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Alumnus and CEO of TheAppLabb makes his digital mark on a global scale

Western Engineering News | June 25, 2018

Kundan Joshi, BESc’04, immigrated with his family from Mumbai to Canada in 2000, moving here to pursue his software engineering degree here at Western. As a new undergraduate, Joshi quickly embraced the student experience, eager to explore and succeed in his new country.

“My overall Western experience was a highlight in my career and a time full of rich experiences,” said Joshi. “I was a new immigrant learning about a new culture, learning about myself and finding my strengths.” 

In particular, Joshi says his experience at Western Engineering shaped his way of thinking and sharpened his ability to create innovative solutions for tech industry problems. 

“My professors really challenged me to think differently, which led me to develop an out-of-the-box style of analyzation and reasoning. Outside of the classroom, my peers inspired me to work harder and smarter.”

Joshi became very involved in the Western community during his time as an undergraduate student. He was Western’s student ambassador for the Canadian Undergraduate Tech Conference, and he served as President of the Hindu Students Association, where he developed the skillset to better communicate, lead and manage.

Expanding on that skillset, Joshi took courses at the Ivey Business School during his four-year undergraduate career. His passion for both technology and business took an early turn toward entrepreneurial endeavors while Joshi was still in school.

“It was through summer jobs selling technology services and high-speed Internet that I realized my strengths in selling, recruitment and management,” said Joshi. “And in my third year, I started a digital agency to help people with technology and bring their ideas into reality by building web and software applications.”

In his fourth year at Western, Joshi received the University Students’ Council Honour W Award, which recognizes academic achievement combined with outstanding contributions to the community through volunteer service or extracurricular activities.

Fast forward 14 years, and Joshi is still making an impact through his entrepreneurism and is receiving awards and recognition for his outstanding contributions. He received the 2017 Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce award for Technology Achievement, and most recently, Joshi was one of 25 winners for the 2018 Canadian Immigrant Awards and won the RBC Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Award, a people’s choice award program where nominees are recognized for their achievements and for making a positive impact since their arrival to Canada.

Joshi is the founder and CEO of TheAppLabb, a technology company and leader in strategy, design and development of mobile apps. It was the launch of the iPhone in 2007 that inspired Joshi to create TheAppLabb. He recalled the first app he launched for home appliance company Electrolux, and noted how far TheAppLabb has come in the last decade.

“I attribute my ability to utilize divergent thinking to Western,” said Joshi. “Divergent thinking has been a key element towards creating a dynamic culture at TheAppLabb. Through divergent thinking, we are able to improve human experiences, while driving business outcomes for clients through technology innovation.”

TheAppLabb has moved beyond apps in the last year, expanding into artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality and virtual reality.

Joshi and his team of software engineers and business developers have taken their expertise in the realm of AI and applied it towards helping organizations in the fields of healthcare and education. Products such as health diagnosis apps assist patients with faster recovery through an AI-powered engine that is able to interact with a patient and suggest solutions to their health concerns.

“I’m most passionate about creating an impact through technology, healthcare and education,” said Joshi. “Through other AI-powered products like TheStaffApp and TheLearnApp, we are personalizing education for students and training for employees to encourage lifelong learning.”

With office locations around the world and more than 500 apps built for well-known brands such as Unilever, Samsung, Dell, Park N Fly, RBC, Hudson's Bay, and the Toronto International Film Festival, Joshi has turned TheAppLabb into an international success story.