Sohini P. Avirneni is the founder and CEO of Koantek, the Databricks-only data and AI firm she started in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2020 after more than 20 years in technology at companies including IBM, Microsoft, SAP, Amazon, Google, and Databricks (Koantek).
Building Koantek on Databricks
She studied computer science at Bangalore University and IIT, and she lives in St. Louis with her family (Koantek). When she founded Koantek, she chose to work only on Databricks from the first day, on the belief that innovation with AI should be simple (Koantek). The firm grew from a small team into one with offices in Mesa, Arizona, and Hyderabad, India, and in June 2026 it won Databricks’ Lakebase Partner of the Year award (Koantek; Databricks).
In a December 2024 interview with Mike Vizard of Techstrong TV, she described the data management problems companies run into when they try to put AI into everyday operations (Techstrong TV). Of her own work she has said, “It’s an honor to be at the forefront of evolving technology, delivering solutions that help leaders manage data, gain critical insights, and make bold decisions to future-proof their companies” (Koantek).