The Hindu Business Line : S-cube CEO offers funds, expertise for start-ups

SYSTEMS, Studies & Simulation, Inc., is a $25-million company headquartered in Alabama, USA, which specialises in conducting computer-based simulation studies for a number of hi-tech clients, including the NASA and the US army. The company — S-cube — is a typical NRI success story, which today has nearly twenty principal clients.

Its CEO, Mr Srini Srinivas, now wants to see what he can do in India. Since a lot of work that "S-cube" does is highly classified, scope for the company starting an operation in India is limited. Instead, Mr Srinivas says he prefers to share his management and financial strengths with Indian start-ups, which may happen to need them.

"We would like to invest in equity or take over small business with niche IT solution/engineering capabilities with fairly established infrastructure," Mr Srinivas told Business Line on Sunday, adding that his company would also "provide financial assistance when deemed fit." In fact, a few options are under consideration.

Mr Srinivas, an alumnus of IIT, Madras, spent 26 years working for a number of engineering firms in the US, before he set up S-cube in 1996. S-cube started with only four people but today employs over 260. Revenues have improved from $18 million in 2001 to $20.8 million in 2002 and $25 million last year.

Since the company specialises in forecasting through simulation models (say, how a missile or a space shuttle will behave under specified circumstances), companies providing simulation services would therefore be the best ones to benefit by a tie-up with Mr Srinivas.

However, he says that he could tie up with any software company that could use his technical or marketing expertise. "Our expertise is in providing niche services globally. Any company that has a similar vision would be a fit case for investment," he said.