Deepak Mittal: The Making of a Global FinOps Leader

How CloudKeeper scaled globally with resilience, customer trust, and cloud cost innovation

Behind every fast-scaling company is a story of vision, resilience, and leadership. For Deepak Mittal, co-founder and CEO of CloudKeeper, building a hypergrowth cloud startup has been as much about discipline as it has been about innovation. Today, CloudKeeper serves more than 400 clients across industries and geographies, helping them achieve sustainable cloud cost savings through its FinOps solutions. In this exclusive interview, Mittal shares his leadership journey, from lessons learned during the 2008 financial crisis with TO THE NEW to scaling CloudKeeper into a global FinOps leader with $20 million EBITDA. He also reflects on building diverse teams, expanding into North America, and why customer-first execution always trumps vanity metrics.

CloudKeeper now serves over 400 global clients and delivers an average of 20% savings. What has been the biggest driver behind this impact? 

Mittal: The universality of the problem we solve. Cloud is the backbone of digital infrastructure, and every business, whether a Gen AI startup or a Fortune 500, wants better performance at lower cost. Our edge lies in delivering not just savings, but comprehensive optimisation services supported by expert-led guidance and proactive support. This combination has helped our clients consistently achieve around 20% savings. 

Q. CloudKeeper recently expanded into North America, with 35% of your client base now in the U.S. How do you adapt across markets? 

Mittal: While cloud cost challenges are consistent globally, the way organisations approach them varies. In some markets, engineering teams lead optimisation; in others, finance takes charge. Some customers prioritise long-term sustainability, while others seek immediate savings. Expanding into multiple geographies has taught us to stay flexible, listen closely, and tailor our approach to each customer’s needs. 

CloudKeeper is trusted by leaders like eLocal, HackerEarth, Recruit CRM, Appsmith, Moneysmart, and InterGlobe Aviation. Which client stories stand out to you? 

Mittal: Every client story matters, but a few are special. With eLocal, we drove both immediate savings of 10% and an additional 15% through deeper optimisations. For CarDekho, we migrated over 400 domains from Akamai to CloudFront with zero downtime and significant CDN cost savings. With Recruit CRM, Appsmith, Moneysmart, and InterGlobe Aviation, the stories are equally rewarding, they reflect our collaborative approach, where we go beyond handing over tools and stay involved end-to-end. That’s where true value is created. 

Profitability is rare for a fast-growing SaaS company, yet CloudKeeper reported $20M EBITDA. How did you achieve this balance? 

Mittal: Growth and profitability rarely go hand in hand in SaaS. We focused on value, not vanity metrics. Our solutions directly save customers money, which made revenues sticky and trust-driven. We also stayed disciplined on unit economics, lean teams, frugal operations, and efficiency-first practices. Combined with a committed team, this approach helped us scale without compromising profitability. 

Your FinOps model combines platforms, expert advisory, and procurement. Why does this resonate with both startups and enterprises? 

Mittal: Because it’s complete. Startups get FinOps capabilities out of the box, without hiring teams, freeing them to focus on product and growth. Enterprises benefit from our certified FinOps experts and automation that help teams make better decisions without slowing down. Programs like EDP+ and AZ unlock savings they couldn’t access alone. Our flexible, end-to-end model is what makes it unique. 

With your rapid U.S. expansion and new local leadership, how do you see CloudKeeper’s role evolving in the North American cloud ecosystem? 

Mittal: North America is a dynamic and highly competitive market, home to hyperscalers, emerging innovators, and some of the leading names in our own domain. It keeps us on our toes, driving us to constantly evolve our solutions, deepen our FinOps capabilities, and explore new frontiers in AI-led optimisation. With strong local leadership and growing momentum, we’re building meaningful partnerships and delivering tangible impact in this ecosystem. 
 

What lessons from TO THE NEW shaped your leadership at CloudKeeper? 

Mittal: TO THE NEW was built during the 2008 financial crisis, and it taught me resilience and long-term thinking. At CloudKeeper, I’ve applied those lessons by hiring carefully, focusing on execution, and building sustainable products. Listening to customers and staying disciplined has mattered more than chasing buzzwords or short-term growth. 
 

As you expand globally, what lessons have you learned about managing cultural differences and teams across regions? 

Mittal: Context matters. What works in one region doesn’t always work elsewhere, whether it’s communication styles, expectations, or service levels. Building high-performing global teams requires embracing diversity, empowering local leadership, and aligning everyone on shared outcomes. 
 

CloudKeeper is targeting 3× revenue growth by FY2027. What are your strategic priorities? 

Mittal: We’re doubling down on high-potential markets like North America, investing in modern cloud use cases like Kubernetes and AI-led optimisation, and deepening partnerships with hyperscalers. These will be key levers for scaling further. 
 

What advice would you give to founders seeking to turn cloud into a driver of growth? 

Mittal: Treat cloud like any critical investment. Track it with the same intent as R&D or talent. Build a FinOps culture early, where finance, engineering, and product teams share ownership. And while trends like GenAI and serverless are exciting, focus on what moves the needle for your business. Surround yourself with people who understand both tech and economics.