Ciolook fracture Booming Startups to Watch Out For best business startup.

4. Editor's Note
THEIR STARTUPS ARE
BOOMING BECAUSE THEY
CHOSE NOT TO QUIT
ndia has become a hub of entrepreneurs in less than a
Idecade. These entrepreneurs have been topping the
global business map from a country that was once
labelled as a third-world country. Suddenly, the world is
looking up to Indian businesses, including financers.
Startups have changed the way India and the world had
perceived her.
Though the government of India announced its startup
campaign in 2015, India’s startup story dates back to the
1980s. Startups have unleashed the entrepreneurial
potential of many and have given rise to several
industries, thus augmenting the Indian economy.
The government’s startup initiative sparked the
entrepreneurial spirit among many, defying the age-old
perception that entrepreneurship was not everyone’s cup
of tea.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) has been
coordinating the Startup India Initiative with other
government departments since January 2016.
Though we can trace trade and business from the ancient
period in India, people generally perceived
entrepreneurship as the knack of few and the moneyed.
After the government’s initiative, entrepreneurship
suddenly became the tact of many. The initiative includes
- simplification and handholding, funding support and
incentives, and industry-academia partnership and
incubation. The incubation facility has encouraged more
entrepreneurs to experiment with new concepts and
ideas.
This unearthed the hidden talent of many young people
who had a platter full of feasible ideas. Unless a concept
is translated into a product/service, it is as good as
redundant. The startup initiative gave a vent to ideas or
concepts.
In less than a decade, India’s startup ecosystem became
the focal point of attraction because of the whopping
number and variety of entrepreneurial initiatives coupled
with a robust angel investor network. Venture capitalists
or private equity firms have the lion’s share in the startup
business.
In the past few years, India’s dramatic transformation in
the startup sector has left everyone stunned. It is
counted among the top five countries making waves in
the startup landscape. India is a country of youth, which
is the most significant advantage for the startup
landscape. This pool of entrepreneurial and technology
talent comes majorly from IITs and IIMs. Earlier, these
students mainly sought big companies or went overseas.
But with the startup initiative, they are using their
knowledge and skills to start their ventures. A massive
increase in online consumers and equally enterprising
individuals have balanced the demand and supply scale.
Unlike the popular perception of the yore, it is not just
good luck that helps businesses succeed. It is much more
than that; as they say – an idea can change the whole
world. One needs to conceive the correct notion and be
persistent.
Having a feasible idea, anticipating future market trends
and changes, efficient management that builds a
conducive environment for employees contribute to the
success ratio.
Startups promote the ease of doing business, thus
preventing brain drain and encouraging reverse brain
drain.
Thousands of startups emerged, but a few have been able
to stand out and help in sustaining this rapid growth. We
bring you the success stories of such startups in our
latest edition of CIOLOOK, Booming Startups to Wach Out
For.
Read to find more about the illustrious journey of these
startups.

5. Innover
GraffersID
StoryMirror
MyRx enables Healthcare and Pharma Industry Digitally,
with its wide range of Products, Solutions and Consulting.
Since 2013 Innover has been creating original spaces that are
interesting, comfortable, and deeply personal.
GraffersID is an Award Winning IT Company with a tailored
process for Mission-Driven Startups.
Its aim is to increase the success rate
of the startups by developing user-centric products.
Genid Shipping and
Logistics
Genid Shipping and Logistics, a business conglomerate
headquartered in India, is pioneered by stalwarts in the
industry with a vision to provide a wide array of shipping and
logistics solutions to its global client base under a single roof.
StoryMirror is a tech start-up focussed towards building a
creative ecosystem that offers everyone a platform to launch
themselves in the field of literature.
MyRx
Brief
Company Name
Sidharth Jain
Founder
Mr. Bibhu Datta Rout
Founder and CEO
Surjit Das
Co-founder, COO
Sakshi Gehani
Creative Director
Dr T Johnson
MD and CEO
Featuring
TalentSurabhi
TalentSurabhi is a start-up firm, with a vision to influence and
drive the changing needs of Indian recruitment ecosystem
through talent pool landscape analytics.
Gayathri Arumugam
COO
Donatekart
Donatekart is first of a kind platform that enables donors to
directly donate products to NGOs/Charities online instead of
money.
Anil Kumar Reddy
CEO & Co-founder

6. TalentSurabhi
Unlock The Potential...
Articles
08
22 36
COVER STORY
Strategic Approach
Strategies to apply while
starting up any business
Tech-Advantages
How is technology proving to
be an advantage to start-ups?

7. 40
CONTENTS
32
Genid Shipping and
Logistics Pvt Ltd
Providing Tailor-made and
Creative Logistics Solutions
throughout India
26
Story Mirror
Connecting Readers
with Writers
Gra ersID
Creating Success Stories
with Innovative Solutions

8. CONTENT
Managing Editor Sayali Sangewar
Contributing Writer Gaurav PR Wankhade
DESIGN
Art & Design Director Vishal Pawar
SALES
Operations Head Megha Mishra
Business Development Executive Sneha Nagare
TECHNICAL
Technical Head Aditya K.
December, 2021
Copyright © 2021 CIOLOOK
India, All rights reserved. The
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I N D I A
SME-SMO
Research Analyst Amol Wadekar

10. Gayathri Arumugam
Chief Operating Officer

11. C o v e r S t o r y
ith a constant increase in
unmet needs of patients
suffering from various
diseases and health conditions, there is a
need for fostering innovation in drug
discovery and development process to
address this public health issue. There are
already millions of clinical trials being
conducted globally which, paves the way
for multiple potential business opportuni-
ties for the clients across verticals like CRO,
Pharma, Life Sciences Service providers,
ITES, and KPO with strong business
pipeline.
As the global clinical research sector is
exploring India by increasingly outsourcing
clinical trials. Also, based on Market
Research analytics, it is projected that the
total clinical research industry will grow at
an exponential rate especially after post
COVID-19 era. With such positive trend,
the current and the future recruitment and
staffing environment in clinical research
sector looks very promising with limitless
business opportunities and growth.
We strive to
break barriers,
forego tradition, and
move beyond what
is expected to deliver
outstanding results for
every client
Unlock The Potenti l...
W

12. “The future of talent acquisition lies
in reskilling, rather than finding
someone better in the market. If you
need to hire today, you need to
reskill yesterday,” says Gayathri
Arumugam, Chief Operating
Officer of TalentSurabhi (TS). She is
passionate about creating impact
with best mix of people, process and
product in a rapidly increasing
scope, scale, and speedy ecosystem.
Gayathri has over fifteen years of
recruitment experience in the
industry having served some of the
world's best CRO and IT companies.
She is highly competent and
versatile professional with more
than a decade of expertise in the
Intersection of areas of Entrepre-
neurship, Business Development,
Strategy and Market Research. She
is a self-motivated result-oriented
professional having cultivated an
impressive track record of serving
clients and candidates in Recruit-
ment Services for various Industrial
sectors.
Gayathri has demonstrated experi-
ence in CXOs and leadership level
hiring and proven track record in
upselling and cross selling the
leadership profiles. Her prime focus
is always to partner with the clients
and candidates to provide them
strategic and advisory consulting,
branding and market intelligence to
ensure the unique match that makes
individuals, companies, and indus-
tries flourish.
She is seasoned in negotiating and
influencing skills. She possesses
extensive client engagement and
relationship management experi-
ence. She is Proficient in under-
standing the ‘People’s Mind Set’.
Gayathri is also specialized in
reading between the lines to
understand the expectations of both
clients and candidates in serving
their needs.
The ‘Talent’ Behind TalentSurabhi
Gayathri’s deep recruitment
expertise, profound knowledge in
domains and market demands, rapid
increase, and unmet need of Staffing
in Pharma, CRO and IT Industries
paved way to the setting up of
TalentSurabhi in 2020.
Like many great inventions, the
founding of TalentSurabhi has been
an exciting journey. Founded by the
board of directors the idea for
TalentSurabhi is a first born of
innovation and an appetite to help
companies address their unmet
need in a rapid increase of hiring
demand in CRO, Pharma and IT
industries.
Purpose of TS is rooted from her
extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.
Gayathri got an opportunity to
serve the CRO client way back in
2015, when she was associated with
the reputed Recruitment firm as a
Business Development Manager,
she got an opportunity to sign-up
with a CRO client which was a new
vertical to her organization by itself.
She had a meeting with the ‘Country
Head’ of the established US based
CRO firm in Bangalore, she was then
assigned to search for a leadership
role ‘Director of Biostatistics’,
which was a burning requirement in
a very rare talent pool, the client
was in need to close the position on
a very crucial basis.
By understanding the clients need.
“Gayathri says”, The requirement
shared by the CRO client was
something unique and niche skill to
work for the very first time. She
deep dived by doing a market
analysis and research to learn more
about the new skill set and compe-
tencies expectations and identified
the best suitable talents from the
Clinical Research Industry. She went
back to the client with set of 3
profiles out of which, the client was
very impressed with the first profile
submitted, the candidate was
interviewed and offered the best
Passion
is the path
to peak
performance

13. talent within 30 days of the assign-
ment signed.
Though Gayathri had a decade of
experience in recruiting for IT
leadership positions, she was very
excited and motivated to close the
‘Director of Biostatistics’ role.
When she experienced this success-
ful closure happened in a quickest
possible turnaround time, she loved
to learn and explore more in the
clinical domain. This unique experi-
ence and highest level of satisfac-
tion had triggered her passion and
commitment towards solving the
unmet need of staffing problems in
Clinical Research Industry. She built
a good rapport and networked with
the industry leaders and met with
them in person to understand the
gaps of hiring in the Clinical
Research industry.
“The year 2020 has been an odd and
very tough for businesses. However,
the COVID-19 pandemic, a natio
wide lockdown, and social distanc-
ing measures did not devastate our
confidence and commitment to set
up our new venture TalentSurabhi,
we perceived challenges as opportu-
nities by pivoting at the face of
COVID – 19 Pandemic,” conveys
Gayathri.
A Service to the Talent Search
The company’s customized process,
coupled with effective communica-
tion and a commitment to each best
talent hiring, produces long-term
relationships and highly successful
partnerships. Its approach is simple
and is defined by the ability to
thoroughly understand the clients’
culture, objectives, and key success
factors to ensure the perfect fit.
TalentSurabhi is a start-up firm, with
a vision to influence and drive the
changing needs of Indian recruit-
ment ecosystem through talent pool
landscape analytics. At TS we are
dedicated to provide every client
with talent solutions that meet the
needs of their specific industry and
search assignment.
TalentSurabhi with its service
offerings developed over a decade
of industry experience are uniquely
positioned to address wide range of
scope in an increasing speed to
provide scalable staffing solutions
‘that are tailored to meet customers
resources needs’. At TS we provide a
full range of solutions including
temporary, Consulting-as-a-Service
(CaaS), Ready to Resource (R2R),
permanent staffing and other
workforce solutions in the areas of
Life Sciences and Healthcare, CROs,
Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals,
and Information Technology.
“We truly understand the impor-
tance of building strong relationship
with clients and candidates alike,
allowing us to fully understand
hiring needs and never compromis-
ing on quality. We assure our clients
and candidates are mutually
benefited,” says Gayathri. “We
exhibit a moral and ethical responsi-
bility to both our clients and
candidates; by meeting their needs,
we create meaningful opportunities
for best talents and long-term value
for businesses,” adds the team at
TalentSurabhi.
Ultimately, we are committed to
conduct first-class business in a
unique way and determined to be
the most preferred strategic
recruitment partner.
Bridging the ‘Talent Gaps’ Amidst
the Pandemic
The biggest challenge during the
pandemic was quitting the job due
to uncertainty and venturing into a
new start up immediately despite
knowing the high risk and benefits in
the business for Gayathri. Every
crisis comes with myriad of chal-
lenges and opportunities for
transformation. Her team at
TalentSurabhi leveraged opportuni-
ties to blended learning approach to
address the accelerated increasing
rate of Scope, Scale and Speed of the
business, especially as the competi-
tive landscape of its business nature
was disrupted by radically different
business models, newly emerging
and dynamically changing business
demands. Another tough challenge
was setting up of a new office space
during the pandemic and convincing
clients during BD pitch and client
vendor qualification audit.
The pandemic has disrupted a major
sector of the workforce in ways
Gayathri didn’t anticipate. In
response to COVID-19 pandemic,
she urged all necessary control
measures, that have made remote
work as new norm. Staff members
were transforming living rooms into
workspaces, facing difficult
decisions about how to adapt and
survive this seismic shift, surpris-
ingly hiring practices have changed

14. overnight. The change was uncom-
fortable at first, but TalentSurabhi’s
team of professionals were up for
the task. Initial phone screenings
remained the same, but the face-to-
face interview has been moved to
online mode.
“We invited candidates to take up
the interview from our office
premises with all precautionary
measures. To speed up time-to-hire,
we offered candidates the option of
video interviewing as soon as
possible,” shares the team of
TalentSurabhi. Virtual interviews
not only aided to accelerate the
hiring pipeline moving, but it also
enhanced the candidate experience
and boosted employer brand. Long
delay in every aspect of the com-
pany’s operations depended on
multiple stakeholders, which
affected its operations during the
pandemic.
“We observed that job seekers were
adaptive and flexible when
organizations put safety protocols in
place, which resulted in highly
interactive virtual interviews. It was
evident that recruitment profes-
sionals could assess candidate’s
gestures, expressions, engagement,
and body language as easily through
online as in person. Also, handshake
greeting, which is a part of in-person
interview process were missing in
the virtual one,” states Gayathri.
The company adapted to a new
strategy and deep dived in consult-
ing and preparing its candidates
with focused areas including but not
limited to, demonstration of
professional behaviours/etiquettes,
Client Background briefing, Backup
plan for any technological interrup-
tions, client working culture, time
zone and importance of impressive
presentation to crack the interview
in best possible ways, which
ultimately resulted in higher
likelihood of interview clearance. Its
hiring team were in constant touch
with clients and candidates to make
sure they feel comfortable during
the entire interview process and
ultimately build better relationships
with client and candidate.
Beyond the Strides
On a long run Gayathri envisions
TalentSurabhi to be one of the top
recruitment firms in serving Clinical
Research Industry and to be one
among the top five recruitment
firms serving other sectors in India.
The company is committed to
expand its footprints in different
major cities in India and to have
global footprints in other APAC
countries. “We envision to scale our
team up to 50 in five years down the
line,” adds Gayathri.
Given the current events, busi-
nesses have been forced to re-
evaluate many of their processes,
procedures, being adaptive and
flexible to confront the challenges
and restrictions the world is facing.
One of the most daunting tasks for
many organizations during this time
has been talent planning and
assessment.
We provide our services
for Life Science,
Healthcare and
Information
Technology space

15. Identifying the ideal candidate
to fill a vacant position is difficult
enough, but now businesses
must do so without in-person
interaction. So, the company
embraces this new reality of
talent assessment, that are as
follows:
Ÿ Influence and drive the
change
Ÿ Enhance digital capabilities
Ÿ Strengthen clear communica-
tion with set expectations to
client and candidates
Ÿ To reduce time to hire
Ÿ Assess and develop leader-
ship
Ÿ Contribute significantly to
the industries it serves by
preparing ready to resource
workforce and impart training to
reskill and upskill to meet the
dynamically changing industry
demands.
“We at TalentSurabhi help our client
and candidate redefine the ‘NEW
NORMAL’ it has always been our
mission to break barriers, forego
tradition, and move beyond what’s
expected to find best talent. Now,
likely more than ever, this continues
to reign true,” conveys the team at
TalentSurabhi.
Its team is no stranger to the
challenges that businesses face
when assessing new talent. Virtual
talent assessment has been an
integral part of the company’s
process since day one of its busi-
ness, and they have not only found a
way to harness its capabilities, but
also use it to their client’s advan-
tage. TalentSurabhi delivers fre-
quent virtual webinars through
industry thought-leaders, that build
and develop cutting edge solutions
in addressing high demand skills and
competencies.
Its objective of hosting webinars is
to create awareness about the
clinical research industry among
fresh graduates. It is to create future
work force and highlight the bigger
picture of various role to experi-
enced candidates showing the way
to align industry expectations with
their career progression plan and to
expand its network and bridge the
Talent Pool Gap. “We see a huge
challenge in identifying the talents
with niche skillsets in this particular
domain, hence we are keen to
inspire and prepare more talents by
organizing such webinars in the
future,” concludes Gayathri and her
team at TalentSurabhi.
Valuable Words by Gayathri
Arumugam
“Don’t Let Failure Stop You from
Succeeding”
Sharing some of the details of how I
failed as a Mompreneur, what I
learnt, and how it brought me to
where I am now.
Back in 2011 – I was a first time
Mompreneur, a new mother who
wished to stay back home for a
better upbringing of my child. When
I turned 25 my entrepreneurial
spirit began. It was as if someone
turned on a faucet, and ideas started
flowing into my mind one after
another.
In 2010, I embarked on the most
fantastic, nerve-wracking journey of
my life. On November 6, 2010, I
became the mother to a beautiful,
baby girl. Before the idea could even
get materialised, I jumped and
ventured into a new day care
business on August 5, 2011, which
was an amazing accomplishment for
me. That entrepreneurial flame that
had sparked inside me flickered in
and out as I tried to balance my
family and my desire to be a
successful entrepreneur.
Delivering superior
results is our top
priority

16. The truth is, I simply was not
prepared for the long-haul with my
business, and I most definitely
underestimated how completely
exhausting motherhood would be.
Eventually, my business model was
not sustainable because I was not
ready to take up any challenges and
I failed. My hopes of being a work-
at-home Mom, running my own
business, and building independent
wealth and security for my family
seemed like a distant and
unattainable task.
In 2012, my ex-boss reached me out
and asked if I was available to join
her start-up leadership recruitment
firm as a sourcing specialist. I
decided to move ahead with her
offer and joined immediately, with
all my love and passion towards
work, one year down the lane, I got
promoted as a Business
Development Manager. The
entrepreneurial flame that had
sparked inside me flickered once
again in 2016, I tapped into my
creative side of my passion towards
greens and did market research for
six months and ventured into my
second entity ‘Gift My Plants’ on
March 12, 2017. The business was
at peak and saw huge success as
second time entrepreneur.
On November 19, 2019, I was
featured in ‘Your Story’ for creating
a new business model, a one stop
destination for gifting plants,
corporate gifting, and garden set
ups, which had presence in Inorbit
Mall, Whitefield at Bangalore. Due
to the pandemic crises, we moved
our business from a physical store to
online and we still see potential
customers seeking our services and
we still exist.
I know with all my heart that success
is nothing, but failure turned inside
out. Equipped with this belief, I have
set myself on a trajectory to
accomplish the happy life I desire,
and to help those inspired souls
around me to do the same. It has
been a process to learn how to
balance being a mom who is both
active and present in personal lives,
and also be true to myself and
pursue my creative passions.
Now, I know how to fail fast. I know
how to pick-up the pieces and
create again and again.
My advice to the young generation
of entrepreneurs and business
enthusiasts based on my pragmatic
learning from all those tough
lessons in my life.
Be a Passionpreneur, think out of
the box, have a clear vision, and
objective with apprentice mind set.
Be innovative and think creatively,
stay curious to learn new things
every day, set a strong foundation
during the initial stages of setting up
the business. Have a clear pathway
to make a profitable business, stay
focused, have a growth strategy, ask
for help within your network who
can uplift your ideas.
Ÿ You must have a plan for
sustainability and a solid
promotional strategy.
Ÿ You need to believe in the
product.
Ÿ Just because you have
experience on a topic, doesn’t
mean you should start a business
around it. For me, it has to be
something I am passionate about.
Ÿ I love helping to spread positivity
in the community I live in, it is a
passion and a talent that I have.
Ÿ I had to find a common bond
between my passions and create
a brand that allowed me to set up
new ventures.
Being Courageous is better, ‘Never
give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will
be worse, but the day after tomorrow
will be sunshine.’

17. T lent from TS Spe ks
I am Geffrey Manuel, working as a Client Relationship Manager
(CRM) at TalentSurabhi (TS). I have joined TS sixteen months ago
as a Talent Search Analyst and in the span of 6 months of time I got
promoted to CRM, I am proud to say that I am the first employee of
TS, my potential and performance are very well recognised till date.
Being part of the founding team, TS has been very generous in
considering my opinions to any major changes that are made. The
biggest asset of TS is the people who work here and Gayathri a
strong leader who provides the best of opportunities and exposure
for an employee to explore their skills and talent. She unlocks the
potential of employees and helps them to nurture it and turns it into
a skillset/competency. The team at TS is more like a close-knit
family than just co-workers, we work together and help each other to achieve our targets and company
goals. Although it is a start-up company with a small pool of mix of talents, I am very much confident and
strongly believe that TS has high potential to grow bigger, because of the deep domain expertise and the
people who work here are passionate, committed and focused on their goals.
“As a keen observer of market trends in the space of human resources behavior and talent management.
I find ‘Talent Surabhi’ a breath of fresh air. Their approach towards connecting available talent to the
requirements of the industry is simple, time-bound, and result-oriented.
A start-up with a decade-long experience, they bring a matured strategy to their business. The breath of
industries they have covered so far bears testimony to their pledge, ‘To provide every client with talent
solutions that meet the needs of their specific industry and search assignments.’
As a company, their time-tested, old-school permanent staffing solutions, blended with flexible
solutions like Consulting as a Service (CaaS), Ready to Resource (R2R) address the
needs of changing times in industries that have seen states of constant flux and increasing growth.
In my personal interactions with the Talent Surabhi team, I found them to be pleasant, professional,
providing real-time responses with clear timelines for the next steps. They are available all through the
way. This attribute builds confidence in both parties i.e., the Client company and potential candidate,
leading to less ambiguity, more transparency, and successful closure of positions in the shortest possible
time. In my observation Talent Surabhi believes in Win-Win-Win for all involved.”
- Dr. Deepak L Joseph
Follower Spe ks bout T lentSur bhi

18. An Undervalued Talent Pool
From
the
D
iry
of
G
y
thri
Arumug
m

19. Did you know many companies are missing out on a large, untouched pool of
talent? It’s true, and too often it’s due to misconceived perceptions about
something employers never take the time to ask questions about a resume gap
that keeps these women distant from getting back to work. This talented group
of individuals is primarily made up of women re-entering the workforce after
taking a break from their professional careers. Unfortunately, there is a massive
bias against these candidates because of the employment gap due to the time
spent raising their children. However, they should not be ignored or classified as
unqualified because of time away from their careers. After all, you may
unknowingly pass up on critical talent hidden in this undervalued talent pool.
Instead of rejecting or otherwise qualified profiles because of the ‘Career Gap’.
At TalentSurabhi, we discover the undiscovered talents and directly reach to the
candidate. When we source candidates such as women re-entering the
workforce — we get to know who they are, along with their strengths and
weaknesses. In our eyes, a resume gap due to being a stay-at-home mom is
never a weakness. Women re-entering the workforce offer a level of talent and
aptitude that can greatly benefit any company. As with any hire, specifically an
executive hire, we always encourage companies to focus on the fit rather than
just the find. By asking strategic questions, like the ones above, you can learn
more about these women while discerning their potential and fit within the
culture. You can count on our dedicated team to be there every step of the way
to support companies and guarantee the successful recruitment and integration
in every hire.
Most of the closures we made for the last one year was 50% of women’s who
were on a career break due to various reasons, our candidates were extremely
happy with our service for placing them in multinational CRO companies in India,
despite high challenging & tough time during the pandemic.
We just not support connecting right opportunities with our candidates, we also
impact their career with great turning points.

20. Candidates Talk about
TalentSurabhi
“The team of TalentSurabhi has a great understanding of job requirements and
identifying different eligible talents for filling up the job openings.
They represent a great communication between clients or candidates. Their way of
work is truly appreciated.
The best way to thank a business consultant is to refer them to other businesses or
friends, when you really think the consultant did a great job. I would like to thank the
TalentSurabhi team for providing me with an opportunity, help, support and
encouragement due to which I am working with a great company now. I have had two
breaks in my career due to personal reasons, but keeping them at par, they have given
great opportunities to interact with great organizations.
This team works with so much energy and dedication that they have given me a great
career start after my breaks. They have been great go-getters for me, glad that I have
contacted them at the right juncture of my career, so that I have a smooth career path.
Even during the pandemic when it’s difficult to communicate with the company HR's.
Really like to appreciate the entire team of TalentSurabhi for being so supportive and
also guiding me in making the right decision on choosing this job, which I am enjoying
the most in my career so far.
Thank you, team, and wishes for many more businesses.”
-Nina N
Premier Research
-Dr. Amanpreet
Agati Clinical Informatics
“My experience with TalentSurabhi has been nothing short of excellent. They are
extremely friendly and highly involved throughout the whole process, with feedback
from the employer being communicated to me almost immediately. I was lucky enough
to get the job offer from them after a break in my career. I am extremely grateful to the
team for making the process very straightforward.
I highly recommend TalentSurabhi for their professionalism, as well as for their very
friendly approach to recruitment. Not but the least I would like to thank regarding the
motivation given by the team during the process. They were incredibly responsive,
supportive, and helpful. It felt like a personal service which can be rare. Thank you so
much, I’ve really enjoyed my experience with TalentSurabhi and the job you have found
me ticks all the boxes I was looking for.”

21. The Most
Promising Words
from the Clients
We value our relationship with TalentSurabhi team.
“TalentSurabhi possesses a deep knowledge of the life sciences sector and works with
a wide network of well-qualified individuals across a range of job disciplines. What I
value the most is that Gayathri always listens but she is never afraid to push back when
she feels that someone is the right fit for our business. Having a vendor partnership
with Gayathri and TalentSurabhi has significantly improved our time-to-hire on several
key roles over the past 2 yrs.”
-Neha Kapoor
HR Manager at Emmes
-Dr. Sakthivel Sivam, PhD
Director of Biostatistics, Quartesian
It was a great pleasure working with TalentSurabhi (TS) for multiple positions of Senior
to Principal Biostatistician’s role. Their efforts in identifying right talents meeting Job
Descriptions and hiring manager requirements were exceptional.
TalentSurabhi turned back very quickly with the right set of candidate profiles including
immediate joiners that was so impressive and saved us from a very crucial resourcing
situation. I found that they were very diligent in every stage from CV circulation to
ensuring no offer dropouts till the last moment.
Among other recruitment agencies I have worked with, I strongly believe that
TalentSurabhi services are superior to other agencies about their value-added services.
My Overall impression and experience with TS are above and beyond my expectations.
I have experienced their profound knowledge and expertise in CRO/Pharma Industry
recruitment on various interactions.
I thank the entire TS team for their extraordinary support, and I highly recommend their
services.

22. Case
Studies
by
Virtual Hiring
Success Story – I
‘TalentSurabhi’ was recommended to fastest
growing multinational CRO to help them fill their
ongoing multiple open positions for
Biostatisticians and Statistical Programmers roles
in India to overcome their crucial resourcing
needs. During our initial search process, we have
understood that lack of visibility and branding of
our client was seemed to be the bottlenecks. As a
strategic recruitment partner, we went above and
beyond and helped our client with our market
intelligence insights which lead to create a new
role for HR Leadership.
As a solution to our client existing problems, we
upsold a profile for the position of “CHRO”, at first,
things went smooth with the interviews concluding
in a week, but we ran into another difficulty as the
CTC of the candidate was beyond client budget.
We put our best step forward and convinced the
candidate to join this fastest growing CRO by
detailing her the impact that she would be
creating with this opportunity and grow
significantly with our client organization.
TalentSurabhi worked closely with the client and
candidate to bring the search to a successful
conclusion, we were able to close the position with
1:1:1 ratio and 100% closure happened within 20
days of assignment signed.

23. We approached our client who is a mid-size Multinational CRO company; they were
searching for a high demanding role of ‘Principal Biostatistician’ for more than three
months. We met with the hiring manager virtually to understand the gaps they saw in
the variety of candidates they had interviewed. Once we captured the pain points
from the hiring manager, we have surprised our client with some immediate joiners’
profile and rescued them from crucial resourcing situation and were able to close the
position with 4:2:1 (4CV’s:2Offers:1Joinee) ratio and candidate joined after 30 days
of notice period. 100% closure happened within 35 days of assignment signed.
‘TalentSurabhi’ worked with a multinational CRO to identify a technical expert on
high demanding role of ‘Lead Statistical Programmer’ Position in India. We had a
difficult task to close this position as the number of candidates who would qualify
were few in number and the candidate who we found was a strong candidate, an
immediate joiner.
But the candidate was a difficult person to deal with, so we treated the ground
cautiously and took extra care to ensure she felt comfortable with us and the client.
With the submission of 6CV’s, this position was closed with 6:2:1 ratio and 100%
closure happened within 30 days of receiving the requirements.
Virtual Hiring
Success Story III
Virtual Hiring
Success Story II

24. small seed of a new idea creates the tree of a
Anovel business. It will bear fruits in due course if
nurtured with love, passion, patience,
perseverance, intelligence, and innovation.
On the road of a new business venture, taking that first
step is winning half of the battle, while the other half
can be won with sheer planning, keen monitoring, and
deep resilience to keep going on, even in the face of
adversity.
Planning will help you in the short term. But to succeed
in the long-term what you need is a full-proof business
strategy.
The quest of questions begins: The journey for
answers starts.
The idea might have come from entrepreneurs who
need to be her/his own boss. Or due to unavailability of
any product/service which the entrepreneur has
detected in the existing market. Whatever the case,
starting and running a new business from the scratch is
time, effort, and money consuming. The investment
required may run from some thousands of bucks to
millions.
Thus, the first aspect for a soon-to-be entrepreneur to
consider, is a careful analysis of numerous questions,
about the idea of business.
December 2021 | 22 | www.ciolookindia.com

25. Strategic Approach
- Is my business knowledge, education enough to start
this endeavour? Or should I upskill myself?
- Why, how, and when to begin this venture? Where will
my startup be located? Should I start online at first
and then set up a physical office?
- Who will be my ideal customer? What kind of products
or/and services I will provide to them? What kind of
nature my firm will have, private/partnership/LLC or
something else?
- How much investment in terms of time-efforts-money
will this startup need?
- Should I go to a Venture Capitalist (VC) or a Bank or
Private Investor or are online options available? Or
should I go to governmental agencies which helps
MSMEs?
- How much loan will be needed for initial startup costs,
taxes, and fees etc.?
- Should I need to insure my business?
- Who are going to be my competitors?
- How will I run, operate, manage, market, and advertise
this business? What kind of people and how many of
them will be needed to execute the business properly?
December 2021 | 23 | www.ciolookindia.com

26. - What types of technology I will be using to make my
business accessible and competitive?
- Should I go to a business advisor or consultant?
The above list is not exhaustive. There are many more
questions, based on the type of entrepreneur, her/his
situation, and the kind of enterprise she/he is going to
setup. In short, there is a lot to consider before even
beginning the business venture. To tackle all these and
many more such questions, what the entrepreneur
need, is a detailed and thorough strategic game plan.
The Strategic Game Plan:
In case of VC, or a bank, or a government agency, or
even a private investor, a detailed business plan is
mandatory.
A business plan contains the title and type of your
business, followed by your profile/resume and an
executive summary. Then it will have a business
description agenda, which will state your startup's
mission, vision, goals, short and long-term objectives,
and an approximate break-even-point date (the date
your business will be profit-making).
Then it will have a detailed outline of funding,
investment and finance your startup is going to
consume in the short as well as in the long run. Most
loan providers look for three yearly projections. And
many of the legitimate finding sources ask for your
personal income tax returns or ITR's for the past three
years.
Now, you can either prepare such a business plan all by
yourself, or you can go to an advisor or a consulting
firm. They will charge you fees. If they are asking for too
much, you can go online and save your money with
customized business plan software. There is a variety of
such software available. There are many packages of
software that will not only help you in making your
business plan but also plans for your marketing and
market strategy analysis, competitive analysis, design
and development, operations and management, and
financial strategy.
Marketing will give your startup introduction, visibility,
recognition, reach, and identity to your prospective
customers, clients, consumers, and your backers. A
great marketing plan will have effective communication
and advertising strategies. It will understand your
target market and its patterns of demographic,
geographic, and psychographics, showcasing the actual
and perceived benefits of your products and services to
the customers.
A meticulous market analysis will define your market
strategy, your standing and your position in the market.
It will also contain the type and kind of competition you
are going to face in the market. The aim of design and
development is to provide a description of the
product/service design, chart its developmental graph
in the context of manufacturing/production and
delivery.
While operation and management will describe the
actual day-to-day functioning of the startup. And
ultimately financial strategy will give you inputs about
all the financial data which will make sure the smooth
running of your business startup.
Careful consideration of all the above-mentioned
aspects and plans will lead to a successful business
startup blossoming from the scratch. Always remember
that due diligence, confidence, love, and passion will
make you accomplish the starting and growing of your
startup a reality.
Best of Luck!
- Gaurav PR Wankhade
December 2021 | 24 | www.ciolookindia.com

28. Genid Shipping
and Pvt. Ltd.
Logistics
Providing Tailor-made and Creative
Logistics Solutions throughout India
Dr. T. Johnson
Managing Director and CEO

29. he objective is to provide customers with
Ttailored, high-quality, large-scale comprehensive
Logistics solutions that will give them a distinct
competitive edge, which is rarely found. Looking for a
team dedicated to attaining the greatest levels of
productivity and efficiency in all its shipments is hard to
find.
There is a clear demand for quicker, more efficient, and
cost-effective transportation options in today's
competitive climate. One company providing all
necessary solutions related to shipping and logistic
space is Genid Shipping and Logistics Pvt Ltd (GENID).
GENID was founded, just about when COVID-19 was
creating headlines and global supply chain scenario
looked gloomy. Nevertheless, nothing stopped Genid
from adding several prestigious clients to its growing
list and to be one of the best door-to-door logistics
service provider in India within a short span of time.
GENID is ably steered under the dynamic leadership of
Dr T Johnson, CEO & Managing Director, a stalwart
with over three decades of experience in the logistics
industry. He founded the firm in early 2020 with
support from Ms. Sneha Britto, daughter of Dr. S.
Xavier Britto, Chairman, Kerry Indev Logistics, a 35-
year-old logistics company. Combining Ms. Sneha’s
business acumen and Dr Johnson’s vast industry
expertise, Genid offers extensive range of logistics
services backed by impeccable infrastructure.
The core activities of the organization include
Integrated Logistics, International Freight Forwarding,
Ship Chartering and Brokering, Global Project Cargo
Logistics, Inland Transportation, Customs Clearance,
Warehousing, Granite Stocking & Stuffing and
Stevedoring.
Building a Global Presence
GENID meets the logistical demands of its clients
worldwide, providing full supply chain management
solutions across time zones. It firmly believes that each
industry has its own set of logistical requirements,
which is why it has created the specialised knowledge
necessary in a wide range of industries, all of which are
supported by a network of specialists with well-defined
process flow and logistics methodologies.
Timely pickup and delivery of goods is the intricacy of
the logistics industry. Ensuring adherence to the
schedule, GENID provides a comprehensive package of
door-to-door services which begin with shipment being
picked up from the warehouse or factory, surface
transport, custom clearance, sea transport and last mile
delivery.
Staunch Inland Connectivity
GENID is a major transport and logistics business in
India, offering value-added services in road transport,
air and sea freight, integrated logistics, and customs
clearing. Genid Shipping and Logistics, as a fully
WE LEVERAGE OUR ENORMOUS
GLOBAL NETWORK FOR THE
BENEFIT OF OUR CLIENTS TO
PROVIDE THE FINEST
INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION
AND LOGISTICS SERVICES
“
“
Booming Startups to Watch Out For
Ms.Sneha Britto
Investor - Genid
Shipping & Logistics
December 2021 | 27 | www.ciolookindia.com

30. integrated transport and logistics provider, can make
your logistics network more cost-effective, regardless
of any industry.
The company provides personalised service with
highest efficacy to best serve its clients. GENID has
gained a competitive edge by integrating
transportation modes such as road, rail, and sea.
Granite shipments – The Company's Forte
Granite product stuffing has received a lot of attention
at GENID. The business is primarily about aesthetics
and the quality of its labour. The team at GENID
oversees operations and guarantee that the quality of
the goods is not compromised all over the world. The
company’s technical team specializes in designing and
building equipment used for safe rough block stuffing.
All dunnage wood used in the shipments is chemically
treated to guarantee that termites or other damage do
not cause long-term harm to the wood, and all dunnage
is ISPM certified. GENID’s centralised pricing desk
negotiates competitive pricing with Shipping lines to
provide tailored solutions for logistics needs.
December 2021 | 28 | www.ciolookindia.com

32. Stay in the known.
Subscribe to CIOLOOKINDIA
Get CIOLOOKINDIA Magazine in print, and
digital on www.ciolookindia.com
I N D I A
JANUARY 2021
VIRTUAL
PEBBLES
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5
RECOMMENDED
Digital
Marketing
COMPANIES
DIGITAL MARKETING
VS TRADITIONAL
MARKETING – WHICH
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Tarun Gurwara
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BEST OF
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34. Creating Success Stories with Innovative Solutions
Client testimonials
are our most
valuable asset
since they
recommend us
the majority of
the time
“
“

35. e live in times when we cannot alienate
Wourselves from technology. Every industry is
adapting tech solutions for smooth func-
tioning and branding. And while technology keeps
evolving every day, Web and App development are
growing with more incredible speed.
Every industry is keen on creating its app. Web devel-
opment can make product branding and company
branding happen smoothly.
Therefore, it is no surprise to see several start-ups
shifting their attention towards web development and
venturing into this robust tech field.
One such solid company that counts in giving ace-level
web and app developing solutions for every industry is
GraffersID. It also provides organizations with the
option of hiring remote dedicated developers from
India on a contractual basis based on their project
requirements.
In an exclusive interview with CIO Look India, Sidharth
Jain, the proud Founder of GraffersID, shares some
insights about his tech-savvy firm. Following are the
highlights of the interview.
Describe us about GraffersID in detail.
GraffersID is an award-winning website and mobile app
development company founded in 2017 to increase
start-up success rates. The current start-up success
rate is 10-20%, yet 80 percent of the businesses we
have worked with have been successful and have
obtained capital within one month. Some are incubated
by YCombinator, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global,
Harvard's Incubation, and other well-known venture
capital firms.
As a development partner, we have worked with over
25 unicorns to date. We have received several awards
for our services.
Some of them are:
• Global Business Awards 2021 – Best IT Company
for start-ups
• Asia innovation Congress – Premium Product
Development IT Company
• World HRD Conference US – Most Trusted
Software Development Company
• Zoom TV Awards India – Impactful IT Company
• Design Conclave Australia – Premium UI/UX
Experience
• Clutch – Top Web Developers India 2020
• Mobile App Daily – Fastest Growing App
Development Companies in 2021
Mr Sidharth Jain please brief us about your journey
and shed some light on your professional tenure.
I am the proud founder of GraffersID, a website and
mobile app development firm. I founded GraffersID
intending to increase start-up success rates via the
development of user-centric solutions.
I am from Barwaha, which is 60 kilometers from Indore,
Madhya Pradesh. I completed my education in Indore
before enrolling in a Mumbai Top College for higher
studies.
I had a passion for coding and was keen to learn about
new technologies since my undergraduate days. Only
because of my perseverance I had the opportunity to
work for India’s largest IT company at the time.
Because of my competence and love for my profession,
I was blessed with a significant opportunity to work on
Booming Startups to Watch Out For
December 2021 | 33 | www.ciolookindia.com

36. the company’s most valued project. I also had a chance
to be trained in a foreign nation and work on the client-
side.
After a few years on the job, I decided to leave and
establish my own business. I hired a co-working space
and began working as an IT consultant using the money
I had set up. I started writing articles on Quora,
Medium, and LinkedIn to gain more business, to answer
people’s questions.
Within a few days, I rose to the most famous writer
position in the start-up category. People began to
approach me for business consultation and
development assistance.
I was rewarded as one of the "Most Influential 50
Youth Marketing Leaders" by World HRD Congress in
2018 for my marketing abilities.
What made you venture into the industry web and
app development space?
When individuals started coming to me for advice for
their businesses, I realised that this is what I want and
love to do.
I began talking with people about their projects and
realised that they were frustrated because their
businesses were not producing the desired results. The
difficulties that start-ups and entrepreneurs confront
encouraged me to launch my firm.
What kind of offerings does GraffersID provide to its
clients?
We are a software development firm with a strong
emphasis on website and mobile application
development. In addition, businesses can employ a
devoted remote developer from India on a contract
basis based on the project's needs. As well, if our clients
desire it, we provide SEO and maintenance services.
We are well-known for developing marketing-
optimized customer-centric Websites and Mobile Apps.
We work in four steps:
Step 1: Requirement Gathering
Step 2: UI/UX
Step 3: Development
Step 4: Maintenance and SEO
What kind of challenges have you faced while entering
the web and app development industry?
A handful of our early start-up clients failed, but we
didn’t give up. We examined the errors and interpreted
them as lessons to be avoided in the future. We realised
that the customer and GraffersID suffered as a result of
these errors. GraffersID lost its customer because the
client lost hope.
If we provide customers with valuable services, they
will be more interested in developing long-term
relationships with GraffersID. With a few tweaks, we
December 2021 | 34 | www.ciolookindia.com

37. are already receiving excellent feedback from our
clientele.
How was GraffersID affected during the pandemic?
What steps did you take to curb the damages while
helping your clients and maintaining the safety of your
employees?
During COVID-19, all individuals and companies were
severely harmed, and many entrepreneurs were forced
to close their doors. Every other day, we lost a loved
one. When I realised this, I took two key steps:
a) In collaboration with other prominent IT businesses
in MP, I established a helpline number via which
patients could connect directly with doctors for Tele-
Consultation. To combat the spreading of
disinformation, we even launched a chatbot to dispel
misconceptions and raise awareness.
b) In order for businesses to thrive, I formed many
WhatsApp groups of company owners. People may
openly seek counseling, talk, network, and exchange
business requirements in these gatherings. We even
held many live seminars with industry leaders that
provided members with practical tips and hacks.
Almost 90% of the members of the group survived the
pandemic and continued to expand.
What would you like to advise the young generation
of entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts?
In my interviews and talks, I often bring up this remark -
“If you enjoy doing something, you will subconsciously
improve. As a result, you should constantly work on
something that you are enthusiastic about. And your
learning should always be motivated by a sense of
interest or a necessity.”
Any degree or education will not help you succeed;
nevertheless, your attitude, enthusiasm, and desire for
your profession will.
So, constantly keep your aim in mind and do things that
make you happy.
Where do you envision GraffersID to be in the long
run, and what are your future goals? How do you plan
to embrace the changes happening in web and app
development space?
We begin as consultants in a co-working environment
to increase start-up success rates. We are currently a
well-known IT firm.
Our long-term goal is to become a successful incubator
so that we can finance and support start-up concepts
financially as well as technologically. The main reason
for this is that it boosts the success rate of start-ups
and assists them in achieving long-term goals.
What is the current industrial scenario of the web and
app development space?
Businesses and customers are increasingly moving
online as technology advances. Businesses that want to
engage with their internet clients must have an online
presence. As a result, they are having software built for
their company to address this need. According to
research, barely 30-40% of organisations have business
software.
As a result, we believe the software business will have
several opportunities in the future.
December 2021 | 35 | www.ciolookindia.com

38. How is technology
proving to be an
advantage to start-ups?
December 2021 | 36 | www.ciolookindia.com

39. Tech-Advantages
T
echnology saved the world from drowning in the cesspool of a
pandemic. It also pulled out the world economies ashore and is
still keeping them on track. It gave a breath of fresh air to those
businesses, that otherwise, were gasping for breath. And it certainly
rekindled that flame in the freezing hearts (with horror at the utter
despair the pandemic brought) of those startups, who were looking
aghast, at the situation, unfolding in front of their eyes.
Today, technology is that immunity firewall, without which a business
(especially startups) will be seriously ill. And it will die an unknown
death, too, if unable to adapt to the change and adopt the technological
advantages into their core functional systems. In short, they must
develop a tech mindset, which will give them that competitive
advantage to come out on top of any crisis.
Thus, technology is a blessing in innumerable ways for a startup. In fact,
its very existence depends on it, whatever be the nature of the startup.
Even a completely non-technical startup will require technology even to
commence, forget becoming operational afterwards. So, what are those
amazing advantages technology will bring to a startup? Let us find out.
Beyond Conventions: Reshaping the Startup's Present
At a conceptual level, technology may mean different things to each one
of us, and our businesses. But at a practical level, we cannot imagine
surviving without it, personally and professionally.
From smartphones to artificial intelligence (AI)
based smart televisions, we are surrounded in
our personal lives by modern technological
smartness. No wonder, it has surrounded
us in our professional life, too. Today,
every business, irrespective of
December 2021 | 37 | www.ciolookindia.com

40. its sector, trusts technology (sometimes more than it
trusts people) to not only do the business but also to
bring in more business and expand its reach to new
markets and newer customers and that also quickly.
Even traditionally tech-averse sectors like logistics and
manufacturing have seen their fastest growth thanks to
tech innovation. In other industries like banking,
finance, stock exchange, insurance, and trade (BFSIT)
and retail, pharmaceuticals, medicine and healthcare,
technology is penetrating deeper and evolving faster
than ever. Due to this constant evolution, conventional
business models are getting redefined. So much so that
many entrepreneurs, startups, and big businesses alike
are finding it difficult to simply keep up with the pace.
From technology as an enabler, entire business
processes are getting either outdated or completely
transformed. The old corporate world's buzzwords like
ERP, SCM, CRM etc. etc., had now been revamped.
While many other concepts like big investment – huge
profits, old consumer delivery models, physical
experience is best, and many more are completely
obsolete. Automation and Process Integration have
allowed small and tiny businesses to reduce costs and
increase profit at the same time.
#Key Tech Focus Areas:
• Look beyond conventional business tricks and use
technology as a market disrupter to stay in the
game and outpace the competition.
• Automation equals a personalized customer
experience. Thus, integrate artificial intelligence
(AI), machine learning (ML), and analytics into the
heart of your business functions.
• Budget allocation and asset sharing based on
scalable platforms.
• Granular pricing models (pay for what you use or
use now-pay later)
• Analytics and decision making on the top
management level
• Smartphones, IIOT, robotics, sensors, machine
learning (ML), 3D printing on shop level
• Artificial Intelligence (AI), analytics, machine
learning (ML), chatbots, and auto-bots on front
office-level
• Data and info sharing platforms at the back-office
level
• Integrating all the levels into a single business
ecosystem using smart techs like cloud, IoT, and
digitalization
#Embrace New-age Tech:
Startups have many advantages over big, established
businesses like agility, adaptability, and capability and
capacity to disrupt. These advantages come naturally if
a startup allows the tech to take the lead and present
its image as a techno-driven product/service innovator
to the consumer/customer.
• Appreciate and embrace the latest tech in the
business model
• Recruit and develop a tech-savvy team of
professionals with an ability to adapt fast
• Learn and unlearn the implications of new tech on
the business processes
• Willingly look at modifying existing rigid structures
and replacing them with disruptive technologies to
keep the competitive edge
• Develop B2B networks and peer-to-peer
knowledge and experience sharing platforms
#Tech-driven startups:
Pandemic pushed each and every business to think out-
of-the-box. And those who took tech assistance
evolved fast and remained in the market. The change
was in the mindset and approach rather than only in
theory.
• Assess all and select that technology that is
intrinsic to the core business model
• Look beyond the geographical boundaries with the
scope of IT and IoT
• Map and tap the existing and potential markets
with the help of a third-party tech service provider
• Outsource costly business processes rather than
allocating too many funds to digitalize them
• Problem-solving using tech-based solutions instead
of traditional business consultancy
• Reskill and upskill the workforce to adapt to the
changing expectations from the market,
consumers, and business management
• Use hybrid (in-office and remote) workforce
management, model
• Keep innovating and utilizing technology to do it
If a startup does all of this, then just like that tennis
match where the referee says, 'advantage new-player',
the business market match referee will be forced to say,
'Tech-advantage, Startups'.
- Gaurav PR Wankhade
December 2021 | 38 | www.ciolookindia.com

42. Connecting Readers with Writers
iterature of the Indian sub-
Lcontinent has been character-
ized by an exuberant diversity
of languages throughout its history
and has been enriched by ever-
shifting dialogues among these
languages, the region, and the culture
they represent. People read almost
everything they are interested in.
Whether modern or classic, literature
is the best way to comprehend
knowledge.
A few years back, people used to visit
libraries or search for specific topics
according to their requirements, but
it was a time-consuming process. The
introduction of online reading
platforms changed this scenario by
providing knowledge on relevant
topics by identifying readers’
interests and also offering them
widespread information.
The online reading platforms are
becoming one-stop knowledge
providers at the fingertips, and a
major advantage of that is – It is
easily accessible on whichever
electronic gadget is available to the
readers. These platforms created
opportunities for the writers as well;
to create appropriate content on
numerous topics and share it with the
readers. This is where StoryMirror
comes into the picture.
StoryMirror nurtures a community of
millions of readers and writers. Story
mirror is a platform for the writers to
showcase their writing and they are
offering reading material for the
readers as per their reading prefer-
ence of content in language and
genre.
In an exclusive interview with
Insights Success, Mr. Hitesh Jain, Co-
founder, and COO of StoryMirror
shed light on the company’s journey,
the current industry scenario, and his
vision on the future of the company.
Please describe our audience about
StoryMirror in detail and how it is
currently positioned as a trusted
literature platform in India?
If we have to introduce StoryMirror
in one sentence, it is YouTube for
writers and Netflix for readers. We
are not only giving just a platform to
writers to highlight their writings on
a global level but also making it
possible for them to earn through
their writings. From a reader’s
perspective, we provide them with an
option to read as per their reading
preference of content in language
and genre.
StoryMirror was conceptualised to
solve a problem in the book
publishing industry and that was “to
bring transparency for authors.”
However, as we started to work
towards it, we realised that we have a
much bigger problem to solve and
that was “to bring literature to the
mainstream in India.” We all know, a
country becomes progressive when
more focus is put on imagination and
literature is the best way to do so.
Books have always been part of our
life, but literature and writers have
never been given due importance.
We want our children to read books,
but we do not want them to take
literature as a career. In India, we
have more than 70 EdTech start-ups
for IIT exams, robotics, coding, etc.,
but no one talks about literature. We
want writers and writing as a
profession to be accommodated with
the same respect and remuneration
as any other profession like doctor,
engineer, chartered accountant, etc.
What started as a single page
website, has grown to become the
largest literature tech platform in
India. Today, StoryMirror has the
highest number of content creators,
the highest number of young writers,
the highest number of translators,
the highest number of original
literature content and we receive
more than 30,000 content pieces a
month. Since ancient times, stories
remain an integral part of human
civilisations.
Some research papers say an average
human being generates ten unique
stories a day. So, in a 70-year life
span, one person generates more
than 250K stories. So, we are talking
about close to 200 trillion stories if all
stories of one generation are collated
into one place.
Imagine how the world will look like
with all stories in one place? And no
one ignores stories. You might like it
or dislike it, but you cannot ignore it.
On your deathbed, if someone asks
you about the formula around
coordinate geometry, calculus,
organic chemistry, you might have
forgotten them all. But you would
have never forgotten the stories even
before you started schooling.
Every day we experience so many
stories. If these stories are not
catalogued, they will end with the
person. We believe that every story
has an emotion, and every emotion
December 2021 | 40 | www.ciolookindia.com

43. has the power to impact someone.
StoryMirror is about millions of such
stories impacting billions of lives.
What made you venture into the
publishing industry?
Mr. Bibhu Datta Rout is the Founder
and CEO of StoryMirror, also, an
author of a national best-seller
“Wheels of Wish.” He wrote the novel
while working for an investment bank
(Credit Suisse). However, publishing
happened to be the toughest work.
Consistent denial by publishing
companies forced him to start a
company. The original idea was just to
publish his book through the
company. But as he discussed with
fellow authors and co-founder,
Hitesh Jain, they could understand
why a country like India has never
produced authors like Leo Tolstoy,
Jane Austin, and J.K Rowling.
Both of them thought of solving this
problem by bridging the gap between
readers and writers. Rest is history.
Today StoryMirror has become one
of the best literature tech platforms
of India serving readers and writers
in ten different languages
What kind of offerings does Story
Mirror provide to its clients?
StoryMirror caters to the entire
literary journey of a writer. Whether
you are looking to publish a single
story or poem online to start your
literary journey or want to publish a
book and make it available globally,
Story Mirror caters to all.
When a writer lands on our platform,
it appeals to her/him instantly as
there are not many platforms where
creative content is appreciated. S/he
can submit content in multiple
formats (story/poem/quote/audio).
There is also a small blog section,
where s/he can submit opinions.
Writers can write in multiple
languages, they can select cover
images from a library of millions of
cover images, can crop, change
colour, font etc., before uploading. All
stories and poems are moderated,
and many are edited as relevant.
Editors rate the content, check genre,
and tags, etc. during the moderation
process. The moderation process is
partly automated and partly manual.
With the passage of time, we plan to
automate the content approval
process.
Once content gets published on Story
Mirror, it can be shared, liked, rated,
and commented on by the readers. In
order to improve the skills of writers,
we have a module called “contests”.
We have conducted 300+ writing
challenges for writers and they enjoy
the most when challenged through
creativity.
Every week an Author of Week is
chosen for writers to motivate them
further. There are few gamification
modules in place, and many are
coming up. Through author
dashboard and other marketing and
distribution tools, we bring complete
transparency to the literature
ecosystem.
With time, StoryMirror has also
emerged as the most reliable,
innovative, and flexible publisher for
writers who are looking to publish
their book and get a reach to millions
of readers. With international
distribution collaborations and
innovative marketing initiatives,
StoryMirror has created 25+ national
bestsellers.
When a reader lands on the platform,
he sees a lot of powerful User-
generated, but curated stories and
poems on the platform. They are
carefully crafted based on editor
scores and user ratings to provide an
amazing reading experience. There
are short stories, long stories, poetry,
quotes, audio stories segregated into
various genres and lengths.
The reading experience is the same
seamlessly across Android, IOS, and
Web. Due to our design and quality of
content and SEO optimisation,
almost 50% of the entire traffic is
from organic search, which is the
highest among peers and competing
companies.
The experience of the readers helps
them to become writers eventually
and we have observed almost 23% of
writers in StoryMirror were readers
when they joined the platform and
after several months of reading, they
started contributing as a writer as
well.
Mr. Hitesh Jain, Founder and COO
Mr. Bibhu Datta Rout, Founder and CEO

44. What kind of challenges have you
faced while entering the publishing
industry?
There was not one but many
challenges which we encountered
while commencing the business and
also while running the day-to-day
operations of the company.
We come from a society where
parents want children to become
engineers or doctors or designated
MBA’s. Art, as a stream has always
been looked down on. It was always
like one pursue arts only if science
and commerce options are not
available.
Many of us would have wanted to
probably take arts as a stream but
due to parental or peer pressure
ended up taking some other career
option. We want our children to read
books, but we do not want them to
take writing as an education stream
and as a career.
Being in a society, with this mindset
we realised that our journey is not
going to be easy. We believe that we
are on the right path, and we are
constantly being told who reads
books these days and how will you
make money. With our innovative
marketing strategies, we are not only
looking at increasing revenues, but
also an expansion of StoryMirror.
How was StoryMirror affected in
these pandemic times and what
were the steps taken by you to curb
the damages all the while helping
your clients and maintaining the
safety of your employees?
Human beings are destined to face
problems, and all problems provide
us with an opportunity to stand
against all odds. During the
pandemic, we worked hard and
observed a lot of opportunities. We
were able to see significant growth of
StoryMirror within our readers and
writers base, and our revenue
numbers were on the rise as well.
More importantly, we didn’t lay off
any employees during the pandemic
time, which boosted the morale of
the team to perform best to their
levels and clients were also happy for
getting the same quality services,
that they mandatorily expect from
StoryMirror.
What would you like to advise the
young generation of entrepreneurs
and business enthusiasts?
Any entrepreneur journey is not an
easy one. It is always a roller coaster
ride. Dealing with the creative
domain is quite difficult. The only
advice to young minds is to work hard
in a focused way and don’t think of
the outcome.
Where do you envision your Story
Mirror to be in the long run and what
are your future goals? How do you
plan to embrace the changes
happening in the publishing
industry?
We are always rewarded for good
works. There are delays in God’s
world, but never reward is denied.
And your business should add value
to people’s life.
We have built a set of products,
which helps writers to augment their
skills, check their revenues through
StoryMirror, build their aspirations to
become national best-sellers. When
intentions are good and efforts are in
the right direction, the journey
becomes an interesting one.
Passions and support from the entire
team are what kept us alive. Probably
it’s the best team we could have ever
asked for. The passion that the team
carries is unparalleled. We strongly
believe we are on the path to making
India read and write again. Our long-
term vision is to capture all human
stories under one platform - seven
billion people, seven billion stories,
and one platform, alive through our
breath-taking and success stories.
What is the current industrial
scenario of the publishing industry?
The industry is too big to have dozens
of unicorns in the space. Content
once created can be monetised in
multiple formats. Everything put
together is a multibillion-dollar
opportunity. The creator economy is
the next big thing. It’s over $500Bn
globally and over $100Bn in India
alone.
You will see a new era where creative
people make more money than
technical people. The windows of
opportunities are opening very fast,
and we are confident the industry we
are into is expected to upscale with
exponential speed. And then add to
that the Bharat or the vernacular
market that’s opening up.
Our long-term vision is
to capture all human
stories under one platform
“
“
December 2021 | 42 | www.ciolookindia.com