â„¢ www.insightssuccess.in MARCH 2018
10
THE
Dynamic Business
Achiever
To Watch In 2018
Satyajeet Pradhan Co-founder & CEO
Satyajeet Pradhan A Heroic Mind who Makes Business Fly High
Editorial
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he quality of an individual’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to brilliance, regardless of their chosen meadow of endeavor.
If you take a look at some of the world’s greatest athletes, most successful entrepreneurs, or anyone who has mastered their craft, you will find that they complete a firm commitment to day-to-day excellence. Constantly striving for excellence in every space of your life is eventually what will determine the eminence of your life, no matter what you do for an existing. Achievement is not about how much money is in your bank accounts or what kind of vehicle you drive. It is all about waking up each morning and affirming that you will do your best at everything you do and be better than you were the day before.
Success is Best Measured by the Business Achiever
Make the choice to measure your success by your work ethic. If your pursuit of success is solely about revenue, be aware that wanting money centers with the mind on the lack of it and needing more. Oblige to trusting that your hard work will produce profit. What you excitedly chase may flee you. For that reason, focus on the aims that this day or moment requires and get them done. It is from this mindset that the money will come. Fundamentally, business achievements are not about settling for average. When you give your all at everything you do, when you commit to quality daily, you will swiftly switch to see the quality of your life increase. You will sense more at peace. You will feel a sense of success like never before because you know it at deep down, you gave your best. Make your thoughts that you will commit yourself to excellence every day. When you do, you are fit on your way to places where halfhearted people will never go! To be successful in business, commit to building self-aware, wise choices. Your success is an echo of your attitude, decisions and thinking. If your business isn’t where you want it to be or you’re ready to set higher goals, start making new decisions. To grow your business, you have to grow yourself.
Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Senior Editor Shraddha Deshpande Managing Editor Sachin Bhandare Co-Editors Shweta Priyadarshini Poulami Das Art & Design Director Amol Kamble Co-designer Rahul Kavnekar Picture Editor Alex Noel Art Editor Sapana Shinde Visualiser Pooman Mahajan Business Development Manager Akansha Garewal Marketing Manager Dhruv Apte Business Development Executives Daneshwar, Tejaswini, Ashwini, Meera Research Analyst David Circulation Manager Vivek Database Management Prashant Technology Consultant Swapnil Patil sales@insightssuccess.com
March, 2018 Corporate Ofď€ ces: Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. th
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C Co on nt te en nt t Cover Story Satyajeet Pradhan: A Heroic Mind who Makes Business Fly High
08 Interview with Insights Success
Digital Techniques Creativity, Innovation and the Changing Specter of Digital Marketing
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Business Things Successful Keys to Lead the Market
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Ashish R. Puravankara: Real Estate Magnate and an Inspiring Youth Icon
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A R T I C L E S
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Business Archives Entrepreneurship fostering in emerging markets
Exclusive Instilling Enhanced Moralities to Become a More Inuential Person
Ashok Mohanani: Transforming local landscapes into Engineering Marvels
22 Dr. R Kishore Kumar: A Trailblazer Neonatologist laying the Foundation for Contemporary Healthcare Needs
30 Krishna Raj Sharma: Spanning Exciting Milestones into the ‘DNA’s’ of Business Era
32 Major Manjit Rajain: Serving with Dignity
36 Suresh Pansari: The Legend of Indian IT & Mobility Industry
38 V.K.Bhandari: An Exceptional IT Entrepreneur Empowering the Nation Socially and Technically
42 Vineet Patawari: An Optimistic Leader taking Online Financial Education to a New Level
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THE
10
Dynamic Business
Achiever To Watch In 2018
Business Achievers who believe in Training, Discipline and Hard work
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owadays companies are going into a transformative epoch described by sustained but modest evolution, a transformed effort on services and extraordinary collaboration across the value chain. Further, while the precipitateness of global economic events creates new challenges on a regular basis, industries have advanced plans and implements to advance lucidity and lessen risk across the overall enterprise. In this issue of “The 10 Dynamic Business Achiever to Watch in 2018,” we have ornamented 10 noticeable business achievers, who have achieved trademark by providing Best-in-Class Services and are well equipped for proceeding their business future. These establishments sponsored the assorted industries in transforming their approach of business work with exceptional strategy execution and customer satisfaction as the premier priority. Our magazine’s journey starts with Cover story, Satyajeet Pradhan, Co-founder & CEO of Bizydale Nets who is captivating the client's businesses to the next level. Bizydale Nets is a one stop business solution company which identifies the gaps and builds solutions ensuring that the businesses are improved on their profitability. It has 2 off springs. 1. trip n howl 2. Autoconnekt – the sales performance improvement app for automotive dealers. In an interview with Insights Success, Ashish R. Puravankara, Managing Director, Puravankara Limited gave some insightful answers highlighting the influences made by his company to take Real Estate assets to a new level. We have covered CXO’s of “Creativity, Innovation and the Changing Specter of Digital Marketing” by Sunil Kumar, Founder President & Editor-In-Chief Aglaia Interactive Solutions and “Successful Keys to Lead the Market” by Ram Chellamuthu is the CEO of Calicom. So, do flip the pages of our magazine to uncover the journey of business achievers.
Cover Story
Satyajeet Pradhan: A Heroic Mind who Makes Business Fly High
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Dene your Success through your abilities
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Satyajeet Pradhan Co-founder & CEO
THE
10
Dynamic Business
Achiever To Watch In 2018
Cover Story
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ntrepreneurship is ‘an individual’s ability to turn ideas into action. It includes creativity, innovation and risk-taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. It’s not about skills to do something; it’s all about identifying the problems to solve, planning the right solution, and drafting right strategies for right execution at right time. With the same leadership attitude, afearless leader, Satyajeet Pradhan, Cofounder & CEO of Bizydale Nets is captivating the client’s businesses to the next level. Coming from a middle class family with no business background, he consistently learned from his failures and passionately worked towards tackling immense challenges that he faced. “I never believe in explaining my failures and take it as a step towards success. I thrive until I achieve.”-says Satyajeet. Satyajeet has worked for many top companies and has also been a part of startups, which enhanced his skills further on Operations, Sales, Client Management, Product Planning and Marketing. This helped him on his entrepreneurial journey and gave the insights of good understanding on the market scenario and plans to sustain better. Satyajeet proudly holds a degree of Post Graduate Diploma in Managementfrom IGNOU, Bachelor in Business Management from Oxford College, Bangalore. His education helped him give the basic understanding on the functioning of a business. Distinguished Structures that Makes the CompanyCulture Great Within 4 years of its establishment,Bizydale Nets started to build solutions for many prominent companies. Nonetheless the release of ‘trip n howl’ – an innovativeSocial Travel App-has paved the path for
Bizydale Nets to emerge as a prominent brand among technology startups. Till date, India’s Top media companies have listed trip n howl among the 5 apps that one should have on their phone during travel. Behind incorporating the parent company, the underlying bedrock idea was crystal clear to identify the challenges for varied industries and build solutions via technology. Describing about the ‘trip n howl’-a disruptive one stoptravel solution, Satyajeet Pradhan states, “The application brings local business and their offerings that a discerning traveller requires.” The company is aimed to modernize the planning for users and frequent travellers; the application is likely toset a revolution among travel apps by bringing all travel solutions under one umbrella.Satyajeet is all set to make its another product Autoconnekt ,a sales performance improvement app, grow on similar lines and establish itself a prominent brand in automotive industry. Some of the USP’s of Trip n howl are as follows: - It makes your travel plan efficient by helping you to locate nearby required amenities - One can create their own travel circle - Solo travellers can find who is travelling to their destination and join trips - Help in finding nearby attractions with maps Some Noticeable Elements of the Company TalentedTroops:Hiring right people who fit their culture. They don’t hire jerks or people who work just for the sake of working with no vision. The company has a rigorous hiring process where they understand the mentality and patience level of the candidates. They hire people with never give up attitude and who respect their values.
I wish to make trip n howl and Autoconnekt to become the integral part of people’s life
trip n howlCherish your trip memories and plan the next one Focus on Mission: For company, every individual working is a second family who is on a mission to achieve a common goal i.e. Company Success which in turn would lead to their individual success.
He is the one whose guidance made him the successful person today. He always believed on Satyajeet's idea and hard work. Also, his parents, sister and his friendsencouraged him to put efforts to achieve these results. Failure is the First Step of Success
Passion towards Work: The Company helps employees to deliver their passion. They mentor the employees on their strength to achieve their professional goals.They aim to deliver solutions irrespective of size of challenges. Creative Thinking: The company ensures that every individual in the company share their opinions for the growth and development of the company. They do not limit the freedom. Journey to Reach the Best Satyajeet feels that his journey with the company is adventures. He has been through both darker and brighter side of the entrepreneurial journey.He faced many challenges, struggles and failures and some unforgettable achievementswhich is received as an output of his Perseverance and Patience. In this journey of Bizydale Nets, there are few people who have a phenomenally supported Satyajeetso far. His wife Vrushali who is the business partner of the company, stood like a pillar during his journey so far and have consistently motivated, encouraged and has always boosted Satyajeet’sconfidence during his worst days. She sees of her luxurious job and joined him as a partner to ensure that they both can achieve their dreams together. Second person who played a significant role on entrepreneurial journey of Satyajeet is hisGuru, his exboss Mahesh Vasanth who has guided and mentored him.
For Starting up a business with hard earned savings, as youronly financial backup is itself a biggest risk and the risk doubles when you are married and wins or failures would directly impact the family. However, it is also to be understood without risk, goal would be way far to achieve. Satyajeet has seen many failures. His first product was a flop due to delay in development and by the time it was released the concept had already become outdated. trip n howl has redesigned and iterated twice before the final release. There were even failures in hiring right team however he never gave up. His vision was very clear and the only thing that he had in his mind was achieving the goal. And that led him to deal with all failures with Patience and Perseverance. In this hard time of failures he learnt that,“nothing can let you fail until you lose in your mind.” Challenges are meant to be Met and Overcome Satyajeetconfidently says that,“only losers have all excuses to not excel. For Satyajeet, the 3P’s are a must to succeed. That isPatience, Perseverance and Perspiration. Second would be Passion to achieve your goal irrespective of any challenges. Success is never sudden nor one shot. It comes slow and after years of hard work. The sudden success is only luck however to sustain that success hard work is required.” During his difficult time, he read the success stories and motivational quotes of icons like Dhirubhai Ambani, Shahrukh Khan, Ratan Tata and then questionshimself “If they can, why can’tI?” This question boosts the self-
We Build! You Win!
confidence within Satyajeet that helps him to resumehis journey again. Words of Inspirations According to Satyajeet, “Never consider money as the objective as it is only the by-product of what people are doing. He always tells people to focus on delivering passion, money would eventually flow. Be determined to achieve long term goals than being happy with small term achievements.” He also guides aspiring startup entrepreneurs to think creative and that is what he always expects from his team. He gives his team the Freedom of Expression which his team follows in the organization. The company passes on their requirements and objectives to the team and let them share their thoughts. They discuss frequently with the team on their passion, aim and strength. “For us All Idea Matters!”– Satyajeet States Satyajeet suggests budding entrepreneurs to watch movies like Startup.com, Catch Me If You Can, Wolf of the Wall Street, Guru, and Rocket Singh. He believes that these movies will inspire themto cultivate their strength and achieve their dreams. Advancing Future Goals “I always ensure that before I start my day I always ask myself “What’s next?” I never allow Success to kill my brain! I am always a beginner and learn everyday from my team and people I meet.In the next five years, I wish to make my products trip n howl and Autoconnekt to become the integral part of people’s life, and Bizydale Nets an overall should be the only BFF (Best Friends Forever) for businesses to achieve growth and profitability.”- Satyajeet concludes.
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10
Dynamic Business
Achiever To Watch In 2018
Management
Brief
Bizydale Nets www.bizydalenets.com
Satyajeet Pradhan Founder & CEO
Bizydale Nets is a one stop business solution company which identifies the gaps and builds solutions ensuring that the businesses are improved on their profitability. It has 2 off springs. 1. trip n howl 2. Autoconnekt – the sales performance improvement app for automotive dealers.
Cloudnine www.cloudninecare.com
Dr. R. Kishore Kumar Founder Chairman
Cloudnine Group of Hospitals is the largest chain of maternity, childcare, and fertility hospitals headquartered in Bengaluru, India.
EKTA world www.ektaworld.com
Ashok Mohanani Chairman
EKTA World balances simplicity and opulence across all its spaces by creating an environment that appeals to the senses, imagination and lifestyle of their customers across diverse segments.
Elearnmarkets www.elearnmarkets.com
Vineet Patawari Founder and CEO
Elearnmarkets.com is a young and vibrant company established with the vision of taking online financial education to a new level, both in India and abroad.
iValue InfoSolutions www.ivalue.co.in
Krishna Raj Sharma Director & CEO
iValue Infosolutions provides scalable and sustainable technology solutions in Security, Storage and Networking space and more.
Kalpak Solutions www.kalpaksolutions.com
Sandeep Gohad Founder
Kalpak Solutions offers the services in areas of Web Designing and Development, E-Commerce, Matrimonial Website Development, Customized Software Development, ERP & CRM Solutions.
Rashi Peripherals Pvt. Ltd. www.rptechindia.com
Suresh pansari Co-founder & Director
Leading IT & Mobile brands have put their trust in Rashi Peripherals and has partnered with over 9000+ dealers, retailers and customers in over than 750 towns & cities around the world.
SimplyHR www.simplyhr.in
Rajneesh Singh Managing Partner
SimplyHR is a one of its kind "One Stop Shop" for all the HR Solutions under one roof.
Supertron Electronics www.supertronindia.com
V. K. Bhandari Chairman & Managing Director
Supertron is one of the leading IT company in India and established the company amongst top 5 national IT Hardware distribution house with more than 1400 employees and 2800 crores turnover with 34 branches and 19 satellite offices across Pan India.
Manjit Rajain Executive Chairman
Tenon Group of Companies is an Integrated Security & Facilities Management Corporation started in 1995, providing a comprehensive range of services to more than 2000 + corporate.
Company Name
Tenon Group Of Companies www.tenonworld.com
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he real estate industry will find itself at the centre of rapid economic and social change, which is transforming the built environment. While most of the trends are already evident, there’s a natural tendency to underestimate their implications over the next six years and beyond. In an interview with Insights Success, Ashish R. Puravankara, Managing Director, Puravankara Limited gave some insightful answers highlighting the influences made by his company to take Real Estste assets to a new level. 1. How did your company’s journey as a pre-eminent brand begin? What was the underlying bedrock idea behind incorporating the company?
Puravankara Limited started its operations in the year 1975, in Mumbai. During these initial years, the real estate industry was at a very rudimentary stage. With things picking up at a slow pace, the market was yet to evolve and was identified primarily as a seller’s market. Back in the day, the sector was dominated by the tenant-landlord equation. In the year 1986, we took a conscious decision to shift our business base beyond the geography of Mumbai. There were several factors which encouraged us to look out of other real estate markets. At that point it appeared that our ambitious future growth strategy may not come true due to the environment; and the industry was largely disorganized and the corporate governance was not as robust and transparent as we would have preferred. Thus we chose to venture into the Bangalore real estate market as the market showed great promise, had fewer developers and was comparatively better organized. During that time the
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city being popularly known as a “Pensioner's Paradise”. The Bangalore market was characterized by independent homes like bungalows and villas. In fact, the concept of apartments did not exist here in those days. The clear vision and mission of the group is to meet the aspirations of teeming milliions by offering quality homes for all. Our endeavour has always been to pursue and maintain the highest levels of integrity and transperancy coupled with the best quality in construction. Puravankara Limited has since revolutionized Community Living under the Puravankara arm of luxury homes by conceptualizing plethora of theme based projects, world-class landscaping and top notch amenities, creating unique landmarks of the highest standards of quality and customer delight. Similarliy, realizing the burgeoning need of high-quality affordable homes in the country, we launched Provident Housing Ltd. in 2008, to meet the aspirations of midincome and first-time home-owners. 2. What are the key aspects that demonstrate uniqueness of the company? Right from its inception, Puravankara believes in an inclusive growth. Ethical practices and transperancy are the foundation of our brand. All practices are aligned with utmost legal and regulatory compliances in letter and spirit. The entire ecosystem is based on shared responsibility and accountability. Customers have been and will continue being at the heart of our business. Customer centricity is the most important facet of brand ethos. Customer needs, dreams and |MARCH 2018|
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Interview with Insights Success
aspirations are pivotal to our decisions. We constantly focus on investments in resources and infrastructure to enhance customer trust and walk beyond positive customer experience, into transformational experience and complete customer centricity. The company has a visionary perspective to the business. We have adopted state-of-the art technology and upgraded construction techniques right from the commencement of our business. This has enabled our company to overcome several hurdles and perform with great efďŹ ciency. 3. Tell us about yourself as a person, your educational background and as an entrepreneur. How do you use your skills to run your company above and beyond your competitors? I am quite passionate about traveling and a big fan of F1 motor sports. Before completing my MBA, from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, have done graduation in science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Post my Masters degree in the USA, I started my professional journey at Puravankara
Ashish R. Puravankara Managing Director
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Limited in the year 2000. My voyage began with the Purva Heights project. The time I spent on site was when I got an understanding of the technical aspects of the business. I then moved to Chennai where I was given the responsibility of setting up operations end-to-end as we ventured into a new geography. This 360o view of running a business unit provided me with tremendous insights, steep learnings and provided the best platform for career progression. This followed with the successful positioning of Puravankara as a potential player in the given market. I like to be hands-on with the daily running of the business. But, I believe that people thrive when there is a right mix of direction and autonomy. My leadership style would be of an enabler, a counsellor, sounding board but I will not hesitate in jumping in and lead by action. 4. How do you see your entrepreneurial journey till date? Could you name a person/mentor/book/ who has had a tremendous impact on your entrepreneurial journey? I believe leadership is a process and not a flash in the pan. One has to be at the top of his game to be the leader of his/her pack. One incident or moment can put you in limelight but that doesn’t guarantee you will be there forever. As a professional athlete you have to hone your skill every day to be in the game. In my personal capacity one decision which made a significant difference to my professional journey-is-to take a plunge into premium affordable housing segment. It’s for the first time in the history of Indian real estate that any listed player decided to venture into unchartered territories. Of course this was in line with the commitment our Founder had for us – to be able to be an integral part in fulfilling the nation’s vision of “Housing for All”. With the support and conviction of a great team and with sound market research we launched Provident Housing Limited in 2007 and the rest, as they say is history. In 2018 (and for some time now), affordable housing will be the front and centre of real estate and possibly an employment generation enabler too. Overall it has been a great journey for me with a lot of ups and downs, but I firmly believe I have weathered the storm and have been fairly successful in reaching all my endeavours. Undoubtedly my father Mr Ravi Puravankara has a lasting impression on me. His vision of a future where Puravankara was to be a household name and today we have significantly progressed towards that vision. To me he is the
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real disruptor of innovation, I have always maintained that he is years ahead from the rest of us and we are all trying to catch up! 5. What is the biggest risk you have ever taken? What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them? Driving construction efficiencies with the objective of reducing project delivery time have always been our ongoing priority. We have a track record of adapting forward-looking strategies such as the precast technology. It is now a part of our DNA, as we believe in constant innovation in technology and mechanisation. I have ensured that we start implementing the use of the latest precast technology on a huge scale in the country. At the Provident Sunworth project in Bangalore, precast technology is being adopted for construction of around 6000 homes. A massive precast yard has been set up on site, which is India’s largest precast facility. When we work in a diverse organisation such as ours, there are times when we meet our goals, and sometimes things do not happen as desired. But as an individual in both my personal and professional life I view such situations as an opportunity to learn, try a different approach and eventually achieve. To me achieving goals isn’t the only yardstick to tell whether one is successful or not. Importantly, the intent and capacity to bounce back is far more vital Afterall these learnings are what are essential for one’s future growth. 6. To what do you attribute your success? What motivates you at difficult/down times? Puravankara Limited, the dream of Mr. Ravi Puravankara, our founder and Chairman, was established with a clear vision and objective to meet the aspirations of teeming millions by offering quality homes. Our success is a result of sheer dedication and hardwork. Our constant endeavour to offer the best to our customers has enabled us to create milestones at every step. Doing a good job and achieving the desired end result is my primary motivation. I am particularly motivated by the buzz of working in a team environment. It’s very rewarding working closely with others who share the same common goal. Even during tough spots or in challenging situations, I try to at my glass as half full and work towards achieveing the goal. I am a fairly optimistic person and more often than not I use tough situations as learning opportunities. |MARCH 2018|
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7. What would you advice your fellow peers to successfully carry their work functionalities? How do you encourage creative thinking in your organization? I strongly believe that the real assets of an organisation are its employee. So we adopt various methods to tap the available talents and nurture it further. Apart from this, we have external, and internal training for the selected employees to enhance their domain expertise. Through the compnay’s interal L&D programs we also encourage employees to enrol themselves in specialised professional courses to further hone their understanding of our business in their respective fields. Creative expertise is a result of independent thinking. As a leader, I ensure we give the right platform to all our employees to enhance their technical as well creative skills. We constantly recognise high potential employees and work with them to ensure they have the required training or mentoring to ensure their continued practice and realise their potential in the organisation. 8. Is there any book or movie you would like to recommend to the budding entrepreneurs? What advice would you like to give them? More than anything else it’s self-belief that will help one to keep on going even in challenging time. Learning is a continuous process, so learn whenever, wherever, and whatever (as per your requirement) you can. One line from the classic “The old man and the sea.” always inspires me “But man is not made for defeat,” he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” I am not one for giving advice but can share my life experiences, the self-learning is a good thing, but learning from the mistakes others have made is also a valuable lesson. So just one suggestion – success is an elusive mirage if you want to chase it alone, but it is an oasis when a group people share the same passion and zeal to achieve sweet success. 9. What measures do you take to ensure to grow and develop as an entrepreneur every day? How do you see yourself growing in the next five years? Patience and perseverance are the key characteristics I feel every leader should possess. It tests the real character of the leader - who can lead in the difficult times without losing composure and still be the anchor of the ship. Leading from the front, taking charge and being a friend, philosopher guide!
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As an organisation, we are heading towards a phase of exponential growth, with the continuing commitment that we have made to our stakeholders. The strength of our balance sheet now enables us to have faster turnarounds in locking in deals and launches. This allows the company to stay on its growth trajectory and sustain successfully, especially in the current economic scenario where we expect several lucrative prospects are coming our way. Over the next few quarters, we envision anywhere between 8-10 mil sq. ft. of launches between both our brands, but of course Provident will have a bigger share of the pie in our total volume. Here we could leverage our existing land bank or sign up new deals especially JDs & JVs. Our past few launches have seen immense traction on the strength of which many viable deals have come to us, some being assessed currently and some in final stages of closure. Traditionally our commercial portfolio has been a small share of the total development, but over the next few years, we plan to increase that, especially in cities like Pune where the office-space absorption trends are healthy and on an upward trend. As an organisation, we have set aggressive growth targets for ourselves which we are very confident of achieving in the current environment.
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Ashok Mohanani: Transforming local landscapes into Engineering Marvels
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eople now-a-days remain so busy in delving into their past and concerning about their future that their ‘today’ almost goes missing from the scene.As rightly said “the best way to prepare for the future is to concentrate all your intelligence, enthusiasm on doing the present work with best possible efforts.” When a person looks at a challenging task, at first instance everything seems mammoth & unachievable, but when that single large task gets broken down into more manageable and achievable pieces, the chances of getting it done successfully with higher efficacy looms large. Ashok Mohanani, Chairman, EKTA World is one such trailblazing leader of the real estate industry that believes in present and put all his energy into the present day task with a full vigor that ultimately drives him to achieve immense satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. From a Real-estate Agent to a Realestate Developer
Ashok established ‘EKTA World’ in 1987, and prior to that he worked as a real estate agent for a decade. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, he was contributing in fulfilling the biggest
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dream humans have in their life i.e of purchasing their own home. During that phase of life, Ashok had encountered a bitter experience among one of his clients that touched his soul and that experience proved to be the turning point of his life. Then on he pledged to make the home buying experience a pleasant one for everyone. Even for those who have very limited resources, and that’s how a real estate agent turned into a real estate developer. Since then, he did not turn back and with a customer centric business approach, EKTA World is today standing tall and feeling proud by successfully catering over 14500 families and counting. USP of 'EKTA World’ that Pulls Customers Towards it Customer delight, peace of mind and empathy are the core values based on which ‘EKTA World’ services its clients. These are tenets which pull customers toward 'EKTA World’. Before the starting of development process, Ashok asks a single question to himself: “can I live there with my family” and if the answer turns out to be a YES, then only Ashok initiates the development of the project. The
organization also, right from the very beginning till possession and thereafter ensures delightful customer experience for its clients. Competing with Himself Not with Others Ashok is a well-learned person who has completed Bachelors in Commerce and then LLB from the University of Mumbai. He does not believe in competing with others rather than believes in competing with one-self. Therefore, his mantra for success is self-improvement with each passing day. He always works towards improving himself, his team and the company as a whole. This is the belief that makes him successful and happy in his own space in this fast paced competitive world. The Mentor who Shaped Ashok’s Life Ashok's journey has been satisfying and rewarding in all spheres of his life till date, be it personal, professional or social. There are many whom he admires but the one person whom he reveres the most and from whom he learnt immensely about real estate is
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‘G L Raheja’. Ashok considers him as the Bhishma Pitamah of real estate industry and the person who has been instrumental in nurturing his entrepreneurial career. Transformational Successes over the Years
Ashok Mohanani Chairman EKTA World
My focus always remains to make the
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home buying experience a pleasant one for everyone with keeping standards in every project
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high engineering
EKTA World under the remarkable leadership of Ashok has seen many big transformational successes in the past. In the initial years, the organization was solely focused on developing standalone single tower projects. Later, they move to build making layouts of three to four buildings residential projects. In 2000, they commenced EKTA Bhoomi gardens project which comprised of over 14 buildings and which truly tested their skills and established themselves as an influential player in the real estate sector. Even after tasting many successes the organization was also not untouched with the challenges. Labor and title issues in one of their projects were the biggest bottleneck which Ashok had solved brilliantly with his sheer perseverance and shrewdness. “Integrity is also one of the vital trait that assist delivering the best in class projects, regardless of the commercial viability and P & L of the project” states Ashok. He also feels grateful to his legal attorney Kirit Damania and architect Tarun Motta for walking along in the difficult times and in successfully delivering a landmark project in Borivali that has become a landmark in the construction space. Things he Promotes to Nurture Innovation and a Valuable Piece of Advice for the Co-workers He has been an advocate for spurring innovation in the organization. He always encourages people to make unrelated connections between business problems with their own lives which help them to synthesize new ideas. He also encourages his colleagues to ask questions and do sharp observation, as observation & questioning are the pillars of creativity & innovation. For him, networking is an opportunity that helps everyone to gain different insights by engaging with the diverse groups of people. “Stick to basics, it is very easy to get carried away with flamboyance and over promise, but as they say the proof of the pudding is in eating it, similarly timely delivery is the proof of a fulfilled commitment” states Ashok.
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here is a fast paced evolution going on in the world, and the pace of change is only going to keep on increasing. It is prompting us to rethink everything we do and how we do it – to rethink how we will operate as leaders in the future. This is challenging us to create new systems for success and to learn to lead movements, and to help teams to innovate, to be curious about new solutions. In this regard, some people seem particularly born to excel. It seems they are gifted physically, intellectually or artistically, and it seems like they just float to the top. But this is predominantly a misconception. However talented someone is, he or she will still have to develop those talents to achieve a high standard professional position. Each one of us can develop our own skills and talents to propel ourselves into a position of influence. Building an Evolving Network In an ever changing world, where dreams of change are big and visions of a future, having a real and genuine network of a selected group of people who are working closely together, strategically creating plans to succeed is very important. This is not about quantity, but rather like-minded people who know what they want to achieve and how to go about it. It’s about a group of people providing quality
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thinking; creating new perspectives; pushing you further than you could ever go alone, and also supporting you and taking great pleasure in seeing you succeed. Developing Decision Making Skills Every word we speak, every choice and action we take, has the ability to influence people’s decisions. It could be someone next to you or someone halfway across the globe. One quality that pops out in a top leader’s competency to lead is the ability to decide, be it as a simple thing as to where a meeting to be conducted, to taking strategic decisions like where to invest marketing dollars. Decisiveness is not an inborn trait; it’s a skill that can only be learned overtime. To gain control over it, one must ponder over their decision-making and recognize weak links in reasoning and spot any biases towards something or someone. While controlling the outcome is difficult, we can at least give a direction to the process that set them in motion. Embracing Diversity To see potential in new people and in the collective intelligence is part of the art of influence. It is understood that by working together, we create diverse opportunities, accepting different corporate and entrepreneurial
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Exclusiv viewpoints and seeing the value of cross-sector relationships. It is about understanding that, it is all about collective good. Honing Speaking Skills When we talk about most influential personalities, a critical requirement is being a great speaker. Though many influencers operate quite effectively from behind the scenes, the ones with great oratory skills possess a powerful leverage over others. You can influence more, if you have the ability, the drive and the courage to speak persuasively. Every day more and more organizations, corporations, schools and presenters strive to incubate the imagination of the workers, executives and students to push forward their agenda. Yet many give in to their fear of speaking in public and end up closing the door on a fast track to success and influence. Like many other skills, this one too comes with repetition, practice and persistence. Do not shy away from opportunities, put yourself in front of an audience, gather feedback, make adjustments and repeat. Start from smaller settings and grow from there, there is no limit to where your influence will grow with this skill. Throw Complacency out of the Window You are your own competition. So make sure your first competitive audit is done against yourself. Make changes to your end goals, let them evolve with passing time; push yourself to do more and to do it better. Ask questions to yourself, ponder on it. Find the answers to whether you are on the path to success, or you are stuck because of your critics, or maybe it’s your self-doubt creeping into your life. Throw light on your inner-self and you will be enlightened.
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A Basic Understanding of Current Affairs It becomes difficult to influence others if you can’t continue an intelligent conversation and get stumped on basic topics of tax, elections, markets, unemployment, etc. It is not expected of you to be an expert on these topics, but you do need a basic understanding of them. Influencing someone is about shaping an opinion, an ability to steer conversations into friendly waters. To do this you need to gain everyday knowledge about what’s currently trending. So make it a habit to set aside 20 minutes every day to learn what’s new. Test your knowledge among friends and colleagues and see whether you are able to make well-informed points forward and also able to back it up. Build your knowledge incrementally and you will notice others reaching out to you for information. Appreciate Technology Influence The 21st century is ruled by social media, with Twitter and Facebook ruling communication technology, and has secured a strong foothold. Businesses are online, and so are the customers and recruiters. If googling yourself produces 30 other people and not you, it is time for you to up your online presence. For most people you come across, your reputation and influence will be perceived through what they can find about you on the internet. Each individual is different, and even though every person possess diverse talents and skills, they need to work and enhance them; even the ones who are gifted and float through to corporate heights. The world is moving rapidly, and if you continue to sit still you might inevitably come to an influential standstill.
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CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND THE CHANGING SPECTER OF DIGITAL MARKETING
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he digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of writing or even of printing” -Douglas Engelbart (Inventor, Internet pioneer)
However over-hyped or exaggerated the above words may sound; there is no denying the impact of the digital landscape on modern civilization. Even with a “technology” divide; vast swathes of the world are now interconnected with social media, cellphones and satellite-based communication. A DIGITAL WORLD Getting to the point; CXOs in organizations cannot neglect the “digital” element in their business plans if they plan on long-term business sustainability. Even by conservative estimates; the size of the market in India was around 10 billion dollars (2017 eMarketer) and poised to grow exponentially even further as more people hop on to the “digital” bandwagon. Social media has transformed the way people perceive brands, research products and make even the most “mundane” decisions. As digital campaigns have become “bigger” and brasher; an online “blitz” has become commonplace for both “mega” events to relatively “smaller” local setups attempting to make a mark in a highly competitive landscape. So; if it’s all “rosy”; then why do so many enterprises shut shop and fail to leverage the brave new “digital” world? A complex interplay of factors come into play including failure to understand the target demographic, lack of a cogent strategy, regulation and constant updation of content to dovetail with customer requirements.
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ELIMINATE STRESS Having a “digital” strategy is a must in the present day; but this does not necessarily entail doing “everything” at the same time. Blogging, tweeting, Snapchat, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook are some tools and ways to create outreach; but entrepreneurs and business heads need to pause, take stock of their current situation; and then gradually overhaul and streamline their “digital” approach. After years of domain experience; Aglaia Interactive’s team of experts has identified customer pain points across sectors. Crafting a marketing message that will help you reach “potential” clients is our core forte. To make digital outreach less stressful; it is necessary to eliminate unnecessary clutter and focus on a few critical “business” metrics that make sense to you. Contemporary “digital marketing” throws buzz words like SEO, PPC, Retargeting, Affiliates, Email campaigns, A/B testing, growth hacks, analytics and virality at businesses every day. With an ever- expanding technological universe; a growing amount of jargon may appear to be overwhelming; but the key here is to cut through the maze and create a “workable” action plan. EASE THE JOURNEY Before even approaching a creative agency; CXOs have to introspect and clarify their own plans to successfully leverage their digital marketing spends. Defining your marketing objectives in an articulate fashion will only help your business in the long run.With the multiplicity of digital marketing channels around; it is useful for both the client and the agency if mistakes are not made in selecting the right avenue for your brand. Customers differ in their willingness to judiciously evaluate and opt for creative risk, brand outreach or in a price- conscious country like ours;
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merely fixate on cost. The importance of “content” in digital marketing cannot be underestimated. Every agency worth their salt rightly emphasizes of the right message to customers and addressing every probable “pain point” in their buying journey. We aim to create an immersive and holistic customer journey instead of an insensitive, monolithic setup which does not inspire brand loyalty and engagement over the long term. MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN Establishing timelines apart from personalization and segmentation is an industry best practice. Our content experts realize the importance of targeted “content”, aesthetics and a variety of interrelated factors that impede or facilitate your brand journey. Gartner and Ovum industry surveys have revealed increasing use of data-driven marketing and automation to enhance productivity and facilitate quick resolution times. Even though the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal on Facebook profile datamining has raised major concerns; the overall industry scenario remains overwhelmingly positive with drastic scope for future innovation. As Augmented Reality, IoT (Internet of Things), smart speakers (Amazon Echo, Google Home etc.) become increasingly commonplace; digital marketers and customers will have to come up with more creative and innovative ideas to leverage the paradigm shift that seems inevitable. The importance of strategy, research and usability. Mobile-friendly customer experience and real-time responses have to be formulated into a tactical set of steps that execute seamlessly every step of the way. Depending on the value businesses place on client engagement; Aglaia Interactive aims to implement various aspects of a digital marketing approach that builds and enhances relationship with new and existing customers.
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Sunil Kumar Founder President & Editor-In-Chief
About The Author
A versatile, creative and multi-faceted personality, Sunil Kumar, Founder President & Editor-In-Chief Aglaia Interactive Solutions, is a postgraduate from the University of Westminster, London. (Ranked No.1 in Media and Communications (Europe): QS University Rankings 2013). Presented, a research paper in the IEEE Conference held at Salvador, Bahia, Brazil on the “Human Side of Globalization”. His book, “Existential Angst” was cataloged in the British Council, Sussex, the US South Asian Literature List and is available on Amazon. Also, the author of “Surreal City”- a recent work of creative ction. The noted poet Nissim Ezekiel made him a member of the P.E.N (India Chapter). His company Aglaia Interactive received a Microsoft Bizspark award in 2013 in the very rst year of its inception; and was recognized amongst the “Top 50 Digital Marketing Companies” by the World Marketing Congress in 2016 and 2018. The rm aims to build business partnerships, expand its footprint globally and encourage a culture of creative freedom, thought leadership and innovation.
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Dr. R Kishore Kumar: A Trailblazer Neonatologist laying the Foundation for Contemporary Healthcare Needs
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r. R Kishore Kumar is a person who believes that there is no substitute to hard work if someone wants to attain zenith in their career. All through his life he performed his duties with utmost dedication, passion and care. He never mixed his professional service with the personal one and always maintained a good work life balance. Dr. Kishore is a qualified pediatrician in India with having gold medal under his name. Kishore is always hungry for more knowledge and training and this is his top trait that led him to the pinnacle where he is today. His hunger for knowledge led him to do super specialization in pediatrics - from England, Australia and USA, where he got vital exposure and experience too that is required for a medical professional to perform their duties in the finest manner. He has been featured in Marquis who and who 1996 edition. He was also a special invitee of focus group discussion in a conclave led by former US President Bill Clinton. It was this event that turned out to be the turning point of his career. This event ‘Kicked in’ the entrepreneur soul of Kishore and rest is a history. After this event he felt to do something in India to help bring Indian maternal and newborn care to the standards that was generally found in the best hospitals across the world. Henceforth the
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journey of Cloudnine started. Cloudnine Group of Hospitals is a chain of maternity, childcare, and fertility hospitals headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The diverse and vital leadership exposure which Kishore has earned in UK and Australia is playing a pivotal role in running Cloudnine hospitals successfully. He considers that Cloudnine does not have any competition as most people in the segment are copying what they are doing, and one can copy a product or service but cannot copy an idea. Therefore, he believes that Cloudnine will always be ahead in the game and will also constantly evolve to meet the growing need of the healthcare sector. Kishore Transformed an Impossible looking Idea into Reality Kishore is a decorated neonatologist in India who has worked in some of the best hospitals in the world that have a 0% maternal mortality rate during the delivery process and with the highest possible baby survival rate, including premature babies born as early as 24 weeks. He wanted to do the same in India, but some suggested it was impossible to do so, but for him nothing is impossible. He took that as a challenge and moved back to India and founded Cloudnine. And 11 years after its inception in 2007, Cloudnine today is recognized among one the best
hospitals in the world. This hospital has delivered more than 50,000 babies and has achieved a 98.3% of survival rate with 0% maternal mortality. This statistics is nothing less than a benchmark for others players both in India and abroad. It’s a Hospital yet Different from the others The uniqueness of Cloudnine group of hospitals is that it does not let feel its visitors like they are entering into a hospital. Bad odor, mismanagement and disinfectant smell – all were the hallmark of hospitals in the past – not in Cloudnine Hospitals. Cloudnine group of hospitals provides special experiences to its patients with its “single specialty hospital” because no one wants to have a baby in a multispecialty hospital where people could be suffering from cancer, broken bones – and dying next to your room. Kishore want parents should celebrate childbirth with joy, since it is a happy occasion and a very beginning of a new life for the entire family. Therefore, Cloudnine left no stone unturned to provide proper safety, security and right ambience for a child birth. Even, complicated childbirth is also taken care in a very precise manner and celebrated with equal joy and utmost customer satisfaction.
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Owe Gratitude towards Family and Well-wishers Kishore has been very fortunate to be in a company of caring parents, family and friends, who have played a significant role in shaping his destiny. For him, they have been a source of inspiration, confidence, encouragement, motivation, and humility all through his life. Ramakrishna Mission also played a significant role in shaping the spiritual thinking of Kishore and thus he gives some credit to Ramakrishna Mission as well for what he is today. His mentor while doing my MD (paediatrics) in India, the late Prof (Miss) Nirmala Kesaree and Prof Dr Kallesh Hebbal were instrumental to a great extent in him becoming a global neonatologist with constant encouragement to achieve more – and Last but not the least, the late Dr Alfred Grauaug, Prof of Neonatology in Perth, Australia – had a significant impact on him becoming a great entrepreneur and investor with his acute business acumen, principles and guiding nature. His parents stood like a rock behind him in his entire journey.
Dr. R Kishore Kumar
With Cloudnine we are re-imagining birthing in India. ™
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The X factor that keeps him Climbing the Success Ladder Kishore follows his heart and thus chase his dreams with utmost sincerity. He always enjoys what he does and always focused to do something better today than yesterday. This is the mantra which assists him to improve and lead further in life. Future Aspiration: Better Healthcare for Babies and Mothers than Present Dr. Kishore has an ambitious plan to get into PPP’s (Public Private Partnerships) to improve the condition of maternal & neonatal care in India and also in other developing countries as well – which currently needs an overhaul. According to him, there are many like-minded persons in India who want to see a much brighter future for Indian babies and mothers. And once these people collaborate, the country will become a much better place as far as healthcare for babies and mothers are concerned. Advice to Budding Entrepreneurs “I advise my fellow peers to follow their dreams and work hard. Nothing in life comes easily without hard work. I encourage every employee to think on their feet, and encourage leadership training to all my colleagues/employees- we call ourselves the Cloudnine Family because we look after everyone in our organization as family. This encourages creative thinking in our organization, as they feel a sense of belonging” concludes Kishore.
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Krishna Raj Sharma: Spanning Exciting Milestones into the ‘DNA’s’ of Business Era
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he lives of entrepreneurs are not at all easy as they surpass the mountains of difficulties with lots of dedication, unwavering willingness and insightful determination. The energy to face these challenges comes from the core interest and love towards the work. As Steve Jobs, , rightly asserted, “Your work is going to fill a large part of life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Krishna Raj Sharma, who is successfully spearheading the business as the Director and CEO at iValue Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd is one such leader who is lively, versatile and dedicated to accomplish his missions which has made him one of the foremost business achiever. iValue is a leading digital company which is providing optimal and scalable solutions to the world in the domain of Digital Asset Protection and Data, Network and Application Protection and Management space. The goal of the company is to identify the areas of opportunities for the growth of its
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OEMs and Partners by adding value to its customers. The Leading-Light of the Company Krishna Raj is an Electronics and Communication Engineering graduate from Karnataka, who possess not only strong technical skills but also have a great business acumen. Being a customer-centered individual, he is very passionate to solve customers’ business needs and developing connections with Partner and OEM group. Besides having special attention for cyber security areas, he is very eager in learning, evolving and adapting things in a fast changing technology world. He always looks for the deep-cornered areas and strategies in the IT industry to monetize them for the profit of the company’s stakeholders.
BFSI vertical practice, Government horizontal practice, Enterprise datacenter practice and consultant engagement activities including ‘Big Four’ firm. It also emphasizes on customer’s life-cycle based approach for business development purpose driven by analytics. iValue carries more than 17 years of strong experience in Digital Asset protection and management technology areas which has made it a successful digital organization. The factors such as consultative approach, customercentric mission and focused vision on adding value to every stakeholder have assisted iValue to grow consistently. Another factor which makes it unique is it's encouraging cross-functioning team involvement to address end-toend needs of the customers.
iValue’s Unique Services
Krishna Raj’s Motivations and Entrepreneurial Journey
iValue was established with a mission to empower organizations to efficiently manage their ‘Digital Assets’ which would guarantee profitable growth. It delivers varied unique services such as
Krishna Raj believes that something which matters a lot in achieving success is having a ‘right attitude’ towards work life. The biggest motivating factors for Krishna Raj are
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‘patience and wide approach’ towards challenges which have always assisted him to reach to a pragmatic and rocksolid solution. He further added, “I am always thankful to have met people at different stages and juncture from whom I have learnt diverse skills which has been helping me today to run the company as an entrepreneur with an aligned and motivated team”. Speaking on his entrepreneurial journey, he asserts, “I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey so far, in fact at every stage of it. I am eagerly looking for greater happiness while moving forward. The learning out of my journey has always had greater impact than any of the books or individuals.” While Learning, Sky is the Limit
Krishna Raj Sharma
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A Master’s Advice to the Budding Entrepreneurs
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Everyone in this world develops their own learning process which makes them more independent and inspiring. Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. Likewise, Krishna Raj too firmly believes that learning is a continuous process which makes every individual progressive. Risk taking is one of the crucial factors in developing businesses which helps the organizations to define their objectives for the future. While taking his views on risk-taking factor, he mentioned, “It has never been a severe risk while working with a well-trained team around”. The integrated skillsets and collective efforts of iValue team have placed the organization on the crest of the wave.
Krishna Raj directs that passionate, motivated and aligned team is the key to success. He advises his budding entrepreneurs to understand their teams’ strengths, passion and aligning roles which helps in cultivating a creative culture. He advises them to use performance measurement tools which assist the organizations in aligning intent goals to maximize results. iValue has been achieving four times greater market growth consistently in last decade and with Krishna Raj’s profound experience & leadership skills, iValue will continue to work efficiently to keep the Customers’ & Partners’ expectations intact and soar to its heights of success.
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F
rom decades, the entrepreneurship and emerging markets research oods have converged. Emerging markets are now providing an opportunity to examine entrepreneurship in different contexts and forms, and the markets are often distinct from developed countries, particularly those in the West, by way of culture, economic development and political institutions. Emerging market countries are invariably complex. On the one hand, they are starting later and often with fewer resources than more established industrial economies. On the other contrary, they often have unmet societal needs that can offer tremendous opportunities to the companies that position themselves properly. Often, those are the companies that have not yet been born. Opportunities of Entrepreneurs in Emerging Markets The wealth of opportunities and problems to solve are an advantage, but generating innovative ideas that go beyond the criterion is not so easy. It can be hard to convince people that they can do something different and unique, but when you add the layer of scarce resources and limited ability to rebound for failure that brings about a caution that limits a venture ability to scale. Entrepreneurs have to understand the context where they’re building, how to make things work on next to nothing for a long time, and that they have to become revenue positive as quickly as possible. In some parts of the world where there are caste systems and religious and cultural barriers, there are often more barriers to entry for women to rise in corporations. Therefore, the choice to be an entrepreneur is easier; it is often one of the only options.
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Business Archives Entrepreneurship Fitting into the Economic Development Picture There is a colossal opportunity to launch a business in any number of areas since nothing is yet entrenched. Where there are greater challenges, there are greater opportunities to innovate and come up with unique solutions and to address challenges that no one has even thought of. Many governments, as well as multilateral organizations around the world, are recognizing that entrepreneurs are job creators and that there is a great thirst among the next generation of young people everywhere to drive their own future. More and more resources are being focused on this pent-up demand, and it is the other revolution called ‘The Entrepreneurship Revolution.’ Women Entrepreneurs Breaking Through Barriers There has to be a system where people are allowed to have ideas and execute them. Women can see what the problem is but are they empowered to solve those problems for themselves and their families, or village or beyond their village? One of the really critical challenges that women face is the lack of access to traditional networks in education, training, financing as compared with what’s available to men. So women-owned businesses have found great opportunities within cooperative organizations where they buy and sell from each other. They’ve recognized that while they are waiting for Walmart to discover what they already know, that their companies offer the highest quality or quickest turnaround. They are already operating in a successful network with other women. They know what they need from each other and present a potentially big market right there. Every place has a unique cultural perspective that entrepreneurs can tap into and build on to bring something new. The beauty of being a woman in an emerging-market country is that they are starting to see huge macroeconomic reforms that not only make it easier for venture capitalists to come in but also for foreigners to come in and invest. Scaling Businesses Often, there are incredible programs out there for entrepreneurship and incredible opportunities, but there is an information gap. That information is not marketed to the people who need it in order to apply for a contract or sell to a company. So no one gets the information, and opportunities pass. Governments have come to realize that they cannot possibly meet their economic needs that are providing enough government or industrial jobs for young people without promoting entrepreneurship and an entrepreneurial mindset. The experience of most of the entrepreneurs with the government is not positive then whether it’s taxes, regulatory barriers, licensing or processes that are esoteric and difficult. Minimizing or eliminating those barriers helps. Often it will be in partnership with the private sector, by facilitating and incentivizing investors or banks. They can get involved directly by engaging small businesses through the procurement process. In almost every country, the single biggest procurement source is the government. So if the government commits to set aside part of that for small businesses, which will become a huge market. Governments can add incentives like tax credits to increase investment. They can promote stability, IP rights, and price transparency. And they can focus on more efficient transportation that will help small businesses’ potential to grow. Countries that are eager to keep up their economic growth are very interested in having successful women in the workforce and in making sure that those women not only have the necessary education but are also getting the type of funding that’s going to allow them to start companies and scale them up. The emerging markets are known for its manufacturing dexterity, and the service industry is expeditiously developing. The ethnic groups are an entrepreneurial source both in emerging markets and among emerging market entrepreneurs in host markets. Different conceptual lenses may explain ethnic entrepreneurship in emerging markets, including institutional and business group theories as well as the resource-based view, and so further our understanding of entrepreneurship in emerging markets. We are looking forward and hoping that the research on emerging markets and entrepreneurship will continue to develop.
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Major Manjit Rajain: Serving with Dignity T
he Tenon Group of Companies is an Integrated Security & Facilities Management Business started in 1995, and today has a global presence in 3 countries with over 55,000 employees in 70 + branches, providing a comprehensive range of services to more than 2000+ corporate.
Guarding Private Limited, a company providing Security Solutions.
“I attribute my success to the people around me, both personally and professionally,” says Manjit. The belief that employees are the biggest assets of the organization, drives all his actions and plans. Tenon employees, through their hard work, passion and The company started with manned commitment have helped the Group guarding services - Peregrine Guarding differentiate themselves in the market which quickly established itself as the place and realize Corporation’s premier establishment. It has been aspirations. independently rated by KPMG, EY and Deloitte amongst the top four service Providing Exceptional Services providers in the country. Manjit’s vision for growth led to the expansion of the business and in 2007, Coming from a distinguished family of Tenon Integrated Facilities Haryana, Major Manjit Rajain, Management Services was established. Founder of Tenon Group, has served in In 2009 the corporation was further the Cavalry for 7 years. Yearning for strengthened by the acquisition of a more, his quest led him to join and leading electro mechanical service serve with the police force in J&K. The provider – Rotopower. life and learning in the Army and Police enabled and enhanced his With the listing in the London Stock knowledge in the Security domain. Exchange (AIM) through its holding Throwing caution to the winds, he company Mortice Limited, registered stepped into the corporate world and in Singapore, Tenon had the distinction established himself as a first generation of being the only corporation in Asia entrepreneur in 1995, by +Peregrine offering Integrated Facility
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Management Services, Security and Electrical & Mechanical services to be featured. In 2013, Tenon expanded its global footprint and established its presence in Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka through Saudi Tenon and Tenon Lanka, respectively. 2014 was another landmark year for Tenon both in terms of market expansion and new business venture. Globally, Tenon made a significant foray in Netherlands through Amsterdam Arena International and the business saw an extensive expansion through the launch of a new vertical – Soteria, a state-of-the-art Control and Command Center, offering remote surveillance services. Turning Challenges into Opportunities “Risks and failures is path transcended by any entrepreneur. The challenge is to accept the same and convert it into learning and success,” says Manjit. There were several defining moments in his professional graph, which came as a risk and challenge, but eventually turned out to be vital to the growth path of the organization.
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He recalls his first challenge when the company was hired to provide 100 guards to be deployed in South City 1 Gurgoan. At that point, Manjit neither had the money nor the ability; he didn’t know where to find the people or how to train them. He generated capital by selling his car and started consolidating people (for guards) from the various construction sites and gave them the necessary training, in duties as well as grooming. He himself used to do the rounds, both during the day as well as night to ensure everything was running smoothly.
Major Manjit Rajain Founder
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The interesting and challenging episode in his entrepreneurial life was when the company got a huge contract and they were not making profit so he decided to wear the uniform of a Supervisor and stand at the porch of the Hotel, opening cars for the guests. “This was by far the most humbling experience which made me appreciate dignity in work,” shares Manjit. Expert Advice to Budding Entrepreneurs One of the basic fundamental that Manjit adopts is the “being human” approach, a mix of understanding the strength and frailties, adapting them to deliver optimum human success. “There is no substitute to hard work. Don’t ask somebody to do something which you can’t do yourself. In any business, do not lose dignity and integrity. They define you,” says Manjit. Upcoming Endeavours Learning from life experiences is what keeps Manjit going. “My growth is linked and reflected in the growth of my people and my company - The Tenon Group,” says Manjit. Tenon has a strategic business expansion plan across Asia while having established its footprints in UK and Singapore. Most of the growth till now has been organic in nature but now the focus is on inorganic expansion. They are in the acquisition mode and would be analyzing and assessing opportunities in the M&A space. Moreover, they intend to establish themselves as the market leader in the integrated security and facility management space.
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Suresh Pansari: The Legend of Indian IT & Mobility Industry
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uccess is not final; failure is not fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts – Winston.S.Churchill, a renowned and celebrated Former British Prime Minister”.
grown to India’s leading IT and Mobile distributor having a pan India presence through its 50 branches and 50 service centers from a small office.
Here’s the story of a journey that started from Ramgarh to Mumbai and further continued to capture the heart of people through IT hardware distribution. Mr. Suresh Pansari, Cofounder and Director at Rashi Peripherals, the well-known leading IT hardware distributor and hardcore entrepreneur redefining the Indian market through his services. After graduating as a chartered accountant with a sound knowledge of Maths, Finance, Business Operations and Indian Legal practices, Suresh jumped into IT distribution business.
Mr. Suresh Pansari who believes constant learning is the key to success in any profession and occupation, said “Even today, entrepreneurial journey continues and the passion is just growing high every single day. Though plenty of people have significantly influenced my life, but among them Mr. R.S. Dugal and Mr. Ajay Agarwal have a vital contribution to my success by keeping faith in me and encouraged me to get into the IT distribution space is, who taught me professionalization of the business”.
Motivators of the Leader
Achievement and Award In 1989, during the nascent stage of IT hardware business and by realizing the potentials and prospects in the IT business, both Mr. Suresh Pansari and Mr. Krishna choudhary laid the foundation of a full-fledged distribution company with optimism, sincerity, domain knowledge, dedication and lot of growth aspirations .Today, the company have
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an educational reform in the society. He also makes sure to contribute to have a better and a wonderful place to live, create and develop successful pathways for the future generations.
A go-getter and achiever, Mr. Pansari, never stops! Work is his mission and passion, and this passion has grown Rashi Peripherals to its current position and poised it an exponential success curve. Suresh is one of those rare individuals, who believes in giving back to the society and is a trustee in various educational institutes creating
Additionally, he is also the recipient of much prestigious recognition and was felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Cybermedia for his exemplary contribution in the IT distribution business. CRN has recently honored him with the ‘Channel Legend’ award for his valuable contribution to the IT channel industry. No Peak is too High for Rashi Leader While talking about the challenges faced by Mr. Pansari, he said “During my challenging times to success, my mentors, stakeholders and family, who always stood firmly behind me during challenging times”. Though, the industry was going through hard times where the imports were in the hands of few unorganized importers and also facing the challenges such as high import duties and several restrictions on imports. He further added, “Fortunately, I had no major downtime
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except few corrections from time to time. In fact, every small success encourages me to work more hard to reach the next level of success”. About the Leading IT Company
Mr.Suresh Pansari Co-founder & Director
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Be ambitious but never compromise on the values, while running behind the goal; have belief in business ethics
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As the most robust distribution network providing 50 service branch centers and over 9000 channel partners spread across over 750 towns/cities around the world, it holds the most comprehensive product portfolio which serves over 20 worldrenowned IT and mobile brands such as Apple, ASUS, Dell, Lenovo, ECS, AMD, Nvidia, Toshiba and Western Digital. Rashi Peripherals firmly believe in employee’s empowerment and development. Regular training programs are conducted in order to facilitate the overall growth of the workforce. The company’s leader claims that the firm business ethics, strong marketing team, robust service network and an eminent team of Branch heads are the four pillars of the company. Almost 11 years back, Rashi was the first distributor to implement SAP and to offer local Pre-Sale and Post-Sale support through their wide branch network. To provide value-added services for partners, it has also laid the foundation of many unique channel programs like roadshows and TFTs. Dream Goal of IT Hardware Distributor While discussing the future aim, Mr. Pansari said “Our vision is to become the ‘One Stop Solution’ for all the IT requirements of Indian consumers”. He has also that mentioned, it is always essential to maintain the pace with the changing business equations in the technology business. As, Rashi Peripherals believe in constant and consistent growth YoY for 28 years, Rashi have been pretty much successful. It has grown among the top 5 distribution companies in India and will strive to keep the growth momentum in the upcoming years.
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Omnichannel Agent and Customer Engagement Solutions Simplify and personalize the customer experience, empower agents and achieve business success with one workspace for all channel interactions, application integrations, and CX reporting.
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V.K.Bhandari:
An Exceptional IT Entrepreneur Empowering the Nation Socially and Technically
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rowth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.” – N.R. Narayana Murthy, a renowned Indian Industrialist and the Co-founder of Infosys.
Being an entrepreneur is not easy and being a leader is even more difficult. It requires passion, patience, discipline, decisive nature, consistency, hard work and most importantly, versatility. A leader must know the right time to enter a place and also the right time to exit that to explore something new. The business pioneer Narayana Murthy once said, “Leadership is about doing the right thing, even if it is going against a vast number of naysayers and mediocre people.” Following the path showed by Narayana Murthy, a young and dynamic business leader Vishnu Kumar Bhandari entered into the world of business. An exceptional leader Mr. V.K. Bhandari is the Founder, Chairman and the Managing Director of Supertron Electronics Pvt. Ltd. He started his career in Kolkata in 1985. The Turning Point Immediately after foreseeing the future, Mr. Bhandari dropped the idea of studying Jute Technology and joined
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a company called Sujata Electronics for their Kolkata branch as a sales executive and worked there for five years till 1990. His mind was always looking for better opportunities and future scopes of the technology. Hence, in 1991, Mr. Bhandari felt that the eastern India needs a quality IT distribution house from where he can serve all major local IT dealers/resellers who require a distribution house with a varied product range along with strong and efficient service and replacement support system for which he has opened a small proprietorship company called Supermatic Computer. During that time, IT import rules were also liberalized and to bring world class technology product in India and it is the time when Mr. V. K. Bhandari founded Supertron Electronics in the year 1993 as a distributor and import company along with only three members under him and a capital of three lakhs rupees only. Mr. Bhandari’s extraordinary contribution and immense hard work has led the company from a mere startup to a leading IT company in India. Under his guidance, Supertron is now established itself as a company amongst top five national IT hardware distribution house with more than 1400 employees and 2800 crores turnover
with 34 branches and 19 satellite offices across Pan India. Now, the founder of this company is known for his very strong relationship with all IT & other fraternity of India and abroad. The Leader’s Leading Strategies “We have created a niche for ourselves in the market with our offerings. One of the key differentiator is our penetration & reach. We are not only logistic partner for our vendors but we add value in distribution by creating market for brands & work as an extended arm for vendors,” says Vishnu Kumar Bhandari. He guides the company to work very closely with their vendor, their requirement and play a critical role as National Distributor or Regional Distributor. Their services and support are long recalled for building up their partners’ comfort level. The leading entrepreneur shares his point of view and informs that feedback is an important and necessary part of anyone’s work functionalities. He says, “by taking the feedback in positive spirit & improvising on them help organizations & individuals to grow. Healthy relationship & team work within the organization is important, integral & critical aspect for better work culture to create good environment within the organization.”
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Mr. Bhandari further adds that finding potential solution to every problem helps to go on faster and farther. To make the company stand apart in the crowd, the Managing Director of the Supertron encourages out-of-the-box thinking within his employees and instills creativity so that they find time and opportunity to express themselves and implement innovative methods. The Leader’s Source of Inspiration Mr. V. K. Bhandari talked about his sources of inspiration and motivation and said, “Mr N.R. Narayana Murthy is my business role model for not only what he achieved but also the manner in which he did it. I admire him for his exceptional knowledge and leadership qualities combined with his humility & down to earth approach.”
Vishnu Kumar Bhandari Founder, Chairman & MD
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We are not only logistic partner for our
vendors but we add value in distribution by creating market for
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brands & work as an
extended arm for vendors
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While advising to the budding entrepreneurs he says, Three idiots, Chak-de India and Dangal from the current lot has lot to learn, as one must have the passion, dedication, humbleness and leadership quality is very important to achieve the goal.” Extraordinary Qualities that him a Leader Leadership doesn’t mean bossing around one’s employees. A leader is the one who takes the pain of explaining everything that needs to be said to the employees. Mr. V. K. Bhandari has led the company to strengthen organization as a leader with focus in value added distribution as an end-to-end solution provider in IT & Telecom distribution in the country. He further stated his future plans and said, “Our focus would also be in large enterprise solution space. We intent to grow more than the industry, both organically & inorganically.” Mr. Bhandari is not just a leader or an entrepreneur. He is a social worker who dedicates his life for the underprivileged people of the society. To extend the support to all segments of underprivileged through various NGOs and without any bias on age, gender, caste, creed and religion of beneficiaries, he has created Supertron Foundation, a division of SEPL, in the year 2014. It has now joined hands with various NGOs in and around West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Nasik, and presently, the foundation has opened 10 Computer Empowerment Centre for underprivileged children around Kolkata.
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Vineet Patawari: An Optimistic Leader taking Online Financial Education to a New Level earning experiences are like journeys. The journey starts where the learning is now, and ends when the learner is successful. The end of the journey doesn’t know more, it’s doing more.” - Julie Dirksen, Learning Strategy Consultant.
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Vineet was keen to create a niche in finance & financial markets and established a financial market training platform named ElearnMarkets and StockEdge, which acts as a stock market analytics tool (currently a mobile application)
Learning should never stop at any cost and people should continuously upgrade them with knowledge and wisdom shared by great souls. Optimistic by nature, Vineet Patawari the Co-Founder and CEO Kredent Infoedge which owns ElearnMarkets.com, Kredent Academy and StockEdge. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a post graduate from IIM Indore. He shunned a seven figure salary from campus placement to start his first entrepreneurial venture. He believes that laser sharp focus, clarity of thought and communication is the key to success along with consistency and perseverance.
Inspired by Partners
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The entrepreneurial journey so far has been full of learning new things. The real excitement kicks in when you see that the product created by you is changing lives. Vineet said “Both my partners Vivek Bajaj and Vinay Pagaria are great sources of inspiration, zeal and passion which kept me afloat in turbulent times.” About the Company ElearnMarkets (ELM) is a platform for learning & certification on various aspects of Financial Markets from market experts with practical orientation, interactive learning,
gamification & moviefication. Elearnmarkets recognized that the lack of financial literacy is a serious hindrance to the economic growth of India. Hence they made it a point to spread financial literacy in multiple ways so that it becomes easy for an individual to be financially aware. It aims at bridging the financial literacy gap, intends to meet lifetime needs of learning finance, tracking financial markets and earning and managing money in a compact and simple manner. To make financial markets simple StockEdge, a Value for Money fintech tool is used as the vertical that will empower stock investors and traders for better decision making through automated Analytics & Data Visualization. StockEdge is now India’s fastest growing stock market tool with over 700,000 users downloads and rating by over 13000 users.
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Vineet’s Advice to Entrepreneurs Vineet strongly suggests everyone to read a few books which helped him to explore new ideas, such as The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli. Some of his other favourites are Thinking, fast & slow by Daniel Kahneman and The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. He even says “Always clear thinking and clear communication works as the core for team management. Creative thinking at work will help to develop core competencies and growth hacks for the business.”
Vineet Patawari Founder and CEO
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Need to continuously learn & grow and
keep challenging our limitations; the best we do today is only a benchmark tomorrow
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for us to break
Creating detailed SOPs and continuous training of a skilled team will define the strength and scalability of every business. Moreover, the relationships which the company builds with various stakeholders are extremely crucial for the long term sustainability. There should be passion & compassion in whatever the businessman does. Try to make things as structured as possible in the startup by defining SOPs, KRAs & KPIs, communication templates and so on. Future Plans of Elearnmarkets The world is changing fast, and you need to learn new skills and update old ones to stay relevant and competitive in your career. The highly dynamic financial markets and financial services industry, especially the capital markets provide exciting and rewarding career opportunities to thousands of students and professionals every year. So, challenging ourselves and setting a new benchmark every time is what we intend to do. While talking about the goal of Vineet, he said “I want my business to be always profit oriented & growth focused and want to become a key player in increasing the demographic coverage of financial markets in India. We have a vision to serve 1 crore Indians by 2020”.
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Successful Keys to Lead the Market B elow are the 9 Keys successful keys to lead the market:
Have a five-year plan for success. - It’s essential to have a 5 year plan (or at least a 3 year plan), since focusing too much short term like a quarter, is not advisable. If you are too much short term focus, you will miss out on the larger picture. Competition is good - The truth is, competition gives me nightmares and sleepless nights at times. But I have practically seen businesses not innovating when there is no competition. The whole idea of business, is about adding value and solving a problem. So, if businesses don't compete with each other to bring positive change, there no point in its existence. Tough situations do arise every now and then in a business. Accept it and solve it. - Business is about solving a new challenge and there is lot of unknowns in running a business. It’s quite normal to get tough situations that we didn’t predict. We try to do our best, but it’s not always possible. When tough situations arise, just accept it and solve it to your best. Learn from Mistakes, don’t get buried in it - In my previous point I had mentioned about mistakes too. Business is about solving new challenges. There will always be roadblocks and mistakes. It’s OK to make mistakes. Learn from it and move on to the next step. Don’t get buried in it. Don’t let the failures, slow down your growth. Azim premji always used to say that ‘it’s OK to make mistakes, just don’t do the same mistake the second time’.
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Surround yourself with right network / people - This is very important. When you are entering a new market and exploring new opportunities, it’s not a good idea to have pessimistic people around you. I have practically been in this situation. It’s essential to have supportive, optimistic people in your business to conquer a market. You also need hustlers, self-motivated people in your team.
Always stand for integrity in business - This might sound cliche, but it’s so true. When you have integrity in business, the environment you are building will reflect that. Such integrity is good for an organization to move forward with confidence and make big changes. Do the correct thing for the customer. - Customers are the most important in every business. You should take care of them. Period. You should add value to their business or life, that’s the single biggest reason why business exists. Remember that every day is a new opportunity - The organization who wakes up to make a difference has always won. The growing organization should see every day as a new opportunity to make something exciting and new. Build an organization that’s open to learning new ideas - The organization which is afraid to face challenges or try anything new hasn’t won. Make the organization to try new ideas. It’s OK TO FAIL. Similarly Peter Thiel has stated that “Start with a small market and dominate it” is one of the key ways to bootstrap an idea.
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Business Things
About The
Author Ram Chellamuthu is the CEO of Calicom. Its flagship product XpressIt, is a Video Messaging Platform for Businesses. It has already redefined the way people communicate in the Digital Enterprise world and is used by various Enterprises around the world. “XpressIt” has increased the adoption of video messaging by Businesses, by solving the core issues that were hindering its growth. He was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year 2015”, “Innovative Business Leader”, “Young Scientist” and mostly known for his work on “AI and Robotics”. His Robot Home called “BuddyHome” has been extensively covered by CNN IBN, Bloomberg, Economics Times and many other International media with an aggregate view of over 30 Million subscribers.
Ram Chellamuthu CEO
He founded TWF, Foundation (TeenWorkforce), and a social non-profit with a vision to “give financial independence to 15 - 21 year segment”. Currently he is working with a bunch of Blockchain technologists, to make this system completely “open and transparent”, so that every penny that comes into the system is accounted for and gives a visibility to government, people and investors on how it impacts a student to get his/her financial freedom. The Nirvana of his vision is governments setting up a formal vetted part-time online job framework for 15 – 21 year olds, so that they can earn and make their living when they study. Ram holds a BE in Computer Science from Anna University and MS in Software Systems from BITS. ™
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