Esper is a cloud platform that automates application deployment and management for the entire Android device and application lifecycle. In February, they raised a funding of $7.6 Million from Madrona Venture Group and their existing seed investors – Root Ventures, Ubiquity Ventures, Haystack Ventures, and Pathbreaker Ventures. Esper is co-founded by Mr. Shiv Sundar (COO) and Mr. Yadhu Gopalan (CEO).
Yadhu Gopalan, Co-Founder and CEO, Esper tell us about their upcoming plans
How do you think is the sector going to surge in the near future?
The technology sector is trending toward smarter, cloud-connected edge computing. Smarter computing will inspire engineering teams to iterate and deploy faster.
What is the exclusiveness of your startup, that’s unique from other gigantic players in the market?
Esper is the first DevOps platform for Android dedicated devices, which includes smartphones, tablets, mobile point-of-sale (mPoS), telemedicine gadgets, and smart fitness equipment. Our customers can move beyond traditional mobile device management (MDM) capabilities with our complete cloud framework to remotely deploy, manage, and debug Android.
What is the latest mode of technology that you are catering to?
Android is a flexible open source platform that’s at the core of today’s most innovative, touch-enabled experiences. Esper offers a full stack suite of DevOps tools for automation and continuous testing so our customers can achieve operational excellence.
How important do you think is it for people to rely on technology? Are there any major follies per se?
I think technology is an enabler, not a silver bullet. I’m passionate about mobility’s potential to create a safer, more fair world for everyone by improving access to healthcare and education. Android mobility is a powerful tool, but it’s not a replacement for human innovation.
Coming to the financial perspective, are you a bootstrapped venture? If not, kindly elucidate on the nature and amount of funding raised.
We are a venture-backed startup. We have raised a combined $10.5M in funding from our Seed and Series-A round. Our Series-A round was led by Madrona Ventures.
What are your immediate and long term milestones like?
Currently, Esper is focused on expanding our platform features and growing our customer base. Recently, we launched a new pricing structure which includes a freemium-tier, or fully-featured platform access for users with 100 or fewer devices to support innovators and startups. Soon we plan to launch an expansion of our partnership program for System Integrators, OEMs, and VARs.
In the near future, we hope to onboard 1 million Android devices to Esper and become the preferred platform for brands in logistics, education, healthcare, and fitness.
Lastly, any word of advice for the wannapreneurs?
My advice here is to choose a technology that you are truly passionate about. If vision is about knowing where you want to go, passion is about enjoying the ride along the way. Startups are hard and being passionate about what you are working will give you the drive you need to succeed.
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