Tech Entrepreneur TJ Thinakaran Prioritizes Principles & People

There are many ways to describe TJ Thinakaran. He’s the boy from New Delhi, India with an interest in computer science. He’s the student from UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) who, after earning his bachelor’s degree in 2001, earned his master’s degree while working at IBM. He’s cofounder of CallFire (now EZ Texting), a text-marketing service, and founder and CEO of CasselRoad, a consulting firm that helps organizations scale. He’s a tech entrepreneur prioritizing principles and people over technological fads.

He’s also an advisory board member for several tech companies, and he’s a lecturer challenging the assumptions of MBA candidates in the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He’s the author of a blog on Software, Startups, Simplicity, and he’s a supporter of nonprofits like School on Wheels, which helps educate homeless children. And he is one of three inductees for the 2025 ICS Hall of Fame. He considers himself lucky, passionate, driven and grateful.

But there is one word he won’t use to describe himself. “I don’t think I’m successful… yet,” he says, signaling the mindset that keeps him driven to achieve more.

What first sparked your interest in computer science and led you to UC Irvine?

I’ve always liked computer science — maybe it was inevitable, given that my father is a retired computer engineer. I went through a phase in India where I tried to be an econ major, but I didn’t enjoy it one bit.

When I came to the U.S. at age 17, I first enrolled at Southern Polytechnic State University (now Kennesaw State) in Georgia before transferring to UCI. When I visited UCI, what stood out to me was how, despite being a big campus, it still had a village-like feel. The support I received from my transfer advisors, Kurt Hessinger and Neha Rawal, as well as from Kristine Bolcer and the entire ICS office, made a huge difference. They helped me navigate not just the process of starting later in the quarter but also transferring my credits from Georgia.

What motivated you to stay for your master’s degree?

I had a great undergraduate experience in ICS, so when I was preparing to enter the workforce at IBM, I also applied for the master’s program. I ended up going to grad school part time while working full time at IBM. It wasn’t easy — ICS didn’t have a part-time program at the time, so I had to wait for the courses I needed to be offered in the evening. And because the MS program only had a research track, the school expected research-quality work, no exceptions. It was intense, but I have nothing but fond memories.

I doubt my advisor, Andre van der Hoek, remembers, but after my graduate exam, he told me that he liked my answers enough that I had an open invitation to come back for my Ph.D. Maybe one day, I’ll hold him to it!

You’ve launched three startups. What’s the secret to your success?

Luck, enabled by ignorance of not knowing how big the problem would be to solve; arrogance in thinking I’d succeed where so many others had failed; and a passion for solving the problem at hand.

Honestly, I don’t think I’m successful… yet. I’ve been extraordinarily lucky. EZ Texting (CallFire) and now CasselRoad are good proof points, but I’ve also failed a lot.

I had two startup ideas — one on my own and one with another ICS alum — that never made it out of the starting gate. The first, Beat Satellite Radio, was meant to use a Compaq IPaq jerry-rigged with a cell data card to give people high-quality music on the move, and the second, FriendRing.com, was “Friendster” before Friendster. I even won a BridgeGate Innovation Scholarship for it, but it never got off the ground. I then went to work for IBM but stayed in touch with my friends, who eventually convinced me to quit and pursue my dreams (but not until after I got my green card here in the U.S.).

How has your ICS education helped along the way?

First, the relationships. When I was graduating in 2001, the job market was a bloodbath. I went to job fairs, stopped by the IBM booth, and was told they weren’t sponsoring international students unless they had a Ph.D. But my friend from ICS Kris Ko, who worked at IBM, encouraged me to apply anyway. Turns out, he put in a good word for me and got me an interview. From there, I just kept doing my best and landed a job offer — one of three I received that year. I chose IBM because I’d be working alongside my ICS friends. Later, CallFire and EZ Texting came out of those same relationships. Of my four cofounders, Vijesh Mehta, Punit Shah, and Dinesh Ravishanker were fellow anteaters; Komnieve Singh attended UC Riverside.

Through it all, one thing stayed true: a focus on principles over technological fads. For a curriculum as science-centric as ICS, it somehow managed to emphasize the two things that matter most in life — principles and people.

What motivated you to start your blog?

A little-known fact: in June 2020, I had a bicycle accident that left me with broken bones and a concussion. I turned to long-form blogging to help me slow down as I focused on recovery. One hundred and ninety posts later, what began as a way to heal has become a habit — not just for me, but for others who are interested in what I have to say about software and startups. For that, I’m deeply grateful.

Can you also talk about supporting people experiencing homelessness?

I’ve supported Midnight Mission, which provides services for homeless people in Los Angeles, and we even made them one of EZ Texting’s suggested “give-back to the community” activities for employees.

I’ve also been a volunteer tutor for School on Wheels, and I continue to help however I can. This summer, for example, one of the companies where I serve on the advisory board will be putting together backpacks for homeless kids in Southern California. There are countless children moving from shelter to shelter without support or stability. Organizations like School on Wheels step in help them feel a sense of agency over their own future, no matter their circumstances.

What was your reaction to learning you’re being inducted into the ICS Hall of Fame?

Disbelief. I had a “wow” moment when I realized that Roy Fielding developed the first concepts of HTTP in the very same ICS labs where I was working, teaching and learning. And I once took a grad-level class on distributed objects from 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Douglas C. Schmidt, which was one of the hardest — and most fun — experiences of my undergraduate life. To now be considered in the same category as them? That’s tough to wrap my head around.

Any words of advice for ICS students hoping to be future tech entrepreneurs?

I’ll share advice that stuck with me from Norm Jacobson, the lecturer for my first ICS class, ICS 23: “Learn as much as you can about as much as you can while in college,” and know that “your next job, company, or life partner is probably in class with you.”

Also, I talk about the nitty-gritty of launching a business in my blog article, “How to Start a Business Successfully,” but let me summarize here — start before you’re ready. Even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll come out wiser, more conscientious and with experiences that will only add to your career.

— Shani Murray