The accounting graduate started in the finance industry but later entered the tech world when the need arose. His choice earned him client recognition as well as clients' and investors’ trust.
South African entrepreneur Ajay Lalu (photo) is the CEO of tech firm Consumption Information Real Time (CIRT), which helps businesses improve operational efficiency with Internet of Things (IoT).
CIRT, which Lalu co-founded in 2018 with Sanjay Soni, has already introduced several solutions in the local market. They include Fridgeloc Connected Cooler, which monitors temperature and remotely controls air conditioning generators, and Q-Hop, which facilitates contactless and cashless shopping.
In January 2021, the IoT firm announced a multi-year strategic alliance to receive “technical guidance, support and access to engineering resources, business development resources” from Microsoft and integrate its solutions to Microsoft Azure.
In March 2022, CIRT’s dynamism in South Africa’s highly competitive business technology market enabled Ajay Lalu to raise ZAR7.2 million (US$460,000) from E Squared Investments to develop its activities, implement pilot projects and grow its development team.
Ajay Lalu graduated from the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 1996 with a BSc in Accounting and started his professional career in the finance and accounting sector. In 2000, he joined Ernst & Young as a corporate finance manager. He continued his professional and entrepreneurship career in the finance sector till 2010 with firms like Utajiri Investment Holdings and Bravura Economic Empowerment Consulting, which he founded in 2006. At the time, he was not much interested in venturing into the tech world since there was virtually no market. In 2010, he joined the sustainable development consulting firm Black Lite Consulting as its MD. Eight years later, while still operating as Black Lite Consulting’s MD, he launched CIRT.
In 2020, he got a professional IoT certification to be able to fully contribute to the success of CIRT client firms.
Melchior Koba
