“If your profession is something you enjoy, you will love and thrive in the industry. You can easily accomplish what you have set out to do.’’ – This is Vinitha Rathi’s advice for young and passionate entrepreneurs out there.
Vinita Rathi is the CEO of Systango, an all-around software development studio that provides on-demand development services and consultation. This company was founded for solving three basic problems that businesses face: diverse experience, lack of in-house expertise, and limited talent pool. This service-based company helps many companies to build prototypes, digital products, and MVPs. Systango distinguishes itself by embedding within its client’s ecosystem and becoming an integral part of their teams.
In this interview with Business Upside, Vinita Rathi discusses her entrepreneurship journey with Systango. She also shares her business concept, mission, methodology, lessons she learned, business strategies, recruitments, her most satisfying moment, generating new ideas, motivation, etc.
Edited Excerpts from the Interview
Business Upside [BU]: How did you get your idea or concept for the current business model?
Vinita Rathi [VR]: While I was employed at Goldman Sachs, I detested the practice most offshore Indian teams pursued and always thought there could be a better way to offer tech services. That’s when I decided to take my love for tech seriously and underpinned it with trust, ethics, and security to build Systango. I preferred to bring transparency and offer a steadfast technology team with productive business consultation.
And I figured the best way for me to do that is to set up a Web and Mobile development agency that can work with founders who struggle in building their technology products even when they have a fabulous idea just because they lack the technical know-how.
So in 2008, I and my husband, Nilesh Rathi (MD, Systango), decided to establish a boutique web and mobile development agency that could deliver quality products and challenge the status quo.
Today, we are an all-around software development studio. As a service-based company, we aim to deliver on-demand development services and consultation as a service-based company. We assist companies in building prototypes, MVPs, and full-fleshed digital products.
[BU]: What was your mission at the outset?
[VR]: At its inception, Systango entirely focused on bringing transparency and delivering a reliable technology team for its clients with productive business consultation.
[BU]: How do you market your business, and which method has been most successful?
[VR]: I believe your work and projects speak for themselves. Hence we focus on highlighting
our best work in every development niche while attending any industry events. Also, we have received many business-to-business referrals from almost all the clients, which have helped us grow by manifolds. We are now investing our efforts in inbound marketing.
[BU]: What is unique about your business?
[VR]: What makes us unique? Well, we founded Systango to help solve three main problems for business owners- lack of in-house expertise, diverse experience, and limited talent pool. We give clients the ability to spin/wind teams in a minimal time. In a very noisy/crowded environment, Systango distinguishes itself by embedding within its client’s ecosystem and becoming an integral part of their teams. We thrive to become an end-to-end IT service organization, big enough to undertake the most extensive projects yet small enough to maintain the loyalty and intimacy of a boutique firm and, in turn, contribute mightily to our client’s success.
[BU]: How do you generate new ideas?
[VR]: Brainstorming with my team of experts. I believe in coming together with all the good ideas and then eliminating those that don’t fit our mission. If you have 100 ideas and 99 of them are terrible, you’ve still got a winner.
[BU]: If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting, what would it be?
[VR]: One of the upsides, as well as downsides to tech, is that it’s ever-changing and at an exceedingly fast pace. One must keep themselves updated if your profession is something you enjoy. You will love and thrive in the industry. You can easily accomplish what you have set out to do.
Also, it is paramount to have short and long-term plans for your company, and it will not only keep you motivated but also strengthen your business. As cliché as it may sound, persistence and perseverance are two traits you must keep demonstrating.
[BU]: What do you look for in an employee?
[VR]: The calibre of the team is the single most important factor in predicting the company’s success. So, while selecting an employee, I focus on someone who loves what they do. Someone who can blend in with the team to develop innovative ideas and solutions. At Systango, we have tech superheroes, honest devils, foodies, and perfectionists; who just love what they do.
[BU]: Do you believe there is some sort of formula or pattern to becoming a successful business model?
[VR]: I personally believe persistence and perseverance are two traits you have to keep demonstrating. You must have a vision and put in continuous efforts to fulfil it.
[BU]: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
[VR]: I believe it’s the small moments that matter. Every time we help a startup or an SME leverage technology to scale their businesses or become more effective and efficient, every time we add a new technology department to our organization, and every time we launch a new product in the market and see it impacting millions of lives, I feel happy and satisfied with what I do.
[BU]: What motivates you to become an Entrepreneur?
[VR]: Being a Woman in Technology, I feel it is my duty to promote and encourage women’s participation in Tech companies. I have helped found WomenHackForNonProfits which has more than 1200 women volunteers globally serving nine non-profits, Director of Women Who Code London Chapter, and Lead at Google Women Techmakers, London, to bolster the cause of feminism in Tech.
More Information
- Company URL: https://www.systango.com/
- My LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinitarathi/
- My Designation: CEO, Systango
Also Read: Shweta Thakur, the Founder, and CEO of Wildermart, Talks about Her Entrepreneurial Journey
