Packing batteries with more punch
Indian researchers are working on cells that can store more energy, last longer
Rohan Bhargava, Co-founder, Cashkaro.com
In 2011, Rohan Bhargava, along with his wife Swati, started a B2B cashback business in the UK called Pouring Pounds. Two years later, the couple shifted to India and set up CashKaro and it’s been virtually raining rupees for them: their cashback and coupons site has caught the eye of investors like Kalaari Capital and Ratan Tata. Bhargava, 36, says Cashkaro.com is now India’s largest cashback site with 1.5 million customers and working with 1,500-plus e-commerce players, driving a Gross Merchandise Value of ₹75-100 crore. Here’s how the Gurgaon-based entrepreneur deals with…
Investor expectationsThe only way to deal with investors is to be completely honest and transparent. Most investors have been entrepreneurs, so they understand the ups and downs of a start-up. We give a monthly feedback to our investors. But we are very close to our investors at Kalaari Capital, and can call up any time there is a need.
An employee who is olderOur CTO is probably older than me. There is perhaps an automatic sense of respect to somebody older, and the initial instincts may be to take their ideas more seriously. But some of the best ideas in our organisation have come from people who interned with us. There is really not a mass of difference in the way we treat people we work with, whatever the age.
Scaling up and keeping culture intactLast year, we were sub-40 employees, now we are at 75. I think we did the small things really well when we were a small company. For instance, when we were just a five-member team, we would go on quarterly outings, and have frequent dinners together. We still do those. That way everybody knows everybody else.
When we moved to our new office, we created a massive cafeteria where everybody could eat together. The fact that everybody is eating together automatically gets people closer together. Swati and I also do not have separate cabins, but sit together with the teams that belong to our role.
Social networksI am on all the networks, but I am super active on LinkedIn: 50-60 per cent of the new relationships I forge are through LinkedIn. If you look at some of our partnerships, ICICI, Jio or YES Bank, the initial contacts originated through LinkedIn. On other networks, I may not initiate conversations, but I am always there to answer questions.
Stress and pressureWhen Steve Jobs once talked about entrepreneurship, he said you really need to enjoy it. Now that I am on this journey, I truly appreciate what he said. The only way to survive setting up a company is if you are excited and enjoy the challenges. I treat every day as a fun day. I also believe it’s important to stay physically fit and make time for the gym or a swim.
Husband and wife working togetherThe bad part is there is no line between business and personal talk. In the midst of a family event, we may start discussing work. But the upside is we understand each other well and draw on each other’s strengths at work. We know what situations each of us can handle. In many ways, it has brought us a lot closer to each other. I can’t imagine doing it any other way.
Indian researchers are working on cells that can store more energy, last longer
To fix a broken bone, doctors often harvest another bone from the patient’s body or from someone else. It ...
Superconductors from IIScScientists at IISc Bangalore have invented a device with a nanocrystal structure ...
Engineering and construction giant L&T has won a licence from the Council of Scientific & Industrial ...
Will a stock continue its current trend or will it reverse? We tell you how you can read chart patterns to ...
Sensex and Nifty 50 saw selling interest on Friday and slumped; selling pressure could continue
Investors with a long-term horizon can consider this offer
Most AMCs have been sending out cryptic e-mails. We tell you how to read between the lines
In these isolated times when people yearn for a slice of the familiar, amateur and professional chefs are ...
Forget the tuna. The island nation will keep you full and happy with coconut, koftas and jasmine
This year, on Facebook, I saw that someone had posted a list of EASY RESOLUTIONS. I didn’t copy them down but ...
With strokes of quirky humour, Partha Pratim Deb uses pulp, terracotta, glass and discarded cloth to create ...
Digital is becoming dominant media, but are companies and their ad agencies transforming fast enough to make a ...
Slow Network, promoted by journalist-lyricist Neelesh Misra, pushes rural products and experiences
How marketers can use the traditional exchange of festive wishes meaningfully
For Fortune, a brand celebrating its 20th anniversary, it was a rude shock to become the butt of social media ...
Three years after its inception, compliance with GST procedures remains a headache for exporters, job workers ...
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of companies are altering the prospects for wooden toys of ...
Aequs Aerospace to create space for large-scale manufacture of toys at Koppal
And it has every reason to smile. Covid-19 has triggered a consumer shift towards branded products as ...
Please Email the Editor