HERALD: What is your field of specialty?
DEEPAK PATHANIA: I am an industrial designer by education and a compulsive inventor by passion. Combining these two traits with a thirst for multi-disciplinary action, we have always managed to bring innovation into the simplest of projects.
HERALD: How does your company help Goans, specially start-ups?
DP: When I shifted to Goa, all my friends thought that it was the end of my career and that I have decided to retire and chill. But to me, Goa was where I could make my dreams of launching these new start-ups (D’Art of Science and Ab-TAB) come true. In Mumbai, just the struggle to make ends meet will make sure people remain in the rat-race whether they are employed or self-employed, dream projects remain dreams for most.
I have been a part of the GCCI Education Committee for the last 3 years and have also conceptualised an App which aims to help bridge the communication gap between the academia and industry. The app is being developed by the students of Don Bosco Engineering College, Margao.
HERALD: Who are your major customers?
DP: For D’Art of Science youtube channel we have close to 20,000 subscribers of which, 35 per cent are Indian viewers, 23 per cent are from the USA, and then across Europe and Asia. D’Art of Science youtube channel is an ongoing video series with international standards of production, showcasing innovative products and presentations that are all created in-house. The videos are mostly presented in the unique combination of DIY and How it Works: First an original DIY is shown in an innovative presentation and then the science behind it is explained in another video.
Ab-Tab, is a table for your Abs. This is unique table that is filed as an invention patent since our worldwide patent search showed that nothing like this exists worldwide. It’s a stand-up table on which one can do full body exercises to keep in shape. Its launch is on the Independence Day so till then the image cannot be shared. We are planning pan India sales through Amazon launchpad and PepperFry. Our market is homes, hotels and corporate offices.
HERALD: What issues did you have to face when you thought of launching these companies?
DP: D’Artof Science was launched as a vertical and now in partnership with a distribution partner we will launch it as a start-up.
Cool Convertible (to sell Ab-Tab) is currently being launched and because the Start-up India scheme has many advantages, we will register under the scheme and also register with a government funded Incubator. Working through an incubator has some great perks and therefore is really attractive.
HERALD: What made you work as an entrepreneur in Goa?
DP: I have a long-term plan. A lot of what I am doing now is aimed to get national and International credibility in creativity, innovation, invention, design, engineering and making sound business sense by showing a method in the madness. A few years later we will launch an infrastructure to facilitate a huge invention competition and convention in the country which is my long term dream — a Sunburn scale of event for the inventors of the country and the world. Goa was the obvious choice.
HERALD: How do you see Goa as a market? Are you planning to spread out?
DP: Goa as a market is really small to sustain a scalable business beyond a point. However, Goa has the perfect ingredients to support a scalable business that originates from here and goes out to the country and the world. Of course, a lot needs to be done about the infrastructure to help business growth, but slowly I guess its happening.
HERALD: Where do you see yourself five years from now?
DP: In my workshop and I should be busy making some new invention come true. Around me are talented people from all over the country and the world. What we do in the workshop is meaningful and fun. This would be the core activity while the verticals I am creating today would, by then, be the “distribution” or “monetisation” channels to make everything possible.
