When starting a business, choosing the right name can be daunting. It needs to encapsulate the business’s essence and resonate with its purpose and future goals. For me, the name “Kathalyst” was born out of a deep connection to my heritage and my vision for the company.
Kathalyst is more than just a name—it reflects the business’s core mission. It comes from the combination of two words: Katha & Catalyst. Let’s break it down.
“Katha” – Power of the Story
The word “Katha” holds special significance in Hindi. It translates to “story” and carries a rich cultural context. Stories have been an integral part of Indian tradition, passed down through generations to impart wisdom, values, and knowledge. They bridge gaps between people, contexts, and time periods. In the context of Kathalyst, “Katha” represents the storytelling aspect of our work—helping developers understand and communicate the intricate stories woven into the code, especially legacy code like COBOL, which often lacks proper documentation and context.
“Catalyst” – Sparking Innovation
The second half of the name comes from the word “catalyst,” which, in scientific terms, refers to a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process. For Kathalyst, this concept represents the role we aim to play in software development. Our platform uses AI to rapidly generate comprehensive documentation, visualize complex code structures, and enable deeper interactions with legacy code. We’re accelerating the process of understanding and modernizing codebases, sparking innovation within development teams without replacing or eliminating the original structure.
Kathalyst – A Catalyst for Software Storytelling
Bringing these two words together felt natural. The name signifies the combination of technology and human understanding. Kathalyst is about more than just documenting code. We see ourselves as the bridge between past, present, and future developers—helping them tell the stories of their projects in ways that make sense to everyone, no matter how complex or old the code may be.
Ultimately, Kathalyst believes that even in the most complex and outdated code, there is a story worth telling. With the right tools, we can be the catalysts for bringing those stories to life.
