CEO Insights Magazine

Business leaders from Asia are playing an increasingly influential role in shaping Europe’s innovation landscape. With a strong foundation in technology, engineering, and entrepreneurial resilience, they bring a unique blend of agility, long-term vision, and purpose-driven leadership. Their ability to identify complex operational challenges and build scalable, technology-led solutions has helped European enterprises accelerate digital transformation, improve efficiency, and adopt more sustainable business practices. These leaders are not only expanding global business footprints but also contributing to job creation, operational excellence, and cross-border collaboration - strengthening Europe’s position as a hub for innovation and intelligent enterprise solutions.

Among these global innovators is Nishith Rastogi, Founder and CEO of Locus, whose journey reflects a lifelong passion for building and problem-solving. From an early age, Nishith was drawn to creating things, often tinkering with tools and experimenting with ideas. He began programming in middle school and developed a deep interest in robotics during high school. This curiosity evolved into advanced experimentation at BITS Pilani, Goa, where he worked on experimental physics projects, filed patents, and built a submicron photon tunneling microscope.

It was during his college years that his interest in entrepreneurship truly took shape. After graduation, Nishith joined Amazon, working on AWS Machine Learning, where he met his future Co-Founder, Geet Garg. Their first venture, a women’s safety application called RideSafe, introduced them to the world of GPS and location intelligence. Recognizing a larger market need, they pivoted to build Locus - a platform designed to transform logistics decision-making through intelligent automation.

At the core of Nishith’s leadership is the joy of building. Whether it is hardware projects, gardening, or scaling organizations, he views companies as living systems that create value, generate employment, and contribute meaningfully to society. Building Locus, he believes, has been one of the most fulfilling expressions of that purpose-driven journey. Let’s hear from him. 

What aspect of the transportation and delivery ecosystem made you realize there was a need for Locus?

The shift to last-mile delivery fundamentally transformed logistics. Earlier, customers visited stores, but now deliveries reach them at home, making the consumer an active part of the supply chain. This added significant complexity - customer availability varies, locations change daily, and dispatch decisions must be made frequently, often within minutes. Around 2015–16, delivery demand grew rapidly, but operations remained inefficient and costly. I realized that manual planning could not scale to meet this growing complexity. There was a clear gap between rising demand and operational efficiency. That insight led us to build Locus - intelligent, data-driven algorithms designed to handle real-world constraints and enable faster, smarter, and more scalable lastmile decision-making.

How do you ensure your technology works effectively in the chaotic conditions of last-mile transportation? 

Making technology work in real-world last-mile environments requires focus on four critical areas. First, I ensure we build high-quality data, using AI and NLP to convert incomplete or inaccurate addresses into precise geo-coordinates. Second, our algorithms are designed to handle multiple constraints and make practical, human-like decisions instead of idealized ones. Third, we prioritize robust infrastructure so the system works in real-time, even with patchy connectivity, and remains highly faulttolerant. Finally, I believe change management is essential - teams must trust the technology and see it as an enabler, not surveillance. When users adopt the system fully, the real efficiency gains follow. This combination of data, intelligence, resilience, and user buy-in makes our platform effective beyond theory.

How does Locus help enterprises move from reactive operations to predictive, intelligent decision-making?

At Locus, I focus on helping enterprises shift from firefighting daily challenges to making proactive, data-driven decisions. Our platform uses advanced algorithms and real-time data to optimize routes, resource allocation, and dispatch planning. Instead of reacting to delays or disruptions after they occur, businesses can forecast demand, simulate different operational scenarios, and plan ahead with greater accuracy. This enables them to anticipate risks, improve delivery reliability, and use their assets more efficiently. As a result, organizations achieve better service levels, lower operational costs, and greater visibility - transforming their logistics operations into a predictive, intelligent decision-making system.

How do you balance commercial growth with long-term societal and environmental impact?

I believe commercial success and societal impact should go hand in hand. Our business model is built around improving operational efficiency, helping customers reduce logistics costs by optimizing routes and resource utilization. We simply take a small share of the savings we create. When companies deliver more packages using fewer kilometers and less time on the road, they not only save money but also reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. This means efficiency directly translates into environmental benefits. So far, our platform has helped avoid carbon emissions equivalent to preserving over 20,000 acres of forest. For me, building a business where growth naturally contributes to sustainability and positive impact is both meaningful and deeply fulfilling.

Describe your leadership style. What principles guide you as a leader?

I’d say, it is centered around direction, empowerment, and enabling people to do their best work. I follow three core principles. First, fairness and transparency - nothing erodes trust and motivation faster than a sense of unfairness. Second, trust by default. I believe in investing in people early, giving them responsibilities beyond their current experience, and supporting them as they grow into those roles. This creates ownership and accelerates learning. Third, I strongly believe in leading by example. As a leader, you cannot expect from others what you are not willing to do yourself. In a team of talented and driven individuals, leadership is less about control and more about creating the environment where people can thrive and succeed.

What future destination is Locus heading toward?

The software industry is going through a major transformation, and at Locus, I see us right at the center of this shift. We have already evolved from being a pure product company to a solutions-driven organization, working closely with large enterprises to solve complex operational challenges. Today, we focus not just on providing technology, but also on aligning our commercial models with measurable business outcomes for our customers. Looking ahead, my vision is for Locus to go beyond software. We aim to become a comprehensive platform that brings together hardware, software, and integrated solutions. This fusion approach will allow us to deliver deeper operational impact and create greater value for enterprises globally.

Based on your experience, what advice would you give to aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs?

My advice is simple, go out and build. The most important step in entrepreneurship is to start. Don’t wait for the perfect idea or the perfect time. Begin with a small project, a weekend experiment, an evening prototype, or something you create with friends. The real learning comes from doing, not just planning. When you build, you understand problems better, learn how to solve them, and develop the resilience that entrepreneurship requires. Every small project builds confidence and clarity. In my experience, the journey of creating and experimenting teaches far more than any theory ever can.

Nishith Rastogi, Founder & CEO, Locus

Nishith Rastogi is the Founder and CEO of Locus, a global logistics optimization platform. An alumnus of BITS Pilani, Goa, he previously worked at Amazon on AWS Machine Learning. Passionate about building, from hardware projects to organizations, he focuses on using technology to drive efficiency, sustainability, and largescale operational impact.

Hobbies: Spending time with his children and dog, flying, camping, and hands-on hardware building.
Favorite Cuisine: Mexican
Favorite Book: Other Minds: The Octopus (Non-fiction)  
Favorite Travel Destination: Bhutan