The Entrepreneurial Journey of Tony G Thomas

Tekvocation, though established in 2019, embodies a vision Tony had nurtured long before. His vision went beyond simply hiring young talent. The dream of fostering the young talent from the old city of Mysuru through extended internships, rather than simply hiring them, had been brewing for quite some time

As our founder, and that of numerous other organizations, many of us have always wondered: where did it all begin? To many - Tony, a humble man dedicated to his ideas, is known for his unwavering commitment and punctuality. But if you'd ask us, we would say, what truly sets him apart is the effortless simplicity with which he carries the weight of his achievements. This article seeks to unravel the details of his entrepreneurial spirit, exploring the inspirations that ignited his passion and the strong work ethic that fuels his tireless pursuit of success. Let's delve into the mind of the man behind it all

(i)What initially sparked your interest in technology and entrepreneurship?

I was an avid reader in school, and particularly in college, was inspired by books I read about inventions and engineering advances. When I started learning engineering I was very motivated by the idea of building new products that are useful to people. I realized then that I would be happiest working on new technology and building products. It was only years later, after learning more and working on many projects, that I would get the opportunity to do that. After working as an engineer for a few years, I found a way to build a new product that was useful to the company I was working at. Later I left to start a new company.

(ii)What were some of the biggest technological challenges you faced in the companies that you've established ? Can you share a story about a time your company overcame a significant challenge?

Technology challenges vary a lot, though the biggest technical challenges tended to be around getting unproven technology to work well enough for customers in a timely way. When doing something new, it is hard to predict how long it will take for a team to get it done. And after showing customers a working prototype or early version, they want a commitment on a fully working product within a reasonable timeframe. That can be challenging for startups, requiring huge effort from a small team. One case I remember is when our delivery was delayed and our customer, a Japanese manufacturer, even threatened to sue us, probably just to increase pressure on us to complete the delivery. Fortunately, meetings to assure them we're doing everything possible, and overcoming the technical challenges soon after, put us back on a good wicket with that customer.

(iii) Can you describe the process any company goes through to develop and launch new technologies?

There are countless ways to develop and launch new products, and each company tends to favor pathways that work for them and their industry. For technology startups, releasing early versions, and finding and satisfying early customers, is a common pathway. Those early customers must be driven by something you can offer that they are not already getting from their existing suppliers. So essential for your offering to have a beneficial technology edge, or cost advantage, or other advantage like saving customers time and effort. So the process for many startups involves understanding a customer need or beneficial technology change, building an early version, and finding early customers for it.

(iv) In the product companies that you have established,How do you gather user feedback to ensure your technology meets evolving needs of the users? Could you share some instances.

Finding early customers to validate your product-market fit, as it is known these days, is an important element for most startups in their journey. That can be a hard challenge in many cases, and there is often no substitute for calling on customers and selling them the benefits of your offering. For online products, digital marketing can bring in early users and customers, and often companies offer free versions or trials to ease that path. Understanding the early customer experience, and making changes to offer the best possible customer experience, is a key factor for success. Getting insights from early users takes more effort with online users, and should go beyond support requests from customers. Speaking to these early users, and finding other ways to understand and observe their use of your products, is the source of these insights that should drive your product evolution. And on an ongoing basis, your product needs to evolve based on the changes in technology, competition, and customer types and use cases. As an example, I have visited elementary school classrooms in the US to see how teachers might use our tools in a room full of noisy children. That visit gave me new appreciation for how ease of use is critical in that busy environment.

(v) How has the competitive landscape changed since your company's inception? What are your thoughts on the potential impact of technological advancements such as AI/ChatGPT on society and the workforce?

There have been tremendous changes since I first started a company, including rapid technological change, a surge in the number of startups in every industry, rise in costs in many areas, along with many conveniences and great tools for entrepreneurs. The wide availability of deep technical knowledge in many areas, along with AI tools to help any motivated entrepreneur more easily get to a first version of their offering, makes this an exciting time for young people to pursue building new technology and products that they are passionate about. I'm hopeful that a number of our young people will be motivated by technology advancements and get deep into building this technology in India, which can benefit tremendously from creating new homegrown products, rather than importing them. If that happens, we can expect a lot of benefits to society, including improved standard of living and conveniences. I'm not concerned about AI impacting jobs, if we're able to create new technologies that improve lives and lower the use and waste of scarce resources. There are risks of imbalances and poor policies that create excess debt burdens and external dependencies. I'm hopeful that smart policies will encourage a balance of production and consumption for a healthy local economy not burdened with excess debt. In such a scenario, we need not fear job losses to AI and automation, as some new industry or technological change opens up new opportunities.

(vi) What book(s) on technology or business would you recommend to our readers?

There are of course many good books to read based on your interests, so I find it hard to recommend one book for readers. When I was studying engineering, I read The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder, which inspired my interest in building technology products. That book is still recommended by many lists on good books for engineers, though I have not read it recently and it may be a little dated. A book with wide interest to engineers or others involved with all kinds of products is The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. There are excellent books on entrepreneurs like Jobs, Musk, etc. that may be suitable for many readers. I encourage looking at lists of recommended books on technology, and picking based on your specific interests.

(vii) Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently when starting your first started your own firm?

With the benefit of hindsight, there are many things over the years I could have done to improve the future outcomes for my company and everyone involved. It's important to accept there will be flawed decisions and mistakes in your projects and career, and no one gets everything right. What is most important is to continually learn and course correct when you discover something is not working. When something is working okay but needs to be improved, that takes more effort to change, but is often worth that difficult push to change. Looking back at each new product I was closely involved in creating, I see many specific changes that could have made a big difference. One example of a change I would make is to improve communication and feedback between all stakeholders, particularly early customers. Too often engineers are busy building, and don't think as hard about communicating with all other stakeholders. That needs to be made a priority and sufficient time allocated for it.

The Entrepreneurial Journey of Tony G Thomas

Tekvocation

Tekvocation Private Limited

Tekvocation Private Limited

Copyright © 2024. All Rights Reserved with Tekvocation

Copyright © 2024. All Rights Reserved with Tekvocation