Name:[/b] Ankur Thakkar
Age:[/b] 20
Qualifications:[/b] Currently pursuing third year of Bachelors of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications.
Company Website:[/b] www.tech-tots.com
Established in:[/b] 2012
Number of employees:[/b] A team of 20, as of now.
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Q1. Tell us something about yourself [/b]
Tech Tots was formed as a joint venture by Ankur Thakkar and Nikita Govind, with the primary motive being to ‘inspire engineering technology from the roots’. Ankur Thakkar, a third year engineering student from D.J. Sanghvi College of Engineering, has been vouching for entrepreneurship activities since the last few years. He has been a finalist at E-cell Competition at IIT- Kharagpur. He is in current talks with the management of his college regarding the introduction of an Entrepreneurship cell in association with the National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN).
Q2. What is the company profile? [/b]
Tech Tots aims to introduce basic elements used in day to day electronics to the budding generation and make them combine these elements to create minor working project models of most electronic gadgets around us. Some of the Elementary level projects include Mini Piano, Dancing Lights, Electronic Dice, Burglar Alarm, and Remote Controlled Cars. The new generation is engrossed in enjoying the utility and fun element in the gadgets, sadly missing out on the incredulous yet simple logic used to develop it. They aim to arouse a deep level of interest among the students in the field of electronics so that they know where to start and become pioneers in the advancements to come forth.
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Q3. How did Tech Tots Click?[/b]
The idea of Tech Tots clicked on one fine day when Nikita’s younger sibling, an eighth grade student of a reputed school in Mumbai, seemed to be amazed to know that a day to day life electronic gadget like a piano can be made in its basic form as a palm sized working model using just about 5-6 basic elements of electronics. Her curiosity made us realize that basic electronic practical knowledge was highly missed out in Indian school education systems. Being students from a strong electronics background and a deep passion for entrepreneurship, we decided we could change this situation with Tech Tots.
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Q4. Why into the education sector?[/b]
Education is one of the foremost gateways for any developing country to become a developed country. India being a country with some of the brightest minds in the world should definitely have an education system which is whole and complete in every technological aspect, so as to give rise to excellent pioneers of current technologies in future. Electronics has yet somehow failed to become an integral part of the education system in Indian schools. We plan to bridge this gap.
Q5. Can you tell us something about the initial days- what kind of challenges, struggles did you face?[/b]
Initially, the major problem which majority young student start-ups like us face is not being considered as professionals. We had to groom our persona, build strong professional relations with people and prove our worth, which has helped us substantially. Other than this, balancing academia has been an issue but we have managed to strike a balance as of now.
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Q6. What was the turning point in your business /career?[/b]
We were looking out for a platform where we can make people aware about our services. That was about the time when the IIT Bombay E-summit 2012 happened to us. We were short-listed among the top ten start-ups in India and we got an overwhelming response from individuals ranging from students to delegates. This precisely was the turning point in our journey, as this was when we were recognized and appreciated. It also gave us the required confidence to believe in our start-up.
Q7. Besides you who are all involved in setting up Tech Tots brief us about the founders and profiles. [/b]
Nikita Govind, third year engineering student from DJ Sanghvi college, is the spearhead of the whole idea of Tech Tots. She has been conducting such workshops at college level and has a sharp technical skill set. She has excellent marketing skills which is one of the prime reasons of our success till date.
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Q8. Right now what is the position of the service? [/b]
Tech Tots is in the start up phase. We are currently focusing on making ourselves and our services aware in the market. We are in the process of approaching and finalizing schools for the upcoming academic year. We plan to have a dynamic roll ahead.
Q9. What plans ahead for the company? [/b]
We plan to extend the range of our services to enthusiastic corporate and hobbyists. We also have plans to extend our expertise in the field of education in the form of technical counseling for school and college level students.
Q10. Any message to young entrepreneurs.[/b]
The most important message we would like to convey is, recognition of a platform where they can showcase their idea/start-up is a very substantial factor. Also, not just creating a start-up but creating a good brand name has to be kept in consideration. The picture of the market should be clear and the research has to be precise. Also, as Nikita mentions, an idea doesn’t have to be necessarily extraordinary; an ordinary idea put across innovatively, reaps sweet fruits.