Category: interview

Aditya Vikram Daga – Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Purpos Planet

1. Tell us about your journey to becoming the no.1 perfume brand in India.

The Journey of Riya dates back to 1997 when my father Mr. NK Daga and Mr. LK Soni with a capital of INR 1 lakh from Kolkata started the brand. The aim was to provide every household in India with world-class perfumes at extremely popular prices. The founders shifted their base to a rented place in Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar in 2000. Our revenue clocked 5cr in 2000 and in 2021 we have become the no. 1 perfume brand in India.

2. What is so unique about Riya is that makes it different from other brands in the market?

Riya is hyper-local, we did not limit ourselves just to metros and catered to the needs and sensibility of tier 1, 2, and 3 markets. While Riya is available at an attractive price, we never compromised on its quality. This makes Riya different from other brands in the market.

Interestingly, we never spent a penny on advertising. People of India have embraced Riya for its unique fragrance and world-class quality in the last 25 years.

3. What made you start your business in the perfume industry?

Perfume is our legacy business and I have been growing up in a house where my father used to talk about perfumes, their processes, and various experimentations with the smell and fragrance. In fact, we are familiar with the aroma of various perfumes since our childhood. When I grew up, I also took a keen interest in the sector. Officially I have been with Riya for the last three years, but I have been working in Riya and learning various nuances of the business for the last six years. When I passed out from London Business School in 2019, instead of searching for a career in any other MNCs, I opted to join the family business of perfume. Now, I am in the process to restructure, diversify and grow the business.

4. Tell us about your expansion plan for the future.

In 2019, we founded Purpos Planet to restructure, diversify, and grow the brand Riya with offices in Kolkata and New Delhi. Currently, we are into perfume, deodorant, room fresheners, and air fresheners.

We are present pan-India except for Kerala. We will intensify our business where we are already present and expand to areas that are yet to be tapped.

We are planning to diversify our business and enter into various segments which we will disclose in time. There are some plans for ecommerce as well.

5. Can you brief us about the Perfume business in India and the growth opportunities?

Perfume business in India is 790 cr industry excluding E-commerce as per Nielson IQ Retail Audit Report, Jan-Dec 2021. The industry is expected to be 1200 cr by 2025 including e-commerce.

6. 25 years into the business. Looking back on when you started, it must have been a tough path for you. How did you face the hurdles that you came across?

Yes, Riya was started by capital of just 1lakh. This was an untapped and unorganised market. Basically, it was completely unknown territory for the founders. It was completely their natural instinct that guided them to do business in the perfume sector. In 2000, Riya started distribution from Delhi and achieved a turnover of 5 cr.

In twenty years’ time, when the brand became no. 1 in India, the Covid pandemic hit the business. I traveled to most of the parts of the country and tried to revive our business as well perfume scenario in India. It gave us some good results. Despite, the pandemic our turnover was 80cr for FY 20-21.

7. What is your 2025 goal?

We are now enjoying a market share of 10.8%. By 2025, we see ourselves occupying 20% of the total market share.

8. Do you sell your products online? If yes, can you give us some numbers about your sales percentage for both online and offline channels?

We are currently available only offline. So, it’s 100% offline. This is a strategic decision as we don’t wish to create conflict with our general trade channel partners and our hyper-local price-sensitive consumers.  However, the brand is indirectly sold by resellers on leading platforms.

9. What is your Customer acquisition cost?

We don’t do advertising; hence customer acquisition cost is almost zero.

10. According to the Nielson IQ Retail Audit Report, Jan-Dec 2021, Riya was certified to be the Perfume Segment Leader in India by Value Share. Tell us something about it.

We are happy to be certified as the market leader for the third consecutive year by Nielsen IQ.

Riya market share by value has consistently grown in the last three years. At MS value 10.8% in YEC 2021, it is reportedly ahead of other top players

Hinterland, wherein Riya has a strong focus, performed better than urban India according to our feedback in last few quarters.

Riya perfume are quality perfumery products that have been ranked first in value sales in the Perfume segment as per Nielsen IQ which is the industry leader in global measurement and data analytics and the most trusted source for retail and consumer intelligence. The retail index service covers “Grocers, General Stores, Chemists, Cosmetic Stores, Paan Plus Stores and Modern Trade Stores”.

11. What is the current “EBITDA” for the company?

In spite of the last 2 tough years being ‘covid stricken’ with all businesses being affected, including perfumes, we still managed to fare well. The current Turnover of the company is 80cr. The company is doing very well, and earning a lap ahead vis a vis the competitors.

Celcius, India’s leading cold-chain aggregator is disrupting the logistics market with new innovations

Amid the massive disruption in the logistics sector over the last two years, India witnessed increased demand for cold-chain logistics infrastructure. The Indian cold-chain market stood at $420 billion in 2022. It was at a time when the country’s cold-chain infrastructure needed a major revamp that Navi Mumbai-based cold-chain marketplace startup Celcius was launched in November 2020. The company is working to strengthen the cold-chain infrastructure in India. Founded by Swarup Bose, Rajneesh Raman, and Arbind Jain, Celcius is one of the leading aggregators that connects clients with cold-chain transportation and warehousing service providers. Over the last two years, Celcius has expanded its reach across 300 cities with 3,500 vehicles and 107 cold-storage facilities. In an interview with Swarup Bose, Founder and CEO of Celcius, he talks about the company’s vision and its goal to scale up operations in the future.

1. Kindly brief us about Celcius and what are the services it offers to its clients?

Celcius is a cold chain solution platform providing the complete array of digital services. With a nation-wide presence in India, our platform aggregates transporters, vendors, warehousing facilities and suppliers from across the country for maximum utilization of cold chain resources.

The cold chain infrastructure for several temperature-sensitive goods, including vegetable and fruits, is in an abysmal state in India, with almost 30%–40% of these perishables being wasted. The F&B sector still largely depends on non-temperature controlled vehicles for transportation of their commodities. This is, to a large extent, due to the limited asset availability within the cold chain sector.

From transporters, to cold chain storages, to last mile delivery, Celcius has a huge presence in the F&B industry. We have customers across the dairy, frozen goods, fruits, vegetables, seafood and meat industries. Our software platform allows shippers, transporters and cold storage owners to coordinate in real-time, book assets, make payments and track and monitor their consignments.

2. What is Celcius’ business model?

We started Celcius at the height of the lockdown in 2020 when the entire country was shut down. It was imperative that transportation of essential commodities would be of high priority during these times. Moreover, the need for an effective cold chain solution would only increase once the vaccines started rolling out. We realised that creating a nationwide cold chain network was the need of the hour since the cold chain facilities available were scarce. Our modus operandi was to create an asset-light SaaS-based platform that would help cold chain entities collaborate regardless of their bandwidth. This meant that even smaller shippers and transporters would be able to use our platform to assist larger manufacturers. We check storage units of shippers and fleets of transporters for GDP compliance and if they do not meet the needs, we help them install technological devices that would get them the clearance. Celcius has seen tremendous growth in the past year. We have gone from operating in Mumbai to operating in 90 cities across India, and from only connecting the major hubs in metro cities to tier 2 and 3 cities.

3. Tell us about the cold chain market scenario (competitors in India and worldwide).

The concept of a cold chain marketplace is unique in India. Celcius is the first to market a platform that aggregates the various entities involved with the cold chain. Our software provides an end-to-end solution from monitoring the entire network, installing the latest IoT devices in vehicles and penetrating the market up to tier 3 cities. This enabled us to increase our presence across 90 cities in India in a short span of time. We were prepared for the challenge of transporting not just vaccines but essential commodities including fresh produce and frozen products across India during the lockdown. In the US, a couple of firms work on a similar model like ours, concentrating on the perishable cargo segment, but we believe having a model like this across the globe will eventually lead to an interconnectivity of networks that will span across continents. The better the cold chain network, the more we can arrest the wastage of agricultural produce, medicines and vaccines.

4. What are your most recent product innovations?

We recently launched an Android application for drivers. The app enables drivers to have access to the live location of loading and unloading. It is linked directly to our main system, where we book and execute the entire trip from start to finish. Through this app, the drivers can also report the status of their trip. For instance, once they unload the vehicle, they can upload POD (Proof of Delivery) directly to our system. Processes like driver trip settlement and payment of expenses can also be carried out seamlessly. The app is presently available in English but we are developing a counterpart in Hindi and we will also add other regional languages in the future.

5. How has Celcius app and web-based platform helped shippers and transporters smoothen their business?

Celcius’ SaaS-based platform provides a marketplace for cold chain services and consignments. We onboard cold chain product manufacturers/retailers, transporters, shippers and storage companies onto our platform. Our AI-backed system then segregates the data and enables seamless collaboration amongst the cold chain entities. This presents transporters and shippers with the ability to reach out to retailers or manufacturers on their own accord. This system of interconnectedness also allows budding entrepreneurs in the transportation sector to work on consignments across the country and expand their reach. Celcius also supports warehouse owners, transporters, and shippers by helping them meet GDP compliance and upgrading their cold chain technology to match the industry standards.

Exclusive Interview with Mr. Viineit Toshniiwal, Founder and CEO, Bizzo

-Editorial Team SWS

We at Shreyas WebMedia Solutions (SWS) thank Mr. Viineit Toshniiwal, Founder and CEO, Bizzo for the exclusive interview opportunity. Mr. Viineit Toshniiwal (VT) gains over 25 years of experience across the finance and tech sectors and is focused on leveraging his expertise to develop a global software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that has intrinsic long-term business value.

Let’s know more about his success story and his vision.

SWS: Can you tell us about the company’s founders and culture?

VT: Bizzo is a B2B enterprise that aims to empower small and medium service providers to build, scale and organise their businesses digitally. The company is founded by Viineit Toshniiwal, a visionary with over 25+ years of experience across the finance and tech sectors.

Prior to founding Bizzo, Viineit held a series of leadership positions across Asia. He was the Managing Director of Equirus Capital, a founding member of Gateway.in, Business Head for Greater China at Infosys and an Assistant Vice President – Global Treasury at Bank of America.

With Bizzo, Viineit is now working to leverage his wealth of experience to build a tech-forward business that has real intrinsic long-term value. Driven by his ambition to find the next big challenge, Viineit founded Bizzo in 2021 and within a short span of time, he has developed a dynamic team of like-minded individuals who are driven by their passion to help small and medium service providers to grow their businesses digitally. Viineit believes that digital technology has the power to transform the smallest of businesses in every corner of the country. And he has managed to infuse this vision of building for real India and its “bharatpreneurs” into his team.

Keeping in mind the current pandemic, Bizzo has a policy of flexible working hours and hybrid work culture so that the employees can work according to their comfort. Being, the organisation that want to digitize the ecosystem, Bizzo also wants to drive it digitally with data. The company is using the best SaaS tools to organize all the work digitally. The company follows a transparent work culture which enables an employee at an entry-level to can reach out to the Senior Management in case of any concerns. The company adheres to a strict no hierarchy policy so that each employee can contribute to the company. Additionally, Bizzo is among the few startups in India to have a dedicated ESOPs policy for almost all the employees which enables rewards for employees for asset creation.

SWS: How Bizzo will assist businesses in developing direct ties with their clients without the need for aggregators? 

VT: Service providers find it really difficult to create their own websites due to high cost, technology infrastructure and a need for tech know-how. Most of the SMBs lack this knowledge, and as a result depend on aggregatos. Bizzo helps these SMBs by creating their own booking portal without requiring any technical know-how at zero infra cost. The singular purpose of Bizzo is helping small and medium service providers to circumvent the growing monopoly of aggregators. The company aims to put power back into the hands of entrepreneurs so that it can connect with its customers directly. Bizzo does this by helping entrepreneurs to create their own booking portal that can help automate the intake of bookings 24×7 and ensure that a booking-related query is never missed out on. This is the first step to enabling service providers to seamlessly consolidate bookings and queries that come through several digital channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Justdial, and Google.

Once this is done, Bizzo will work to alleviate more pain points faced by entrepreneurs such as creating a digital catalogue of their services, linking and adjusting pricing and availability depending on high or low demand periods, generating vouchers/invoices/discount coupons, maintaining customer data/records & reports, collecting payments and processing refunds/cancellations.

The goal is to help SMB business owners to refrain from micro-managing duties that can be easily digitised. Also, the larger vision is to help them independently manage their business via digital tools without the dependence on aggregators.

SWS: What is SaaS, and how can it help a company operate more efficiently? 

VT: A cloud computing offering, Software as a service (SaaS) provides users with the option of accessing a vendor’s cloud-based software. SaaS works akin to a rental wherein the applications are based in a remote cloud network and can be accessed through the web or an API.

Below are some of the most prominent benefits of SaaS for businesses; especially small and medium businesses that are looking to leverage the power of technology.

1. Democratisation of Tech: Through SaaS, SMBs can access the most sophisticated form of technology and easily empower themselves to scale and grow their business.

2. Low Initial Investment: High cost of technology adoption was one of the major hurdles for SMBs. The advent of SaaS and business enablement platforms such as Bizzo have helped SMBs to benefit from the perks of digitisation.

3. Ease of Use and Automation: Complexity and lack of user-friendliness were among the common barriers when it came to the adoption of technology by SMB entrepreneurs and service providers (especially for the ones doing business in a traditional way). The advent of SaaS has helped in empowering SMB entrepreneurs to free up their precious time and energy that can then be diverted to other pursuits.

4. Mobility and Compatibility: SaaS applications are compatible across multiple devices and can be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world. Given the current pandemic situation where remote working has witnessed a massive increase, this is extremely helpful.

5. Increased Revenue: By digitising their businesses, entrepreneurs are allowing themselves to take back the power from aggregators and independently communicate with their customer base. This translates to more revenues and greater profitability due to the absence of steep commissions charged by aggregators.

SWS: Can you explain the main differences between online and offline businesses in terms of financial benefits and challenges?

VT: No business today can truly be offline, even old-school grocery stores or kirana stores, as they are called in India, have adopted some form of online tech in the form of Gpay etc. Hence, a cash-only offline business that is limited by a geographical location is no longer viable today.

However, having said this, small and medium entrepreneurs across India often limit their digital strategy to just Whatsapp messaging, thinking that this entails taking their business online. However, India’s SMB entrepreneurs or “bharatpreneurs”, as I like to call them, have to understand that such platforms are only tools to disseminate messages and aren’t considered full-fledged digitisation or taking a business online.

Mentioned below are some of the most important reasons why small and medium entrepreneurs need to move their businesses online. 

– Zero-Cost Migration: One of the biggest barriers for SMB businesses to go online is the supposed high cost of setting up an online presence. But today, there are a host of business enablement platforms looking to help entrepreneurs to build a digital presence and take their businesses online for very minimal costs.

– Profitability & Revenue: Profitability remains a top priority for any business. By taking a business online on their own, entrepreneurs are opening up the doors to increased profit margins and more revenues. By going digital independently, small businesses can become more discoverable and also manage to get rid of steep commissions charged by aggregators, resulting in increased revenue and profits.

– Saving on time and effort: More often than not, SMB entrepreneurs have more than one business to look after. Digitising their business becomes even more important as it can free up time and energy that can then be diverted to other pursuits. It can also help small and medium business owners to run their businesses remotely and not be bound to one location all year round. This can act as a major boon considering that we are still in the midst of a pandemic.

– Company reputation: A single Google search has the potential to attract or repel a customer from buying a product/availing of any service. Hence, creating an online presence is a crucial aspect of maintaining a business’ reputation. In today’s highly competitive market, customers cannot be expected to take a business seriously if they have no online presence to showcase its offerings effectively.

SWS: What mistakes do you think tourism startups should avoid, and what should they do instead?  

VT: Founding a startup in any sector is a difficult task. Since the tourism sector has a vast number of players in the market who are vying for the same geographical locations, it makes it even more difficult for a tourism startup to carve out space for itself. Mentioned below are a few of the mistakes that tourism startups tend to make:

-Not thinking holistically: Many entrepreneurs remain narrowly focused and make the mistake of working on just one product/service. This offers a silo-like and broken experience to customers. And since customers today increasingly crave for holistic experiences, tourism startups must adapt and work on creating all-inclusive services.

-Not networking enough: Tourism is an ecosystem where multiple parties come together to deliver an experience to a customer. Hence, more networking with different kinds of service providers will only lead to greater chances of success in terms of making a company more visible and cross-selling products. No entrepreneur in the tourism industry can work in isolation, hence, there is nothing like too much networking. -Not leveraging technology: Technology plays a very important role in making tourism flourish. Technology has helped to replace costly human labour with tech-enabled tools and has helped to minimise labour costs. Thus, tourism sector start-up founders have to get on board with understanding technology themselves and must hire teams that have a tech-forward mindset. The goal is to use technology to its fullest to try and grow, organise and scale a business.

-Ignoring market research: The travel and tourism industry is extremely sensitive to any extraneous forces. Hence, entrepreneurs in this space have to remain extremely aware of evolving trends and constantly acquire data-backed insights from market research experts to make well-informed and strategic decisions.

-Not getting help: Small and medium entrepreneurs and service providers in the travel and tourism industry are often stretched thin. They can get bogged down by having to manage mundane and time-consuming tasks. Hence they must get the support that can help them meet all their digital needs to increase their start-up’s runway.

SWS: Can you tell us about your clients and future expansion plans? 

VT: We have identified a white space in the services sector and are looking at enabling digitisation, especially for the hospitality, travel-tourism and allied sectors. The travel and tourism sector in India is a fast-growing business with a 10% growth rate. Within a month, starting February 2022, Bizzo has successfully onboarded 20,000 bhratpreneurs. The aim is to onboard 10 million users in the next two years. Bizzo also aims to raise close to 20 million in funding within the next two years.

Iconic Indian pop-star Arjun Kanungo rocks the music circuit with his Supermoon #NowTrending ft. Arjun Kanungo Tour…

The iconic Indian pop-star Arjun Kanungo is rocking the music circuit with his Supermoon #NowTrending ft. Arjun Kanungo Tour. The five city tour has already created waves in the cities of Delhi, Chandigarh and Bangalore and is all set to paint the cities of Pune and Mumbai red in the coming days.

1) Tell us about your experience of doing a gig or show in the new normal era?

I think the things have gone back to pre-pandemic condition, at least 90%. In fact, more people are coming out now because they have missed going to live events, and it’s more exciting now because of the long break that everyone has had. So, the only thing that everybody is afraid of is the covid waves that may happen. But now that we have been vaccinated, we aren’t seeing the government shutting down things. Maybe enable a few more precautions here and there because we don’t want any more waves to happen. I think the worst is over, but I am no doctor.

2) Tell us about your association with Supermoon and Zee Live team?

It’s the first time I’m associating with them, it’s been fun. We are doing five cities right now – Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, and Chandigarh. First time I’m doing a ticketed tour so, it’s a part of my larger Via Industry Tour and I am excited for this. It is really nice to have a partner such as Zee Live’s Supermoon. They really got a lot of significant value as partners organizing this tour. I’m looking forward to a long-term association with them.

3) What can fans expect from your gig in Bengaluru and Mumbai?

I’m super psyched for both these cities. They both are close to me. Mumbai obviously because I’m a Mumbaikar, but Bengaluru also because I’ve only received a lot of love every time I’ve gone there. People can expect a power-packed performance. Anybody who’s come to my shows can tell you that there is no shortage of energy. There is going to be jumping and dancing and singing, so it’s a mixed bag. There’s stuff from my new album which, of course, is the focus, all my hit songs, Bollywood songs and some surprises. In Mumbai, I have some surprise acts too.

4) How important is this tour for you and what memories does it bring alive?

It’s super important. I can’t tell you what it means for an artist to have a first-ticketed tour and one which is so big, in so many cities. Supermoon is a part of a much bigger tour that we are doing. It means the world to me because I never thought that I’ll be in a place where people will buy tickets and come for my shows. So, it means a lot!

5) Tell us your three favorite songs?

It’s difficult to say. I’ll name the three songs that I am listening to right now. One will be Agar Tum Saath Ho by AR Rahman; then I would say Kygo’s Freeze and then Ek Tarfa by King from his new EP.

6) Which recent song you can’t stop humming?

It’s got to be Pasoori. It’s currently everybody’s favorite and it’s definitely on my list too.

Exclusive Interview with Cardinal Ritter Senior Services’ CEO Chris Baechle

We thank Chris Baechle, CEO, Cardinal Ritter Senior Services for this interview opportunity. He discussed business operations and strategy with Rochelle Brandvein, President, Brandvein Aaranson Public Relations, and Neel Achary, Editor, Business News This Week.

Tell us about the vision or goal of Cardinal Ritter Senior Services (CRSS.)

Our ultimate goal is to provide compassionate, loving, and individual care to each older adult we serve.

How does your organization help people? What are your major programs and services?

Our main objective: is to provide independence, options, and the highest quality of service to senior adults. We feature a continuum of care – including social services and supportive programs including counseling, emergency support, rehabilitative therapy, and senior employment – to meet the needs of older adults.

How many people work at CRSS? Describe your various locations?

We have approximately 380 employees working at our 10 locations throughout the St. Louis region. Our communities include the following:

• Our Lady of Life independent living apartments has 205 apartments and was founded in 1982. CRSS also features 10 affordable HUD senior complexes with a total of 611 apartments located throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area.

• Mary, Queen and Mother Center is a 230-bed skilled nursing facility for long-term care, memory care, and short-term rehabilitative services that was founded in 1981.

• CRSS has two assisted living communities:
• Elizabeth Hall, which opened its West End location in 1983, has 45 apartments that offer traditional assisted living for low-income seniors who may have mental health challenges.
• Mother of Perpetual Help (MOPH), which opened its Shrewsbury main campus in 1996, features 96 apartments. Two memory care communities – Grace and Faith – opened in 2013 and have 30 studio apartments located within the MOPH assisted living community.

How did COVID impact your organization?

The impact on our community has been significant since older adults are one of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. One of our biggest challenges during the last two years has been keeping our residents all safe during the pandemic.

We have made great strides throughout this time period. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which tracks COVID-19 vaccination levels for nursing homes, CRSS was one of the first communities to achieve the highest vaccination rates in the entire state of Missouri. We currently have 98% of our residents and 95% of our staff are vaccinated or have valid religious or medical exemptions.

What is your current plan of action when dealing with the ongoing COVID climate?

Our initiative to keep both our residents and our staff safe has resulted in better communication among our communities. We continue to invent ways how to remain as healthy as possible. This includes sharing our heightened sanitation methods, monitoring guests who visit and keeping our residents as socially engaged as possible. We also are just as focused on their mental well-being as we do their physical wellness.

Have you experienced any recent major innovations?

We recently broke ground on a $6.5 million, nearly 20,000-square-foot memory care expansion, which will have two separated homelike neighborhoods of 13 residents each for a total of 26 residents.

The expansion project differs from more medically intense dementia care programs. Features include a natural environment with cutting-edge technology to help mitigate the effects of “sundowning,” a state of increased confusion and restlessness for those with dementia which begins or worsens as daylight starts to fade.

Can you give us background regarding how CRSS was created?

Cardinal Ritter Senior Services (CRSS) is an agency of Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of St. Louis that provides compassionate care through a continuum of high-quality residential, healthcare, and supportive social services. Inspired by Jesus Christ, its long tradition focuses on providing independence, options, and the highest quality of service to senior adults.

Catholic Charities of St. Louis created the framework for CRSS following a 1959 comprehensive study on the needs of seniors in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Initially established as the Catholic Charities’ Department of Aging in 1961, the agency was later renamed the Cardinal Ritter Institute in 1965. In 2004 the organization’s name was changed to Cardinal Ritter Senior Services to best reflect its mission and purpose.

What is your message to the people and community you serve?

Here in our communities, we treat older adults just like you would any member of your own family: with unconditional care, support, and kindness. We offer an all-inclusive community where we provide social services and supportive programs that include counseling, emergency support, rehabilitative therapy, and senior employment. We are extremely proud of both our services and our team.

About Cardinal Ritter Senior Services

Founded in 1961, Cardinal Ritter Senior Services (CRSS) creates communities that promote the dignity of human life and reflect the spirit of Jesus Christ. CRSS impacts nearly 3,750 seniors – with 60% of the 1,711 directly served lacking adequate resources – who benefit from housing options including independent or assisted living, memory care, affordable apartments, and skilled nursing communities. In addition to its main Shrewsbury campus located at 7601 Watson Rd., the nonprofit has 10 affordable HUD total apartment communities throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area and a robust social services department. For more information, call (314) 961-8000 or visit http://www.cardinalritterseniorservices.org.

Exclusive Interview with Mr. Gopal Jeyaraj – Head India and SAARC – Anker Innovations

-Editorial Team SWS

We at Shreyas Webmedia Solutions thank Mr. Gopal Jeyaraj – Head India and SAARC – Anker Innovations for the exclusive interview opportunity. Mr. Gopal Jeyaraj discussed various aspects including the company’s prospective plans, collaborations and many more

Let’s know more about his success story and his vision.

Could you tell us a little about your company and what you hope to achieve? 

Anker Innovations is a global leader in smart charging and audio technologies and a developer of consumer products for the home, car and more. Founded in 2011 by Steven Yang, Anker quickly established itself as an innovator and market leader in intelligent charging solutions. Today, Anker Innovations is bringing this same spirit of innovation to a number of exciting spaces including automotive, audio, entertainment and the emerging smart home. This is being led by its 5 key brands.: ANKER, SOUNDCORE, EUFY, NEBULA, ROAV and ANKER WORKS. With over 100+ million customers in more than 100 countries and regions around the world, Anker Innovations and its key brands are driving unprecedented growth. This is our purpose of the brand “Build leading brands that consumers love and provide essential services to advance industry”. Our goal is to empower smartness into people’s lives with the right price point. We have invested & shall continue to invest in R & D which would help us achieve this goal.

What do you think the future of the industry will be like?

AI & ML would be the future of the industry mainly because of the technological advancements that we have been seeing every year. Technology will keep driving advancement across business models in different sectors, allowing new businesses to enter the market and seriously disrupt companies. Business leaders must be able to think creatively and embrace innovation to create breakthrough value for their customers in order to drive business growth, stay relevant in changing times, and differentiate themselves from the competition.

What do you believe the factors are that have contributed to your steady growth?

Anker is a firm believer in the consumer and has created a methodology that follows the phases shown below. Our R&D Team focuses on obtaining and comprehending customer insight, which is then translated into product design. We bring insights to life with our product using insights. We adhere to strict quality control standards and demand excellence while providing world-class customer service. Aside from that, we have been expanding and spending heavily in R&D, which has resulted in over 1400+ patents that distinguish us from competitors. Overall, we are well-positioned to continue creating value for our clients, which translates into continued sales and profit growth.

What are the different brands that make up the Anker group, and what are your main focus areas/brands?

Our focus is on all of the Anker Innovations categories because they all market to a very similar consumer in various portfolios. Among the group firms are: Anker – Anker is the world’s leading charging technology company. Wireless charging, auto charging, and our best-selling portable and wall chargers are all included. Anker is a pioneer in Power Delivery technology, which allows phones, tablets, and laptops to charge at previously unheard-of speeds. Soundcore – Soundcore deconstructs sonic illusions in order to develop speakers and earbuds that elicit genuine emotions. The Flare series, 360° speakers with a beat-driven lightshow, and the Spirit series, the world’s first truly sweatproof headphones, are among them. Eufy – EUFY is developing a new generation of linked security devices and appliances that will simplify and expand the smart-home experience.This includes Eufy Genie, an Alexa-powered speaker, and a growing list of smart appliances such as lights, vacuums, and smart plugs. Nebula – NEBULA represents a new and exciting class of smart, portable entertainment devices. This includes Nebula Mars and Nebula Apollo — the world’s first smart, portable cinema. Nebula combines smart capability with immersive audio and visuals. Very recently we have also announced Anker Works which focuses on products designed for Home and Office workers at most affordable price points.

Could you tell us more about TWS and the models you’re intending to introduce in the ANC TWS category?

Soundcore has a diverse array of TWS products, including Liberty Air 2 Pro, Life Note 3, Life Note E and so on. We employ creativity, expertise, and cutting-edge listener research to build products that redefine audio quality standards. Hear ID, PartyCast, ACAA, Bass Up, Bass Turbo, and many other patented and distinctive technologies have improved the audio experience. In ANC, our premium products have the Personalised ANC function, which allows a listener to alter the ANC as needed. The multiple ANCs offered on the device include Transparent Mode (particularly for indoors, where you need to hear the surroundings clearly), Transport Mode (mainly for travelling such a Metro, Flights, etc), and Outdoor Mode (as the name implies, it is for busy environments) and an optimize to customize as per the needs.

Do you want to inform us about Eufy appliances and the various varieties of vacuum cleaners you are offering to customers?

Eufy’s tagline, “Smart Home Simplified,” motivates us to create simple-to-use smart home gadgets that improve your life. Eufy has models in the Homevac (Handstick vacuum cleaner sector) and Robovac categories (Robotic Vacuum Cleaner segment). We have a large selection of Bounce, Gravity, and Laser products. The product is chosen based on the application’s requirements. We also have items that are tailored to the requirements of Indian homes. 

Can you tell us about your collaborations? 

Our most significant collaborations have been in the field of audio. With Grammy Award Winners, who particularly test and support our quality products. Many influencers, particularly tech reviewers, such as Tom’s Guide, Tech Radar, Unbox Therapy, JerryRigEverything, UrAvgConsumer, and others.  

Can you tell us about Eufy Security, a company focusing on home security cameras, smart video doorbells, and a variety of security sensors with a low-cost strategy?  

eufy Security offers an entire home security ecosystem that focuses on smart technologies, artificial intelligence, and unrivalled battery life, with a distinct focus on privacy protection. We believe compromise and convenience do not have to go hand in hand. We think that protecting consumers also entails preserving your privacy. Cloud storage, in our opinion, should be a choice rather than a mandate. That’s why our home security ecosystem is created for quality, constructed with cutting-edge technology, but intended for local storage, so no one except your family members can view your crying baby, snoozing cat, or yourself dancing around the house. What occurs in your house should remain in your home.

Exclusive Interview with Mr. Siddharth Kukatlapalli, Co-Founder and CBO, Syntizen

-Editorial Team SWS

We at Shreyas WebMedia Solutions (SWS) thank Mr. Siddharth Kukatlapalli, Co-Founder and CBO, Syntizen for the exclusive interview opportunity. Mr. Siddharth Kukatlapalli (SK) discussed various aspects such as the brand’s USP, various challenges faced since the company’s inception, the company’s global expansion plans and many more.

Let’s know more about his success story and his vision.

SWS: Can you tell us about  Syntizen digital identity solutions??

SK: Syntizen offers Digital Identity solutions which can help any Business/Government identify citizens before offering any kind of service/subsidy. Syntizen offers Aadhaar authentication, e-KYC with Aadhaar, Video KYC, Digi Locker, Facial Matching & Liveness Detection, etc. On a daily basis, Syntizen’s Digital Identity solutions clock about 6-7 Million transactions per day for all the clients put together.

SWS: When and how did the concept for Syntizen first occur to you? 

SK: The concept of Fingerprint Matching was one of the co-founder’s projects in Engineering. Keeping that as a base, we had done some research on Biometric databases and understood more about Aadhaar in 2013-14 and started the organization with an idea to offer digital identity services. Slowly, we developed products on top of Aadhaar and later on marketed the same with BFSI and Government sectors. During the pandemic, we started to work on Contactless Digital Identification and started to explore more with respect to Facial Matching and Facial Liveness technology.

SWS: Until now, what has been your most difficult challenge? 

SK: There were multiple challenges that we faced during our journey. However, if you ask us what has been the most challenging, I would say it was the scaling up of the systems that we built. By understanding the concept and with a tech team a prototype can be built. While we built our system, initially we had planned at managing a system that can handle about 10,000 transactions a day. However, when we had on-boarded big BFSI clients and initial government clients, we had to immediately start deploying systems that had to process at least 10,00,000 transactions in a single day. Getting there was one of the biggest challenges as it was new to us and the system was directly being used in the production environment. Now, we are handling 60,00,000 – 70,00,000 transactions a day and are now in a position to increase the capacity 10-fold within hours.

SWS: Could you elaborate on the brand’s USP? 

SK: Syntizen has been a one-stop solution provider for all the Digital Identification or KYC needs of any organization. Apart from providing all solutions under one umbrella, we also have ensured that our systems are scalable to any level, safe and secure as per regulator compliances, and also systems audited by CERT-IN CISA Empanelled audit firms. In addition to all the above, we have everything built in-house and don’t depend on any third-party organization for any service.

SWS: Who do you want to reach out to? And how are you going to get in touch with them? 

SK: Currently, Syntizen is concentrating on BFSI Sector and Government Sector in India. In the future, we are targeting a global solution for digital identity. Currently, we are getting client references, and also with the help of our strategic partners and investors, we are getting introduced to our target customers. Social Media and Email campaigns are also being done in parallel.

SWS: What motivated you to start this venture? 

SK: During our engineering days, we had seen many instances where services were delayed because time was needed to identify the citizen. Sometimes, the time taken to validate a citizen was more than 2 days. This triggered the idea for us wherein we wanted to offer solutions that can help anyone identify a citizen in a digital way and instantly.

SWS: What has been your greatest achievement so far? 

SK: There have been a number of achievements that we as Syntizen are proud of. However, some of the key achievements include getting funded by Mastercard, recognized as Most Innovative Aadhaar Solution Provider by Telangana Government and also in being adjudged as a NASSCOM Emerge 50 Startup. Apart from the above-mentioned recognition, we are also really happy that our services are being used by common public and most of them are getting benefitted by getting instant services/subsidies.

SWS: Who is taking advantage of Syntizen’s Aadhaar services? 

SK: Currently, Syntizen’s Aadhaar Services are being used by four state governments which are Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh governments. Apart from the governments, our services are currently being used by Fincare Small Finance Bank, DCB Bank, Shriram Life Insurance, SBI Life Insurance, etc. Prior to the Supreme Court judgement about 10 BFSI Companies were using our Aadhaar Services including Muthoot Fincorp, Manappuram Finance, etc.

SWS: Syntizen uses their Aadhaar services for how many transactions per day?

SK: Currently, Syntizen’s Aadhaar engine performs about 6-7 Million transactions a day for all the clients put together.

SWS: Can you tell us about your 8-year journey of digital identification solutions and 1 billion digital identity transactions for all of your clients combined?

SK: Syntizen has been fortunate enough to complete 8 years in the Digital Identity domain and is very proud of the 1.5 Billion transactions that we have performed. Experience gained from performing 1.5 Billion transactions is probably our biggest takeaway. The transactions done by us are directly affecting people and helping them avail crucial services/subsidies. The fact that multiple people are availing of critical services/subsidies like getting a ration or government fund/scheme makes it much more special for us. Our plan now is to further expand to BFSI Sector and other state governments in India in the immediate future and also to go global shortly.

SWS: Could you please elaborate on the launch of new features for your existing products in India, such as C-KYC, Digi Locker, and Sensitive Data Masking? 

SK: The introduction of C-KYC, Digi Locker and Sensitive Data Masking is to further establish the fact that Syntizen shall be a one-stop Digital Identity solution provider for any organization. Previously we were working with Aadhaar and also offering PAN Services & Facial Matching with Liveness Detection. Now, we are expanding our product offerings by including C-KYC and Digi Locker. Sensitive Data Masking is a solution that we are targeting for a global launch as this product is getting built with the GDPR regulations in mind. In India, we have already launched Aadhaar Data Masking and are working on launching other OVD Masking in India really soon.

SWS: Can you elaborate on your Going Global Plan and how you plan to get your products suitable for global markets? 

SK: Syntizen’s Global Plan had taken a shape in the last financial year where we were in fruitful discussions with our existing investors and strategic partners for launching products with a global digital identification appeal. For instance, we have a product called Electronic Customer On-boarding System (e-COS), which is currently linked with the Aadhaar ecosystem in India. This product can be integrated with any other National ID and be made available for that country.

SWS: Could you please elaborate on GDPR Regulations? and the five state governments with which you collaborate Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. 

SK: As mentioned earlier, Syntizen is the Aadhaar solution provider for four state governments which are Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In these four state governments about 100 different integrations of our systems are done and about 6 Million transactions are performed. In Odisha, Syntizen has launched a first-of-its-kind solution called Video KYC for Pensioners. This solution helps the Pensioner to sit at home and get the life certificate with the help of a selfie/video call.

SWS: Could you give us more information about your Digital Identity systems, such as facial matching and liveness detection? 

SK: Syntizen’s Facial Matching and Liveness Detection services are currently being consumed by two governments and also certain players in the BFSI Sector. These Services are being used by Telangana Government for Transport Department and Education Department where the need of the citizen to visit the government offices is eliminated. In Odisha, the systems are being used to provide Life Certificates for pensioners. Similarly in the private sector, Video KYC is being used for instant and contactless Customer On-boarding.

SWS: You’ve worked with over 20 BFSI firms, and your solutions have helped them save 90% of the time and money spent on customer onboarding. Could you provide some light on the situation?

SK: Syntizen’s services like Aadhaar Authentication, e-KYC, e-Sign, etc are being used by multiple BFSI firms. While the previous system of customer on-boarding i.e., paper-based customer on-boarding included an application form, collection of KYC documents, verification of KYC documents by private agencies, transporting of the application forms, and maintenance of the same for audit purposes for a period of 5-20 years based on regulators. Instead of all the above, our system was completely digital and this empowered the client to instantly verify the customer and also offer the service immediately. Our system helped by saving time for customer onboarding and also reduced costs by 90%.

SWS: Government clients have saved over 150 crores because of Syntizen’s Digital Identity solutions. How did you pull it off? 

SK: Syntizen’s Services like Aadhaar Authentication and Facial Matching with Liveness Detection were offered to our Government clients. Our government clients integrated our services to the majority of government schemes like Ration, Pension, Fees Reimbursements/Scholarships, Local Government Subsidy Schemes, Stamps and Registration etc. By doing so, we eliminated a lot of middlemen and also prevented leakages in the system as fake/duplicate entries were caught. This helped governments save a lot of money and also get a lot of transparency in the system. Our dashboards help the government to uniquely identify the beneficiaries and in taking key crucial administrative calls.

SWS: What are your plans for the future and what do you hope to achieve?  

SK: Our plans for the future are simple.  We want Syntizen to be recognized as a Global Digital Identity Solution provider. We want to offer products/services that are really simple to integrate and help our clients reduce a lot of time and money. Though we are present in five state governments and have 20+ BFSI clients, we believe that we have just started. We are building a strong R&D team and are bringing in a key strategic partnership in place which will help us get introduced to the Global Market.

Interview of Ms. Nikita Naterwalla, Founder- Caim by arelang

Ms. Nikita Naterwalla, Founder- Caim by årelang™, gains vast experience in the wellness sector and is focused on revolutionizing the supplementation market by offering the company’s customers innovative and nutrition-rich plant-based forms of delicious confectionery. Let us know more about her vision and thoughts.

How has your journey been so far?

Having worked in the wellness space for over 20 years with a leading MNC, my interest in supplementations and their benefits has been honed and fuelled by curiosity, research and plenty of reading. Whether it has been on how the body works, to what the body needs and being able to debunk several health and diet theories that have been floating around the wellness space. A personal health challenge gave rise to the need for seeking alternative health remedies and when they say that necessity is the mother of invention, in my case, it could not have been further from the truth. So, my passion project started with all terrible tasting home-based concoctions and this search for a perfect phytoestrogen formulation got me working closely with the phytochemistry department of the ICT which specialized in the research on plant-based nutrients and extracts. Our first formulation was what we now call the Rekindle for Women. I had it for well over a year as a powdered packed in a tea potli. Bitter as it was, the effects on me were so phenomenal that I had to share it with the world. Now to find the perfect way to deliver the goodness of these powerful yet extremely bitter ingredients was the beginning of the first struggle. How do we take these ingredients and add them to something that we love to eat? This was where the concept of årelang Naturals was conceived. Providing micronutrients and superfoods in the form of delicious confectionery! We had our first 2 products ready for launch within 8 months of the pandemic. All in all, the journey so far, has been extremely exciting and spiced with a whole lot of new learnings that I’m so grateful for.

What are the opportunities anticipated in the health and wellness industry? How do you see the Candyceuticals market growing and expanding over the period?

According to a very recent FSSAI publication, the Indian Nutraceutical Market is slated to be valued at $18B from the current market size of $4B at an expected CAGR of 35%. The Candyceutical market will most certainly impact greatly on this growth. Candyceuticals will be the way ahead for the nutraceutical market. They are delicious, this delivery method promises increased bioavailability of nutrients, they are fun to eat and finally, Candyceuticals will always be something that each of us as individuals look forward to consuming, rather than going through the unpleasantness of swallowing pills and large tablets.

In India, the Candyceuticals market is on the rise and it is opening up new opportunities for formulators who are willing to experiment both in terms of the latest applications and delivery formats. Reports suggest that the Candyceutical market will grow by a six per cent CAGR through the end of this decade, reaching a market size of $5.8 billion worldwide in 2029. The Candyceutical market will become an integral part of the growing Nutraceutical market which was valued in 2015 at $ 184B and was pegged to grow to $ 302B in 2022 at a compounding growth rate of 8.3%. However, by 2020 this market was already valued at $412.7B and grew at an exponential CAGR of 17.5%. If we take this growth trend into account, by 2027 the global nutraceutical market will be at $1,276B with India slated to be one of the biggest contributors to the increasing market size.

Where do you see Arelang Naturals in a few years? Kindly throw light on the vision of the brand? What are the forthcoming initiatives in the long run?

Our vision is to revolutionize supplementation. We have in the pipeline over 20 formulations that we promise to bring to our consumers in innovative forms of confectionery within the next 2 years or so. As we expand, we will be introducing multiple flavour variants of our formulations and possibly more as we see the need.

Caim by årelang™ is the first brand launched by årelang Naturals® and offers potent plant-based supplementation through confectionery. If things go as planned, you will be seeing several new innovative initiatives from us in the field of wellness in the coming years.

What are your Company’s goals? How do you build a successful customer base? 

Our immediate goal of course is to be able to reach our audiences, educate them on the goodness of the products, provide information to them on how their body works and clear up their myths on nutrition. We are hoping to be able to generate a loyal customer base that loves the product we have created for their bodies and make them a part of their daily routine.

Life Mantra for aspiring women entrepreneurs

Be true to your venture and stay focused on your goals. Starting a company is hard, growing a new company is harder and running it is the hardest, but don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot do it. Keep your team small and initially until the sales and the money start to come in, keep the motivation levels high within your team. Expect days where you feel like you are not getting anywhere but don’t lose hope – keep reminding yourself on why you started and keep working toward your goal. Always celebrate the small wins – be it your first customer or when your first shipment of ingredients comes into your warehouse, because recognizing the small victories of your business will boost your morale as well as your teams, and will give you a new surge of energy that you and your team will need to get to your next small victory. Follow your dreams and never give up.