Innovators are now developing world class products and creating intellectual property from India. Product development comes with great risks, and to the optimist, with even greater rewards. We profile innovators to get their perspective on innovation.

Anant Koppar, a serial entrepreneur, is the founder Chairman and CEO of KTwo Technology Solutions. Established in Feb 2007, KTwo specializes in products and solutions that complete the last metre connection in an information link.  The concept of information anywhere, anytime and on any device is addressed by KTwo through its Last Metre ConnectivityTM technology offerings.

With a very successful career at Mphasis as President (Technology), what motivated you to create KTwo?

I have been an entrepreneur for almost 20 years now and the motivation has been there from quite some time. My interest lies in starting or building the company and taking it to point where it is self-sustainable. My interest in the technology domain began during my initial years with Wipro R&D where I was working in the embedded technologies domain. In the 90's, I was one of the earliest employees of Tata Elxsi who established Tata Elxsi in the technology domain as envisioned by the Tatas. I made an entrepreneurial venture along with three of my colleagues and we started BFL Software. BFL went on to become a very successful company finally merging with Mphasis in 2000. In 1997, I also started Kshema Technologies, a niche products and services firm, which became highly profitable and was acquired by Mphasis in 2004. As a result I became the President (Technology) of Mphasis to lead the company's technology initiatives. When EDS took over Mphasis I helped with their integration, but my entrepreneurial desire continued to grow. So in February 2007, I started KTwo to provide innovative technological solutions at affordable costs.

Can you share some of the challenges that you faced when you initially started your company?

The initial challenge was to find something innovative to do, which would directly impact the customers and enhance their quality of life. According to me there exists a huge gap between technology and its applications. The challenge will be to identify the right problems and innovate in order to provide practical solutions. All our efforts are being put together to overcome this mammoth challenge.

When Kshema technologies became a successful IT company, it was a defining moment for me. It continued to be successful even during the turbulent times of the IT slump in 2000 and finally became part of Mphasis.

How important are your IIT days in being what you are today?

The learning there has really helped me and the well versed faculty created an atmosphere of free thinking with ample amount of guidance. The program structure involved a lot of activities which required teamwork and cooperation amongst the students. The institute fosters a sense of scientific temper and highlights the importance of differentiating yourself.

How do you drive passionate involvement or innovation at the product design and development stage in your company?

We have an innovation team consisting of senior members with both formal and informal methods of idea submission. A set of institutionalized procedures takes six weeks to conclude whether a given idea can be taken to the market. We prefer to tackle market research by choosing volunteers from the entry level in the company and taking their input on the idea and its viability. This gives us unbiased viewpoints with no emotional attachment to the idea which is the key ingredient for successful innovation.

How different are the needs of Indian companies compared to companies worldwide in terms of innovation and intellectual property rights?

At a very high level they are different, because the cost structure of emerging countries in terms of the proportion of income involved in spending is different. Also the efficiency of systems is very low in emerging countries, leading to additional costs. Hence businesses will have to innovate in order to reduce costs and allow access to the mass market for its products in addition to developing highly useful applications.

Should companies realign their innovation initiatives in order to develop more products for the mass market rather than cater to select market segments? Why?

Premium, life style or niche products give the company and the innovator its deserved fame whereas the revenue from mass market products takes them to the Forbes list. Also that most niche products ultimately end up as mass market products. This principle applies to most domains too.

Five years from now, where do you see KTwo standing?

In 2008, KTwo achieved US$ 1.58 million and achieved break-even in its very first year of inception. Our goal is to solve last meter connectivity problems, which means connectivity between conventional solutions on various platforms and multiple devices needed to access such solutions. We have recently acquired a Bluetooth licensed company which will allow us to develop more number of upgraded products with Bluetooth technology. So, in short, we want to make products which would define last meter connectivity and be a pioneer in that field.

What is your advice for startups on risk taking?

Only risks can lead to success which will help you move ahead, however the term calculated risks is a misnomer. Analysis of current risks should be done: professional risk, i.e. monetary instability which may lead to a period of controlled expenditure, emotional stability; business risk i.e. the financial aspects and reentry into corporate system may not be at same level. Mental preparation for such risks should be done. Any person with good educational background should not worry about such risks, the challenge will be to think innovatively and accept the consequences. Discipline is very important.

Is it necessary to have a ground breaking idea for a startup to be successful?

I do not think so. According to me there are various factors which determine success of a startup firm. You can either be a lead innovator like Steve Jobs and come out with a ground breaking product or you can be a follow up inventor like Bill Gates - a quick and efficient follower who can take away competitive edge, which is important. Also it is very important to differentiate yourself from the market players. 

Authors, Gosakan Aravamudan - Indian Patent Consultant, Ash Tankha - US Patent Attorney and Roopam Ghosh can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or please visit www.ipprocure.com\n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or please visit www.ipprocure.com"

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