# Shiv Sundar

> Shiv Sundar is the co-founder and Chief Business Operator of Esper, a device-management infrastructure company he built with former Microsoft colleague Yadhu Gopalan. His career has moved through embedded engineering, Windows Phone commercialization, Samsung, Quixey, Cyanogen and Huawei, giving him an unusual command of both the software inside a device and the partnerships required to put it in the field. A one-way trip to India in 2017 helped crystallize the business that became Esper; by 2021, the company had raised nearly $100 million and served more than 200 paying customers.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & Chief Business Operator at Esper
- **Organizations:** Esper, Huawei, Cyanogen, Quixey, Samsung Mobile, Microsoft, GDA Technologies
- **Education:** MS, Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, BTech, Electronics Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Executive education, Product Management, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Esper and helped define its device-management approach for dedicated enterprise hardware., Helped grow Esper to more than 200 paying customers by the time of its 2021 Series C., Helped secure nearly $100 million in disclosed capital by October 2021, including a $60 million Series C.

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Began his professional career in embedded systems and joined Microsoft’s Windows Mobile organization.
- **2006-2012** — Worked at Microsoft across hardware and software quality, mobile partnerships and Windows Phone device commercialization.
- **2012-2013** — Worked in product management at Samsung Mobile.
- **2013-2015** — Led mobile product partnerships at Quixey.
- **2015-2017** — Managed strategic and OEM partnerships at Cyanogen and later ran Android partnerships for Huawei.
- **2017** — Left Silicon Valley on a one-way trip to India, where the scale of Android deployment helped shape the opportunity behind Esper.
- **2018** — Joined former Microsoft colleague Yadhu Gopalan to build Esper; the company launched operations for dedicated Android devices.
- **2021** — Esper raised a $60 million Series C led by Insight Partners, bringing capital raised since founding to nearly $100 million.
- **2025** — Marked 20 years in technology by representing Esper and Washington state at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
- **2026** — Continued as Esper’s co-founder and Chief Business Operator, writing and speaking about rugged hardware, retail AI and startup-to-scale leadership.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Esper and helped define its device-management approach for dedicated enterprise hardware.
- Helped grow Esper to more than 200 paying customers by the time of its 2021 Series C.
- Helped secure nearly $100 million in disclosed capital by October 2021, including a $60 million Series C.
- Built cross-industry experience spanning embedded systems, operating systems, OEM commercialization and Android partnerships.
- Contributed, together with co-founder Yadhu Gopalan, to careers associated with shipping more than 100 million devices globally.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Esper’s official leadership materials list Sundar as Co-Founder & Chief Business Operator as the company expands device management across Android, iOS, Windows and Linux.
- **2026-06** — Appeared on RSPA’s Trusted Advisor podcast to discuss startup-to-scale leadership and growing Esper past $100 million in investment.
- **2026-05** — Published guidance on choosing rugged devices for enterprise environments and matching hardware to demanding field use cases.
- **2025-03** — Marked 20 years in his professional career while representing Esper and Washington state at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

## Links

- Website: https://esper.io
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundarashiv
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/esperdev
- GitHub: https://github.com/esper-io
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@esperdev
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esperdev/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/esperdev/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shiv-sundar
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27