# K. V. Rao

> K. V. Rao is a software entrepreneur and engineer who co-founded Zuora and Aviso, serving as Aviso’s original CEO before becoming chief strategy officer in the leadership transition announced in 2017. His career includes NASA, General Motors, Silicon Graphics and WebEx, and his later activities include founding Chiku and angel investing. He is based in Los Altos, California.

- **Role:** Founder at Chiku; co-founder and investor at Aviso
- **Organizations:** Chiku, Aviso, Zuora, WebEx, Silicon Graphics, General Motors, NASA
- **Education:** B.Tech in Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, M.S. in Engineering, University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology), Ph.D. in Engineering, Iowa State University
- **Known for:** Co-founded subscription software company Zuora, which went public in April 2018., Co-founded Aviso, applying machine learning and portfolio management to revenue decisions., Built a career spanning engineering, enterprise technology, business development and company formation.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked at NASA and General Motors; exact dates not established.
- **1996-1999** — Applications engineer at Silicon Graphics.
- **1999-2004** — Director of technology at WebEx.
- **2007** — Co-founded Zuora with Cheng Zou and Tien Tzuo; served as president and chief strategist.
- **2012** — Co-founded Aviso with Andrew Abrahams and became its original CEO.
- **2014** — Aviso launched publicly on April 30, following two years of development and an $8 million financing.
- **2017** — CEO transition to Michael Lock announced in February; Rao became chief strategy officer.
- **2018** — Joined the Zuora IPO occasion at the NYSE on April 12.
- **2023** — Dealroom records the start of his founder role at Chiku.

## Achievements

- Co-founded subscription software company Zuora, which went public in April 2018.
- Co-founded Aviso, applying machine learning and portfolio management to revenue decisions.
- Built a career spanning engineering, enterprise technology, business development and company formation.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-v-rao-51748/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/k-v-rao
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26