Umesh Bude has been promoted to the position of chief technology officer (CTO), Pocket Entertainment, the digital storytelling firm which is also the parent company of Pocket FM, Pocket Toons and Pocket Novel. He has been with Pocket Entertainment since February 2024, and will continue reporting to Prateek Dixit, co-founder, Pocket Entertainment,
This alumnus of the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, started his career as a software engineer with SLK Software, in 2004. Three years later, he moved to SUN Microsystems, as senior member of technical staff.
July of 2009 saw him taking up the role of senior software engineer, Akamai Technologies. Just over two years into this role, he was elevated to software engineering lead, in August 2011. Three years later came another promotion that made him engineering manager. By the time he moved on from Akamai, he had climbed to the position of head of marketplace engineering.
Bude was associated with Oyo Vacation Homes, as CTO from 2019 to 2020, before he joined Unacademy in July 2020. After serving as VP and head of engineering for just over a year, he was elevated to SVP, head of engineering and product, Unacademy.
It was in September of 2024 that he joined Pocket FM, as SVP, head of engineering. He has been instrumental in scaling Pocket Entertainment’s tech stack from the ground up.
In this elevated role, Umesh Bude will be tasked with spearheading the company’s technology vision, with a sharp focus on building the future of AI-powered storytelling. He will lead the end-to-end tech strategy across all platforms under Pocket Entertainment, anchoring efforts to scale its global products through next-gen AI solutions. He will be focussing on building seamless user experiences, advancing generative AI capabilities, and ensuring tech-led innovation across the board.
Umesh Bude feels privileged to take on this new role and looks forward “to driving the next wave of innovation, where technology and AI are not just enablers but storytellers in their own right.”
According to Prateek Dixit, co-founder, Pocket Entertainment, Dixit’s “leadership will be central to creating intelligent, emotionally-aware experiences that push the boundaries of what storytelling can be.”