BUSINESS
Prukalpa Sankar and Varun Banka: Architects of Data Harmony Transforming Businesses with Atlan

In the dynamic realm of data-driven innovation, Prukalpa Sankar and Varun Banka stand as pioneers, reshaping the landscape with their entrepreneurial prowess. The duo co-founded SocialCops in 2012, a groundbreaking intelligence startup that harnessed the power of data to address civic challenges. Their journey from chaos to order within the data space paved the way for their latest venture, Atlan, a data management software that empowers teams globally.
Fresh out of college, Prukalpa Sankar and Varun Banka embarked on a mission to make sense of the data chaos. SocialCops emerged as a platform to bring order to the complexities of data, leading to impactful solutions for civic challenges. From mapping India’s villages for LPG connections to creating India’s national data platform, Disha, the duo demonstrated the transformative potential of harnessing data for social good. However, as SocialCops thrived in addressing external challenges, Sankar and Banka recognized an internal bottleneck – the collaboration overhead within diverse data teams. The need for efficient tools to enhance teamwork and streamline processes became apparent, leading to the development of internal tools at SocialCops.
In 2018, fueled by the success of their internal tools, Sankar and Banka made a bold decision to pivot and founded Atlan. The primary objective was to extend the benefits of their tools to teams worldwide, empowering them to leverage data effectively. Atlan’s suite of software products – Collect, Grid, Discovery, and Workflows – aims to democratize data within organizations.
The Four Pillars of Atlan’s Data Management Suite:
- Collect: Facilitates the easy collection of high-quality data from internal or external sources.
- Grid: Curates data from diverse sources, transforming it into actionable insights across industries.
- Discovery: Breaks down silos between teams, ensuring easy access to relevant data.
- Workflows: Simplifies and manages daily workflows while automating repetitive tasks.
Atlan’s products seamlessly integrate with an organization’s cloud ecosystem, enabling stakeholders to access the right data at the right time and in the right format. The subscription model, ranging from $99 a month to $1 million a year, caters to diverse organizational needs.
Atlan’s impact has been profound, garnering recognition and partnerships with global giants such as Unilever, WPP, GroupM, BASF, McKinsey, Mahindra and Mahindra, and InMobi. The software has enabled organizations to democratize their data, leading to remarkable outcomes. For instance, an FMCG client attributed an additional ₹100 crore in revenue to Atlan, showcasing the platform’s potential in driving strategic decisions through data insights. Sankar and Banka envision Atlan as a transformative force in the data management arena, drawing parallels to Salesforce’s impact on sales and Github’s influence on engineering teams. While revenue details remain undisclosed, investors like Manish Kheterpal believe Atlan has the potential to become a $100 million company in the coming years.
As Atlan takes the lead in the nascent field of DataOps (Data Operations), challenges and opportunities emerge. The company must navigate the diverse needs of corporates and governments, tailoring its offerings to sophisticated data product platforms or high-volume, less complex data requirements. Additionally, building a product development company out of India poses challenges, considering the traditional focus on IT services, KPO, and BPO.
Nevertheless, Atlan’s first-mover advantage and commitment to global impact position it as a frontrunner in transforming data dynamics. The global market for big data and business analytics, forecasted to reach $189 billion in 2021, signifies the vast potential for growth and innovation in the data management space.