Why young hardware cos are heading to Belgaum, Hubli & Coimbatore BANGALORE: Technology entrepreneurs launching startups that make devices are increasingly setting up shop in smaller towns - such as Belgaum, Hubli and Coimbatore - lured by the reduced costs and lower attrition. Their companies, which make products ranging from smart watches and food-sorters to device-trackers and robots, cater to both local and global clients. Entrepreneurs with the ability to attract skilled professionals, who are keen to escape the stress of living in Indias larger metros, are the ones driving this trend. In Bangalore, potential employees were looking for equity stake and benefits, money were talked about more than innovation, said Sasisekar Krish, cofounder of Nanopix, who chose to launch Nanopix in the north Karnataka city of Hubli. Krish, 36, who earlier worked with Wipro Technologies, evaluated his options in Bangalore, before choosing Hubli. He said potential hires would often ask him what they would get by leaving a lucrative job. Unwilling to offer inflated salaries, he moved to his hometown and found that there were enough skilled engineers willing to work in a niche field, away from the noise of a big city. Nanopix has developed an automated cashew-sorting food processor and is looking to develop products as diverse as blood smear analysers and handheld vehicle trackers. The company expects to earn revenue of over $1 million (Rs 6.2 crore) this fiscal. Krish estimates that the salary bill for his team of 28 is about one-third of what he would have had to dole out in a top metro. His employees come from the neighbouring districts in Karnataka and no one has left the three-year-old company so far. If I were in Bangalore or Mumbai, my biggest challenge would have been holding onto people, he said. Experts said the absence of large rival companies that pay huge salaries is one of the reasons that professionals are more willing to work in startups in smaller cities. Not being close to a low-hanging fruit gives them focus, said S Sadagopan, founder-director of the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore Working away from urban chaos is also a stress-buster for many who are drawn by the opportunity to work in niche high-technology areas. Vignesh Shanbhag, a telecommunications engineer, quit his job in Bangalore to move to Belgaum four months ago. The 25-year-old has joined smart appliance maker SenseGiz for the work and also the potential to save more in a small city. Its the latest trending technology and its much less stressful than Bangalore, said Shanbhag. SenseGiz, founded by 25-year-old Abhishek Latthe, is developing a smart watch that is expected to hit the market next January. The watch can be clipped onto clothing, issue alerts to avoid accidents, facilitate gesture control to drop calls or snap pictures. The company plans to open the platform for coders to develop newer applications. Read more at: economictimes.indiatimes/articleshow/26379944.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 10:06:04 +0000
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