Bhaskar Kakani’s journey from Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, to becoming the co-founder and CEO of one of India’s leading semiconductor design services companies is a story of ambition, setbacks and resilience.
Inspired by the Bollywood cricket film Lagaan, Kakani describes his entrepreneurial journey as one filled with challenges, teamwork and determination. Today, his company BITSILICA has emerged as a global semiconductor engineering firm with operations across five countries.
But his path to success was far from straightforward.
From IIIT Hyderabad to Global Chip Design
Kakani completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in 2006 before pursuing an M.Tech in VLSI and Embedded Systems at International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad between 2006 and 2008.
His interest in semiconductor technology grew after learning about the emerging VLSI field. Choosing IIIT Hyderabad over traditional engineering institutions became a turning point in his career.
During his master’s programme, Kakani developed strong foundations in computer science, algorithms, architecture and chip design. Courses on advanced problem-solving, discrete mathematics, computer architecture and VLSI design helped prepare him for the semiconductor industry.
He credits the institute’s learning environment, research culture and industry-focused education for shaping his technical skills and entrepreneurial mindset.
A Successful Career Before Entrepreneurship
After completing his M.Tech, Kakani worked with leading technology companies including Synopsys and Xilinx, which is now part of AMD.
His work involved advanced verification technologies, PCIe solutions, FPGA platforms and complex system-on-chip (SoC) development programmes.
While his engineering career was progressing well, Kakani decided to pursue another ambition: joining the Indian civil services.
He left his corporate career and spent years preparing for the UPSC Civil Services examination. Although he did not enter bureaucracy, the experience became a major turning point that eventually pushed him towards entrepreneurship.
Failure Became the Foundation for BITSILICA
After his UPSC journey, Kakani gained deeper understanding of the semiconductor business ecosystem by working with technology service companies including Vaaluka and UST Global.
During this phase, he identified a major opportunity: global semiconductor companies needed skilled engineering talent and design support as chip complexity increased.
This insight led to the creation of BITSILICA in 2019-20.
Starting with a small team of engineers, Kakani built the company despite early financial challenges. The first major opportunity came from Xilinx, after which BITSILICA expanded its customer base and global presence.
BITSILICA’s Role in India’s Semiconductor Mission
Today, BITSILICA has more than 600 semiconductor engineers working across India, the United States, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia.
The company provides end-to-end semiconductor engineering services, including:
- ASIC design
- Design verification
- Physical design
- Design for test (DFT)
- FPGA development
- Embedded systems
- Silicon validation
- System engineering
BITSILICA works with major global technology companies including Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology, Microchip Technology and NXP Semiconductors.
The company also contributed to India’s semiconductor ecosystem by supporting chip design initiatives aligned with the country’s Make in India vision.
Building India’s Semiconductor Talent Pipeline
Beyond running BITSILICA, Kakani has been involved in strengthening India’s semiconductor ecosystem through research, policy discussions and industry-academia partnerships.
He contributed to semiconductor policy discussions with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and participated in the government’s Chip-to-Startup (C2S) programme.
He has also collaborated with institutions such as IISc Bengaluru, IITs, Osmania University and CBIT to support semiconductor research and talent development.
Kakani believes India has a strong advantage in chip design talent, with a significant share of global semiconductor engineers being of Indian origin. However, he says the country still needs major progress in semiconductor manufacturing.
Acquisition by Quest Global
A major milestone came in April 2026 when BITSILICA was acquired by Singapore-based engineering services company Quest Global.
The acquisition marked a new phase for the company as it continues expanding its role in global semiconductor engineering.
A Journey Built on Resilience
Kakani’s story began in Ongole, where cricket and cinema shaped his early years. Inspired by Sachin Tendulkar, he developed the belief that consistent effort and teamwork can overcome challenges.
He credits his parents, wife Varsha and close friends for supporting him through career changes and failures.
For Kakani, setbacks were not roadblocks but lessons that helped shape his entrepreneurial journey.
“My failures were my stepping stones. They taught me to value the journey more than the destination,” he says.
From a small-town student to a semiconductor entrepreneur contributing to India’s technology ambitions, Bhaskar Kakani’s journey reflects the growing possibilities in India’s chip design ecosystem.
