From a bootstrapped Bangalore startup in 2016 to a global tech powerhouse with 1,600 employees, Stellar Innovations has redefined outsourcing through innovation and trust. In this exclusive interview, CEO Anish Thomas unpacks the company’s meteoric rise, its culture of empowerment, and bold plans to dominate new frontiers—from telecom to genomics. Discover how Stellar turns industry challenges into opportunities and what’s next on their ambitious roadmap.
Q1. Let’s begin with the story behind Stellar Innovations. What core idea or need led to its founding in 2016, and how has the journey evolved since then?
The vision was clear from day one: disrupt the outsourcing playbook by making technology the hero, not just labor arbitrage. We launched in Bangalore with 16 employees and zero external funding—just raw ambition. Fast-forward to today: we’re nearing our 10-year milestone with 1,600 team members across three continents, and we’ve pivoted from generic outsourcing to becoming specialists in high-stakes domains like mortgage tech and cybersecurity. Our upcoming Philippines facility isn’t just expansion—it’s proof that tech-led solutions scale globally.
Q2. In a global setup, alignment can be tough. How do you ensure your teams across geographies stay connected, motivated, and aligned with the same values?
Two words: trust and ownership. We’ve built a culture where every office—whether in Dubai or Dallas—operates like a tight-knit tribe. Secret sauce? 90% of our leaders grew from interns to executives here, with a 97% retention rate. We don’t just delegate tasks—we decentralize power. When a junior analyst in India can greenlight a process innovation that impacts U.S. mortgage workflows, you create believers, not just employees.
Q3. You operate in highly specialized spaces like mortgage, tax servicing, and cybersecurity. What sets your approach apart?
We treat every industry like a tech puzzle. While competitors were drowning in last year’s 30% U.S. mortgage market crash, we grew client acquisitions by 100% and revenue by 54%. How? By rebuilding legacy systems with AI-driven risk modeling and blockchain audit trails. Our mantra: “If it’s always been done this way, that’s exactly why we should burn it down.”
Q4. Tech is evolving rapidly, especially with AI and cybersecurity. What keeps Stellar ahead of the curve?
We obsess over the application gap. Everyone talks about AI tools—we focus on surgical implementation. Recently, we weaponized generative AI to cut mortgage underwriting errors by 40%, but only after co-developing models with loan officers, not just data scientists. Same with cybersecurity: our teams don’t just patch vulnerabilities—they run wartime simulations with ethical hackers monthly.
Q5. What’s next for Stellar Innovations? Where do you see the company in five years?
We’re attacking two new frontiers: telecom and genomics. Our pending acquisition of a German telecom firm will let us reimagine 5G network management through predictive AI. Meanwhile, Mediomix—our genomics spin-off—is compressing DNA analysis timelines from weeks to hours using quantum computing principles. In five years? We’ll be the invisible tech layer powering industries people don’t even realize are connected.