Advait Ravindra Thakur

FOUNDER OF APEX INFOSYS INDIA

Advait Ravindra Thakur is one of those few people who is convinced that profits and purpose can go hand in hand. Barely 19, this young entrepreneur and computer programmer believes ‘you can make more profits if you have a purpose.

‘You generate more profits when you work at the intersection of profits and impact. I have believed this since the beginning of my journey, from helping NGOs to launching IoT products at reasonable rates.'

Advait was just 12 when he founded Apex Infosys India, a tech company, in 2015 to provide a smart home experience that is entirely Made In India, For The World.

Before starting up his business, he spent time reading case studies of companies with similar business models in the US that performed significantly better than the market had anticipated. He realised the potential as it was an untested territory in India back then.

‘The only bet we had to make was on the technology we had developed, as every other Indian company entering the smart home space relied on Original Equipment Manufacturers from Chinese companies.'

Advait says his main challenge was that initially no one believed in his idea. His advice to others who may be in a similar quandary and facing self-doubt due to naysayers is to ‘have complete faith in your actions.' This will help you overcome hurdles, he says.

‘Generational values can affect how the community perceives you as a young entrepreneur. Older people might instinctively judge you as lazy or irresponsible, refusing to give you a chance to earn their trust. Other entrepreneurs might doubt your ability to persist with your business over time.' he says. But staying steadfast and trusting your instincts and having full belief in your idea will see you through.

He reveals his secret is to view the list of his goals and tasks to do when he feels discouraged. “I like to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to criticism. Older counterparts can have a lot of great lessons to teach, but learn to put aside unhelpful comments and self-aggrandising advice. Realise how the tasks you have assigned directly result in achieving your goals in the future.”

Advait's goal as a tech startup is to scale up. His company is currently generating healthy profits with a positive cash flow and zero burn rate.

‘I dream of helping people by giving back to the community and contributing to our country's economic growth by generating more employment. It may come across that I am over-emphasising on purpose and giving something of immense value to society, but that's the goal. I always say this, before you begin to gather thoughts on an idea, you must know what objective your thinking would serve. With a well-defined purpose, you can easily steer your thoughts in the direction you decide.'