Today we’re interviewing a very special guest, Mr. Gaurav Roy. He’s an accomplished, motivated and business-minded Alumnus working in the IT industry. I conducted an interview to learn more about him and his success.
Eden: Hello and welcome Gaurav. Let’s plunge right in. Tell us a bit about you and your upbringing.
Gaurav: Hey Eden, first of all, thank You for this session/discussion. I’m a Technical guy who is also an alumnus of LPU. I was the topper of my era. Previously, I’ve worked with some popular MNCs and mid-sized companies like w3schoools, YouTube, ByteHash Technologies, Digital Jalebi, Sanfoundry, Udemy, etc. and in supporting role in (DRDO) govt. projects. Currently, I’m working with an MNC company – Synopsys Inc. as a Technical Writer & Automaton Engineer.
Eden: What was your experience like as a student of Lovely Professional University?
Gaurav: LPU has given me a broad spectrum of opportunities to hone my skills and showcase my implementation towards those skills. I’ve won 2 entrepreneurship competitions also organized by LPU Startup School. The rage and domain of learning are limitless at LPU.
Eden: Tell us about your extracurricular activities (i.e. internships, training, competitions) at Lovely Professional University.
Gaurav: I worked as a Senior Technical writer at w3schools when I was in my masters. Also, side-by-side, I’ve completed some diplomas, degrees, and certifications like C|EH, CH|FI, PMP, Diploma in Information Security (DIS), Application Security Engineer (sp. in .Net). After my 3rd sem at LPU, I went for an internship in Digital Jalebi Interactive Solutions and worked as Interactive Application Developer. I won Innovative Startup Competitions, some dance competitions held under SCA, and attended many workshops and seminars. So, overall, the journey was career-changing.
Eden: What 3 words would you use to best describe you, and why?
Gaurav: Punctual, Well-disciplined, Dedicated: These three words can help me define, because for me “Time is more than money” because if you spent some money on something, you can earn that but on the cost of using your time, but if you waste your Time, you cannot earn that at any cost. So, punctuality is always a keen feature in me. Yes, I’m well disciplined and dedicated to my work – keeping all the promises and words I’ve given.
Eden: Describe your role at your current company. How has it shaped you?
Gaurav: I’m working as a Technical Writer & Automaton Engineer where I’ve to write technical documentation and do some coding for supporting the backend automation of the documentation process. My work has made me more sincere, professional and since I’ve worked with these MNC companies, their work process was crisp and efficient. Also, I’ve learned the managerial and leadership skills and how to take an idea to the next level is what I’ve learned so far from my professional career.
Eden: In April 2019, you conducted an entrepreneurial workshop at Lovely Professional University. Let’s talk a little bit about that. What has your entrepreneurial journey been like thus far? Take us through the journey.
Gaurav: First of all the workshop on Entrepreneurship was so engaging and I loved that session with all my audience. Well, my father is a businessman – that might be a genetic start. Then my journey of Entrepreneurship boosted back in my Master-days where I saw a good scope of business and innovation as a new domain which not only focuses on revenue generation but also exercises in constantly bringing and thinking about problems that a mass users are facing and come up with an innovative efficient approach to solve the issue. Gradually, I fell in love with this domain and got committed in a few months after joining LPU. I’ve kept on generating ideas and create their architecture and approaches, write programs and apps to solve certain issues.
I then participated in Entrepreneurship competitions (60 seconds elevator pitch) and IIT – Innovative Startup Competition and won 1st position under Startup School LPU. That gave me a kick-start and then later I sold an entirely new idea to a Startup group (which is now a full-fledged company) (though I cannot officially reveal the name) and they pay me for selling that entire idea, and implementation architecture and approach. Then the game reached its next level and I decided to create an online course on Entrepreneurship by the name: Learn & Understand Entrepreneurship – The Untold Journey which is running live on different e-learning platforms like Udemy, IndiaSkillCapital, Vconnekt, Simpliv. Then, last Nov, I’ve given an entrance exam of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for joining their course on Entrepreneurship. After 3 rounds of written, online Idea Pitching and F2F, I got selected to join their Bootcamp and Entrepreneurship course. Lastly, I’d like to add that I’m a board member of a company name ByteHash Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Where I provide my innovative ideas to the committee to bring new things to action.
Eden: Have you received any incentives, either from LPU, investors or the Indian Government, to support your entrepreneurial ventures?
Gaurav: Actually, the LPU startup school organized an event where investors met with Entrepreneurs who are listed in the top 10 innovative work and there I get exposure and understanding of how to approach investors and VCs and pitch the entire idea.
Eden: Do tech startups in India have supportive innovation networks? Are there good incubators, investment opportunities, etc.?
Gaurav: Yes, many well-recognized institutes like LPU, IIT’s, IIMs which are supporting young entrepreneurs to build their startup. Nowadays, almost every good institutes are having incubation labs, startup school divisions, investment connections, and opportunities. Even entrepreneurs can themselves approach investors Venture capitalists through online professional platforms like LinkedIn & Nexgeno.
Eden: In your opinion, what 5 qualities and/or values must any startup entrepreneur have?
Gaurav: Yea, 5 qualities I can sketch out like this –
- Never Lose Hope
- Never Quit
- Keep innovating your idea and business model
- Adapt to the change in technology and customer needs
- Play fair
Eden: Any career tips or must-knows for graduating students?
Gaurav: Yes, I’d like to add that, many students are not aware of the fact that everything is interconnected somewhere, like technology, economics, business, marketing, bio, mechanics and whatever domain you are into, try to understand them before inserting them in your brain.
Eden: Gaurav Roy, thank you very much.
Gaurav: You’re welcome. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts with you all.
