Points for National Technology Day

13 May 2016“Technology enablers for Startup India”

When I was young, younger than you• Was sure pleased to read about• Aryabhatta satellite

• Launched from elsewhere• Failed attempts with SLV3

• Until D2 happened• Arjun the battle tank• First Indian team on Antarctica• First Indian in space

• But, they merely remained things to dream of…

When I was in college• I studied Metallurgy in REC, Durgapur• Industrial Visits meant visiting Steel Plant(s)

• Our dreams / goals• A few dreamt of going abroad to study further• Many would aspire to get a job in public sector• Some would aspire to study further and get a job – probably in academic

• Unless your family was in business, running an enterprise wasn’t a dream at all• Few of us dreamt of starting Sponge Iron plant, until we found no. of zeroes in

investment needed

Once I started working• 25 years in IT industry• Thanks to some leaders who opened up India in IT, ICT

• This industry grew really big• No engineer is worried about getting a job any more

• But, where is innovation?

Innovation / Technology in India• In my mind, our indigenous advancements have been in• Space Research• Defence related technologies• Nuclear research• Automobiles• May be, bio-tech?

• But these aren’t for every student with dreams• Many are government / industry funded• Need a lot of funds & infra for you to create some magic

• A friend inventor - RVCR engine runs multiple fuels – still hunting for funds

Things changed in late’90s• On one side, we have • Pokharan• Hansa – III• Trishul missile

• But, in US, many DOT COM companies started• Using / around Internet• Ticket booking• Grocery delivery• Real estate portals• …

We remained unaffected by all that e-noise• While Internet and email entered India in mid-90s• It wasn’t until late ‘90s we saw Internet Booths • At Ramco Systems we had 3-4 connections of 64 Kbps each

• We were a cutting edge technology and product innovation company then too• BharatMatrimony.com was early – 1997?

• Started with offline payments• Not sure how long before they became ‘popular’

But, WHY?• Technology wasn’t cheap• An outgoing mobile call cost me Rs. 32/- per minute in 1997• 64 Kbps was a luxury, courtesy of BSNL• A PC with Pentium processor was around Rs 65,000/• Not enough multi-tenant facilities for offices

• Not those• Most of us didn’t have the mindset to be on our own• Didn’t know how to start• Didn’t have money needed

For two decades or more• India became synonymous with • Abundant supplier • Of inexpensive IT Manpower

• We started exporting (‘body shopping’)• And then, offshoring• But, we kept merely doing what THEY wanted us to do• Is there innovation in being ‘order-takers’?

Few words about Ramco• We started developing an ERP ‘software product’• In early ’90s• First in India

• Probably APAC too

• A true story of ‘Make in India’• It wasn’t easy• Technology was new• Not enough books / training• Not enough market / revenue

Few words about Ramco• In 1996, when India was trying to experience Internet• We began creating a framework for developing web-based applications• Ramco VirtualWorks

• In production for >16 years• CASE tool• Powering large enterprise applications around the globe• Multiple patents

Back to where I was…• Products, Innovation needed deep pockets• Ramco wasn’t the only one, others developed internet-based dreams• Some survived• Some grew big• Some vanished• Rediff.com, chennaionline.com, sify.com, IndiaPlaza.com

Few big things happened in the last 6-7 years• Cloud Computing• Entered India too• Inexpensive to run applications – low entry barrier

• Telecommunications / Broadband• Probably the cheapest in the world

• People returning from US• With dreams, ideas, little money and lots of courage• Contagious culture

• Government support• For startups

And many technological improvements• Mobile phones to Smart Phones to Apps• No G – 2G – 3G – 4G

• Wearables, IoT • Fitness devices / SOS rings / Google Glass

• Banking• Banks to ATMs to card swipes to web apps to mobile apps to wallets

• Drones• Recording moments• Sound recorders, cameras, video recorders – just phones

And combinations there of• A drone with a video camera• Beaming wirelessly to a control station• Beaming live to Periscope.com• So that your cousins in another part of the world can see your brother’s

wedding

• AR Rahman and his recording crew in two continents collaborating over internet• Fitness devices that transmit data over Bluetooth to a phone that

publishes to Facebook, or call your doctor• GPS, sensors and millions of lines of code in my car…

Government of India says• Make In India

The New Definition• Is not merely being ‘Order Takers’• It is building OUR OWN

Yes, you can!• Internet is all over• Fast• Cheap• Even in Himalayas / Ettimadai forest

• Most technologies / research facilities are here too• Cheaper

• Learning is easy• MIT OCW or NPTEL – all other MOOCs too are on your mobile• No longer merely driven by your professors and your library

Yes, you should!• Look around• We’re still a terrific developing country• Thousands of problems that technology can solve/ease• Not merely grocery or food delivery sites / apps• Think of e-Choupal by ITC• Think of a farmer starting his motor in the farm remotely• Think of Practo• Think Uberization in more fields

Help is abundant• Plenty of incubators around• Plenty of communities• Plenty of Angels and VCs• Just look at yourstory.in

Your dreams should be different• Some of you should dream to study further and teach• I have that dream too!

• Some of you should dream of entering a job• And have a terrific Indian work-wife balance

• Some of you should dream of starting on your own• And experience the romantic roller-coaster rides• And some of you would grow big

• Some would narrate battle tales to grandchildren

Last Words• Let us not celebrate technology only on 11th May• Let us thank all unknown / known inventors each moment we’re touched by

technology

• And aspire to be remembered / thanked by our next generations

“tasmad uttistha kaunteyayuddhaya krta-niscayah”

Krishna Kishore BV@kkbava