Read Online Indian Innovators by Akshat Agrawal - Free Book Online
Authors: Akshat Agrawal
Tags: Indian Innovators
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couldn’t even pay the office rent to Technopark during this time, but they too stood by us in this tough time.
Just when we started to lose hope, a friend connected me to an investor from the Middle East who saw the potential and immediately poured in the funds.” The funding came in toward the end of 2010.
In 2011, the World Bank chose Artin Dynamics as one of the 50 most innovative start-ups in the world.
The company has grown significantly since then, increasing its product portfolio under the brand name SPARA and appointing distributors in the UK, USA and Middle East, with plans to start operations in Australia soon.
The SPARA range includes specific power-management products for various devices. “For example, in an office, the water cooler would be used more frequently during the office hours, with low usage in the morning and peak usage around lunch time. However, even when water consumption reduces, the compressor may kick in regularly to maintain a certain water temperature. Say, it kicks in five times per hour during peak hours when more tap water needs to be cooled; reducing to two kick-ins per hour during non-peak hours and one per hour when it is idle. However, the compressor would not completely stop working unless you plug out the water cooler, which people rarely do. So, it will keep consuming power, even when cold drinking water is not required because there is nobody in office. A custom-made SPARA device can be installed to monitor the usage pattern of the water-cooler (via the number of times the compressor kicks in). Once the device learns the usage pattern, it will automatically cut off the power as required.”
Nelvin sums up his journey so far as difficult. “Our experiences show that westerners find it very difficult to trust the quality of products made in India. They have little faith in the R&D capabilities of Indian companies.
The bias can be so strong at times, that Indian companies may feel a better way of gaining customer confidence is to pretend that the technology was developed abroad by their subsidiaries.
The prejudice is all the more pronounced for a company coming out of Kerala, which is known more for its backwaters, scenic beauty and herbal treatments than for engineering. We had to hire a European PR agency to spruce up our image.”
Nelvin states that Artin’s future plans include “conquering the gaming and mobile telephony space with AI-based products. It is difficult to reveal anything more at this stage. For the moment, the focus is completely on SPARA. There are millions of computers across the world, and thus, a huge market for it. We are working with Intel to customize SPARA for their new processor, VPRO.
We also plan an AI-enabled ATM machine, which will have the ability to read checks. So, you can just take a check that your employer issued and get cash directly.”
For the Innovator in You
“The social pressure to conform is the biggest problem that inhibits innovation in India. People will tell you that what you are doing is plain stupidity. They will behave as if they know more about you and your work than you do. Eventually, the innovator loses confidence in what he is doing and gives up. Do not let this happen to you. Simply avoid such negative people.
If you are able to handle such people successfully, you will probably be able to achieve success with your product as well.
When I started Artin Dynamics, people who did not even know the first thing about artificial intelligence told me that ‘such things’ fail. Now, many of the same people come to me for advice.
I am a strong believer in destiny. Had I not fallen off the bike, probably I would have been in the US and would not have done what I did. Take your chances; you never know what destiny has in store for you.”
Nitin Joshi
Non-intravenous Chemotherapy
Nitin Joshi lost his father when he was in class VII. His mother
Just when we started to lose hope, a friend connected me to an investor from the Middle East who saw the potential and immediately poured in the funds.” The funding came in toward the end of 2010.
In 2011, the World Bank chose Artin Dynamics as one of the 50 most innovative start-ups in the world.
The company has grown significantly since then, increasing its product portfolio under the brand name SPARA and appointing distributors in the UK, USA and Middle East, with plans to start operations in Australia soon.
The SPARA range includes specific power-management products for various devices. “For example, in an office, the water cooler would be used more frequently during the office hours, with low usage in the morning and peak usage around lunch time. However, even when water consumption reduces, the compressor may kick in regularly to maintain a certain water temperature. Say, it kicks in five times per hour during peak hours when more tap water needs to be cooled; reducing to two kick-ins per hour during non-peak hours and one per hour when it is idle. However, the compressor would not completely stop working unless you plug out the water cooler, which people rarely do. So, it will keep consuming power, even when cold drinking water is not required because there is nobody in office. A custom-made SPARA device can be installed to monitor the usage pattern of the water-cooler (via the number of times the compressor kicks in). Once the device learns the usage pattern, it will automatically cut off the power as required.”
Nelvin sums up his journey so far as difficult. “Our experiences show that westerners find it very difficult to trust the quality of products made in India. They have little faith in the R&D capabilities of Indian companies.
The bias can be so strong at times, that Indian companies may feel a better way of gaining customer confidence is to pretend that the technology was developed abroad by their subsidiaries.
The prejudice is all the more pronounced for a company coming out of Kerala, which is known more for its backwaters, scenic beauty and herbal treatments than for engineering. We had to hire a European PR agency to spruce up our image.”
Nelvin states that Artin’s future plans include “conquering the gaming and mobile telephony space with AI-based products. It is difficult to reveal anything more at this stage. For the moment, the focus is completely on SPARA. There are millions of computers across the world, and thus, a huge market for it. We are working with Intel to customize SPARA for their new processor, VPRO.
We also plan an AI-enabled ATM machine, which will have the ability to read checks. So, you can just take a check that your employer issued and get cash directly.”
For the Innovator in You
“The social pressure to conform is the biggest problem that inhibits innovation in India. People will tell you that what you are doing is plain stupidity. They will behave as if they know more about you and your work than you do. Eventually, the innovator loses confidence in what he is doing and gives up. Do not let this happen to you. Simply avoid such negative people.
If you are able to handle such people successfully, you will probably be able to achieve success with your product as well.
When I started Artin Dynamics, people who did not even know the first thing about artificial intelligence told me that ‘such things’ fail. Now, many of the same people come to me for advice.
I am a strong believer in destiny. Had I not fallen off the bike, probably I would have been in the US and would not have done what I did. Take your chances; you never know what destiny has in store for you.”
Nitin Joshi
Non-intravenous Chemotherapy
Nitin Joshi lost his father when he was in class VII. His mother
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