Meet Kailash Katkar, From Working At A Stingy Monthly Salary Of Rs 400 To Building Rs 2,000 Crore Company

From working for a stingy salary of Rs 400 per month to building a Rs 2,000 crore company, Kailash Katkar's rapid rise shows that anyone who perseveres and takes on challenges head-on enjoys the sweet smell of success. 

As the Managing Director of Quick Heal Technologies Limited, India’s leading IT Security Solutions, Kailash Katkar has been instrumental in transforming the business from an electrical device repair shop to a global IT Security Solutions conglomerate.

Kailash Katkar was born in 1966 to a Maharashtrian family at Rahimatpur. After barely finishing his matriculation, Kailash worked to help support his family by working at a local radio and calculator repair shop. He started working at a meagre Rs 400 per month. He used to work for Rs 1,500 a month fixing calculators and radios.

By the 1990s, after gaining sufficient technical expertise, Kailash felt secure enough to launch his own calculator repair company with a Rs 15,000 startup investment. Kailash founded CAT Computer Services in 1993, offering computer repair and maintenance services. It was at this time that he realized the majority of computers brought in for repair were infested with viruses. It resonated with him, therefore he persuaded his younger brother Sanjay to concentrate on the antivirus industry. 

After extensive market research, Kailash came up with the idea for Quick Heal- a machine-based solution that would address issues as they cropped up. Together with his brother Sanjay, he created the anti-virus solution. However, people were not willing to pay for it. So, the Katkars distributed the solution free.

There were several other setbacks along the way for the entrepreneur. In 1999, the company was in such terrible shape that they were even unable to pay the employees' salaries, and they even contemplated closing. However, they were able to overcome this period thanks to their diligent efforts. To make the business successful, Katkar assembled his own staff and worked tirelessly. It was worth the effort. 

Under his guidance, Quick Heal Technologies Limited rose to prominence as India’s leading IT Security Solutions. In 2016, Quick Heal Technologies became the first Indian software product company to go public on the stock exchange. The company has also expanded its footprint internationally.