.
Khadim faced the toughest of situations with such courage and grace - and a permanent half-smile - that his mere presence made you feel calm and optimistic.
My heart goes out to his family, his cofounder Vara and his colleagues at Whatfix. May you have the strength to deal with this tragic loss.
Faisal Farooqui founded MouthShut.
Faisal Farooqui
3h
RIP
Dearest Khadim (Batti). Forever you defined grace.
Spriha Biswas is an entrepreneur and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree.
Spriha Biswas
3h
It feels so unfair. You want good humans to win and have a great life.
One of the most humble founders I have met, so astute and so full of fire and aspiration.
Met Khadim several times these past few months. Still in shock and disbelief.
Nadeem Jafri
3h
I met Khadim Batti in my office in early 2016. I donβt remember exactly whether he was just about to start Whatfix or had already started it, but I clearly remember him coming to visit me with his cousin.
I have been a witness to his meteoric rise; of course, built entirely on his hard work, determination, and astute workmanship. Khadim was ever humble and was always just a call away whenever I needed his advice, and he extended the same generosity to anyone who approached him.
For our community, Khadim was one of the most reliable pillars and a true inspiration. He encouraged and guided many people to take the entrepreneurial path, inspiring tech-based startup entrepreneurs within the community and far beyond.
His passing is indeed a huge loss to the startup fraternity, to the Cheliya community, and, for me, a deeply personal loss.
Rest in peace, my friend. May Allah grant you maghferat and the highest honour in the Hereafter. Ameen.
Mitesh Khapra is an associate professor in the Department of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras, and he heads AI4Bharat, the lab there that builds open-source language AI for Indian languages: the datasets, the models and the applications. Bodhan AI is the IIT Madras Bodhan AI Foundation, the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for Education that the Ministry of Education established at IIT Madras, with a national mandate to build responsible, scalable and India-first AI for education. Indic-Speak is the two of them working together.
Mitesh Khapra
11h
Transcribe. Translate. Recognise. And now β Synthesise.
Introducing Indic-Speak: 4B params, 23 languages, one model. Built by @Bodhan_AI and @ai4bharat
There's a bit in this video where two speakers, Parth and Dhara, have a podcast style conversation about "Attention Is All You Need" in Hindi β generated in a single pass, no stitching two voices together after the fact. Doesn't sound like TTS (worth checking out in the video).
Also handles code-mixed speech naturally, gets PAN/Aadhaar/currency right, and reads a full Tamil audiobook chapter without losing the thread.
Live on 05.09.2026 on @Bodhan_AI
PJ Celis founded Judge.me, the reviews app on a lot of Shopify stores, where the plan is either free or $15 a month. The second product is priced differently: email is metered at 15 cents per 1,000 sent once you pass the free 15,000 a month, so this bill moves with the sending. The comparison a store will make is Klaviyo, which prices on how many contacts you hold rather than on what you send. Under the post a merchant paying about $2,300 a month for 750,000 emails a week asks whether he can move, and PJ puts 3 million emails a month at $450. The app has been listed since 14 July, he says it is still early, and a Klaviyo import is on the way. Plenty of the B2C founders here sell on Shopify with Judge.me already installed.
PJ Celis
12h
After 12 years of being focused on just reviews, we're adding a second product: @judgeme Email.
Priced super low: 0-15 USD / month for features, 15K emails per month for free, then 15 cents per 1000 emails.
That's 10x cheaper than the competition. Even compared to Shopify's own Email app, we're 85% cheaper.
The product is in early stages, but we're adding features constantly. The price will never go up as we add value, as we optimize for market share, not profit.
After you install the app, you'll be able to request a call with our team to go over your email marketing needs and your setup.
Very excited to have this app live, and if you're a Shopify merchant, hope to see you soon!
Akash Radadiya runs Clay Club Surat, the Surat chapter of Clay's GTM community. This is his thank-you after its first events.
Akash Radadiya
13h
when life throws Clay at you, make it a club & turn it into a clay [club] surat.
to the GTMers of surat, a huge thanks for embraching this community. π«Ά
this is thankspamming post, so bear(or bull!) with me.
first of all the reason of kickstart - Gaurav & Veeral. they acted as silent supporters, kinda batmen. the initial push that gave the initiative the nitro booster.
Super host Piyush for joining hands from day one even without meeting ever before. Nency for bringing all her youth energy & wisdom. Smit for being that calm vro!
our abvove & beyond volunteer (assistanto manager) Vijesh & Vraj Chaubal. super thanks to Unaish for helping us run the smoother operations in the first event.
to all the Surati participants who attended the events & making this place worth coming back to. to all the participants who traveled to surat to learn & share. πΎ
to all the speakers Snehal, Mehul, Nishant, Varun, Neel & Sahil for sparing time for this infant community.
a HUGE thanks to everyone from clay education/community team because of whose direct/indirect support, we were able to keep doing this: Izzy, Siya, Yash, Munnawar, Owen & Shriya Nevatia.
'shat shat koti pranam' to all the venues who opened their space for us - Aureate Labs, Yanolja Cloud Solution, Wizcoder AI Labs & WebContrive | Shopify Plus Partner Agency
to local communities that gave us their unwavering support: Manoj - eChai Ventures & Gopal - Surat IT BDM Community
and, to all the clay communities across the world doing awesome things which we're not even remotely close to.
and sincere apologies at any given point of time, we were unable to meet your expectations. we'll keep getting better!
onwards & upwards! π«‘
p.s.: if i've missed on tagging you by any chance, feel free to self-tag in comments. π
