HERALD: What is an IOT eco system?
Rohin Parkar: IoT is latest buzz word in the IT industry along with other trending areas like Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual reality. IoT stands for Internet of Things. To put it in simple terms it is a network of things (everyday devices) which are connected to the Internet which continuously push data into the cloud. Analyzing this data helps us make better decisions. To give you an example, smart street lights are equipped with ambient light, proximity and temperature sensors. The data from all these lights and sensors is used to optimize the duration and intensity of the lights thus resulting in substantial power savings.
HERALD: How does your company help Goans?
RP: We have currently hired 10 full-time and part-time freshers from Goan colleges and we plan to expand the R&D team to at least 20 in the next 3 months. We believe in hiring freshers and training them in various skills required so that they can build a successful career for themselves. We also have an 80-20 rule in the company where 80% of the time the employee has to work on the tasks assigned and 20% of the time he can work in the field of his or her choice. Under the Goa start-up policy, the Govt offers incentives for hiring Goans and we are looking forward to avail the benefits of this scheme.
In addition, we are heavily engaged with students from various colleges by conducting skill development programs. We currently have 3 batches of project students from Goa Engineering College, Agnel Institute of Technology and Design and Shree Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering and Information technology. These groups of 4 students each are undergoing intensive, hands-on projects under various industry relevant topics in the IoT space. We think this is very important as this exposes the students to the industry while they are studying, imparts them with industry relevant knowledge and prepares them for the challenges ahead after they graduate. This also enables us to develop talent which we or other companies could hire.
Finally, in order to create jobs for the youth of Goa we plan to manufacture our own products in Goa. So along with hiring engineers we plan to create jobs for Goans in the field of electronic assembly, testing, packing and quality.
HERALD: Who are your major customers?
RP: In general, our end-customers are direct consumers who have a need for home automation, manufacturing facilities and public infrastructure developers. Currently we are operating on a B2B model. But we also plan to start making our products directly available to the consumers.
HERALD: What new innovation have you added in your product?
RP: At the Delhi IoT expo we recently announced our new range of products under the brand called BLINQ IoT. We have developed each and every product from scratch so a lot of R&D effort has gone in. We have innovated in every aspect of the product development to minimise the cost of the product so that we can offer an economically viable solution to the Indian ecosystem. We use a strong wireless mesh technology which makes our IoT network robust and gives it a virtually infinite range. Also, our products are interoperable with other brands which allow us to scale quickly.
HERALD: How do you see the Goa market?
RP: Goa as a market is limited due to its small geographical size and population. But at the same time Goan population is well educated and adept at using technology, so Goa will be quickly able to adopt our products. However, we are looking to expand our reach across India and hopefully around the world.
HERALD: Why did you return back to Goa from USA?
RP: This was one of the toughest decisions of our lives especially because both our kids were born in USA. The main motivation behind coming back was to be close to our immediate family and in addition to that we always had an affinity towards Goa and wanted to do something in Goa. For years we have been planning to do something in Goa. In 2014 I had started a Solar company in Goa with the aim of entering the renewable energy space. But things did not work out. So, this time we felt that only once we move back to Goa then we will be in a position to start something new. And that is exactly what happened and we started Mrinq Technologies.
HERALD: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
RP: I see myself involved in a lot more social and education related activities in future. The younger generation is the future of our country. We need to invest in our human capital at an early age to make sure they have a strong foundation to take on the challenges in future.
As for our company is concerned, I see Mrinq technologies as being one of the leaders in the Indian IoT hardware and products space. And even more importantly I see Mrinq technologies as a company where people would feel proud to be associated with and students from around the country wanting to work for Mrinq. I have always been in an environment where I got to learn freely from my seniors, peers and employees opinions. We at Mrinq are committed to create such a work environment where our employees feel they are a part of a family. I do not mind Mrinq being a stepping stone for students to enter the industry because I firmly believe that, what you give comes around someday.
