HERALD: What were the initial hurdles you had to face while establishing your company in Goa?
Mangirish Salelkar: I had to start from scratch, literally. There were no incubation centres in Goa those days nor any mentors or set pathways to follow, even to register your company, leave alone legal or financial help and guide. Finally, I decided to register my company with Software Technology Parks in India (STPI) which is linked to all necessary government wings in Information technology sector. Currently, there are very few companies in Goa who are registered with STPI.
HERALD: What do you do and what do you expertise?
MS: Umang Software Technologies is an offshore software development company. Our core competencies are Software, Web and Mobile App Development. We are working on various projects across the globe in various domains such as Marine Research, Construction, Healthcare, Veterinary Clinic, Travel, Hospitality, Power Management, GIS and Business Management.
HERALD: How is your company different from others?
MS: Firstly, when India is looked upon as an IT leader of the world, we have thousands of IT Companies in India and we have to create a niche for ourselves to come out of the crowd. Clients look at timely delivery, value for money, and quality. Right from the project requirement, understanding and analysis to delivery and deployment, we ensure that a progress card is right before our clients. The client is kept updated about their projects on a daily basis. We work with an agile model, where the client has the liberty to change the requirements at any point during the development of projects. This flexibility and transparency keeps our client satisfied and committed.
Secondly, we give utmost importance to employee satisfaction by focussing on their career growth and work-life balance. We add value to the employee, by introducing them to various workshops on communication and personality development, and exposure to different technologies.
HERALD: How many people work for you? Do you have any branches apart from Margao?
MS: We have over 30 member team globally and of which 70 per cent of the employees are from Goa. Yes, our headquarter and development centre is in Margao Goa. We have collaborated with a company from Netherland and Washington for business development.
HERALD: Why did you choose to start in Goa? Why not Pune or Bangalore?
MS: I was born in Goa and I wanted to be in Goa and have an IT setup in Goa so that Goans do not have to go outside in search of jobs. I also felt that Goa had the potential to be an IT Hub. Many IT Tech Entrepreneurs struggle day in to build this image for Goa. The true hardworking Goan IT Entrepreneur has actually redefined the traditional term ‘Susegaad’ which usually is misunderstood as ‘lazy and laidback’ to ‘proficiently reposed’.
HERALD: Is the Goan IT Ecosystem improving?
MS: Yes, We have made virtual groups and forums, where IT entrepreneurs, share business, discuss common issues and plan for the growth of IT Industry in Goa. Big and small IT Companies from Goa are coming together to simply uplift the IT industry of Goa to generate more jobs. Many of the IT engineers are now looking at options for joining companies in Goa. The trend is changing and Goa is having the potential.
HERALD: What are your views on how the Government of Goa can work better for the development of IT hub in Goa?
MS: The government has lately started paying some attention to the IT Industry. The Director of DOIT, Mr. Ameya Abhyankar has shown keen interest in this arena and also come up with a strong IT Policy. He is meeting with various IT companies for the IT policy to have a good foundation for the industry in the state. The government is also aiming to attract giants from the IT industry, but I do not think they will move to Goa soon as we still lack in infrastructure, public transport connectivity and other facilities.
HERALD: What future do you see for your company?
MS: I want Umang to be recognised as a quality IT service provider and most importantly, we want the world to view Goa as an IT destination and not just a holiday destination. We are a process driven company and ultimately we aim to deliver a rare combination of service i.e. accuracy with speed.
