Devtron: A business opportunity in developers’ needs

This startup aims to provide advanced tools for developers using Kubernetes, in a market that is niche and mostly served by non-Indian brands

By Srinath Srinivasan

One of the widely sought-after technologies for the cloud age is Kubernetes. Initially created and used by Google, it was made open source eventually. It is widely used in the SaaS model to develop software for hundreds of thousands of people to use seamlessly at the same time, served from the cloud.

While there are certain tools used by developers to manage the development process, a lot of them do not directly support Kubernetes, irrespective of whichever cloud platform the codes may be hosted on. Gurgaon-based Devtron has a unique model to make a sustainable business in this niche segment. The bootstrapped company has been making tools for developers working with Kubernetes across the globe, from India and have made it open source.

“Today a developer may use lots of dev tools, but if they are looking at Kubernetes, we can confidently say we offer the best flexibility across hybrid cloud platforms,” says Rajesh Razdan, co-founder, Devtron.

Although not a business one hears about typically, the startup’s journey sheds light into the world of developers and the business opportunity it presents. Developers start using Devtron as part of their workflow and after deriving value as individuals, they take it up to their bosses to get more licenses and customised features for all other teammates to collaborate with, where Devtron makes its money.

Established in 2019, the 15-member startup is asset light and has been doing a revenue of around a quarter million dollars with thousands of contributions to open source. Devtron helps developers maintain their code’s health, provide analytics on the performance and improve collaboration with their teammates. “If a developer is using another tool already, they can just pick the features they do not have in those tools from us and go about it using both,” says Razdan.

For businesses, Razdan highlights the value in terms of cost, speed in terms of rolling out products (a week versus months) and features and availability of numerous open source IP. “Usually 7-8 developers share a development tool. With Devtron, it could be around 45-50. It could be across the businesses’ various cloud platforms and projects and other dev tools,” explains Razdan.

The developers eventually become the reason behind the platform’s popularity. In addition, Devtron is working with the academia at top Indian tech institutes to research and incorporate AI within their platforms. “This will further result in automation of DevOps and provide better features and business outcomes,” he says.