Digital
Flam sparks its growth engine with Arun Kumar Rajendran as marketing AVP
INDIA: The AI infrastructure startup has appointed Arun Kumar Rajendran as its new associate vice president of marketing, bolstering its growth ambitions with a leader known for sharp strategy, disciplined execution and a rare blend of sales-meets-marketing expertise.
In his new role, Arun will lead Flam’s performance strategy and growth programmes, strengthening the brand’s presence across India and international markets. He will also drive alignment across sales, product and analytics teams to build a unified, data-led growth engine focused on consistency and long-term impact.
Arun brings end-to-end growth experience spanning performance marketing, digital campaigns, content systems, analytics, account management, presales and sales enablement. His previous stints at Paytm, Flipkart and Razorpay saw him shape digital and performance strategies at scale.
Calling Flam’s journey a “pivotal stage of scale”, Arun said immersive marketing has become essential for brands looking to engage rather than interrupt. “Consumers expect interaction, not distraction… Flam is uniquely positioned to lead this shift,” he noted, adding that he hopes to strengthen the marketing engine with sharper execution and measurable growth.
Flam CMO and head of product Karthik K Raman, said Arun’s strategic clarity and execution-driven mindset make him an invaluable addition as the company expands into new markets and deepens its global footprint.
Founded in 2021 by Bits Pilani alumni Shourya Agarwal, Malhar Patil and Amit Gaiki, Flam builds GenAI-powered enterprise products that turn any digital or physical touchpoint, from retail to television to live events, into interactive and measurable brand experiences. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and Bengaluru.
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
