Vikram Srinivasan Co-Founder Zettata – a bangalore-based Helion Venture/Accel Partners funded “retail search” Startup that aims “to connect people with the right information based on their current context”.

Vikram has moved from academia through research labs to becoming an Entrepreneur. His past roles have included Director, Alcatel-Lucent, Technical Manager, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, India, Member of Technical Staff, Bell Labs Research, India and Assistant Professor National University of Singapore.

He has a deep interest in technology with significant expertise in the telecom/wireless networking space with several publications to his name. His current interest and focus is IR and search. Vikram holds a Phd in Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, M.E, Electrcal Communications Engineering, IISc, BSc Physics, Madras Christian College.

Vikram Srinivasan’s – “My Journey & Learnings – Zettata” was a highly interactive session and lived more from the discussion than the slide-deck. Here are the Lounge47 key takeaways: 1. At the beginning, it is good for founders/the team to do whatever it takes to get the Startup on the road. As the Startup matures, team members should focus on their areas of expertise and have defined roles

2. Early understanding of your strengths vs. that of your cofounder gives clarity and speed to your Startup

3. Hire for attitude. A “dating” period gives both sides time to get to know each other and make an informed choice about working together

4. Do not get distracted by seeking funding at the MVP (minimum viable product) stage. Seek funding when you need to scale. e.g. to grow into new markets

5. Keeping focus is key. Don’t focus on the competition, it could prove to be a distraction. Focus on the customer instead 6. Managing expectations be it that of the customer or your team is important to keep stability.

7. Customer feedback should not send team into a panic. Stay calm and choose features or aspects that need to be addressed

8. As a Startup grows, communication becomes more and more difficult. Build a transparent and flat Startup culture

9. At first, Startup days could be chaotic however with time, planning and goal-setting becomes a vital activity

10. Recognize that each system ticks differently, figure out the habits that lead to success and follow them through. Avoid burnout

11. Processes need to be thought through and set. It is when a Startup begins to scale that the early work put into processes begins to pay dividends 12. Measure. Measure. Measure. Build, iterate and measure again. In summary, don’t get carried away by buzzwords or Startup mantras. Simply solve the problem you have set out to, find paying customers and scale.