Going from biotechnology to creating unique tech solutions isn't the most straightforward career path, but Kartheek Dokka made the transition easy. His journey is an amazing example of how versatile seemingly niche skills can be, highlighting how a scientific background can transition into the business and tech world.
Kartheek's career started with a focus on science. He received a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from JNTU Hyderabad before going on to obtain a Master's in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics from California State University and a Master's in Information Systems Management from Coleman University. Thanks to this combination of educational pursuits, he was able to build the technical skills necessary for a solid foundation in his future career.
He pioneered induced pluripotent stem-cell research at the Scripps Research Institute, San Diego. His research was published in the prestigious journal Nature, considered the holy grail of publications. Shortly after, he worked as a stem-cell research scientist at Stemedica, working on culturing and differentiating stem cells, ensuring they are manufactured with the highest standards for clinical trials. This role involved handling complex scientific data and contributing to healthcare advancements. But Kartheek wanted to explore more, leading him to the intersection of technology and business.
Kartheek's shift to product management started at Xifin, a company providing Revenue Cycle Management solutions for healthcare. As a Senior Technical Product Manager, he built personalized solutions and modernized legacy systems with APIs. This role helped him blend his scientific background with business needs, learning to drive revenue growth and streamline processes.
Amazon noticed Kartheek's expertise, and he became a technical Program Manager. Here, he worked on improving the Natural Language Understanding (NLU) of Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa. By analyzing data pulled from user interactions, implementing thorough testing mechanisms across upcoming Alexa devices, and making various enhancements to the expansion of the Alexa skill catalog to other regions through a structured internationalization program, Kartheek managed to help boost Alexa's NLU success rate from 68% to 81% in North America and helped increase Alexa skill catalog up by 160% within 5 months of launching in the UK.
Kartheek made a significant impact at Expedia. As a Product Manager, he built several innovative products and features. One major achievement was creating a Pricing API model, ensuring consistent pricing across platforms like Google, TripAdvisor, and Trivago. This boosted Expedia's conversion rates by 3% and added $20 million in revenue.
His work on machine learning models for personalized recommendations to travelers was also notable, leading to a 30% increase in click-through rates. This resulted in an extra $60 million in annual revenue for Expedia.
Here, he also developed a new process for onboarding vacation rentals that allowed property owners to self-serve their vacation rental to Expedia through automated processes on the backend. This cut onboarding time by 90% and increased the number of partners by 30% each year. This approach generated $12 million in revenue in the first year, showing his talent for driving efficiency and growth.
Kartheek's dedication to learning and growth has been vital throughout his career. He attended the Product Management for Engineers course at Cornell University and regularly took part in industry conferences and workshops. His commitment to staying updated with technology has made him a leader, inspiring and mentoring future tech professionals who envision AI and machine learning as cornerstones of the FinTech future.
Looking ahead, Kartheek wants to stay at the forefront of tech innovation, and aims to use his skills to develop products that tackle global challenges, improving customer experiences through innovative solutions. His journey from biotechnology to Fintech product development shows how adaptable skills can lead to significant success.
