Madhu G Nadig, Co-founder and CTO of Flagright, in addition to building cutting-edge compliance software, is redefining how financial institutions think about compliance altogether. With a career spanning some of the biggest names in tech, Madhu brings a fresh perspective to one of the most complex problems of our time. We sat down with him to explore his journey, his approach to leadership, and his vision for the future of compliance technology.
Your Career Spans Transformative Roles At Palantir, AWS, And Forto. How Did These Experiences Shape Your Leadership Style And Approach To Building Flagright?
“Every one of those roles was a stepping stone, teaching me lessons that directly influence how I approach building products and teams today.
At Palantir, I was one of the first hires in India, and my role revolved around helping enterprise customers extract value from their data. It wasn’t just about solving technical challenges, it was about deeply understanding customer needs and designing solutions that integrated seamlessly into their workflows.
At AWS, I focused on building global, no-code, real-time deployment systems. This experience taught me the importance of scalability and reliability. In the cloud-first world, every millisecond counts, and I carry that ethos into everything we build at Flagright.
At Forto, I joined as engineer #20 and helped scale the company into a unicorn. That experience was transformative, it taught me how to plan for growth, navigate challenges at scale, and keep technical excellence at the heart of everything, even as the organisation grows rapidly. These experiences have shaped both my technical philosophy and leadership style, which I’ve carried into Flagright.”
What Do You Think Defines A Great CTO? How Do You Approach Balancing Technical Innovation With Business Needs?
“A great CTO is both a visionary and a pragmatist. You need to have a clear vision for where the technology can take the business, but you also need to stay grounded in solving immediate challenges and delivering tangible value.
I think it’s about listening, listening to your team, your customers, and the market. At Flagright, we balance technical ambition with customer-centricity. If you’re building technology that doesn’t address real-world pain points, you’re just innovating for the sake of it. A great CTO makes sure the tech roadmap aligns with the company’s broader goals while remaining adaptable to new opportunities.”
How Has Your Background In AI And Large-scale Data Processing Influenced The Way Flagright Operates Today?
“My experience in AI and large-scale systems directly shaped the architecture and capabilities of Flagright. From day one, we wanted to build something that wasn’t just faster or more scalable, it had to be fundamentally better.
Our platform processes transactions in milliseconds, applies sophisticated anomaly detection across billions of data points, and ensures that every flagged transaction comes with a clear, explainable rationale.
The challenge wasn’t just about making it work, it was about making it work at scale, in real-time, and with full transparency for our customers. My experience with distributed systems and privacy-first AI enabled us to deliver on this promise while ensuring compliance with strict data regulations.”
What Were Some Of The Biggest Challenges You Faced While Building Flagright, And How Did You Overcome Them?
“One of the biggest challenges was ensuring that our platform could handle the sheer diversity of financial institutions and their unique requirements. Compliance isn’t one-size-fits-all, and we had to build a system that was flexible enough to adapt to different workflows while still being fast and reliable.
We tackled this by focusing on an API-first, no-code architecture. This allows customers to integrate our platform quickly and customise it without needing engineering resources. It wasn’t easy, but staying close to our customers and iterating rapidly helped us refine the product into what it is today.”
Flagright Has Disrupted The Compliance Space With Its Innovative Approach. How Does Your Vision For The Company Align With The Future Of Financial Compliance?
“Compliance is about building trust and empowering businesses to grow safely, in addition to meeting regulatory requirements. I believe the future of compliance lies in seamless integration, real-time insights, and proactive risk management.
At Flagright, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible by building a platform that’s not only faster but smarter. Our goal is to enable financial institutions to focus on their core mission; serving customers, while we take care of the complexity behind the scenes.”
What Motivates You Personally In Your Work?
“Every time we help a financial institution stop a fraudulent transaction or better serve their customers, it reinforces why we do what we do. Knowing that our work makes the financial system safer and more efficient is incredibly motivating.
On a personal level, I’m driven by the idea of building something that outlasts me, a system or a culture that continues to create value long after the code is written. That’s the legacy I want to leave behind.”
How Do You See Compliance Technology Evolving Over The Next 5-10 Years, And What Role Do You Want To Play In That Transformation?
“We’re just scratching the surface. As financial systems become more interconnected, compliance needs to move from reactive to proactive, from static to dynamic. I see a future where compliance systems act as intelligent partners, helping institutions not just detect risks but anticipate and mitigate them before they arise.
At Flagright, we’re building the foundation for that future. We’re working on expanding the capabilities of our platform while staying true to our principles of transparency, efficiency, and customer empowerment. I’m excited to be at the forefront of this transformation and to see how the industry evolves.”
