Amin Sukhera

software executive and CEO of SkyElectric

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Amin Sukhera is a software executive and the chief executive officer of SkyElectric Pvt. Ltd. He was born and raised in a remote part of Pakistan, and he has said that electricity reached his village in 2009. Sukhera worked at Sun Microsystems, TerraSpring and FireEye, and he joined SkyElectric in 2017.

Early life and background

Sukhera was born and raised in a remote part of Pakistan. His village is about 50 kilometres from Bahawal Nagar, and his relatives all lived in the same village. His father owned one and a half acres of land. He has said that there are four brothers in his family, that his parents were uneducated, and that he lacked guidance. [1]

He first saw a city when he sat his middle school exams. He cycled 8 to 9 kilometres each way, every day. He has said that he was not fit for farming and needed an escape, and that he learned he was very good at mathematics. He has also said that when he completed his BSc, nobody within a ten-mile radius had even matriculated with science. [1]

Education

Sukhera moved to Bahawal Nagar to complete matriculation. In FSc he took the pre-medical stream despite being strong in mathematics, and he narrowly missed the merit place for MBBS. He was admitted to an agriculture university in Faisalabad. He left Agriculture University after about a week because it was not the right place for him. [1]

He planned to take a BA in English and English literature and sit the CSS exam. He scored 200 out of 200 in applied pure mathematics, and he wanted to switch to physics rather than statistics. He studied at Quaid-e-Azam University, where he spent two years. [1]

He applied to study computer science in Islamabad. He has said that he knew little about computers at that time, that he did well in operating systems at university, and that he did not like the theoretical subjects. He completed his BSc in 1993. From 1993 to 1994 he did not have money for university and taught tuition classes for a year. He entered university in February 1994 and graduated in March 1996. [1]

Career

Sukhera has said that after four months of living in Islamabad, his funds ran out and he had not found a job. His first job was at Sun Microsystems, where he worked for about two and a half to three years. He was hired as a programmer and manager in that job. [1]

He was told that his team could move to a new company, TerraSpring, which worked on cloud virtualization. Sukhera worked at TerraSpring. An H-1 visa was filed for him, and by 1999 he was in the US. A startup was acquired by Sun Microsystems in November 2002, and he went back to Sun in Silicon Valley. He received a US green card through Sun in 2004. [1]

FireEye

Sukhera was told about a new company being started, which was not yet called FireEye at that time. He worked for FireEye, and he became the second or third software engineer at the new company. He was offered a manager role, with five or six people reporting to him. He rose from software engineer to VP level. He has said that FireEye had about 100 people working in a Lahore office. [1]

He resigned from FireEye on his 11th anniversary with the company. He was VP of Engineering when he left in 2016. He moved fully to Lahore in 2016. [1]

SkyElectric

Sukhera joined SkyElectric in 2017. He was asked to sell the product and become CEO of the company. He has said that the CEO role requires a great deal of public speaking and talking to everybody. He left SkyElectric in June 2020, during COVID. He is the CEO of SkyElectric Pvt. Ltd. [1]

He has said that SkyElectric has offices in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore, and that it has installed 6,000 to 7,000 systems. He has said that SkyElectric has launched in Japan and that its product is under certification, and that Japan is its next market after Pakistan. He has said that it is exploring the Philippines, South Africa and Dubai as other markets, and that it plans to launch in California and Hawaii by Q4 2023 or Q1 2024. He has also said that the company wants to stay in its core business. [1]

Views

Sukhera has said that solar panels earlier cost over 40 cents per watt and now cost about 24 to 26 cents, and that solar efficiency now stands above 18 to 20 percent. He has said that the tech stack is where the money is and where the future is. He has said that cybersecurity will be very important because anyone can log into your system. He suggested real-time metering with a SIM chip attached and an app built on top of it. He has said that China is a manufacturing hub that nobody can beat on precision or pricing, and that solar cannot scale on a dollar basis. [1]

He has said that if there is a will there is a way, but he does not see the will. He advised that whoever can afford it should pursue energy independence. He has said that he is not much hopeful over a horizon of two to five years, and that in the longer run he is very hopeful. He has also said that taking initiative is very important and that he would always go and ask for help. [1]

Personal life

Sukhera has said that he wanted to spend some time with his family. He has also said that he does a lot to help his people in the area. [1]

Timeline

1993
Completed his BSc.[1]
1994
Entered university in February.[1]
1996
Graduated in March.[1]
1999
Was in the US after an H-1 visa was filed for him.[1]
2002
A startup was acquired by Sun Microsystems in November, and he went back to Sun in Silicon Valley.[1]
2004
Received a US green card through Sun.[1]
2009
Electricity reached his village, according to him.[1]
2016
Left as VP of Engineering and moved fully to Lahore.[1]
2017
Joined SkyElectric.[1]
2020
Left SkyElectric in June, during COVID.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-04-10 From a village with no electricity to Silicon Valley CEO Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Amin Sukhera?

Amin Sukhera is a software executive and the chief executive officer of SkyElectric Pvt. Ltd. He was born and raised in a remote part of Pakistan. He worked at Sun Microsystems, TerraSpring and FireEye.[1]

What does Amin Sukhera do?

Amin Sukhera is the CEO of SkyElectric Pvt. Ltd. He joined SkyElectric in 2017, and he was asked to sell the product and become CEO of the company.[1]

Where did Amin Sukhera study?

Amin Sukhera studied at Quaid-e-Azam University, where he spent two years. He completed his BSc in 1993.[1]

Where is Amin Sukhera from?

Amin Sukhera was born and raised in a remote part of Pakistan. His village is about 50 kilometres from Bahawal Nagar.[1]

What companies has Amin Sukhera worked for?

Amin Sukhera's first job was at Sun Microsystems. He has also worked at TerraSpring and FireEye, and he resigned from FireEye on his 11th anniversary with the company. He joined SkyElectric in 2017.[1]

When did Amin Sukhera join SkyElectric?

Amin Sukhera joined SkyElectric in 2017. He left SkyElectric in June 2020, during COVID, and he is the CEO of SkyElectric Pvt. Ltd.[1]

What has Amin Sukhera said about SkyElectric's expansion?

Amin Sukhera has said that SkyElectric has offices in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. He has said that it has launched in Japan and is exploring the Philippines, South Africa and Dubai as other markets.[1]

References

  1. From a village with no electricity to Silicon Valley CEO . Thought Behind Things , 2023-04-10.
Show the source passages (73 statements)
  1. Amin Sukhera was born and raised in a remote part of Pakistan. I was born and raised in a very uh remote uh part of Pakistan.
  2. His village is about 50 kilometres from Bahawal Nagar. Aur yeh mera gaon Bahawal Nagar se koi 50 kilometer hai.
  3. His father owned one and a half acres of land. Walid sahab ki dedh acre zameen thi.
  4. He said he was not fit for farming and needed an escape. I think I was not fit for zameendara. So I needed some faraar.
  5. He said he learned that he was very good at mathematics. I learned myself that I was somehow very good in mathematics.
  6. He cycled 8 to 9 kilometres each way, every day. Woh 8-9 kilometer daily cycle pe ek side pe jaana, phir utna wapas aana
  7. He first saw a city when he sat his middle school exams. Maine first time shehar dekha tha jab mere middle ke exam hue the
  8. His relatives all lived in the same village. all our relatives, everybody was in that village only.
  9. He said electricity reached his village in 2009. mere gaon mein toh 2009 mein bijli aayi thi
  10. He said there are four brothers in his family. I have one I we have four brothers.
  11. He said his parents were uneducated and that he lacked guidance. Because lack of guidance. My parents are uneducated.
  12. He said he has learned that taking initiative is very important. I so one thing I have learned in life is taking initiative is also very important.
  13. He said he would always go and ask for help. I would always go ask for help.
  14. He moved to Bahawal Nagar to complete matriculation. I want to go to matric and I want to you know move to Bahawal Nagar
  15. He took the pre-medical stream in FSc despite being strong in mathematics. Toh FSc mein maine pre-medical kiya itne ache maths ke bawajood.
  16. He narrowly missed the merit place for MBBS. FSc mein mera thode se numberon se MBBS ka merit reh gaya.
  17. He was admitted to an agriculture university in Faisalabad. phir maine Agriculture University Faisalabad mein admission le liya
  18. He left Agriculture University after about a week because it was not the right place for him. Ek week ke baad main usko chhod ke, this is not the place for me.
  19. He planned to take a BA in English and English literature and sit the CSS exam. maine kaha main BA karta hoon English aur English literature ke saath and I will do CSS.
  20. He scored 200 out of 200 in applied pure mathematics. Applied pure mathematics mein 200 out of 200.
  21. He wanted to switch to physics rather than statistics. ab main physics karna chahta hoon, stats nahi
  22. He spent two years at Quaid-e-Azam University. bada acha time Quaid-e-Azam mein guzra do saal
  23. He applied to study computer science in Islamabad. Usme maine computer science mein apply kar diya.
  24. He said he knew little about computers at that time. Mujhe us waqt tak computer ka kuch pata nahi tha.
  25. He said he did well in operating systems at university. mera woh computer yeh you know operating system bada acha tha
  26. He said he did not like the theoretical subjects at university. Woh jo theoretical subjects the woh you know I did not like those any of those
  27. He completed his BSc in 1993. 1993 mein meri BSc maine complete ki
  28. From 1993 to 1994 he did not have money for university and taught tuition classes for a year. Achcha 93 se leke 94 tak mere paas university ke paise nahi the na toh maine ek saal tuitions padhain
  29. He entered university in February 1994 and graduated in March 1996. February 94 I entered and March 96 I graduated.
  30. His first job was at Sun Microsystems, where he worked for about two and a half to three years. Teen saal, dhai teen saal uske saath Sun Microsystem, that was my first job.
  31. He was hired as a programmer and manager in his first job. He hired me and my first job was not only as a programmer but as a manager as well.
  32. He was told that his team could move to a new company, TerraSpring, which worked on cloud virtualization. I would be happy to move you to, you know, my new company, TerraSpring, cloud virtualization.
  33. An H-1 visa was filed for him, and by 1999 he was in the US. Usne mera H1 file kiya, H1 ho gaya, 99 mein we were in US.
  34. The startup was acquired by Sun Microsystems in November 2002, and he went back to Sun in Silicon Valley. November 2002 mein that startup again got acquired by Sun Microsystem, so I ended up going back to Sun, but this time in US, Silicon Valley
  35. He received a US green card through Sun in 2004. Sun se 2004 mein green card mil gaya.
  36. He was told about a new company being started, which was not yet called FireEye at that time. I am starting this new company. FireEye us waqt naam nahi tha
  37. He became the second or third software engineer at the new company. so I was I think second or third engineer, software engineer at that company.
  38. He was offered a manager role, with five or six people reporting to him. tumhein na main manager bana raha hoon, you know, five, six people are going to report to you
  39. He rose from software engineer to VP level. Software engineer se le ke all the way to VP level.
  40. He said FireEye had about 100 people working in a Lahore office. FireEye ke liye we had 100 people working in Lahore office
  41. He resigned from FireEye on his 11th anniversary with the company. I resigned from FireEye on my 11th anniversary
  42. He was VP of Engineering when he left in 2016. Aur phir maine jab 2016 mein choda, so I was VP of Engineering
  43. He moved fully to Lahore in 2016. '16 completely moved to Lahore.
  44. He joined SkyElectric in 2017. main SkyElectric 2017 mein join kiya
  45. He was asked to sell the product and become CEO of the company. to tum usko sell karo and you become the CEO of this company.
  46. He said the CEO role requires a great deal of public speaking and talking to everybody. CEO requires very public speaking, outgoing, talking to everybody
  47. He left SkyElectric in June 2020, during COVID. June 2020 mein I left SkyElectric during this COVID time
  48. He said he wanted to spend some time with his family. I wanted to spend some time with the family
  49. He said SkyElectric has offices in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. And we have offices in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore.
  50. He said SkyElectric has installed 6,000 to 7,000 systems. humare koi, uh, 6, 7,000 plus systems hum laga chuke hain, Alhamdulillah.
  51. He said SkyElectric has launched in Japan and that its product is under certification. abhi hum inshaallah Japan mein apne sky electric launch kar di hai. Hamari product is under jet certification.
  52. He said SkyElectric is exploring the Philippines, South Africa and Dubai as other markets. We are also exploring few other markets, Philippines one, South Africa and uh Dubai
  53. He said SkyElectric plans to launch in California and Hawaii by Q4 2023 or Q1 2024. hum California aur Hawaii mein bhi either Q4 2023 and uh ya uh Q1 2024 tak US mein launch kar rahe hain
  54. He said Japan is SkyElectric's next market after Pakistan. basically uh Pakistan ke baad Japan would be our first second market
  55. He said solar panels earlier cost over 40 cents per watt and now cost about 24 to 26 cents. panel solar panel per watt 40 plus cents tha toh aaj kal 24 25 26 cost actually na
  56. He said the company wants to stay in its core business. Uh we want to stay in our core plus uh uh hamari product mein yeh already built-in yeh cheez hai.
  57. He said the tech stack is where the money is and where the future is. The tech stack is, is where the money is at, the tech stack is where the future is at.
  58. He said solar efficiency now stands above 18 to 20 percent. 18, 20 percent ke upar solar efficiency aaj khadi hui hai
  59. He said cybersecurity will be very important because anyone can log into your system. cyber security is going to be very, very important because anyone can log into your system
  60. He said that if there is a will there is a way, but he does not see the will. if there is a will, there is a way. But I do not see the will.
  61. He advised that whoever can afford it should pursue energy independence. whoever can afford it, the energy independence uh should do it like anything and everything else
  62. He suggested real-time metering with a SIM chip attached and an app built on top of it. real time metering kar dein us pe sim chip laga ke app bana dein
  63. He said China is a manufacturing hub that nobody can beat on precision or pricing. Because we like it or not China is a manufacturing hub. Na unko koi precision mein beat kar sakta hai, na unko koi pricing mein beat kar sakta hai.
  64. He said solar cannot scale on a dollar basis. solar scale nahi kar sakta dollar base ke upar
  65. He said he is not much hopeful over a horizon of two to five years. I don't see like two, three, four, five years mein I don't see I am not much hopeful.
  66. He said that in the longer run he is very hopeful. But in the longer run I am very very hopeful.
  67. He said he does a lot to help his people in the area. I do, you know, a lot of help for my people in the area and all
  68. He said that when he completed his BSc, nobody within a ten-mile radius had even matriculated with science. Jab maine BSc Muzammil ki thi, mere 10 meel ke radius mein koi banda matric ke saath science ke saath matric bhi nahi tha
  69. He said that after four months of living in Islamabad, his funds ran out and he had not found a job. char mahine ho gaye, living in Islamabad, kharche khatam ho gaye hain, jo funds the, exhaust ho gaye hain, job nahi mili
  70. Amin Sukhera is the CEO of SkyElectric Pvt. Ltd. Amin Sukhera is the CEO of SkyElectric Pvt. Ltd.
  71. Amin Sukhera studied at Quaid-e-Azam University. Studying at Quaid-e-Azam University
  72. Amin Sukhera worked at TerraSpring. Working at Terraspring
  73. Amin Sukhera worked for FireEye. 34:13 Working for FireEye