Sricharan Tadepalli : How Strategic Sales Leadership Transforms Higher Education
Sricharan Tadepalli
Co-Founder & Chief Sales Officer
After two decades of building complex applications, including government solutions and the Oman visa system, and working with leading global companies like Oracle, Sricharan noticed a troubling pattern: fresh engineering graduates entering the workforce lacked fundamental technical skills. Despite strong academic credentials, thousands of young talents were struggling to meet market standards.
This persistent gap sparked a shared realisation between Sricharan and his elder brother, Karun (now CEO of byteXL). With both witnessing the same challenges from inside their respective companies, they decided to become part of the solution, not critics of the system.
In 2019-20, byteXL was born with a simple but powerful goal: to upskill students with industry relevant technology training and bring them closer to true employ ability. Powered by their custom LMS and structured pedagogy, byteXL has grown into a movement skilling nearly two lakh students every year, with over 50,000 industry-ready graduates annually.
What approaches have you adopted to ensure your sales objectives are in sync with the company's overall strategic vision?
What makes byteXL unique in our partner ships with higher-education institutions is our approach. We never walk in with a direct sales pitch. Instead, we start by understanding the college’s real problems. We listen, gather their pain points, and then align byteXL’s model to address those exact gaps. It’s always solution-first, not product-first.
In a space where colleges meet countless edtech vendors every day, the only way to earn trust is by thinking differently and offering genuine value. Our success comes from fitting our product to their needs, not forcing a platform on them.
This approach has defined byteXL from the beginning, and while we will keep refining our strategy, one thing won’t change: we will never rely on a typical sales pitch.
What strategies have you implemented to improve sales performance and productivity?
For me, the first step is always under standing the market. Only then can we scale the team effectively. We constantly emphasize the importance of client success because replicating those success stories is what strengthens our model. I make sure the team clearly understands this.
We prepare detailed FAQs and Q&As so the team can handle the wide range of questions that come up in B2B sales conversations across different universities. This helps them approach each client with clarity and confidence.
Hiring the right talent is another major focus. We look for people with strong technical grounding who can also support pre-sales. Our processes, guidelines, and documents are now well-structured, all shaped by lessons from past client success journeys.
Describe your leadership style. What guidelines or methodologies do you follow as a leader?
We stay updated through a strong network of founders and edtech communities that regularly exchange insights on new technologies, compliance, and industry changes. In these groups, there’s always fresh data flowing, whether it’s updates related to AICTE, UGC, or new tech trends emerging in higher education.
A lot of our learning also comes from social media, industry articles, and official compliance releases. These sources help us understand what’s coming next, whether it's advancements in AI, LLMs, or new digital frameworks. Each company may build differently, but the shared knowledge helps us shape our own direction.
We filter these inputs based on what aligns with our vision as an organization. Whatever is relevant, we adopt and build on it. Today, we are upgrading our technology not just year-on-year, but almost quarteron-quarter,
This approach has defined byteXL from the beginning, and while we will keep refining our strategy, one thing won’t change: we will never rely on a typical sales pitch.
What strategies have you implemented to improve sales performance and productivity?
For me, the first step is always under standing the market. Only then can we scale the team effectively. We constantly emphasize the importance of client success because replicating those success stories is what strengthens our model. I make sure the team clearly understands this.
We prepare detailed FAQs and Q&As so the team can handle the wide range of questions that come up in B2B sales conversations across different universities. This helps them approach each client with clarity and confidence.
Hiring the right talent is another major focus. We look for people with strong technical grounding who can also support pre-sales. Our processes, guidelines, and documents are now well-structured, all shaped by lessons from past client success journeys.
Describe your leadership style. What guidelines or methodologies do you follow as a leader?
We stay updated through a strong network of founders and edtech communities that regularly exchange insights on new technologies, compliance, and industry changes. In these groups, there’s always fresh data flowing, whether it’s updates related to AICTE, UGC, or new tech trends emerging in higher education.
A lot of our learning also comes from social media, industry articles, and official compliance releases. These sources help us understand what’s coming next, whether it's advancements in AI, LLMs, or new digital frameworks. Each company may build differently, but the shared knowledge helps us shape our own direction.
We filter these inputs based on what aligns with our vision as an organization. Whatever is relevant, we adopt and build on it. Today, we are upgrading our technology not just year-on-year, but almost quarteron-quarter,
because AI is evolving faster than ever.
How do you keep yourself up-to-date with ongoing industry trends to steer your organization towards the future?
For me, leadership begins with under standing culture, not just organizational culture, but also the culture of the education ecosystem we work with. In higher education, every university faces challenges around evidence, technology, vision, and character.
As a leader, I must be very clear about why I recommend something and how it will actually impact their system.
You can’t simply tell a college to implement a model unless you fully understand their culture, compliance and the practical implications.
A good leader builds an MVP, tests it, validates it, and only then stands behind it with confidence. That process is what helped byteXL gain trust from investors like Kalari Capital and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
Leadership, for me, is continuous learning every day, every minute. Working closely with universities teaches us something new each time. Growth comes from staying curious, grounded, and committed to meaningful change.
Sricharan Tadepalli, Co-Founder & Chief Sales Officer, byteXL
Sricharan Tadepalli is the Chief Sales Officer and CoFounder of byteXL, a leading edtech company bridging the gap between academia and industry for engineering students in India.
With over 20 years of experience in technology, including building applications for global companies like Oracle and government solutions, Sricharan brings deep industry insight to skilling and employability.
At byteXL he drives strategic partnerships with universities, focusing on under standing client challenges and delivering tailored, impactful solutions. Passionate about continuous learning, AI, and technology, he has helped scale byteXL to skill over two lakh students annually while fostering a culture of innovation and client success.
•Hobbies:Coding
•Books:AI
•Favorite Travel Destination: Europe
•Favorite Cuisine: Chinese
•Awards & Recognition:
ET Education Awards
How do you keep yourself up-to-date with ongoing industry trends to steer your organization towards the future?
For me, leadership begins with under standing culture, not just organizational culture, but also the culture of the education ecosystem we work with. In higher education, every university faces challenges around evidence, technology, vision, and character.
As a leader, I must be very clear about why I recommend something and how it will actually impact their system.
You can’t simply tell a college to implement a model unless you fully understand their culture, compliance and the practical implications.
A good leader builds an MVP, tests it, validates it, and only then stands behind it with confidence. That process is what helped byteXL gain trust from investors like Kalari Capital and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
Leadership, for me, is continuous learning every day, every minute. Working closely with universities teaches us something new each time. Growth comes from staying curious, grounded, and committed to meaningful change.
Sricharan Tadepalli, Co-Founder & Chief Sales Officer, byteXL
Sricharan Tadepalli is the Chief Sales Officer and CoFounder of byteXL, a leading edtech company bridging the gap between academia and industry for engineering students in India.
With over 20 years of experience in technology, including building applications for global companies like Oracle and government solutions, Sricharan brings deep industry insight to skilling and employability.
At byteXL he drives strategic partnerships with universities, focusing on under standing client challenges and delivering tailored, impactful solutions. Passionate about continuous learning, AI, and technology, he has helped scale byteXL to skill over two lakh students annually while fostering a culture of innovation and client success.
•Hobbies:Coding
•Books:AI
•Favorite Travel Destination: Europe
•Favorite Cuisine: Chinese
•Awards & Recognition:
ET Education Awards