10 Microsoft alumni who founded companies
Each of these Microsoft alumni who founded companies worked at Microsoft, in product, engineering or business leadership roles, before starting the company they run now as founder or co-founder. A reader can learn how people who worked at Microsoft went on to build companies, from the founders themselves.
Professionals to explore
Eran Megiddo
LinkedInExperience: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder · Maximal Learning
Eran Megiddo was Corporate Vice President and CTO Windows & Devices at Microsoft from 2022 to 2023, and has been Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Maximal Learning since 2023. Eran Megiddo describes Maximal Learning as a startup focused on helping each student unlock their potential.
Gerry Miller
LinkedInExperience: Founder & CEO · Cloudticity
Gerry Miller was Global Business Manager at Microsoft from 2004 to 2007, and has been Founder & CEO of Cloudticity since 2011.
Jean Paoli
LinkedInExperience: Founder, CEO · Docugami
Jean Paoli was General Manager, IoT Windows Developer Platform at Microsoft from 2015 to 2017, and has been Founder, CEO of Docugami since 2017.
Kristin Condit
LinkedInExperience: Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer · Bayze
Kristin Condit was Partner and Head of Product, Azure IoT at Microsoft from 2020 to 2023, and has been Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Bayze since 2025.
Palak Kadakia
LinkedInExperience: Co-Founder & CEO · Cion Labs AI
Palak Kadakia was Group Product Manager at Microsoft from 2017 to 2018, and has been Co-Founder & CEO of Cion Labs AI since 2026. The profile describes Cion Labs AI as building developer infrastructure for the agentic era.
Ramesh Parameswaran
LinkedInExperience: Founder, CTO, CEO · LangGrant (Windocks)
Ramesh Parameswaran was Group Manager, Internet Explorer at Microsoft from 1997 to 1999, and has been Founder, CTO, CEO of LangGrant (Windocks) since 2015. The profile says Windocks addresses the need for data in DevOps and ML.
Rishi Manocha
LinkedInExperience: Co-Founder, Head of Product & Go-to-Market · CoreReach AI
Rishi Manocha was Principal PM Director, Dynamics 365 AI Solutions at Microsoft from 2022 to 2026, and has been Co-Founder, Head of Product & Go-to-Market of CoreReach AI since 2026.
Simon Skaria
LinkedInExperience: Founder and CTO · Vieu
Simon Skaria was Director of Product Engineering - HoloLens and Azure AI at Microsoft from 2014 to 2021, and has been Founder and CTO of Vieu since 2022. The profile describes Vieu as a SaaS application for sales pursuits.
Troy Batterberry
LinkedInExperience: CEO and co-founder · EchoMark
Troy Batterberry was Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Teams Webinars and Events at Microsoft in 2022, and has been CEO and co-founder of EchoMark since 2022.
Vetri Vellore
LinkedInExperience: CEO and Co-Founder · Rhythms
Vetri Vellore was Corporate Vice President at Microsoft from 2021 to 2023, and has been CEO and Co-Founder of Rhythms since 2023.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's role at Microsoft, such as product, engineering or business leadership, to the part of the path from employee to founder you want to understand. Check when each company was started to judge how recent the person's experience of the early stage is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What from your work at Microsoft turned out to be most useful when you started your own company?
- 02How did you decide what problem your company would work on?
- 03What did you have to learn quickly that your Microsoft role had not prepared you for?
Reaching Microsoft alumni who founded companies
How can I contact one of these Microsoft alumni who founded companies?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 10 companies, including Maximal Learning, Cloudticity and Docugami, based on profile data retrieved on October 25, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Microsoft alumni who founded companies?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Microsoft alumni who founded companies a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.