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Editor's Note Abhishek Joshi Deputy Editor abhishek.joshi@insightssuccess.com
REVOLUTIONARY LEADERSHIP LEGENDS OF THE BUSINESS ARENA
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n the simple evolutionary development nature documents living organisms' responses to the changing environmental scenarios surrounding that organism. It is deposited in the cells in the form of genes. Taking those genes, a primary survival and reproductory criteria is created. Generation after generation, every organism then operates, survives and reproduces according to that pre-established criterion. This process continues if the surrounding environment remains unchanged. However, how can it happen when change is the only constant? Change keeps happening, and the organism keeps adjusting itself to that change, again updating its record of everything in the RNA or DNA at the genetic level. Nevertheless, when an avalanche of changes occurs, giving the organism little time for adjustment, chaos erupts. The simplest mechanism of natural selection termed 'survival of the fittest' kicks in. It naturally selects only those who are fittest to survive. Nature further investigates into it and finds that those organisms who challenged the established criteria and kept themselves changing even when that change was not needed are the ones from the fittest category.
civilization because of the fittest spirits of such leagues of innovators, generation over generation, challenging the established status quo and always asking questions to themselves and finding out innovative answers and solutions to the many and all human problems. Underlying innovation is their innate nature. An innovative approach is their mind-frame of reference. They look at challenges as opportunities, problems as chances to prove their worth, and crises as possibilities to explore their shortcomings and correct themselves so that they can seek their ultimate goal, improvisation. These noble spirits and innovative minds are the torchbearers of our collective genius. They will lead us in the race to the future—humankind in the race of survival of the most innovative minds. CIOLOOK India's exclusive edition titled 'League of Innovators – 2022' brings you gems of such revolutionary leadership legends and their stories to reassure you that our future is safe in their aweinspiring acumen. You can further quench your curious mind's thirst by reading two crisp and trendy articles written by our in-house editorial team. So, don't you wait. Just read, learn, and innovate!
Nature calls them innovators. We, as species homo sapiens, survived, thrived, formed and advanced our
Featuring
Company Name
Brief
Akshay Goyal, Founder
Tron Labs
Tronlab is dedicated to building the infrastructure for a truly decentralized Internet.
Rajat Agrawal, COO
Barista Coffee Company Limited
Barista is a chain of espresso bars and cafes that operates in the Indian subcontinent.
Sandeep Srivastava, Founder
Minibreaks
Minibreaks India Pvt. Ltd. is an urban technology bootstrapped company that came to life to empower the Indian traveller with instant bookings and comprehensive choices.
Sridhar Viswanath, Founder
Ventures Solutions
Venture Solutions brings the expertise and industry insights to focus on the unique requirements of customer communications management.
Creators Architects
Creators Architects is a multiple award winning Architectural firm that challenges the conventional and makes impossible architectural outcome possible.
Utssav Gupta, CEO
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Akshay Goyal A Catalyst for Positive Transformation
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Minibreaks Guiding Light of Exploring Minds
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Ventures Solutions Connecting Innovations with Inspirations
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Pooja M. Bansal Editor-in-Chief CONTENT
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MAY, 2022
nnovation is seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” – Dr Albert, Szent-Györgyi An idea sparked, possibilities was explored, failures were surpassed, and innovation was conceived. This process—a layman’s wild assumption—is what would’ve taken place in the brilliant heads of Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, or Steve Jobs. Every creator, inventor, or innovator invests the entirety of their efforts into the journey of going from an idea to an innovation. This aspect is what makes them great. The grit, the sweat, the passion, and the commitment they have imbibed is what makes them stand out. The following story is of one such innovator who’s striven through the toughest storms and risen victorious. This story is of a truly inspiring individual who dons the hat of a true thought leader – Utssav Gupta is an architect by origin, an innovator by passion, a researcher by habit, and an entrepreneur by practice. Speaking in terms of professional designations, Utssav is the CEO and Partner at Creators Architects, Founder at Black Swan Labs, and Director of Supertech Fabrics.
The Prologue of Utssav’s Success Story Being born and nurtured in a family of architects, Utssav was naturally introduced to the profession and was fascinated by architecture from an early age. He aspired to be an architect—a quality attributable to his parents Rajiv Gupta and Mukta Gupta’s architectural thought process. The frequent architectural discussions between his parents piqued his interest, and the family dynamics naturally influenced him to follow this profession. During his adolescence, he acquired prolific architectural skills from his parents, yet he developed his own perspective. He used to marvel at great architecture and—to quench his curiosity—he did an extensive research and analysis of world structures like the Eiffel tower, Petronas towers, the Sears Tower, etc. Utssav pursued his passion by studying architecture at New Delhi and later obtaining a post-graduate degree from the Elite AA School of Architecture at London. While grooming himself to be a world-class architect, he began his professional career as an Assistant Architect with a London-based firm. Through this role, Utssav experienced the footing of architecture on his own,
gained a different perspective towards architecture, discovered the intricacies that different projects might have, and realized how an unconventional approach towards the discipline of architecture can supply us the modern innovative solutions. Later, he returned and rejoined his parents’ firm to serve his country and its people and to boldly reveal the other side of inventive design that was much required in the evolving world. As of today, Utssav has garnered multiple awards and plaudits for his innovative frameworks and models, and he has established himself in the architecture profession by standing out from the crowd through his innovation and disruption. He was recently named as – Best Innovative Architect of the Year by the Times2leap MSME award and Best Architect Under the category – 40 Under 40 by the National Architecture Excellence Awards & Conference 2021, Bangalore, along with several other accolades adorned to his works.
As introduced previously, Utssav was exposed to the industry innovations and their impact on the world very early in age, which inspired him to follow his parents’ legacy and pursue his passion. His interest is to integrate design and technology in a unique way so as to achieve results such as efficiency and material sustainability. He developed and propagated various interdisciplinary abilities for fusing neurology, biomimicry, sacred geometry, and parametric design to create mindful architecture. However, in the pursuit of creating better impact, Utssav realized that innovation needs to deliver a certain level of transformation consistently. He felt the need to figure out the way towards ideation that would provide a realizable framework for designs every single time. Utssav studied and experimented with various methodologies from other lateral domains: product design, business design, financial modeling, and other fields. His quest took him beyond the boundaries of architecture, as he analyzed the entire business ecosystem, including hardcore business design concepts, understanding companies, and their innovations, startups, and how each company acted to advance their product, handled innovations, the challenges they faced, and their alternatives courses. All of this brought a deep understanding of what companies go through while deciding on the innovation and fallacies attached. These discoveries led him further down the rabbit hole, and he began to consider business strategy in conjunction with design. This resulted
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in enormous architectural success, with the end-result serving as a source of renewal and rejuvenation for many clients. In contrast to the positive effects of adopting innovative approaches, Utssav saw that the natural understanding of people about innovation is highly influenced by technology and product world. He also states that companies which chased innovation and were unable to achieve the right results; also ended up having a negative outlook towards it. “To produce a positive outcome, innovation must be understood as a science of problem-solving that applies the right approach at the right moment,” Utssav emphasized. Simultaneously, Utssav built innovation frameworks that would eventually serve as models for his work. He developed the ‘Diagnostic Innovation’ framework, which begins with thorough understanding of the problem with a certain lens before
proposing a solution, thereafter, designing the innovation strategy. Furthermore, based on the strategy and establishment is key performance factors, it is finally converted into a measured problem model to review the impact of the entire paradigm – a three-step model that brings exceptionally sharp and result-oriented innovation. From simple aesthetic-functional architectural designs, Utssav has evolved into a Turnaround Architect for Organizations. He is continually honing his intellectual side through studies and research, as well as a realtime practical application that yields results in all fields. He has mentored entrepreneurs in the science of invention, employing ‘Diagnostic Innovation’ models, and has contributed to the development of several organizations.
A Scholarly Author Utssav has authored ‘REBOUND: How to bounce back with Strategic Innovations’, which was featured on worldauthors.org and was included in the Good Read list. ‘Rebound’ is a book that captures what every organization has gone through or is going through right now. When an organization feels ousted, it is common for it to pursue growth. Utssav says – “for an unconventional theory and a distinctive way of looking at the same problem, the only tool is innovation. Given the status of the
digital world in which we live, this term generates a torrent of emotions.” “People have established the myth that innovation can only occur if the product is noticeably different from the competition, but that’s not the case in reality. This book presents a radically different perspective on what innovation is and what it means for businesses, and it begins to aid in the growth of new neurons in a person’s head when he pays attention to an issue that previously exhausted him,” he adds. In response, this book reveals an alternative reality, and it will thus become one of the key collectibles for any entrepreneur wanting to perceive business differently. It catalyzes the thought process that reveals the other side. In the book, Utssav has also penned the details about Creators Architects’ experience, describing how they turned things around by employing innovation as a foundation for completing the project. They demonstrated how the principle of innovation could result in miracles that are also functional.
Creators Architects – 2.0: A Quest for True Excellence
sustaining their apex position in the market.
Creators Architects has reigned supreme in the architectural industry for the past 35 years. Under the leadership of his parents Mr. Rajiv Gupta and Mrs Mukta Gupta, with their progressive thinking, fondness for innovation, and customer success, they’ve raised their colors and established standards for their designs in the diverse sector. The firm revitalized and refurbished its business model to its vision, mission, and commitment to providing the best output in a changing landscape.
For Creators Architect, Utssav’s robust framework ‘Diagnostic Innovation’ was a masterstroke to the prevailing culture of excellence. The architecture approach is infused with ‘Diagnostic Innovation’, which is then integrated with other technical characteristics to build an ‘Outcome-driven Model.’ This is basically where they looked at architecture as a key strategic piece for client business and developed new disruptive typologies that deliver desired ROI for the client.
Utssav’s ideas, efforts, and methods for reinventing Creators Architects—to be at par with the changing industry landscape and the values of the profession—were profoundly rooted in innovative science, technology, and design, which supported them in
Utssav’s various approaches such as strategic masterminding, analyzing outside business plans before beginning projects, among others, resulted in success, client engagement, and market disruption. He was the driving force behind the relaunch, and his team oversaw putting Utssav’s
vision into action. And now, Creator Architects have carved out a market niche for themselves, and the disruption they brought to their projects have been massive and unprecedented. Creators Architects’ recent projects have included educational, cultural, commercial, institutional, healthcare, spiritual, mixed-use, and public realm architecture. The firm has been awarded several accolades for its innovation, few of them being “Most Innovative Architecture Studio” by Built Architectural Awards UK 2021, “Best Innovative Architects” by MSME India, and “Most Innovative Architecture and Design Firm of the Year 2021” by National Architectural and Interior Design Excellence Awards 2021 for Healthcare Projects, Institutional Projects, and Commercial Projects.
World Heatfulness Centre, Hyderabad
BM Cambridge School, Surat
Botanical Graden, Guwahati
DTU Raj Soin Hall, New Delhi
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Gurgaon
Integrated Election Complex, New Delhi
Apex Hospital, Jaipur
Punjab Alkali Public Limited, New Delhi
Mahi Aura, Vadodara
Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Gulmarg
Black Swan Lab – Innovation Research Utssav’s inclination towards constant research, experimentation and deployment for innovations was the genesis of innovation into practical application science through development of models that would serve entrepreneurs and businesses by making innovations easy and outcome driven for them. The Black Swan Lab name is inspired from the Black Swan effect signifying that when innovation is at its best, it creates a positive singularity for the organizations leading to a catapulted growth or disruption. Looking beyond the conventional—the invisible side—is the key to BSL’s work. At Black Swan Lab (BSL) Utssav carries out a series of activities like research, expropriations, prototyping, teaching, mastermind, keynote speaking, and discussion panels. The framework helps to understand latent areas of users and businesses, to develop models, products, and designs that cater to these invisible sides, and create successful outcomes. With the ‘Diagnostic Innovation’ model, BSL has worked with broad industry bases like services (B2B design, B2B products, B2C services, high-risk services) and product industries like manufacturing in B2B space and high-stake products. BSL’s research is the backbone of Utssav’s own group of companies and other endeavors in its problem-solving innovations leading to turnaround and sustainable growth.
Supertech Fabrics – A New Gush of Innovation Utssav is passionate about pushing the boundaries of innovation and expanding his framework across industries sectors. His innate inclination towards the need of continuously sharpening his skills, exploring his capabilities combined with zeal to do more encouraged him to diversify, thus expanding in other industries to fulfill his endeavor. Utssav works inherently addresses his deep concerns attributing to the environment, clean air, energy conversation, empathy, and human centricity. This paved the path for him getting into technical textiles stream with Supertech Fabrics Pvt. Ltd.
Supertech Fabric is a leading manufacturer and exporter of speciality performance fabrics and end products often dealing with harsh conditions such as high temperatures. Today, the company’s product application use case ranges from high temperature filtration of air from industry exhausts to insulation covers for up to 2000 degrees, air transfer bellows and expansion joints of similar condition, safety applications such as fire protections, fire suits, fire rated work wears etc, and various PTFE products for food handling applications. Reshaped through his vision, company went under remodeling of its operations, set new standards for quality, and developed enhanced business strategies through application
of product innovations and business model innovations. This lead to setting out a unique position in the market by recognizing and addressing the industry’s critical demands and markets through expertise. Today, company’s standing is well established for its solution driven approach, quality products and is aggressively moving towards research driven answers to industry problems, combining diagnostics, innovation and development in the field.
A Guide, A Thought Leader, and A Mentor Utssav is a staunch believer of the notion that leadership entails inclusivity rather than dominance and attitude. He is a leader who welcomes everyone, treats his employees as a family, and encourages them to share their opinions and ideas. He feels that having a more inclusive and democratic work culture will provide higher-quality solutions that will help the company succeed. As made evident in the above details, Utssav’s innovation style is mostly centered on surfacing the unknown/latent aspects to the known and determining the facts of the situation, which he accomplishes through the usage of the ‘Diagnostic Innovation’ framework.
This style also brings his aspect of thought leadership into the spotlight when he asserts, “The torch of innovation can only be lit if the challenges can be quantified and measured so that the true impact can be understood.” When it comes to imparting valuable knowledge and expertise he has gained and empowering others in that process, Utssav has also sculpted his identity as a master mentor. Through his mentorship programs titled ‘Mastermind’, ‘Big Think’, and ‘Special Ops’, Utssav enables a 360degree turn in his mentees’ thinking and approach. As a result, they can visualize enhanced potential within their current ambitions through this revised perspective. We at CIOLook believe that this story is just a short glimpse of Utssav’s voyage towards greatness, and that in the future, we’ll exhibiting more of his great contributions to architecture, innovation, and the world of business. You can learn more about the impact that Utssav has achieved on his website and several mentee testimonials. You can learn more about Utssav, his philosophy and his works at www.utssavgupta.com www.creatorsarchitects.com www.supertechfabrics.com Connect with him at ug@utssavgupta.com
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ave you heard of the new age business secret?
This secret is the master key that opens many locked-up situations and challenges in today's business scenario. Where all the possible ways and means are exhausted to resolve the challenges, this secret master key opens the solutions, smartly, silently, and effectively. The secret is innovative leadership. Yes. It is a critical factor that has multiple dimensions to resolve the challenges effectively. Let's see what creative leadership is and its impact on the business.
Innovative leadership is a modern approach to leadership that involves putting in innovation and creativity to manage the workforce and business projects. Innovative leaders create a positive background that inspires work yield in newer ways and by various means other than those already used and implemented. Identifying its Impact There have been numerous influencing factors that have impacted the business ecosystem in the culture of innovation-based company structures. • Establish trust in employees When the employees feel the importance of being included in the brainstorming sessions, it promotes natural goodwill
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L e a d e r s h i p A r c h
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within the organization. It underlines its role as an important part of the company. They get a platform to voice their suggestions, ideas, and views. Steadily a bond of mutual trust gets created between the employees and the organization. Among themselves, too, the employees become open and more receptive to the work as the typical departmental boundaries fade away. According to human psychology, people are hungry for regular interaction and subsequent appreciation. It keeps them attached to the community ( here, it's the company)and develops a strong sense of belonging and ownership of the workplace. • Clear Vision Companies with a clear vision for their immediate and long-term goals are better poised for planning and work preparation. It imbibes the affinity and respect of everyone in the management. It helps in planning the departmental goals and individual targets accordingly. A company with a set vision gains respect and credibility due to the responsibility and integrity it generates within the organization. • Equal Opportunity Employers Employees are given a better platform to voice their views, suggestions, and concerns about the organizational objectives. Employees are also offered roles in the core business functions, contributing their views to improvement, development, and expansion programs. It nurtures a conducive organizational structure to help employees expand their capabilities and explore and develop new ideas while simultaneously creating a mechanical system for the employees to exploit and implement new applications. • The Fantastic Four Verticals Innovative leadership is the amalgamation of the four pillars - emotional intelligence, innovative organization, management innovations, and interaction with outsiders. These four aspects are important in creating a conducive background for triggering group productivity. As the team is taught and trained on the floor rules, business ethics, and mature responsiveness, it gears them up for corporate emotional intelligence. This creates a conducive atmosphere for oneness, spreads an air of ethics in the clients, and enhances better relationships with the associates and the vendors.
Innovations become an integral part of the organization, from top to bottom and vice versa. Some are managementled, while others are responsive or situations that spring up from the passionate team members. • Nurturing the Idea Culture Innovative leadership rises from the practices, procedures, and regular involvement that encourages everyone to contribute their ideas, whether small or large, functional, cultural, or developmental. A proper recording and documentation of the ideas are done, and the best contributor is honoured with an award. Innovation cannot be planned or predicted. However, innovative management can condition an environment where new ideas are brainstormed. Incredible innovation can be seen as a surprising motivation for everyone. • Impressive Industry Patterns 80% of successful innovative companies have top leaders who reinforce the value and importance of innovation. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are classic examples of creative visionaries with all sorts of ideas. Global MNCs like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, Huawei, Alibaba Group, IBM, Sony, and many more have an innovative approach toward the work, and the role of their employees is interesting. The company management often consults the employees in making decisions that have proved to be very diverse, different, and helpful. They motivated the people around them to turn their innovative ideas into reality. Companies with higher innovative leadership teams have proved more productive through their creative practices. People are given rights, responsibilities, and privileges to take up a cause or improvise a particular area. It has been observed that diverse and distributed thinking has opened newer aspects of improvements and enhancements in the directions once not thought of. Dawn of a New Professional Horizon As we have noticed, the company managements struggle hard to strike the perfect balance of productivity, employee work satisfaction, higher customer service, and development of the company brand name. Numerous business models have been devised with various objectives. Yet the real key to the unfolding secret lies in their own hands – nurturing the innovative company culture.
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- Kedar Borgaonkar
League of Innovators-2022
Akshay Goyal A Catalyst for Positive Transformation
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esign and technology are two spectrums of human innovation which keep transforming everything they touch. Sustainable buildings are the present’s necessity and future’s designing technology. The coronavirus pandemic also brought to the fore issues like creating safe, healthy, hygienic, pollution-free, ecofriendly, and living habitats giving its habitants an experience of comfort, connectivity, and peace of mind. With this unique ideology, combining biotech, AI, and other emerging technologies, a visionary leader, Mr Akshay Goyal, founded Tron Labs in Gurugram, the capital of Indian infrastructural innovations. Under Akshay’s exemplary leadership, Tron Labs is fast emerging as a design research lab and a venture studio that is building infrastructural foundations for future smart cities. In an interview with Insights Success for its edition of ‘League of Innovators -2022’, Akshay spoke about his futuristic vision and how he is transforming the Indian real estate sector with his unique idea Tron Labs. Please tell us about your professional tenure in architecture and real estate industry. I have a background in architecture, urbanism, and technology. For almost a decade, I was involved with
research and innovation for buildings and cities, working in India and Internationally in the US, UK, and China. Eventually, along with a couple of colleagues, we decided to set up a venture studio or incubator of sorts for innovation in the built environment in India. This was backed by Architron Group, a 38-year-old Indian company specialising in architecture and real estate. At Tron Labs, our core business model is to utilize in-house R&D and partner with like-minded entrepreneurs to launch spinoff companies that work in the real estate and AEC sectors. Over the last couple of years, we have applied for several patents and launched five companies that are part of our portfolio. We are working with emerging technology such as AI-based design, SynBio based solutions for occupant health in buildings, Large-scale 3D printing and robotics in construction, AR, and VR for real estate, among other things. Who inspires you to wake up every day and keep making a difference in the respective industry you are catering to? Rather than ‘who,’ for me, it is more of a ‘what.’ All of us are genuinely inspired by the idea of how design and technology can create a meaningful impact on buildings and cities, especially in emerging economies like India. For instance, when the COVID pandemic emerged, part of our
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team working on air pollution also started conducting experiments on disinfection and anti-viral measures for buildings. We are proud that in a very short time, these solutions are now helping protect almost two lakh people every day across India, including at places such as the Delhi Airport. This research has powered a successful spinoff company called Nessbot that works in the building wellness domain. As a leader of Tron Labs, what challenges have you faced while establishing and running the business? As a founder and entrepreneur, the challenges are never a finite set of obstacles that one can overcome. Every day is a new challenge that needs to be dealt with in an agile way, especially single. We are not a large company with immense resources.
Akshay Goyal, Founder
At Tron Labs, our core business model is to utilize in-house R&D and partner with like-minded entrepreneurs to launch spinoff companies that work in the real estate and AEC sectors.
One constant challenge is to get a like-minded set of individuals aligned with the mission and grow with the company. Also, hardware-related innovation and general prototyping in India are way more challenging than in a country like China. But most challenges are like caffeine shots, keeping the team on their feet and really helping the team focus on getting things done. Brief us about the operations of Tron Labs, its mission, vision, and core values. Tron Labs operates on a venture studio model, with a mission to create transformative products for the built environment with an emphasis on using emerging technology to improve the user experience radically. Most ideas are conceived through a process of sectoral speculation, where our team is heavily inspired by science
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fiction and future foresight sciences. We operate at the intersection of Design Innovation and emerging technology to drive positive change and innovation for the cities and buildings that we inhabit. The team is led by Harvard & MIT Alumni and is composed of an interdisciplinary collaborative team of designers, engineers, futurists, scientists, domain experts, serial entrepreneurs, and growth hackers. We imagine design and technology as catalysts for disruptive change that positively impacts business, ecology, human society, and our collective futures. How has the current pandemic affected your business, and what steps have you taken to safeguard your employees while catering to your clients? The pandemic has triggered a rapid digital tools adoption, which has been a direction that we were already very aggressive about. This helped us transition to a digital-first company easily. We were able to cater to clients through remote charettes and meetings; in fact, we also taught design innovation online, which was an unimaginable feat prior to the pandemic. The remote work culture has also helped our team by building a responsible culture that can balance work-life demands and question the 9-5 nature of work. What creative ways have you employed to make Tron Labs’ work environment vibrant? We are an equal opportunities company, and our diverse team spans across cultures. We believe in the constant growth of the employees and emphasize a proper work-life balance. Being a start-up, we prioritize a T shaped nature of work. Each individual has a broad horizontal set of
exposure and decision making with in-depth expertise and focuses on one area. According to you, what are the essentials of being an innovative business leader? Constant innovation typically requires an open mindset that allows us first to observe and then connect the information in novel ways. For this, the leader should be humble and willing to hear and listen to a broad spectrum of people. People such as Disney and Jobs had a very highly developed sense of perception based on which they could build a world-changing culture of innovation within their companies. What would you like to share with the young generation of entrepreneurs looking to step foot in a leadership role in their respective businesses? Develop persistence and creativity, and always be hustling! That way, you will keep on being innovative and thinking on the go because it is the approach essential for the future. In terms of future growth, where do you see yourself and Tron Labs? We are enthused by several things at the moment and are building that as core focus areas for Tron Labs. Firstly, we have now two brands – Ubreathe and Nessbot – working in the building wellness sector, and we see a huge opportunity in this sector as a result of the paradigm shift and focus on all things health -in the post COVID era. We are also very optimistic about the VR/AR sector and are building up a venture in this space with applications in conventional real estate as well as in the metaverse.
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Guiding Light of Exploring Minds
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closed mind decays fast. To avoid it, you must break your tightly scheduled routine. Take a break, if not major, then only a mini. And open up your feet to travelling and exploring new places and experiences. After all, life is a joyful journey of travelling heartbeats. The pandemic darkness is breaking into a new dawn of glorious hope, thanks to the guiding lights for exploring minds like Minibreaks. Mr Sandeep Srivastava, the Founder of Minibreaks, believes that the past two years have taught all the travellers a priceless lesson that enjoyment can be found in every nook of the world. Mr Srivastava and Minibreaks are the recipients of the Indian Achievers’ Award 2020-21 (from Indian Achievers Forum) in recognition of outstanding professional achievement & contribution in nation-building. The team of Minibreaks is welcoming you with open arms to take a daycation to get spa, pool and amenities access at luxury hotels at very affordable prices. Don’t worry, as Minibreaks will take care of everything else. You just take a break, explore, and enjoy your holidays, vacations, tours, journeys, and voyages to the fullest. In an interview with CIOLOOKINDIA for its edition of “League of Innovators-2022”, Mr Srivastava urges you to experience a new kind of get away with them as your planning companion.
Below are excerpts from the interview. Let the travel begin. Mr Sandeep, please tell us about your professional tenure in the niche. I love the challenge, the thrill, the work, and the people because Travel is one of the most collaborative cultures and diversified into numerous segments catering to the traveller’s needs. It’s the challenge, the excitement, and the thrill that makes it exciting and interesting. I have been serving the field for nineteen years in the hospitality management domain. I have transverse into sales, marketing, business development, startup management, accounts and relationship management facets in e-commerce, strategic planning, revenue analysis, operations, inbound and online travel segment, of business with the offline sector, which is B2B, inbound to B2C – online travel vertical—starting from the role of Stipend I have reached up to the position of India Head. I started my career journey post completing my Postgraduation from Agra University, Diploma in Travel and Ticketing from IITTM New Delhi, and certification in Digital marketing from Google. I have started my journey as a stipend in an Inbound Travel firm like Sita, Compass India Inc, learning the jargon of travel, the phonetic codes, doing Airport felicitation, making itineraries, tour manager with international clients that enhanced my knowledge and experience.
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League of Innovators-2022
At Minibreaks, we believe in creating authentic experiences for every traveller, be it in our platform that spreads happiness to our customers.
Mr Sandeep Srivastava
Founder
I have been promoted from Stipend to Assistant Manager, upscaling my perks and positions for four-and-a-half years. The inquisitiveness toward e-commerce brought me to the digital space of travel technology. I served Travelguru.com, Travelocity.co.in, and yatra for thirteen years, moving to different positions from Assistant Manager to Deputy General Manager, North and East India, handling 28000 hotels and domestic chains with a team of 23 people till 2018.
Minibreaks allows its customers to enjoy a hotel room as well as other services traditionally available to overnight guests only at the best value.
My last venture Hi Tours and its online vertical (Luxury Travel Deals), launched an online start-up foundation for an inbound vertical managing India and subcontinent hotel relation for organisations for one-and-a-half years and postpandemic finally entered into the space of entrepreneurship in 2019. The best learning of all these years was a blend of knowledge, challenges, functions, and approaches towards a product which made it exciting at each position in the tenure.
We also create a short vacation with an experience of unique stays, which is a blend of Havelis, resorts, boutique hotels/homestays etc.
Who inspires you to wake up every day and keep making a difference in the respective industry you are catering to? I am inspired by the fact that every day is a new day, and there is an opportunity in every day, especially when you are building your dream. We never know what the day is bringing for you and how to become a better me for me and the others on that day. It also excites me what addition I will be making in my work and with my team, which makes a step closer to our mission.
Minibreaks is changing the hotel industry, adapting it to the new, more mobile, connected, and demanding way of life we lead today by giving access to these services, enjoying the luxuries of high-end hotels at an affordable price (room service, bar, restaurant and spa).
Our Company Mission is to be the largest aggregator in the brand segment. Our vision is to give customers a wide assortment of products, the bite of luxury, a great experience, and achieve sustainable growth ourselves. Our values – ‘CARE’ •
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• As a leader of Minibreaks, what challenges have you faced while establishing and running the business? The first challenge was setting up the business, reaching the right set of audiences, having like-minded people who can understand the virtue. The most critical challenge was a variety of pandemic impacts which in reality examined the evolution of business and its associated effects, like, • Getting the correct exposure • Getting the word out about the services • Marketing on a tight budget • Convincing brands on the feasibility and benefits Brief us about the operations of Minibreaks, its mission, vision, and core values. Minibreaks is an urban technology company that came to life to empower the traveller with the solution of saving the cost of overnight stay and paying only for used hours. And they can attain experience not only enjoying hotel room but also combine other hotel amenities like restaurant, bar, spa, all at one click and you relish an ideal experience.
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We believe that customers are our guiding light and permeate everything we do, right from building an intelligent online solution that helps travellers choose their perfect break. We believe in creating authentic experiences for every traveller, be it in our platform that spreads happiness to our customers. We are committed to treating each other warmly and sincerely empowered by compassion and service. We bring in a blend of products and unique selling propositions.
How has the current pandemic affected your business, and what steps have you taken to safeguard your employees while catering to your clients? There was a global loss of 4.3 trillion US$ on the travel segment impacting small companies and even giant unicorns. The spending has been reduced due to a reduction in wages travel restrictions ripping the whole ecosystem. For us, the start of this company was the inspiration in pandemic to implement the concept into reality. The impacts of COVID to travel verticals were surging, many companies were shut down, and people lost their jobs with us. The consequence was identical, but to survive and revive this dream gave us an impetus to pursue, plan, and strategise.
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It taught us countless factors: to focus, learn, upgrade ourselves, and traverse our energy in what we wish to achieve for ourselves and our organisation. All associated members stood together, pivoting our ideas and thoughts to prepare for the future. We ensured flexible work timings prioritising health and safety first, and essential requirements are respected considering the state and business impact. We took a methodical approach to build ourselves and rectify processes, SOPs, policies, and, most importantly, technology. What creative ways have you employed to make Minibreaks’ work environment vibrant? This question has often been asked by those looking to achieve the best workplace status and aspiring organisations that recognise a growing shift in their industry from profitability to personability. We walk a unique path to make a better work environment. It is mentioned below, • Communication is important • Ensure appreciation of good work • Infuse a culture of teaching over reproaching • Encourage cooperation over competition According to you, what are the essentials of being an innovative business leader? Keep pivoting yourself until you get your desired result. In Opportunity Mode, get passionately alert to the possibility, to unmet needs, to the power of imagination, and to the thrill of turning vision into reality. Where others see problems, you should sense potential, which are some characteristics of an innovative leader.
What would you like to share with the young generation of entrepreneurs looking to step foot in a leadership role in their respective businesses? Challenge yourself, believe in the dream, learn from mistakes, and improve for better results. Adaptability, persistence, and hard work are the keys to success in business and are essential attributes no matter whatever you endeavour. We should not expect a rise from day one; it must be analysed, and what things are not investigated considering the cost but were essential for building up the things. Defining the right target audience and having an experienced co-worker is an added advantage as that is an investment to the business. In terms of future growth, where do you see yourself and Minibreaks? In terms of future growth, we wish to establish our network to 100+ business and semi-business destinations with 3000 hotels LIVE by 2023 with the support of skilled and fostered people. We wish to participate in all networking events, increasing transaction frequency, establishing a new line of business verticals such as daily activities, day trips, unique stay options, expansion to global markets, increasing the revenue stream for ourselves and our partners. In the next five years, we see minibreaks to be a wellrecognized brand catering to the needs of travellers with updated technology in the online travel space.
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Important
Fundamentals Of an
Innovative Mindset
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Ideology Aspects
W
hy is a diamond so costly? What makes Gold so special among all the metals?
There will be a unanimous answer about their rarity and uniqueness. A diamond is the most beautiful and the hardest thing in nature, while gold is the most beautiful and pure metal. Hence, they demand a high price. Like these precious elements, some people are valued more for their specialities. People are also seen in different types, categories, and personality traits. However, famous and successful are those who have an innovative mindset. People with innovative mindsets are modern, different, and unique in their thinking patterns. They try to think and explore the unconventional. They think of various other ways and means to achieve the desired results or bettering the existing system. As we see the successful people, it is noticed that most of them have been innovative thinkers. Let's explore the attractive fundamental qualities of people with an innovative mindset.
• Strong Aspiration The individuals have a strong desire to accomplish something new and different, for they believe in the changes brought in by their efforts. It is the inner drive that creates the pull factor in doing the efforts. It makes the individual happy with the thought and begins the process of moving in that direction. • Good Visualization Innovative people are excellent at foreseeing their aspirations. This is considered one of the crucial steps in the process of manifestation. Visualization is the ability to imagine the big picture of successfully fulfilling the dream. Visualization sets a clear picture of how the expected reality can be—this ability to create mental images guides further actions of organizing the resources and generating the possibilities. • Identify and Explore Innovators identify what they want and set on to explore the possibilities of creating or achieving their wants. It is an open process where they choose to go in various ways and means to get what they want. They are ready to find new ideas and try to check their feasibility.
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• Constant Research The individuals dedicated to innovation are focused on exploring more and looking for the information that can help in their journey. It is a constant hunger to search and investigate the possibilities that could be leading them to their purpose. This continued effort goes into looking for a deeper search of the goal. They visit all possible resources, meet new people, attend seminars, and gather the needed information.
• Diverse Adaptability The passionate researchers are ready for the failures. They are prepared to understand that the losses are a part of the process and don't get depressed by the failures. They are ready to mould themselves as per the conditions. Always prepared to make the necessary adjustments to achieve their objectives. They are fully aware of the fact that material things don't matter. What is essential is progressing steadily towards their goals.
• Passionate Go-getters An innovative mindset has this inner force of unending enthusiasm to try new things. They are thrilled with the concept, which triggers their passion for doing the undone. Always ready to travel to different far-off places, always eager to give in their best to bring their dream into reality.
• Persistence is the key These passionate people are substantial in their vision. They keep searching, exploring, and finding more until they have received their desired result. This vital quality of persistence makes them very strong and focused seekers. The passion for continuing and the curiosity led to hunger to achieve the objectives fuels their quality of perseverance. Failures, repetitions, and confusion never deter them. They know there are numerous ways of reaching their objectives and some people to guide or support them. The positive approach helps them continue with perseverance and dedication.
• Scaling Up the Process Depending on the level of their efforts and how far they have reached decides their further movement. They are ready to scale their actions in terms of number, intensity, communication, and many more. The more the efforts and data gathered, the more is the work organized and directed correctly. After some action, the overall status is verified, and the individual decides to speed up the process. • Is Opinionated The process helps to form opinions about every new thing or level they reach. They identify every aspect with some logic. All the efforts get quantified through the single lens of the objective. Is it suitable? Will it fulfil the objective? Will it serve the purpose? These and so many other questions prop up to verify and validate the noticed possibilities. • Curiosity triumphs over technical expertise The curious minds are more likely to do more and achieve better results than the technical knowledge which is not implemented. As it is rightly said that knowledge is not enough, we must do. Similarly, curiosity-guided efforts lead the process to productive and conclusive outcomes. There is always some progress the innovators make through their curious mindset.
Future belongs to Innovators As we understand the necessary qualities and traits of innovative people, we must credit them with the progress made in the world's different fields. All the things we see, experience, and use are the results of some passionate researchers who once dreamt of this someday before. Life becomes so fulfilling and meaningful when one achieves something phenomenal in his life. Innovators are the pioneers in the evolution of civilization and instrumental catalysts as nation builders. This is reflected in the quote of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India, a renowned scientist in missile technology, "To Succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.”
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- Kedar Borgaonkar
Connecting Innovations with Inspirations
T
echnology has long advanced from being an optional tool to an integral component that has helped companies run their operations as effectively as possible. In fact, established organizations wouldn’t have reached their growth or stayed there without tapping into the IT industry.
IT support has become an integral part of the business operations to deliver the best services to their clients. Ventures Solutions is one such organization that provides companies with services ranging from simple troubleshooting to complicated installations.
Sridhar Viswanath, Founder
Under theleadership of the Founder Sridhar Viswanath, Ventures Solutions have always delivered services that are abreast with the latest technology and services to make sure that the client’s needs are promptly fulfilled. The organization has grown in leaps and bounds in the last two decades. Ventures Solutions faced a number of challenges as an early player in the IT sector, however, the company used these challenges as learning opportunities leading to a greater success rate. (Give and example of a challenge and how you learned from it) One of recent challenges was during the Pandemic – we could provide support to clients remotely and also enable clients to WFH . A Journey Unmapped The journey of the company started way before its installation. In February 1990, the founder of Ventures Solutions Shridhar Viswanath was working as a Tech Support Executive in PC Spares and Services. That’s when he built a strong foundation of hardware and OS under the guidance of his mentor Mr. Kannan,. Kannan taught him software development on Micro Controllers which is a crucial skill required for people in the IT sector. At the end of the decade in 1999, the bricks of the company Ventures Solutions were laid down. That’s when the journey of the organization took flight.
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League of Innovators - 2022
Values Making a Difference Viswanath exclaims how it is important to believe in the idea of, “never stop learning, or else the technology will overtake you.” He values committed services and takes care of delivering what they have committed honestly. For Ventures Solutions, consistency is the road map to success. Challenges on the Way One of the primary challenges was to build a enthusiastic team who were willing learn and grow, and identifying the “Influencers “ for the growth. As influencers bring growth to the business it is very important to rightly identify them. The company has put constant effort in establishing trust and retaining the same with the influencers.
The company believes in one important lesson that ‘never stop learning,’ or else the technology will overtake you.
Additionally, training and upskilling the existing team to cater to a higher level of service delivery is a progressive challenge the company faced while running the business.
for the company to be up to date with the latest innovations and provide their clients with the best tech tools in the market.
The Days with Setbacks As the world went into lockdown businesses shifted from offices to work from home option. This brought in a higher demand for technological solutions as the business operations were now taking place from miles apart.
Advice Viswanath’s advice to budding entrepreneurs is that success is not a one-day journey. To be successful, youngsters need to be patient, aim to be consistent, aim for perseverance, dedication, and remain focused on their goals.
Ventures Solutions identified this as an opportunity to grow their business and find potential clients in the market. As the company offered cost-effective and secured solutions, it could achieve the target sale during the pandemic years as well.
Sridhar is a big believer in in team building. It is very crucial to have a good team with diverse players. Having diverse thoughts will only upgrade and bring growth to the company.
Not all firms had the infrastructure and resources e required for remote working. Ventures Solutions rose to the challenge and offered a number of small-medium business software solutions at affordable rates. This helped businesses to continue their operations from anywhere in the world without any hurdles. Enabling Innovations for the Future The basic skills that Ventures Solutions promote are learning and relearning. They stress upskilling as it’s the only way out to keep the morale high in the IT environment. Viswanath believes that there are a variety of skills that are important for being an innovative leader. In the IT support industry, people need to be empathetic, should be ready to adapt to new technologies, and should be consistent enough to deliver simple solutions that work for SMB’s As technological advancements ever grow, it is important
Ventures Solutions’ core value remains in helping the client to grow multifold. They believe clients’ growth is their own growth. Hence, it is very crucial that they coordinate and work for collective growth. Embracing a Futuristic Approach IT sector has experienced exponential growth in the last couple of decades. It has changed the perception of the entire world about India’s storehouse of knowledge and skills. This thus gave rise to a vast market in India and abroad. Being a part of the IT pool, Ventures Solutions finds itself to have a prominent position in the global sector. It has given the best of its contribution to the speedy growth of the sector and will continue to do so in the coming years. Ventures solutions are planning on building a one-point support and service delivery system for manufacturing and aligning segments will upsurge the secondary industry along with the service sector.
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