PANJIM: Whenever we discuss start-ups, it is believed that this domain is more or less reserved for youth below 30. Yes, the definition of youth has now changed in the world of start-ups. In the recent talent hunt (Kaun Banega Udyogpati) exercise launched by the Centre for Incubation and Business Acceleration (CIBA) in Goa, the competitors ranged between the ages of 16 and 67. Several of the competitors were above 45, giving their minds and their lives a fresh start even as their bodies have slowed down a wee bit.
Anselm Gabriel Mascarenhas, 67, from Verla, Bardez worked for 35 years with the Bank of India. “I retired in 2008, and as a banker I never got the time to pursue my dream and passion. Yes, I started late, that is after my retirement, but age is not a factor, passion is. The wines which I make have captured the pallet and the taste buds and I can safely say it is a monopoly product. I hardly have any competitor,” said Mascarenhas. He is an expert in home-made wines and uses fruits like jambul, cashew, grapes, ginger, pomegranate, apple, mushroom, strawberries, coconut, etc. Only four members of his family are involved in this wine making and they do it through traditional recipes which still remain a closely guarded secret.
“My wine project presently is low capital investment incentive. Presently my investment is Rs 2 lakh and rate of return is enormous. Annual revenue generated at present is Rs 2-2.5 lakh. If I want to expand my unit I will require capital investment of around Rs one crore approximately for a capacity of one lakh litres, which can give me Rs two crore in return,” believes Mascarenhas.
Sabukutty N Dominic, 50, started his career in the Blast Furnace department of Tata Steel (erstwhile TISCO), Jamshedpur in 1987. He later joined the erstwhile Sesa Goa Ltd and handled its Pig Iron Plant. In January 2016, he decided that the time was ripe to venture into a new life. “We notice that in India pioneering efforts in the field of research and development in the Iron and Steel industry are almost negligible. Hence the benefit of innovation is limited only to the innovating company and not economically available to the general public at large,” said Dominic who is a co-founder and CEO of NelliKuru Innovation Pvt Ltd which is a technology provider to integrated steel plants to reduce the cost of production of steel making.
Vittorio Velho, 45, is a founder and CEO of Zaggar, a brand that produces highly innovative products in the personal care space and specialises in the field of product design. “My start up develops innovative functional products that we use in our daily lives. I personally feel that in one’s forties a person is fully mature and at some point realises that one has limited time to pursue their dreams. I thought that this was the time to do whatever I had to accomplish and not have any regrets later of not having tried. I have innovated the world’s first shaving brush for all the shaving foam users, making their shaving experience every morning a pleasure not a chore,” said Velho.
The 45 plus long distance business runners who have shown that it’s never too late to start are hopefully trendsetters who have one clear message. A start up may be your first job, but it could also be a new start after you’ve finished what you were forced to do earlier.
As D S Prashant the General Manager of CIBA said, “It is really heartening to see entrepreneurs from all age groups especially those in their late forties. It shows that that a great idea has no age limit.”
